“I’m in prison and I feel more free, more fearless inside than I ever did on the outside.”
Micah Wines is sitting inside Jefferson City Correctional Center in Missouri when he says those words.
So what happened?
In this episode of the God Behind Bars Podcast, Jake Bodine sits down with Micah inside the prison cell he currently calls home.
Micah grew up with a good family, played sports and had faith around him. But resentment, fear and insecurity began changing the direction of his life. He started using drugs around 14 years old, drinking heavily soon after and eventually found himself battling addiction.
Years later, knowing he was about to become a father, Micah entered treatment. Sitting inside the treatment center chapel, he says he experienced the presence of God in a way he never had before.
For a season, his life began to change.
Then he relapsed.
What started with alcohol eventually became an eight month relapse involving methamphetamine. During that season, an altercation ended with another man losing his life.
Micah knew there was a grieving family on the other side of what had happened.
For the next two years, Micah rebuilt his life while carrying the weight of knowing his past could eventually catch up with him.
Then on Valentine’s Day, while working as a supervisor at UPS, his security manager approached him.
There were officers outside waiting for him.
Micah expected fear.
Instead, he says it felt like a thousand bricks had been lifted off his shoulders.
From inside prison, Micah opens up about accountability, addiction, forgiveness and rebuilding his relationship with his father. He also shares what it means to remain a dad to his two sons while incarcerated, including apologizing for the moments he has missed and choosing to consistently speak courage, faith and purpose into their lives.
Today, Micah has graduated from Bible college inside prison and has become someone who disciples and encourages other incarcerated men in their faith.
His physical circumstances have not changed.
He is still behind prison walls.
But Micah says Jesus has changed the man living inside them.
“I’m in prison and I feel more free, more fearless inside than I ever did on the outside.”
This is Micah’s story.
At God Behind Bars, our mission is to introduce inmates to Jesus and connect them to the local church. We believe no life is too far gone and that God can bring redemption, restoration and purpose into even the darkest places.
Subscribe to the God Behind Bars Podcast for more conversations from inside prisons across the country and stories of what God is doing behind prison walls.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:36 Welcome to Micah’s Prison Cell
01:09 Tour of His Cell
03:21 Micah’s Childhood
04:49 Resentment Toward His Father
06:54 Drugs and Alcohol at a Young Age
07:42 Entering Treatment Before Becoming a Dad
08:57 Experiencing God for the First Time
09:21 Relapse and the Night Everything Changed
10:59 Carrying the Weight of What Happened
11:15 Officers Arrive at Micah’s Job
12:36 Running to God After His Arrest
13:28 Learning the Truth About His Father
14:00 Forgiving His Dad
15:14 “He’s Never Been More Proud of Me”
16:11 Being a Father From Inside Prison
18:26 Speaking Courage Into His Sons
19:21 Advice for Incarcerated Fathers
21:20 Micah’s Hopes for His Future
22:44 Why Jesus?
24:09 Micah Shares the Gospel
25:14 “I Feel More Free Inside Prison”
25:47 Final Thoughts
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