I’ve been a Christian for a long, long time…48 years to be exact…and I have always treasured God’s Word, and His amazing gift of salvation to us.  Although I was only 8 years old, I totally understood why I needed a Savior (my sin), why I wasn’t headed to Heaven automatically (my sin) and that I needed Jesus Christ to cleanse me of that sin and make me pure and holy through His blood.  And I accepted that news, and His free gift, and I have been His child since!  Pretty straight forward, right?  I repented of my sin, and turned from a life of wrong to a life of righteousness through Him.

What I wrote above is the true plan of salvation, nothing added or taken away.  And yet you would not believe how hard my testimony is for some people!  “Seriously?” they ask, “What could you POSSIBLY have to repent of at 8 years old??  Well, a lot!  I hadn’t had time to commit a lot of “big” sin, but that didn’t matter.  Even at the ripe old age of 8, I had already started developing the very natural tendency to live my own life, want my own way, and I was all about ME.  That’s the way we are all born, because none of us is without sin. According to the experts, if you do something 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit.  I was 2,920 days old, so I was really way entrenched in my sin.  And although again my decision didn’t involve giving up a “major” sin, it DID involve repentance..turning away from my willfulness and going 180 in the other direction to live my life by HIS will.

Now this may seem very stuffy and dry, but I do have a point.  In today’s world, God’s plan doesn’t sound very attractive.  Our culture is so self focused, and we believe controlled by ourselves, that the thought of giving up our will to someone else’s in ANY area of life is repulsive.  We do it when we have to..obey the law, and submit to our bosses, but that’s about the limit.  Not only that, we moan and complain about it and dream of retirement and or a perfect place where we don’t have to answer to anyone.  And that is so very, very sad.

Repentance and turning away from sin is almost always viewed as a negative by lost people.  It’s usually viewed in the “well if I come to Jesus, I’ll have to give up….”and they name several things that they view as pleasurable.  On the other hand, they can see lots of positives in maintaining “control” over their lives.

UNTIL.  Until someone is in the absolutely lowest place, ravaged by sin, and as desperate as anyone could ever be for RELIEF.  Relief from the darkness, filth, humiliation, and hopelessness of the life they are living.  THEN the offer of a u-turn is not a negative, it is the most positive and hopeful thing they’ve heard in years. And they are more than eager and receptive to meet the One they need.

And here’s the best part, the whole point of this post.  It is in turning around, and giving in, that you realize the truth…God doesn’t just give you a u-turn…H equips you for much more.

A little over a year ago, God brought a woman named Debbie into our church’s Celebrate Recovery ministry.  Debbie, in her own words, was as low as anyone could ever go. She had done everything, some of it for years.  She hated her life, and she definitely hated God!  She was literally at a point where she had no hope (at 50+years) and she was destitute.  And then along came a Savior!!  Debbie heard about him, soaked it in, and gave her heart and life to Him!  She has literally u-turned and transformed and is growing day by day.  She even requested to be known as Deborah, an expression of the new her.

AND YET.  God had more!  This past Saturday, Deborah walked into a local prison with two other ladies from her LifeGroup, and spoke to the ladies there.  She made a huge impact for Jesus.  After it was over and they were getting ready to leave, Deborah went to one of the women guards and asked her if she remembered her.  The guard was shocked, and Deborah told her, “I was an inmate here before, and you were my guard”.  The guard couldn’t believe it, but Deborah assured her over and over it really was her.  The guard was astounded at the change in her, and Deborah was able to share even more with her.

And then, DEBORAH walked out, a free and new woman in Christ!  The old Debbie had been in prison there, but Deborah had come back, full circle, to minister to the ones that were just like she used to be!!

GOD is in the transformation business, and He knows what He is doing!!  Know any Debbies?? Then pray for them and keep ministering. Don’t know any Debbies??  Them go out into the hedges and highways (and prisons!) and get busy!  There are many more Deborah’s out there!!