Freed from the Chains of Hate

Deep darkness had surrounded Victoria since birth. The oldest of four, Victoria never met her dad and never felt wanted by her mom. But God gave her a God-fearing grandma who helped her know His voice and find her way to Him.

Victoria’s young soul was further shattered by physical and sexual abuse. Emotions she couldn’t process became actions she couldn’t control. “I had so much anger inside that I was always in fights,” Victoria explains. One day, the betrayal of a friend lit the dynamite inside.

“As I grabbed the knife and headed to her house, I knew I was doing wrong,” Victoria painfully recalls. “After I assaulted her, I went home and waited for the police.” Following her arrest, Victoria learned she was pregnant.

Determined to change, Victoria became a model prisoner and soon returned to the community. She set out to learn how to do the necessary, practical things of life. But she avoided close relationships. “Getting close to people scared me, so I put up walls and let my heart grow harder,” she recounts.

But the tug toward God continued through it all. “I’d go to church and listen to the pastor … even though nothing seemed to change.” Victoria’s depression deepened as she entered another abusive relationship and had her second baby. “I couldn’t understand how the ones who were supposed to love me left me feeling so worthless.”

An early morning argument with her boyfriend led to five new felony charges. Still on probation for stabbing her former friend, Victoria was terrified and desperate for a life change.

“I knew I didn’t do what I was charged with, so I figured God allowed this crisis to help me learn something. I spent a lot of time studying the Bible and praying. That’s when I found Inspiration Ministries.

“I kept asking God to help me understand. As a little girl, I’d had dreams about things that later happened, so I asked God to send me a dream about my future. He said, ‘No.’ But then He gave me a dream for someone I’d never met. In the dream, a new prisoner came into our facility, and God let me know I was to give her a message from Him.

“She was easy to spot because she had on blue – just like in my dream. (We all wore orange.) I went right up to her and said, ‘God told me you’re going home. And He wants you to know He’s with you, and He loves you.’ She thought I was crazy, but to her surprise, she was released a week later.

“With that experience, God showed me that my need – seeking His heart – is everyone’s need. Allowing God to meet my needs empowered me to share His heart with others!

“I began telling the women in jail with me what God spoke into me, ‘You are not a number … not a statistic. Jesus loves you!’ Like me, they wanted to do better and were hungry for hope. Jesus began moving in that jail! It was amazing; lives changed!”

Victoria found her calling in seeking God – and sharing Him with others strengthened her. “I realized that I am Victoria for a reason: I am victorious!” Accepting her transformation as a process, she declares joyfully, “I am not who I was, but I’m not who I’m going to be either.”

Despite facing the county’s toughest judge, God’s grace and mercy flowed. The judge released Victoria, and she’s rebuilding her life. “I see my children every day and have a great job. Getting my own place is my next step. Jesus set me free. God is in control, and I don’t have to fear anything people can do to me. I am loved, and so are you!”

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What God has done for Victoria, He can do for YOU! Our prayer ministers would love to agree with you in prayer for the breakthrough you need.

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