I used to think that you only repent once, when you get saved. You turn from going your own way to wanting to go God’s way and receiving His forgiveness and eternal life.

But, in fact, repenting is something we need to do all the time. It’s not just “repent and be saved,” it’s “repent and live.” “Repent and get with His program.” “Repent and act.”

In each of us there are two ways present at any given time. There is our way and God’s way. Our way is full of self. It’s what we want to do. It’s soft and comfortable. It’s what we’ve always known. It’s familiar. God’s way is full of Himself, full of others, and full of His laws (another way to say His way of doing things) that become our delight once we embrace them. It’s new and challenging. And the reason we repent all the time is that our way is fully engrained into or being – our thoughts, emotions and will. Our way never goes away. It manifests itself in our habits and addictions – even our compulsive behavior. Going God’s way requires turning from our way to His, all the time. There’s a word for that: repent. Turn from one way and go this other way. It’s a moment-by-moment decision.

But here’s the good news. We can make the right choices because we are not alone. It’s not just you and me trying to whip our selfish selves into being better. We have the Holy Spirit to empower our choices, and a new self that is in line with God’s way – like a receiver tuned into the right frequency.

In Marti’s comments from yesterday’s Catch she wrote: “It is all about an attitude of obedience and stepping into the power, which of course we cannot do without the Holy Spirit doing it. So even the will to repent is not an intention, but always an action. Even the ‘break on through’ can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is nothing about you, but all about the power in you. You cannot fake it until you make it. Either you are in the Spirit or you are not. You cannot just think about it and expect to go anywhere. You have to step into it and the power lifts you to do more than you ever thought you could or would do without Him or even with Him on your own.”

It’s a day full of choices. What will you choose?

“Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

You got to serve somebody
You got to serve somebody
It may be the Devil; it may be the Lord
But you’ve got to serve somebody
– Bob Dylan