From Life Sentence To New Life with Pastor Thomas Jordan

A teenager gets sentenced to life, spends 21 years in prison, then walks out with a message of hope. That is the road Thomas Jordan has lived, and our conversation goes straight into the honest details: what changed, what stayed hard, and what faith looks like when there is no easy exit.

We talk about salvation behind bars and the part people skip, the daily work of staying anchored when you are saved but still surrounded by pressure. Thomas shares the moment a prison church service flipped his motives, how he began learning Scripture for himself, and why he believes God can break cycles that look permanent. If you care about prison ministry, Christian testimony, and faith-based transformation, you will hear a story that is both raw and deeply practical.

Then we move into reentry and spiritual warfare: the shock of coming home, the pull of old environments, and how quickly temptation can find you. We also unpack identity in Christ, the “who told you?” question that exposes lies, and the power of words to shape a future. We close with a focused prayer for listeners who are incarcerated, in despair, or battling suicidal thoughts.

If you know someone who needs deliverance, second chances, or a reason to keep going, share this conversation with them. Subscribe for more stories like this, and if the message helps you, leave a review so more listeners can find it.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Thank you for tuning in. Today I have the honor and the privilege to record an interview here with Thomas Jordan all the way from Jacksonville, Florida. How are you, Thomas?

SPEAKER_02 0:09

I'm alright. Well, what about this though?

SPEAKER_00 0:12

I'm good. I'm blessed. Today's been a good day. How's the weather in Florida?

SPEAKER_02 0:16

Uh, right now it's it's kind of sunny. It's nice. But the best thing I can say is nice. It's not hot, it's not cold. It's real nice.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

We don't have all the su all the snow like what we're having in the middle parts.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Oh thank God.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

I was I was talking to a friend that says, you know, I can't I can't come on the air today because I have to plow snow. We do that every morning, and I'm thinking, what would happen if they didn't, Lord? They would just be like filled to the top of snow to the doors. I I just can't even imagine.

SPEAKER_02 0:46

I mean, I mean, just imagine it have to go out. They didn't go and dig out the snow, and then when they did go dig out the street cloud, the snow cloud come back and push the snow back on the car.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

That would be like Well, praise God. I, you know, I with Sister Benita, who I just love, you know, and everything she does. She's got some some segments on depression on my website. She sent me your name, and I'm really glad that she did. And and I know that you probably have a pretty good God story that you want to share. And so the basis of my show is basically giving God the honor and the glory over everything that he does in our lives. And I'm just I'm just curious if the Lord's impressed on you on anything that you'd like to share with our listeners.

unknown 1:29

Um giving all glory to God. I thank God for the honorable, and I thank you for having me on. Um I would like to share, you know, briefly uh that God is a God that is able to do whatever He sees.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

There's no situation, there's no circumstances that God cannot fix or cannot handle. And

Sentenced To Life As A Teen

SPEAKER_02 1:50

if I'm what if I'm not mistaken, you can correct me if I'm wrong. I believe you said that your radio show um is uh listened to by a lot of people that are in prison.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Yes, and so they're dead.

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Amen. Um that's a good thing because I spent 21 years in prison. I was sent to life as a juvenile. Um, glory to God. I made a mistake as a juvenile and I was sentenced to life. My last seven years I I got saved. I turned to Jesus and the Lord saved me. And here I am now, uh been out of prison going on eight years. I got out in 27, 2012. But uh God is amazing. Um constantly, just constantly upheld his rope, his word as I applied it to my life and charged him, and what God you said he can't do.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Yep, and and so I was just talking to someone else that actually had a life imprisonment, and so praise God, today's gonna be that kind of day, and and and it's a message of deliverance, a message of hope for our listeners. And you know, and praise God, you were telling me earlier that in October you're gonna be installed as a pastor.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

Yes, in October I'll be ordained. I'm a licensed minister right now. I got out, like I said, I got out and I I've been serving God now. It hasn't been. It hasn't been, so I want to write a book called The Truth Behind the Lies. It hasn't been all cake and ice cream since I've been saved. You know, there have been some ups and downs, there's been some falling on my part. But the one thing that has remained faithful and true is God and His Word, even in my mistakes. A lot of people think that once you get saved, things are gonna be easy. And I think even for those guys that are in prison to really understand and listen to is that you're saved when you come home, but it's not gonna be no easy walk.

