Satanist, Wiccan Leader Among Hundreds Redeemed Through 'The Power of Jesus' This Year in Prisons
God Behind Bars has been sharing amazing testimonies this year about how God is touching hearts and changing lives to set hundreds of prisoners free, including the story of a prisoner who had turned away from worshipping Satan by giving his life to Jesus Christ.
"I've seen the glory of God," inmate Daniel told the ministry. "There is nobody greater. There is nobody more powerful, nobody more dangerous, which is good when you need a warrior on your side. He is a man of battle, for real."
The former gang member told God Behind Bars he is "all in about Jesus," but that wasn't always the story.
"About a year ago is when God took me out of the satanic cult," he shared. "I had been with the Lord before that, but I backslid and wasn't involved in church anymore, so it was an accident that I became part of [the cult] when I was trying to learn deeper things."
"[But] I've never seen anything better than what the Lord has revealed to me now," Daniel added.
As CBN News has reported, God Behind Bars is a national prison ministry that is working to restore the lives of inmates by building their faith, during incarceration and after their release.
The ministry is strategically working to reach the more than 2.3 million people in the prison system.
"We create satellite campuses in prisons and our whole mission is to introduce inmates to Jesus," Isaac Holt, Director of Innovation for God Behind Bars, told CBN News.
In 2021, the ministry released its PandoApp – a faith-based app, that gives prisoners access to worship music and sermons on a tablet.
The ministry's goal to win souls for the Kingdom of God is exploding into an ongoing outreach that is providing hope in a dark place.
MORE 'Revival' Behind Bars: Dozens of South Dakota Inmates Baptized Including Wiccan Leader
Back in May of this year, God Behind Bars reported a group of 25 men from a maximum security prison in South Dakota gave their lives to Jesus Christ.
"One man who got baptized was leading a Wiccan group, came to Jesus, and was baptized! Another man (who came) to this service for the first time invited Jesus into his life and was baptized! Another man has been in prison for 40 years and is serving a life sentence. He wasn't signed up to be baptized but made the spontaneous decision to be baptized," the ministry explained. CLICK HERE to Learn More About That Outreach
Suicidal Prisoner Delivered
Former inmate Shannon was in her cell preparing to hang herself, but a care package she received from God Behind Bars made her rethink her decision.
"Shannon prayed a final prayer asking for a sign for her to live," the ministry explained. "Suddenly, she heard a knock on her cell. The knock was a God Behind Bars volunteer."
The volunteer told her, "Shannon when you get out of here we have a care package for you to come and grab. We can't wait to see you."
Shannon wept knowing that God heard her prayer.
The young woman began to attend services through the ministry and eventually gave her life to Jesus Christ.
According to the group, she was released, got baptized, and recently returned to the prison to give 1,000 women inmates care packages.
"This is the power of Jesus," God Behind Bars shared on Instagram.
Reuniting Families
The ministry does not stop at saving inmates and restoring their lives, they go as far as helping to rebuild broken relationships between inmates and their children.
Two-thirds of parents in prison have never received a visit from their family and 75% of children with one incarcerated parent are more likely to end up in prison. More than a third of these parents will still be in prison by the time their young children reach their 18th birthday, according to one Department of Justice report.
Each year God Behind Bars hosts "All is Bright", an event that reveals the true meaning of Christmas.
"Our heart is for the children," Holt told CBN News. "We want to create dignity for their mom or dad. We want to restore that relationship with their family."
And the ministry works beyond the holiday season to foster relationships for families.
This past spring, the ministry shared a video of 29 mothers being reunited with their children.
"THIS IS OUR FIGHT to break the cycle of incarceration for families," they explained.
Hundreds Learn about Jesus
God Behind Bars CEO Jake Bodine told CBN News he started the organization in 2009 with the mission to "reach the least of these," and it has blossomed into a revival-type movement at correctional facilities across the country.
In a video posted back in April, the ministry shared about its 69th program launch in a men's correctional facility.
"216 INMATES came to hear the name of Jesus preached," they shared. "[It's] one of the largest attended services ever at this prison. One of the largest we have ever had. BUT THE BEST NEWS is that 10 of these men gave their lives to Jesus!"
The hope is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will continue to spread from cell to cell.
"We will stop at nothing, ensuring every inmate in the U.S. has direct and personal access to the gospel and spiritual resources to not only help them grow their faith, but heal trauma and wounds, break addictions and cycles, and allow them to step into their calling as sons and daughters of the Most High," reads their website.
MORE: 300 Inmates Give Their Lives to Jesus, 50 Baptized in Max Security Prison
