back in jail again

It has been 8 months since I have been in jail. I was devoting my time doing street ministry investing into lost souls. I was trying to fit everything in but something had to go and God was letting me figure that out.
I since have stopped being a small group leader in order to do the work of the evangelist. I am now doing street ministry and back on rotation in preaching to the captives. I love it! This is where God wants me.

As I was parking my car on the street across from the jail I made eye contact with a man waiting in a car. I waited a few minutes and the man got out of his car and approached mine. I thought he was going to offer to sell me something. He was looking for a man who looked like me. I got out of my car and handed him a tract and began to explain what was on the back. He stopped me half way through and told me that he was saved 2 days ago." Praise Jesus" I said. I gave him a word of encouragement and I headed into the jail.

I begin the message with Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing,And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;We all fade as a leaf,And our iniquities, like the wind,Have taken us away.
I tell them that there is no way to please God except through repentance and trust in Jesus Christ.

I begin preaching on Matthew 13
³ Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. ⁸ But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

I explain each soil and give illustrations for them as I was just at the MOA the night before sharing the gospel. I go through the 10 commandments and how we have broke all of them. I share my testimony with them and show the authority in which God has given me to be here tonight preaching to them. If it wasn't for Jesus Christ I would be dead or in prison. I share with them the struggles that they are going through and that I have been there. They all see that I am speaking truth and all eye's are focused on what I am saying. They begin to speak out and say" that's right"," you know it" and they realize that I have been down that road.

By the end of the night I am praying for the fire to ignite inside them and do not hide it under a bowl. Let everyone see what is inside them. As the service ends the men come and shake my hand and thank me for the message. They tell me that I encouraged them and offered them Hope and say thank you. One man was tattooed all over  came to me and said "look at me I thought there was no hope for me"."You gave me hope". He said " you don't' know how much you encouraged me" and gave me a hug with tears in his eyes.
There were many others who had shared with me, but that sticks out the most.

Mike