unknown 3:46

You know, the enemy is ready. Once you got them doors, once you come out, he's ready. He's gonna throw everything at the office.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Salvation is salvation wherever you get it at, whether you get it in prison, or whether you get it in the free world. But the thing about salvation, it has to be maintained. It has to, you have to maintain your salvation.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

Amen. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

And what I mean by that is you gotta scripture, scripture says like this, let every man work out his own salvation. Once we're saying, you know, God, our salvation isn't predicated on our work. More so it's predicated on our belief. But once you really believe that the Lord Jesus is who he says, or it would dictate your actions, if that makes any sense.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Amen. Absolutely. Yep, amen. And so I know like with me, I had you know a little bit of my story. I it I got saved at a young age, but then I didn't have uh I didn't have a believer. You know, I didn't have that church. I didn't have all that. You know, it lasted for a little while because I was uh protected all of that so far. Yeah, the pressure and all of that. I don't know what to think about talking right now. It's like you know, the anime knew what I was gonna be when I got saved. He knew what was gonna happen. He tried to do everything he can to keep me from being who I am today, and just like you. He tried to do what he could to get you and snatch you from your calling in life.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

I think um what it is is you know, we both went through like different circumstances, but it still has the same end.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

And what I believe is that we what we have to understand is Satan has been where we're trying to go. Yeah, he's been in the presence of God, so he knows what it's like. So we have to question ourselves what is it that he's trying to keep us from? You understand what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 6:15

So when we understand that, okay, the enemy can only see so much.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

We can't, I don't want to give him no no feather in his hat or give him more power in his because he's not omnipotent, he's not omnipresent. The thing that is true is that he saw a glimpse. God allowed him to see a glimpse of what is about to take place, even with us becoming friends, even with us doing the radio. So the purpose, the real purpose, scripture says is that you know, when we go through things, it's not you know, the the tragedy, the thing that God delivers us from. We look at it and we be like, oh man, what is me, but we look at the big picture talking about suicide. Can't nobody that's wanting to kill himself tell you that God isn't real because you've been there and the spirit of God delivered you.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 7:04

And so God allows you to go through that so that you'll be able to stand before somebody and say, Hey man, the God I serve is real. Um He's greater than you taking your life, He'll give you a reason to live. Vice versa. Me being in prison with a life sentence in Florida, in the state of Florida, a life sentence is a life sentence. In other words, it's natural life. No get out at 25 or 30, and you're just God in prison. But when I believe God and I begin to submit myself to the word of God, God changed my whole circuit. You understand what I'm saying? So now, because I was willing, my my my prayer was God, even if I don't get out of prison, let me stop. He's living right before you. Now, Satan knew that you were gonna be able to minister to uh a horse of people. He knew that one day my testimony with you would go to the ears of a lot of people that are in prison that don't believe that God would do it. Yeah, that don't believe that God is a deliverer. You know, it it it has become ah, I don't want to go there.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Oh yeah, man.

unknown 8:17

I'm gonna listen to you guys. Hey.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Yeah, God is yeah. I mean, I know you sense what and where we're going at it, you know, it's like God knew you knew he God knew what he was doing when he brought us together today because we could be able to speak some life and some hope into others. So you had this life imprisonment, and so tell us about the miracle, how that got changed.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

Well, um, like I said, um I have been in I was a juvenile actually. Um just turned 18, I was with family members, and I thought it was cool to not say nothing. Um at the time, you know, being young and thinking, okay, this is what I have to do, I was misled. But I thank God for prison because the mind when I went to prison, it allowed

Getting Saved Behind Bars

SPEAKER_02 9:00

me to reevaluate who I am. You know, it allowed me to be able to understand that listen, you're not a follower. And I was all my life, I was following people, and I wasn't called to follow. I wasn't ordained to be a follower. And so um, you know, I was doing like everybody else in prison, playing cars, gambling, uh, doing things I ain't had no business doing, but nevertheless, one one service, man. They was telling us about, hey man, this church from Tallahassee is gonna be up there, man. They're gonna have a bunch of women. I'm just telling the truth. I said, I'm gonna go up here and look at me, some women, I'm not a bunch of men. I'm I'm telling you the truth, man. Um the Spirit of God got hold of me and the man, I never forget the message that the man was preaching. He was saying, God is about to put you back in the game. Are you ready to go in? And uh, I mean, the word just moved me, and then he came to me. He said, Listen, young man, God said you're finna come up out of here. And I'm thinking to myself, man, you ain't heard from God.

