Jamie Torres December message

Man, I'm so excited. What an opportunity, man, the Lord has blessed me with to be able to holler at my homies, man. You know what I mean? I've been exactly where you at, man. I've been there, done that, you understand me? But now, man, I'm on the other side, and I pray, man, that I'm able to break bread with you, man, chop it up with you, you feel me? And I'm able to bring a word that's going to be able to encourage you, you understand me? We love you, man. JTM, Jamie Toure, that's my name, JTM Ministries from Hickory, North Carolina. We coming at you live, you feel me? What's up, what's up, man? I'm just so grateful and happy to be back, coming back at you to all my homies, man, behind those walls, you know, all around the prison system, man. I love y'all, man, with all my heart. You gotta understand, man, I got some skin in this game. Yeah, I got some skin in this game, man. I spent most of my life in prison, you know, and the Lord, man, thank God for me, He allowed me to meet Him, man, behind those walls, you know what I'm saying? And so I just want to come out and encourage you, man, on today, be a blessing to you, man, you feel me, by speaking truth to you. The truth is the only thing that was set a man free, the truth of God's Word is the only thing that set a man free. And I just want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me the opportunity and the privilege to be able, man, to speak life to you, man, to be able to come through for you by proclaiming His goodness, by proclaiming the good news, man, the good news, the gospel of our living Savior Jesus Christ, man. My name is Pastor Jamie Torres, and I'm coming to you live from Hickory, North Carolina,

man, just thanking the Lord. Thank you, Jesus, man, what an open door, what a platform that I'm able to come through and share the good news with your people, man, you know what I'm saying? You ain't down for the count, bro, you ain't out, man, just because you find yourself in that predicament, that doesn't mean that you're out for the count. The Bible says that all things work together for the good of those who love Him. The Scriptures also teaches us that what the enemy meant for evil, God will flip that thing for your good, man. If we just give Him an opportunity, He'll flip that thing. If you just trust Him, I promise He will flip that thing, man, on your behalf, for your favor, I'm telling you, He'll flip that thing. And so I'm so grateful, man, but I'm going to go straight to the Word of God, I want to share some things with you that the Lord has been sharing with me through the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit, I love you, Holy Spirit. But a lot of times we find ourselves in different predicaments, and we find ourselves in different circumstances and situations, right? And according to the circumstances, if it's not a good circumstance, if it's a bad situation, what we consider bad, then guess what? We tend to beat ourselves up. We tend to slowly but surely lose hope, especially when we don't understand, we don't have no understanding of why we're going through what we're going through, you understand me? And a lot of times, man, guilt and shame will come in and just continue to beat us down to the point, man, that we'll get into a dark place in our lives, right? And we'll surely enough give up hope. But I want you to know, man, that just because you find yourself in diverse temptation or diverse places, or you're going through some difficult times in your life, that doesn't mean that you're out for the count. Man, I want you to hold on, and let me share some truth with you. I pray that you open up your spiritual ears right now.

right now, and be focused, don't be distracted by what I'm going to share with you, because I believe with all my heart, it's going to be a difference, it's going to be a difference maker for you when you latch on to this truth, when you grab this truth. In Psalm 119, verse 67, it reads like this, Behold, it says, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now have I kept that word. Before I was afflicted, in other words, before all this mess came to my life, I went astray. Man, I was doing my thing, I wasn't thinking about nobody but me, I wanted to come up with the come up, you feel me, I was selfish, I was just doing my thing, and really, I was going astray, but thank God that that situation came into me, that the things that you're facing, thank God for them, because the Bible says, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now have I kept that word. In other words, what allowed him to be able to come back, right, and be able to apply that word, to apply God's truth, what enabled him to do that was the fact that he was afflicted, that the hammer had to come down, that he had to find himself in times of trouble. Trouble had to come his way, right? Trouble had to come so that he would be able to come back. Remember, before he was afflicted, he was gone crazy, he was gone astray, he was doing his thing, right? He was out there wilding out, but thank God that affliction came. A lot of times we feel when we find ourselves in difficult situations, whether we bring it on ourselves or because of life in itself, a lot of times we take ownership of it in a negative way. In other words, we start beating ourselves up, right? We start talking negative about ourselves. We start thinking negative about ourselves. And one of the things that I have learned through the process, right, is that sometimes, most of the time, we feel that God won't have nothing to do with us, that he is beating us down and that he's forsaken us, that he won't have nothing to do with. And that's so far from the truth, brothers.

