Jeremy's Journey: From a Prison Cell to a Healed Heart

By Sandra Lott

A harrowing tale of one man’s battle to heal from his pain, resist the temptations of darkness, and free himself from his spiritual prison.
 
Jeremy was full of life and laughter as a child. Then, suddenly, darkness invaded his life without warning. The darkness came from someone he looked up to and it stole the joy from his heart. It was one thing after another, and his joy was replaced with despair, and his will to live was gone.
 
Darkness and drugs are the life he knows now—and prison awaits. Will he find life, love, and the healing which can only come from Jesus Christ? Will he see the light? Will he know the light, and will he let the light of Jesus in and restore what was lost?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781639843251

Sandra Lott

Sandra Lott was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, with one sister and two brothers. Sandra loves the mountains, making candles, and jewelry. She is the author of Jeremy's Journey, Deep Waters Within, A Princess in Waiting, Ride the Wind, and more. She has also written children's such as, The Wind Has a Voice and How Did He Get in There, Molly's Journey to Forgiveness, and more. She has written over 34 books to date and began writing poetry as soon as she was saved in June 1998. The Lord gave her, her first book to write right after her son was killed. Writing was not something she sought out. She poured her heart into time spent with the Lord in order to allow Him to heal her heart and the name of her first book was birthed in her spirit along with the chapters and what it was to be about during a devotion time. It was called: God's Love; ironically enough, with all that she was going through, God's love was exactly what she needed. She is passionate about studying the Bible. She has taught Sunday school, and Bible Study Groups, and has been actively serving in her present church, served in the Celebrate Recovery Ministry, and Homeless Outreach. Sandra was also interviewed on radio shows such as Golden Life Living and WMAP Radio (World's Most Amazing People based out of New York), the Bill Martinez show and a Fox Radio show called the Kim Kennedy Show. She is a devoted mother of 2 sons (Tim & Gerald Ray), Gerald Ray the youngest, has gone on to be with the Lord due to a car accident. Through the death of her youngest son at the age of 16, a rocky marriage to an alcoholic and the abuse that came with that, and other overwhelming trials, she has drawn close to the loving arms of the Father. Experiencing God's unconditional love as He held her heart in His hands, has created a passion in her to help others grow in their understanding of and receive God's love and grow spiritually. She has the heart to help hurting women discover the princess in Christ that they truly are and overcome abuse. She teaches on topics to help you reach spiritual maturity, persevere through the hard times, and how to reach your destiny in Christ!

Book preview

Jeremy’s Journey:

From a Prison Cell

to a Healed Heart

By: Sandra Lott

Scripture references and quotes taken from New King James Bible Version

Copyright © by Sandra Lott 2019

Jeremy’s Journey from a Prison Cell to a Healed Heart by Sandra Lott

Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, without the express and prior permission in writing of Pen It! Publications. This book may not be circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is currently published.

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  Disclaimer: Neither Pen It! Publications, or our authors will be responsible for repercussions to anyone who utilizes the subject of this book for illegal, immoral or unethical use.

  This is a work of fiction. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect that of the publisher.

  This book or part thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise-without prior written consent of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Published by Pen It! Publications, LLC

812-371-4128  www.penitpublications.com

ISBN: 978-1-951263-75-1

Edited by Jen Selinsky

Cover by Donna Cook

Jeremy was full of life and laughter as a child. Then, suddenly, darkness invaded his life without warning.  The darkness came from someone he looked up to and stole the joy from his heart. It was one thing after another, and his joy was replaced with despair, and his will to live was gone. Darkness and drugs are the life he knows now. Will he find life, love, and the healing which can only come from Jesus Christ? Will he see the light? Will he know the light, and will he let the light of Jesus in and restore what was lost? 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Sound of Prison Doors

Chapter 2 Street Life: Where It Began

Chapter 3 The Path to Prison

Chapter 4 Court

Chapter 5 Back to the Present: Incarcerated

Chapter 7 Discovery

Chapter 8 Moving Past the Truth

Chapter 9 Healing Begins

Chapter 10 The New Man

Chapter 11 Freedom

Final Thoughts

Bibliography

Hotline Numbers

Other Books by Sandra Lott

Special Invitation

GOD LOVES YOU!