unknown 9:55

I got a life saving. I don't feel fighting this thing for a while.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 9:59

But he said, Man, God said he's gonna put you back in the game. You gotta be prepared to play. And um, it changed my, it changed that night changed my life. I went right to my dorm and um I actually had a poker game where we were gambling on my book. I just told him, hey man, y'all, I gave him everything I said y'all go, you know, somewhere else. And in the process, you know, people were coming to me. They were like, Man, you okay, man? You look different. And one of the guards came and told me, you've been sitting on your book just like a bright light just been over and open. And um, I mean, like, God did it. That's all I can tell you, man. God changed my life, and I began to just get into the word. Like I said, when I went to prison, I had just turned 18. And uh, I gotta share this part. And it's so crazy because you gotta see this all God. Um actually, I had just got out of prison to tell it through. I had a 22-month minute, and I'm gonna show you how this poor late. And I was getting ready to go home. They used to call me Joy. I gotta tell it because it's the truth. I'm not coming back to prison. Let's have a life in it. I'm just telling you the truth. I'm not coming back to prison unless I have a life in it, to shoot up a bunch of crack. The life and death was in the power of the tongue. I still get to wish it. I ended up going back to prison with a life sentence that I went with shooting. I didn't shoot white. And so with that, God was showing me the authority. He had to show me the authority of what I said. I got out November the I got out November the birthday, November the 9th, I got out November the 7th, two days before my birthday. November the 8th. So I had my birthday with November the 9th, November the 18th, I was arrested. Five hours until the birds. You really have to understand how true the word of God is. I spoke that. You know what I'm saying? So now God has given me the understanding that now I can speak life. And so I began to study that word when the man says, Man, you gotta be prepared, God ready to put you back in the game. And I began to, you know, to do all these things as far as studying the word of God. And what's so good about it, the Holy Spirit was teaching. Like you, I didn't have nobody. Now I'm in prison. You got guys coming in with prison ministry, but the truth learning and studying of the word, the Holy Ghost taught me. That's what she was.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Wonderful teacher, right?

unknown 12:48

Right, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 12:49

But in the essence, now as you grow and you mature, you gotta bring people along to help you get clear understanding of how to walk this out.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 13:00

So I got saved, and then in the midst of my being saved, I began to, it's just like all of a sudden, they just started shipping me to a lot of different prisons just for no reason. And I ran across a guy, his name, uh, I can't remember his name. We used to call him T.

unknown 13:16

And uh he told me I was out there playing basketball.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

I used to do athlete. He used to say, one day I said, he said, Jordan, you gonna play ball? I said, No, I'm not today. I'm I'm not really feeling it. He said, Man, what's wrong? And I was like, Man, you know, I I I still got this life sitting, man. I'm saved, but I still got this life sitting. And that's what I mean by man, life's life don't change until you get saved.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

That's what I think. Right.

SPEAKER_02 13:40

And uh so he was like, Man, what bring me your papers, let me look at it. I'm like, man, I I'm not paying no more jobs. Oh, yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

And um, you know, God allowed him to bring a case to me, and he filed over the case. The case was right. He filed the paperwork, but it was denied. And then I began to cry out to God, and I was like, God, I don't understand. And so God began to minister to me and talk to me and tell me everything to file and everything to put on the paperwork.

SPEAKER_01 14:07

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 14:08

And it worked. I mean, with my family member, they a lot of them think I know legal work, but I don't, I know Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

You know Jesus, yeah, he's your number one attorney. When they say he's an attorney, you better believe God. Oh my God, and he did all of that, and praise God, and so then you come home, and then what's it like when you get home?

