Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” (Acts 3:19 NIV)
When traveling down the road, a driver saw a sign that said “Wrong Way”. He ignored the warning and continued on, knowing that he was heading in the wrong direction and into unavoidable danger.
Many of us, especially this author, have traveled the wrong way on the road of life, ignoring the warning signs along the way. We see the signs, yet we continue to head in the wrong direction only to lead ourselves into negative circumstances.
The warning signs we see along the way have been put there by God to protect us but unfortunately, even though we are fully aware of the consequences, we continue to move onward in the wrong direction. We know the difference between right and wrong, yet we continue to make the wrong choices. We receive the warnings, but we fail to heed them. We often justify our choices to ourselves knowing deep down inside that these choices are wrong. When we make the wrong choices, we hurt not only ourselves but often hurt others as well.
Jesus promised to send His Holy Spirit to help us, teach us, and guide us (see John 14:16-17, 26). The Holy Spirit warns us when we are heading the wrong way in order to protect us. When we heed His warning and turn back, we are then heading in the right direction - back to the safety that is found in Jesus Christ.
Acts 3:19 tells us that we are to repent and turn back to God. Simply stated, repentance is turning from going the wrong way and heading back in the right direction. In other words, to repent is to turn from our sin and to turn back toward God. In order to repent, we must confess our sin and take full responsibility for our previous actions. When we do so, and ask for His forgiveness, God extends His grace to us. Though we do not deserve His grace and mercy, He nevertheless extends His favor and forgiveness to us out of His everlasting love for us.
At Christ’s expense, we have been given the riches of God’s grace. Jesus promised to give us of His Spirit and when we accept Him and turn from our sin and turn toward God, we receive His Holy Spirit. Upon receiving His Spirit, we are created anew and we are given a new heart and a fresh start (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit changes our hearts and our minds and we move toward God and away from sin.
Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that we are saved by grace through faith. It is through our faith in Jesus Christ that we receive God’s grace that brings about the change of heart needed to truly repent and turn from sin completely.
It’s never too late to "hang a U-Turn” and head back in the right direction - back to Jesus. He gave His life for our sins to be forgiven and all we have to do is ask Him to forgive us - and He will! If you feel you are heading the wrong way; if you see the signs and hear the warnings, remember that you can always turn back to safety – all you need to do is ask and He will help you to turn from sin and turn back to Him to be refreshed and start anew. Things will change when you head in the right direction! Jesus is the Way (see John 14:6) and He will always protect us as He leads us in the right direction!
Lord Jesus, we know You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we turn from our former ways and we turn back to You. Please open our hearts to receive Your Holy Spirit to lead us, guide us, and protect us on our way! We love You and we thank You for forgiving us and creating us anew! In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen. †
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