That's not true. As a matter of fact, one of the reasons affliction comes is because he does love us. He loves me and you. You see what I'm saying? And because of his love, man, he will allow me and you to be afflicted. He will allow affliction to come alive because he knows that we have gone astray and he wants to bring us back. He wants to get us to get me and you to come back to him and develop this relationship with him that he intended before the foundations of the world, man. He loves me and you. You understand me? And he knows what it's going to get me and you to respond, to respond to him and to keep it 100, man. We're going to go through some things in our lives, you know. I am so grateful that God didn't let me die in them streets. He didn't hand me over to the devil. The devil really was trying to kill me, man. You feel me? He was trying to kill me in them streets. I'm telling you. And looking back now, I thank God. I thank God for everything I went through. I thank God that instead of me dying in them streets, he allowed me to go into the belly of the beast to the federal penitentiary. He prepared a big old fish for me. The belly. He prepared that big belly. You feel me? The belly of the beast. He prepared that.

He prepared a federal penitentiary for me to go right on in there. Right? And when I thought it was all over, it wasn't, man. It was the beginning. It was my beginning of him opening my eyes. man, and setting me free, bro. You know what I mean? He was opening my eyes. I was blind. You feel me? But in that place, in that horrible pit in prison, little did I know that God was doing this perfect, perfect work in me. And because of that, today, I've been out 25 years, went from a life sentence to die in prison, 25 years then, to only spending 10 years. And now, 25 years later, by the grace of God, I'm serving him and walking with him. And I'm able, today, to come through you, through this means, through this channel, through this platform, and encourage you. As a matter of fact, when I got shot six times in my chest, one of the main reasons he didn't let me die was because of you. Yep, I'm looking at you. You say, how in the world, what do I got to do? You got everything to do with it. And I'm talking to you. Ain't you sitting there looking at me through that tablet? I know you got that tablet in your hand.

Do you think this is by coincidence, man? He preserved me, man. He kept me alive for you. Because he knew, today, I was going to come through and bring you this word. Don't feel sorry for yourself. Embrace the process. That's what I'm trying to tell you, right? Because he's allowing affliction to come because he's willing you back in, right? He's keeping you from self-destruction. He don't want you to destroy yourself. So he allowed affliction. He said, before I went, before I was afflicted, I went astray. Thank God that because of his love, he allowed me and you to get a good old-fashioned spanking. Those he loved, he chastised. He loves you, man. Don't let the enemy trick you and make you feel like God don't love you. He said, before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now, and that's what I like, but now, look at me now. It's about the now now. What am I doing now? I'm not astray from God. I'm walking with God. I'm serving God. I'm loving God. He set me free, and now I'm able to walk

in my God-given purpose. Before, I was astray. I was on my way to hell, man. I was living hell and on my way to hell, I'm telling you. But thank God, right, for that affliction that came to me. Thank God. Now, it sounds crazy, right? But it's not when you have the understanding, not when your eyes have been opened. It makes all the sense to me, because God used that process to bring me close to him and develop this sonship and fathership relationship that I have with my Papa in heaven. Listen to him say it. That's why I love this shirt. He love when I call him Big Papa. You feel me? And before that, I was ignorant. I didn't even know he existed. I didn't know him. But thanks be to God that by being afflicted, he used that means or that process to get me to come around and get to know him, the true living God, the true father he is to me personally. Now, in 71, he went from, in 67, before I was afflicted, I went astray. But look what 71, he realized it. The truth, man, resonated. He said, it is good for me that I have been afflicted. Now he's saying, boy, over here, he's