SPEAKER_02 14:28

Um, you know, like I I mentioned before, we you know, when you get out, you think it's gonna be easy or it's gonna need to starvation. When I came home, I it was it was kind of crazy because here I am, I'm saying I gotta tell you this, this is so crazy. Uh, my first night out, my brothers and family, and then we in in Florida, probably other parts, New Zealand, you know, a lot of down south we like crabs, so we had this big crab ball, and my brother, he takes me to a club. I'm just I'm just out of prison now. And uh, but I'm safe.

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

And so I allow him, you know, to lead me into this place. So I go in this place, it's all dark, it's so crazy. The club was dark, so I see two ladies sitting next to me, pointing me. And it's just like it's just like I see so much half-naked people. I ran out crying. My brother tell you he'll laugh right now, but he'll tell you it's the truth. I ran out crying. He said, Man, what's wrong with you, man? You tripping. I said, Oh man, I'm saved. I gotta be praying for people. I can't be in this place. And uh nevertheless, I ended up beating a script to allow her to draw me. I allow Satan to use her to draw me back in. And then I had an incident with one of my brothers. Um one of my brothers got into a stuff, and I ended up going to the hospital when I was in the hospital. What are you doing? And from there I haven't looked back. I I got myself together, like, hey, I still got a lot of people I gotta preach. Well, I still got a lot of people I gotta preach the gospel. And so God reeled me in. I went through a divorce, I got out, got married, went through a divorce, I'm remarried now.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Praise God.

SPEAKER_02 16:11

Got a twenty-two-month-old daughter, but nevertheless, God is God is awesome, man.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

It's just we can trust God. And so, like this morning I kind of did a little lesson on on the radio about who told you. You know, it's like we we we start to believe the lies of society, you know, about who told you that you're you know, you're worthless, you're gonna mount to nothing, you're no good for nothing, as good as it's gonna get. And and you believe those lies that are put out there over your life. And that's not where God is. What God said what God said like the words.

Faith That Outlasts Setbacks

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Oh, god. And sometimes if you allow it to go into your soul, it doesn't have to be repented of because that's not what God claims over you. He's claiming life over you. He expects you to be that that man and that woman that he intended you to be before you were born.

SPEAKER_02 19:09

Hey man, uh even in what you say, like who told you, what we have to realize is that the the devil is so crafty, even as he deceived E, he used the truth to do it, but he twisted it to make it a lie. Well, because uh he said, you know, the Lord said, you know, don't eat of this or you should you shall die. He said, but surely, the word surely to me means, of course, this is what's gonna happen.

unknown 19:36

You see what I'm saying? Surely you shall not die. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 19:40

So now you want to trick with the word of God, and that's what the enemy does to us. And like I told you, when God revealed to me that death and life are in the power of the tongue, is we listen to what people say that we're not gonna amount to be. And we begin to believe that over what God says. Once we realize that God is the creator, he is the great I am, he is the maker, then we'll understand that, hey, I'm not no loser. You know, when I got saved, could nobody tell me nothing else about who I was. Because I began to see what God said about me. I understood now that, hey, I'm a leader. I have been, I have been being believed what God created me to be.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Yep. Yep. And now you're gonna, you know, now you're gonna start walking into what you're doing there, you know, in in this new role and and being a pastor. And praise God, look at what you're gonna be able to do. You have a story that you can share so that when someone says, Oh, brother, you have no idea what I've been through. I don't think God would ever accept me into the kingdom. And look at what you're gonna be able to tell them. Let me tell you what, let me tell you what I had. I had a life sentence that was brought on by, you know, bad things that I've done, bad choices that I've done. But God had God said something different.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

Right. I mean, and that's that's the good part about it, because when God says that, hey, you don't have to be that way. And and I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm even in the process. I've already um started one book out of it because I haven't got it um copyrighted and everything. But nevertheless, I'm writing a book called Um From Serving Life to Serving Life. Nice. God ordained it, so I don't think nobody can steal it. Nope. Um, but nevertheless, I was serving a life sentence in the prison system, but then God brought me out, so now I'm still serving life. I'm serving the life of Jesus Christ. I'm trying to get people saved versus seeing somebody locked in a cage, and you're right. God allows us to have these testimonies for his glory. Yep. And so I thank God that he chose me to be an example of his grace and mercy and his redeeming.

