John Lawson’s life took a turn for the worst when his father abandoned him. His father left Lawson home alone, locked the door and never returned. Eventually, his journey took him down a dark path, and he became part of the Maltese Mafia and engaged in a life of violent crime. The acts he committed were numerous and involved kidnapping, sex trafficking, beating people up and eventually led to plotting murder. On his third prison term, the Lord set him free from the mental anguish he lived in and eventually the prison walls.
On a recent episode of Living in the Light on the Charisma Podcast Network, Lawson recounts the story of the day he picked up a Bible, which he termed rubbish, and opened it up to Ezekiel 18:27-34 (NIV):
But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. Yet the Israelites say, “The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!”
That is exactly what John did. He repented, and his cold, dead heart was replaced with a new one. He now has a passion to share the gospel in the roughest prisons and beyond. His pain turned into purpose.
Do you have a loved one far from the Lord? Listen to this story that offers hope to even the most wicked man. How did the Lord get John’s attention? Through one single man. Could you be the one God is sending to the most vile? {eoa}
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