FR OM YO UR H O P E F U L B R OT H ER IN C H R I ST

JAME S A L AN B US H

April 7, 2016
Timothy Ross #V92842
Pelican Bay State Prison
P.O. Box 7500 B3-225
Crescent City, CA 95532
Dear Brother Ross,
I am so grateful to God and the good people at Matthew 25:36 Ministries that I have
found someone with whom I can truly identify (Im going through some trying times
and I feel as if God has given up on me. I pray night and day. I pray so hard that I cry.
But I feel as if my prayers are a waste of time. I feel alone and broken). Please hear
Gods message to you:
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen
you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all
who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those
who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those
who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you
shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I
who say to you, Fear not, I am the one who helps you. [Isaiah 41:10-13 ESV]
To infuse these words into your heart and into your mind, and to come to know true
inner peace and confidence, continue praying, just like you do, but adding one other
thinggratitude:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of
God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6-7 ESV]
Ordinarily, if you were to challenge the notion that you could feel grateful for anything
in your life as it is, I'd be your number one supporter; I know just as much as you do
how bad it is where you are, and I know even better all the good things you have
missed, are now missing and may miss in the future because of it. I'll tell you how and
why in another letter; but, in the meantime, please believe me when I say that, even if
121 1 E A ST S A N TA C L A R A STR E ET # 4

S AN J O SE , CAL IF O R N I A 9 5 1 1 6

(408) 685-4040

your life had all of the best things you could possibly imagine, you would count all
those things loss having found a new life in Christ.
One of His Apostles wrote this very same thing in a letter written to those he also
hoped would become believers:
If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,
a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the
church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Indeed, I count
everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as
rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. [Philippians 3:4-6, 8 ESV]
But, that's not why you should be grateful, of course; rather, the reason why you
should be grateful and express your thankfulness to God in prayer is because if you
love Him and keep His commandments, He promises to be there for you, no matter
where, no matter what:
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the
righteous to be moved. [Psalm 55:22 ESV]
You could (and should) be grateful that, as a believer, He built you to survive and
thrivenot everyone is:
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. [2
Timothy 1:7 ESV]
Having just those two things given you by God, start acquiring that inner confidence
you seek by praying confidently, knowing that those things wouldn't be given anyone
He didn't love:
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [Hebrews 4:16 ESV]
Finally, here's one more thing I sincerely hope you will one day be grateful for: Like
Christ, who gave His life that you might live, I, too, with all my strength, will endeavor
to lead you to God, just as if my own salvation depends on it (because it does).
I will write more shortly, but I wrote this quick letter to let you know just as soon as I
heard about you that I am here for you in every way that counts, and that I will do
whatever it takes to bring you to the place you want to be. Although I have four other
persons in my charge, each of you will get the benefit of my best effort. Your salvation

is my number one priority, just as you are Gods number one priority, and I will not
divert my attention from it for anyone, for any reason.
In the meantime, while I prepare a more thorough response to your concerns, please
write me if you can with more about you and with any questions you may have. Like
the Apostle Paul said of himself once, I am the chief of sinners [1 Timothy 1:15], so
hold nothing back, neither being afraid of sending the wrong message nor of saying
the wrong thing when you write.
Also, continue reading everyday, all day, and testing everything you read (testing not
only the Word for its veracity, but also testing you to make sure youre applying it
correctly).
Yours in Christ,

James Alan Bush