SPEAKER_00 21:40

Oh, I do too. Praise God. Um, so where do you go to church at in Jacksonville?

SPEAKER_02 21:46

In Jacksonville, uh right now currently attending Hill and Harvest Ministries.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 21:51

Uh my past is our father I've heard of. She's like, the only real pastor I've had outside the old.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Yep. Praise God.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

I don't let nobody dissuade me from anything that the Bible says or sports. But God's word is God's word. I take it literally first and then I allow him to give me other revelations.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

Yep, and a lot of times, you know, then we we we have to be real careful too because, like you said earlier, you know, the enemy knows God's word. And so we need to be careful as new believers, and even sometimes as seasoned believers, we need to be careful on who we're taking, you know, advice from. We need to make sure that we check, you know, put things in check to make sure that the messages are from God and they're in the Bible and that they can be, you know, clarified and verified with scripture.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Right. And I think I think that's where we begin to, we have to understand that we have to, if there's three of us, we have to move from religion into relationships and God to give us revelation.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 23:07

What that means is understanding what we're doing. But once we get in a relationship with God, relationship calls for communication. Yeah, we have to be able to talk. See, the good thing about God, He isn't a dictator. He's not gonna tell you, the Bible said, God said, Come, let us reason together. So God wants to talk about talk with you about your life. And listen, I know you got this plan, but hey, I got this better plan over here. And so now when we begin to develop a relationship, that means that we're gonna be reading it, we're gonna be reading the word. And in the process of reading the word, God will begin to give us revelation of his word. And so, because God, the Holy Ghost, is teaching us his word, we will know when men come in and are teaching you their experience versus teaching you the word. So a lot of people appreciate their experience, and even with my experience, but if you help everything I'm saying, yeah, I went through this, but God. You understand what I'm saying? I went through this, but Jesus had that lasting effect. And so I don't I'm I'm I'm sharing my experience through the power of Jesus Christ. The difference is I can have an experience. And you can say, wow, wow, well, look at this. But now when I'm I'm incorporating the word of God in my experience, it becomes something totally different. I don't know if I'm making any sense.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

Oh, yes, you make total sense. Praise God. I wanted to ask you, because we're getting close to the end, time goes by so quickly. It's like I could just be on the phone and talk to you tomorrow. But I wanted to see if you would be open to praying over our audience right now before we close. And then also, also, if anybody wanted to get a hold of you, is there a way? Do you want

The Legal Breakthrough And Release

SPEAKER_00 24:50

people to reach out to you on Facebook or does that matter? Or I just wanted to kind of put that out there too.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

Hey man, because I know I know um my Facebook page is Thomas Jordan.

SPEAKER_01 25:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:03

That's my name.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:15

So you will be able to message me, definitely message me through Facebook, you know.

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Okay. Okay. Well, let's go ahead and have you pray over our audience before we close, Thomas.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

Amen. Father God, we thank you, Lord God, for this opportunity. Lord God, we bless you and praise you. But you are Lord, you are Savior, you are God Almighty, Lord God. I lift up every individual that is listening, Lord God, touch their hearts, Lord God. Move them to draw nigh to you, Lord God. Those that are incarcerated, those that are in despair, Lord God, those that are having uh suicidal thoughts, Lord God, we bind the lives of the enemy right now, Lord God. We plead the blood of Jesus over, Father God. We even call on your word, Father God, where your word declares, Lord God. In Mark 11 and 22, have faith in God. Father God, we ask that you restore the faith that you've put in them from the beginning of time, Lord God. Bless them like never before, Lord God. I lift them up and I thank you for every individual. And I even thank you and ask you, Father God, to continue to use the woman of God, uh uh Sister Ramona, Lord God. Continue to anoint her and prepare her, Father God, in her ministry. Now I buy any typing spirit, any retaliation spirit, anything that'll come up against the work that she's doing. I feel the blood of Jesus. And I thank you and praise you for using your daughter. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 26:31

Amen and amen. Pastor, I look forward to having you on again. I'm sure there's going to be another story, maybe after you get ordained. How does that sound?

SPEAKER_02 26:39

Amen. You have you have my number and you know how to get in touch with me uh anytime. I look forward to talking to you, especially for the glory of God.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Amen. Thank you.