"These Feet Were Made For Walking!" by Marg Black

 

It is important to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Isaiah 52:7 NIV says: "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion 'Your God reigns' ".

 

In May of 1998 I went to a ladies weekend retreat. It was held in beautiful Kihilla in Lawson. I had told the others that I couldn't stay the whole weekend as I had promised a couple of woman in Emu Plains prison, that I would visit them. One of the Pastors wives, Tracey, took me aside, after lunch on the Saturday just before I was leaving, and said "So you don't miss out on the foot washing ceremony, I will wash your feet now before you leave".

 

Tracey gave me communion, washed my feet and annointed them with oil. Then she said I have a word for you from God, which is "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news". I felt totally different. I was feeling warm all over even though it was cold and I felt a boldness come on me which I hadn't experienced before. Maybe that's what they mean when they say they went out in the power of the Holy Spirit. So I left there, picking Bob up from home on the way to Emu Plains prison. We visited a girl by the name of Rebel first, and God impressed upon me to tell her about the dream that I had had the year before.

 

This is what I told her: Last year on the night of the 19th July, I had a dream.  In the dream, my daughter, Ann, came to me and asked me "What is the repenter's prayer?". I just knew this was of God and even though I didn't think I'd forget this dream, I asked God to remind me of it in the morning.

 

In the morning when I awoke, I immediately remembered the dream and, after my morning cuppa, went downstairs and told Ann the dream. She turned around and asked me: "What is the repenter's prayer?". Well! This was so amazing, because here we were standing in the same place as in the dream and here was Ann asking me the same question. I explained to her: "It is when you repent of your sins, tell God you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, so God can see you as Holy and Righteous, and that you believed that God raised Jesus from the dead, so you could receive the free gift of eternal life. You ask Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Saviour."

 

Knowing this was of God I asked Ann if she would like to say that prayer. At first she said "You'd really like that wouldn't you Mum". But I just said this is your choice Ann. Well, she said:"Okay" and I led her in that prayer and she gave her heart to the Lord.

 

But that's not all. At the time of saying that prayer, Ann suffered from epilepsy and agrophobia. We realised 6 months later that Ann was totally healed of both. God is an amazing God!

 

While I was telling all this to Rebel, I could still feel what I would call the power of the Holy Spirit on me. I went on and asked Rebel if she would like to say that repenter's prayer and ask Jesus into her heart.  She said "Oh, yes". So I held her hand and led her in the prayer and she gave her heart to Jesus. I could feel power flowing from me into her.

 

Immediately afterwards she said to me with a tear in her eye, "I feel so different now". And you know what, she even looked different. I prayed for her and then Bob told her from the Scriptures how God sees her now, as a child of His, as being precious to Him, loved by Him and so on.

 

When we'd finished visiting with Rebel, we visited Lisa. The same thing happened here! God impressed on me to tell Lisa the same as I had told Rebel and ask her if she would like to say the repenter's prayer. When she said yes, I held her hand and led her in the prayer. I could feel that same power flowing through me to Lisa. When she looked up she had tears in her eyes. She said to me "I don't feel any different, but I can't stop crying, and I'm chinese! And chinese don't show their emotions, especially not in gaol."

 

God had touched her heart. She wasn't sad; she was glad. I prayed for her and Bob showed her from the sciptures how God sees her now.

 

That was a day I'll never forget.  I had brought good news and salvation to those 2 girls in prison. God had gone before me and prepared their hearts and I was obedient and offered them salvation. 

 

You see, a lot of people don't know what question to ask. They hear the gospel and receive it gladly, but don't know how to get saved.  They think that believing all about God and Jesus is enough. It is not. Satan does that and he is not saved and never will be. We have to receive Jesus into our hearts, by asking Him in. He won't come in without our inviting Him in, because He has given us free will.

 

There was something I didn't tell Rebel and Lisa, because God didn't tell me to. When I had that dream, before I told my daughter about it, I looked back over my life and couldn't remember ever asking Jesus in. I had been brought up in a christian home and lived a christian life, going to bible studies and church and bringing my children up the christian way, so I thought, and presumed I must have asked Jesus in, way back when I was little and couldn't remember.

 

But just to be on the safe side, I got down on my knees repented of my sins and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Saviour.. That is the best thing I have ever done. People started seeing a change in me and I gradually realised I was different. I had passed from death to life, from darkness to light. I was a new creation, born again, Jesus had become my friend.

 

Early in '98 I looked back to when God called me into prison ministry, back in April '96. I had been driving past Emu Plains prison and God spoke to me and said "You know the sins of those people in there are no worse than your sins, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I want you to go in there and visit". He had pointed out my self-righteous attitude at the time, but he was also trying to show me I wasn't saved, but I couldn't see it then.

 

At about the same time God gave me a vision of the throne room of God and there were multitudes of people before the throne praising God. But when I looked closer there were a lot of spaces. God told me they were for the ones still to come in to His kingdom. He gave me a heart for prisoners and a passion for saving the lost.

 

It was here in early '98 that I realised that I wasn't saved when God called me into prison ministry. He was trying to show me I was still a sinner. And one of the spaces before His throne, in the vision, was for me. It took the dream to actually start me on my christian walk.

 

Now, with my husband's help we hold a church service in Cobham Juvenile Justice Centre once a month, and also do a bible study in there twice a month. We also hold a church service in Yasmar Juvenile Justice Centre once a month. Bob and I are also involved in the Kairos Prison ministry. We are on the next Kairos at Long Bay, & I am on the next one at Emu Plains Prison. We also visit a lady at the Woman's Transitional Centre at Parramatta and have her home to our place for weekend leave.   And we do one on one visits at Parklea Prison as well.

 

To help cover the costs of all our voluntary work in prison, God, our loving Father, gave us a job as caretakers at an independant living home for boys. We live in a small flat at the back of the house and in exchange for looking after the grounds, including the inground pool, we get free rent and free electricity and subsidised phone bills. We are blessed! 

 

On top of that we were introduced to an internet company, which we have joined and we're receiving cheques almost every week. Every time websites are sold in our business we receive a referral fee. God is definitely "Jehovah Jirah" our provider.

 

There is just one more thing. I can't leave here without offering salvation to those of you who are looking for a saviour. For those who can't ever remember asking Jesus in, for those who are looking for Jesus and for those who aren't sure of the state of their heart... I will lead you in a prayer and, if everyone says it as well, then no-one will feel self-conscious.

 

Say this prayer out loud, because it says in Rom 10.9 that 'if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.'

 

Lets pray.

 

"Dear Jesus, I repent of my sins and turn to you. I believe you died on the cross for my sins so God could see me as Holy and righteous. I believe you rose again from the dead so I could receive the free gift of eternal life. I ask you Jesus to come into my heart to be my Lord and Saviour. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. I thank you that your blood has made me clean, I am a child of God, I am a new creation, I have been born again. Amen."

 

If you have just asked Jesus into your heart for the first time, tell some one. I'd love it if you told me, then I can pray for you.

 

-Marg Black.

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