180 Degree Turns Are Possible & God Is Great At Them If You Give Him The Wheel

John 8

When you love certain things more than you love God, try turning your back on them. When you turn, God will be right there to receive you and forgive you.

Soul Food

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” 

– Isaiah 53:6 (NIV)

“Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the Lord.”

– Hosea 5:4 (NIV)

“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap,in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’

‘No one, sir,’ she said.

‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’”

- John 8:3-11 (NIV)

Soul Search

• A ‘spirit of prostitution’ is apparently a real thing.
  At least Hosea chapter 5 says it is.
  That spirit is something within a person that leads them to give themself over to other ‘lovers’ to the detriment of their relationship with God.
  God alone desires to be our ‘first love’ but other things try to grab our attention away from God.  

• Has God ever been your ‘first love?’
  If He has been, what happened that He is no longer that to you?
  What things (maybe people) have stolen your attention and affection away from God?   

• Maybe you have never made God your first love.
  It’s time to do that.
  What (or who) has kept you from having a relationship with God through His Son Jesus?
  Why do you think those things (or those people) would want you to stay away from God?  

Soul Moves

• God does not bring condemnation so that stones begin flying in your direction and you run away from Him.
  He brings conviction so that you know He wants the best for you and the forgiveness He offers draws you close to Him.
  Forgiveness is the most powerful force in the world and it inspires love.   

• Respond to God’s powerful forgiveness if you feel His finger of conviction on you for the things in your life that are keeping you from Him.
  He doesn’t seek to condemn you but rather wants to heal you.
  Ask Him to give you the strength to put away the things that are keeping you from Him.   

• Our sin always separates us from God.
  He doesn’t want that separation.
  Receive His forgiveness as found through Jesus by way of what He did on the cross, and allow His forgiveness to bring healing to your soul.