God had me meet with two gangs on Saturday. One of the gangs I knew and the other one I didn’t. I learned that they are looking for me. I went to a gang’s house that I knew on Saturday. When I arrived the gang leader said, “I am tired of being in the house. I am going to the park.”
I replied, “That’s okay. I will follow you.”
When we arrived the gang leader asked, “Do you have any food? We are hungry. ”
I said that I did. The gang leader then asked, “I’ve been trying to memorize the Lord’s prayer, but I just don’t seem to get it.”
I said, “Why not just let your heart speak out a prayer.”
The leader said, “I will pray for breakfast for sure.” He looked at his men and said, “If you guys laugh at me, I am going to start shooting.” He laid both of his pistols out on the table. He then turned his focus on me and begin praying for breakfast. I cracked my eyes a bit to see what the gang leader was doing. He was looking at his men while he was praying making sure that nobody laughed. I prayed that his men would not laugh while he prayed. I found out that this gang leader ran away from home when he was 12 years old. He started his own gang when he was 16. He has been been away from home for 9 1/2 years. This is the first time that he has prayed since he left home. He began to cry as he finished up his prayer. He picked his pistols up off the table and put them away. He then looked at his men and said, “After we finish breakfast, I am going home. I am not going to do this life anymore.”
That simple prayer shifted his heart. He had given his heart to Jesus Christ when he was real young. But there was that one Saturday night when his dad was drunk and beat him up really bad. That was when he ran away from home. He began to share with his men on that special day how he gave his heart to Jesus Christ. He said, “I remember they were singing ‘Amazing Grace’ as I walk forward. When Sonny read John 3:16 to me last week, that just has been gnawing at my heart. Now I’m ready to go home. You guys can do whatever you want but for me it is going home.”
I begin looking around and noticed that many of his men also began crying. I then said, “Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow is never promised to anyone, not even for me. Who wants their names written in the Lamb’s book of life?”
They all began raising their hands one by one. Even though they had not finished breakfast, they began putting their food aside. They all stood in line, and I began praying for each one. I wanted this to be a special moment for each man here, so I prayed for each man individually as the Holy Spirit led me to pray. As I was getting to the end of the line, the men began to call their parents. They shared with their parents that they had given our hearts to Jesus Christ. When I came to the leader, he said, “Sonny, I want you to walk with me. I want you to be with me when I call my dad. I have talked with my mom on her birthday and Christmas, but I have never talked to my dad since I walked away that day. I began to cry as I listened to his story. When his dad answered the phone, he asked if everything was okay. The leader replied, “No, dad I want to ask your forgiveness for what I did when I left you that day. I am sorry for everything that I said. It is okay if you don’t want to forgive me. But God will forgive me.”
His dad immediately said, “It is I who should be asking you for forgiveness for that day you left. I begin to think what I could’ve done different. It has been a rough journey, but I have given up drinking entirely. I have not touched liquor in eight years. I have given my heart to Jesus Christ and have begun serving him.”
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