Day 5 of 30 - Testimonies, Prayers, & Poetry

Turnaround

    Today, I finished reading a book I’ve had sitting on my shelf for more years than I can recall. I’ve begun reading it many times but never saw it through. Today, I did and the end was where my breakthrough was hiding.

         The book is titled “Dry Bones Dancing,Resurrecting Your Spiritual Passion” by Dr. Tony Evans. The book begins with a look at Ezekiel 37 and the story of the valley of dry bones. It was enlightening and informative and gave me insight into a story I had been hearing all my life. But that’s not why this book is the subject of my writing tonight.

         At the end of the last chapter, when our bones have come together and the Holy Spirit has breathed new life into us, Dr. Evans tells us how to “stay hydrated.” It’s great to get dry bones dancing again, but it’s better to not dry out in the first place.

         God doesn’t breathe new life in us for us to just say, “Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord!” He has something He wants us to do. To assist us in doing His will, His Spirit dwells in us to enable us to “obey Him and step forth out of dryness and into the miracle of a resurrection life filled with passion and celebration.” (pg. 171)

         But we can’t move as we should in harmony with Holy Spirit unless we “Turnaround.” This is where I got my revelation. I have become an expert at confessing my sins because I know how great they are, and I know that sin creates separation between me and the Father. I don’t want separation. I want to be as close to Him as I possibly can without dying from exposure to His glory. (But if I do, as Beth Moore once said, “What a way to go!”) But confession is not enough.

         Dr. Evans described it as someone driving down the freeway who suddenly realizes they are traveling in the wrong direction. They should be going north but realize they are in fact heading south. They’ll never reach their intended destination if they don’t make a correction, if they don’t turnaround. So the driver begins looking for the next exit.

  “So when you reach that next off-ramp, you take it. But that’s not enough. You also have to cross back over the freeway on the overpass, then take the on-ramp to enter the correct lanes to start traveling in the right direction.
   "That’s what true repentance is like. The off-ramp we take is like our moment of confession. We acknowledge we’ve been traveling the wrong way by hitting the brakes and exiting that road.
   "The overpass is God’s grace – because for all genuinely confess their sin, God connects us with a bridge of grace that takes us where we need to go.
   "And the on-ramp represents restoration. You do what it takes to get moving in the right direction, and to make progress toward your life’s true destination.” (pg. 173)

 I have never had an issue with hitting the breaks and confessing my sin and admitting I was heading in the wrong direction. I didn’t even have a problem exiting the wrong path. I joyfully turn onto God’s overpass of grace giving Him praise all the way. But somewhere on that overpass, I’d get distracted. Maybe I’d see a spiritual Starbucks or McDonalds and forget my intended destination for temporary (and sometimes expensive) satisfaction.

         Today, I’m keeping my eyes on Jesus and following Him all the way to the end. No detours and no distractions (Help me Holy Spirit.) I started with Jesus, and I’m once again determined to go all the way.