Devotionals – Kuznets Jierette Genetia (ICCS)

Devotionals – Kuznets Jierette Genetia (ICCS)

(This devotional was written by one of our incarcerated students, sharing their faith and study of God’s Word.)

Turning Evil’s Mission into God’s Plan
“The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy.”
—John 10:10

You have read enough in the past about the evil things “that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness, and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.”
—1 Peter 4:3

What does it all mean? Who is the thief? You answered correctly: it’s Satan. His mission is to disrupt everything, cause confusion, and win lost souls. He definitely had full possession of me before I got incarcerated. My life was one big mess, and Satan was laughing at me. I was in a relationship with a married man, we were committing crimes, and we were hurting people.

Right before we both got locked up, we were in the car, and my ex-boyfriend was driving. We were passing through a nice neighborhood, and he was commenting on how beautiful the lawns were. I showed no reaction. I felt completely disconnected from this world, like I didn’t belong there. I was exhausted from running from the cops and constantly looking over my shoulder. When we got arrested, one part of me still clung to my past life, but another part of me was relieved I didn’t have to run anymore. My better self won. I decided to come to Jesus and ask for His help. And Jesus accepted me with open arms.

In that cold jail, I thanked God for getting arrested. I thank the jails and prisons for saving me from dying on the streets. I thank God for putting me behind bars, because who knows what damage I could have done. If it weren’t for my incarceration, I probably would never have truly come to God. I had tried to come to God before, but I never had a true connection.

I gave my life to Jesus while rotting away in a stone-cold jail cell. Without Him, there is only darkness—no light. I know my apology will never undo the damage I’ve caused to many people in this life, but I would like to say that Jesus helped me see who I really was, even before I got locked up. I now truly despise the old me.

“I wish I could change the past, but I can’t. I can only strive to be a better person now, serve the Lord with all my heart, and live right, with Jesus by my side.” I will never be able to repay the emotional and physical damage I’ve caused to those I’ve hurt, but what I can do is continue living by the Word. By writing this small article, I hope it helps people come to the Lord and avoid the mistakes I’ve made.

God bless all of you!

Yuliya K.