just saying, man, before I was afflicted, I went astray. He was telling you, man, he was doing some crazy stuff. He was far gone from God. You feel me? That's what he's saying. He said, man, thinking before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now in 71. He said, it is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes, that I might learn you, learn your ways, learn your truth. He realized, man, as a matter of fact, he clapped. He's clapping to the fact that he went through what he had to go through, that he was afflicted, that I'm telling you, man, that trouble came his way, right? As a matter of fact, he's so grateful. It's like the light bulb went on. He said, man, if I would've never went through that process, I'd probably be dead and separated from him for eternity. But thanks be to God, he loved me so much. He didn't let me down in my sin. On top of that, he allowed affliction to come my way. And he used that process. I'm not saying it's easy, but he used that process, whatever you've been through, to get you to a place of relationship with him and to get you to a place where he can set you free and you come to your own and you come to yourself and operate under the real purpose for what God created you and me. He had to use affliction.

And right here, he said, it is good. He didn't say it's bad. He said, man, in other words, he's saying, man, Papa, you're something. Thank you, Lord, for everything I've been through. That's what he's telling him. Because I wouldn't be where I'm at today if I would've never been through this, if he would've never showed mercy. You know, part of God's mercy is allowing some stuff to come your way, some trouble, I promise you. It's part of his mercy. Because he really, he can turn his back on you. And I'm going to tell you something. One thing about the devil, he really want to kill you. But you know what I love about God? There's a line that God be drawing in the sand and the devil can't cross it. You remember over there with Joe? The devil really want to kill him completely. But Papa said, nah, bro, listen, you're going to do what I say. I'm going to let you touch him up a little bit. You're going to touch him up. I'm going to let you touch him up. But I'm going to draw a line and you can't cross it. I thank God for that. I thank God that he drew a line. Because if it wasn't for Papa drawing that line,

I wouldn't be here sharing the thing with you today, bro. There will be no such thing as JTM, bro. Ain't no way in the world that the devil was trying to kill me, destroy me. That's what I'm trying to tell you. But thank be to God he draws a line on the sand. Papa, he put boundaries. You ain't going to cross that devil. I'm so happy. Thank you, Jesus. And that's why I'm able to come to you today. And that's what my man back here in 71 said, it is good. It's a good thing. And he's not bitter. You don't sense no bitterness there and no regret. He said, it is good for me that I have been afflicted. He said, man, Papa, you're so smart. Thank you, Papa. Thank you for everything. And everything that I'm going through now. You might be going through some things now. Man, start praising the Lord, bro. Thank the Lord. You're alive, ain't you? What you ate? You ate bologna sandwiches? Well, I'm saying, well, mad potatoes. They're still feeding that stuff in prison. I'm just saying. Right?

Or you making your own sauces and soup. Right? You still can eat, can't you? You still can swallow, can't you? You still can dial the phone and call your mama, can't you? Man, thank God, man. Because if it wasn't for that line, Papa drew that line, bro, you'd be through. Me too. Understand that. So instead of whining and feeling sorry for yourself and beating yourself up, and telling you ain't never gonna be this, and you ain't never, and look at you now, man, give the Lord an opportunity. He said that what he started, the good work that he started in you, bro, he gonna complete that thing. I promise you. I promise you. He's gonna complete it. Right? Because he had the plan for you. So man, please, man, whatever you're going through, God is aligning. It's not gonna kill you. It's not gonna destroy you. You know why? Because God drew a line,

and the devil can't cross it. In other words, you win. Man, I really love you. Continue. I pray for JTM. We thank God for A Better Way Ministry for giving us an opportunity to be in this platform. I love A Better Way Ministry, man. And thank God. Thank God for you. I thank God for your life. I pray you be encouraged today that if you're going through this process, it's a good thing because you're no longer going to be a stray. You're going to come into a right relationship with your maker who died for you and me. And he has nothing but blessing for your life. From slinging dough to slinging hope. May God bless you.