Introduction

Sometimes, life hurts us and strikes without warning. Everyone has free will, but it is how you choose to use that free will that makes who you are and even how you react to the free will of others’ actions. Jeremy was hurt by someone whom he loved and looked up to, and it damaged his heart. The abuse, although only for a year, took a toll on him and paralyzed him both spiritually and emotionally. Then, the loss of his brother, on top of that, damaged his heart even more. He was not growing and moving past the hurt; it blinded him. All he could see was the pain and how it made him feel. The darkness he felt within would soon become a lifestyle. The only way out is Jesus.

If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me, even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You." (Psalm 139:11-12)

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the son of King Saul.  Jonathan and David, who took over the throne after King Saul’s death, were best friends. David made a promise to him to show kindness to his family. And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die; but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. (I Samuel 20:14-15) When under siege, Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, was a small child, and he was dropped by his nurse. He was left lame and was living in Lo Debar after David had taken the throne. Lo Debar means, pastureless. When someone is living in a spiritual prison, this is the state they are in, and it is not what God wants for us. Just as Mephibosheth was royalty and should have been living in a palace, God does not want us living on the streets in a spiritual death prison. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9)

David remembered the promise to his friend and had someone search for someone in Jonathan’s household to show kindness to in order to keep his promise. God will do the same thing for us. He will leave the ninety-nine to go after the one.  What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)

Now David said, ‘Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’

And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So, when they had called him to David, the king said to him, ‘Are you Ziba?’

He said, ‘At your service!’

Then the king said, ‘Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?’

And Ziba said to the king, ‘There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.’

So, the king said to him, ‘Where is he?’

And Ziba said to the king,’ "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.’

Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, ‘Mephibosheth?’

And he answered, ‘Here is your servant!’

So, David said to him, ‘Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.’ " (II Samuel 9: 1-7)

Trials, the abuse of others, and the effects of others’ bad choices can leave you traumatized and unable to move past the pain, much like being paralyzed and tormented. Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented. (Matthew 8:6)

The more you relive the pain, the more it torments you and keeps you from the abundant life God has for you. The only way to get past it and be healed is to give it over to the Lord. He came that we may have abundant life. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10). But it is your choice, you must give it over. God gave us free will and some use that to the disadvantage and pain of others, but God is always waiting to heal when you come to Him. He is gentle and will not force you because of the free will He gave all of us. 

Jeremy lives a life, trying to run from the pain through the temporary, man-made peace of drugs and alcohol. It took him down some very dark roads, and it stole his money, his friends, and almost his life.

The prison Jeremy finds himself in is only a reality of the spiritual one he has been in for years. Will the physical prison be the catalyst to his deliverance?

No Way Out

There is no way out, nowhere to turn, no one to help.

There is nothing but darkness here, hopelessness surrounds.

Where has the light gone? Where did it go?

It is dark even in the daylight, the emptiness turns it black.

My heart is heavy, downcast, too weak to call out, but who would listen, who will answer my call? Who would help?

There is no way out, nowhere to turn, no one to help.

There are people everywhere out here, but no one to help, no one to lift me up, no one to pull me back. There is no one to answer my cry for help, no one to answer my call.

I'm out in the open, but live in chains. Hopelessness, darkness, and despair are my constant companions, and I am a slave to what controls me, even though I say I am free. It says it's my friend and will comfort me but, instead, it controls me and keeps me in the dark, chained to the life, and consumed by depression. It never leaves my side, always luring,

Always tempting and taunting, and its poison always blinding.  Its truth is deceptive, and its comfort is false.

There is no way out, nowhere to turn, and no one to help.  Is there hope, is there help? Who will help me find my way out?

Jesus Christ;