…Repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. Acts 26:20

 Years ago, at my work, we hosted the first annual West Point Lake Triathlon. This event involves athletes swimming, bicycling, and running. The last part of the triathlon involves athletes parking their bikes (after riding 25 miles), and running several miles across the dam and back. As the first group of runners exited the bicycle area, they turned left, heading towards the same path they went on for the bike route, which was the wrong direction. It wasn’t until they got to the main intersection that a volunteer told them they had made a wrong turn, so they turned around and got headed in the right direction. Thankfully, this being the first year’s event, the athletes were very understanding and had fun participating. Since then, we made it clear how to access the running path.

 Sin has a way of creeping into your life. You are going along and wham, a brief distraction occurs, and you find yourself caught in the middle of a sinful act. Unfortunately, many acknowledge their sin, ask forgiveness, but fail to turn from it. It’s like they go through it and continue down the same path hoping not to fail in that same area.

 Today’s brief verse in Acts 26:20 reminds us of the steps towards repentance of sin: repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. Turning around from that sin and towards God redirects your focus away from the temptation and looks to God’s holiness and light to help you navigate out of the darkness. In this process, you rejoin the spiritual race and head down the right path.

 The sins you battle will always be out there, it’s up to you to redirect your focus, so you can overcome the lure of temptation. Turn to God when seeking forgiveness so you can truly repent of your misguided steps.