Maria has been incarcerated for 15 years, serving a 60-year sentence. But when she encountered God, she knew she was free.
Woman Incarcerated For 15 Years
When she was first imprisoned, she was angry with God and found herself rejecting religion and refusing to read her Bible.
“I refuse to read the Bible, and I refuse to hear anything about God,” she said.
She said that she didn’t want anything to do with God. But some of the inmates started praying for her. And one day, a woman spoke God’s truth to her, which shattered Maria’s defenses.
“She told me, “God forgave you. God loves you,”” Maria recalled.
Woman Incarcerated For 15 Years Encountered God
After years of not going to church, she decided to attend a God Behind Bars service after a friend repeatedly invited her. Once she went to church, she felt a rush of warmth and knew it was the Holy Spirit.
READ: FORMER PRISONER LEADS THE MAN WHO SET UP A PLAN TO KILL HIM TO RECEIVE GOD
“While I was in prison, I felt like I didn’t deserve God’s love. I don’t deserve anything; I don’t deserve my family’s love; and I don’t deserve anyone to see me with any compassion. Like nothing. I don’t deserve anything good at that moment,” she said.
A few weeks later, she gave her life to Jesus.
“Finally, one day, I said, “Okay, I surrender to You, Lord. Use me, and You be the One to guide me,” Maria recalled how she committed her life to God.
Incarcerated For 15 Years, Now She’s Serving God
According to God Behind Bars, “Maria was one of the very first God Behind Bars Attendees at Denver Women’s. She is now on fire for Jesus and is one of the main inmate leaders who disciple women.
“Eventually, she immediately jumped into life groups and became a prayer warrior for the other women in the facility.
“She wakes up every morning at 5 AM to do her daily devotion. She said spending time with Jesus first doesn’t stop things from coming, but it changes how she handles it when it does because she has a different outlook and approach to it. Maria has dedicated her life to Jesus, and a few months ago Maria was baptized! One of our favorite things she said is, “I am in prison physically; my body is behind these bars, but my heart is FREE.””
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Header image: Maria [godbehindbars]. Instagram, 14 July 2023, https://www.instagram.com/p/CupTyBNx0m7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==