St. John's Gospel Chapter 8 Verses 1-11

Introduction

The prevaliling question that must now be asked is whether or not those who are yet out of the ark of safety is "Have you experienced enough of the terrors of sin to see the need to change?" For although change is possible, it will never be actualized until there is a willed consent to move in a different direction. And by now, it should be understood that after trying and failing time and time again to grasp the pleasures of sin, the only way to have anything different from what you have had is to be different from what you have been. And it takes the power of Jesus Christ to change you and make you new.

The Devil Shows You Pleasures Without Consequences

And this is really the only thing he can do.....show you pleasures without consequences and make promises but not guarantees!

Which is why you must first be honest with yourself and admit that as much fun as you thought you would have, even if it made you happy, you fell short of having real joy.
Admit that it only carried you so far, but dropped you short of the fulfillment that you expected would come from the experience.
But for some reason, the devil still has you doing the same thing you've been doing for a while now, still looking for something different to happen.
And now he has you living like a fool thinking that after things have gone wrong for the last 15 years you have a real chance of things working.

This is what you call a slave!
Somebody who does the same things over and over and really don't want to, but can't help it because they feel they have no other alternatives.
And this is the power of sin.....it causes you to feel that you have no choice but to obey.
But Jesus comes to set you free today.
And if you really want to be free, the devil that has had you locked up and shackled will have to loose you today by the power of Jesus Christ.

Living In Sin Means Playing A Game That You Cannot Win

The truth about the devil is that he does not play fair.
And sooner or later, sin's consequences catch up with you
According to Leviticus 20 and Deuteronomy 22

You Can't Change The Past

And for many of you, this might be one of the hardest truths to accept.....that there is absolutely no hope of going and changing the past. Now your future is suffering because you can't seem to forgive yourself for what you've already done.

As sorry as we are for the things that we have done, we cannot go back in time and undo them.
And what good is it anyway to sit and beat yourself up over the things that you've done?
If you are really sorry, then pick yourself up and do something different with your life.

You may have served time behind bars for despicable acts, but there's still life left to live.
You may have gotten pregnant as a teenager, but there's still life left to live.
You may have sold your body for money in the past, but what are you going to do about your future?
Stop worrying about things that you cannot change and do what you can to change the things that are still within your power to do something about!

They Brought Her To Jesus

Although they could not see it, in their rush to destroy her, they actually brought her to the safest place she could ever hope to be.....In the presence of the Lord!

And many a Child of God today is saved simply because they were driven in the direction of Jesus.

It may not have even been their desire at first, but the thing that tried to kill them drove them into His presence.

He Gave Her The Opportunity To Make A New Start

Then Jesus says to the woman, go and sin no more
Which means that the things that you can find in my past don't have to be a part of my future.
He gives me permission to be different tomorrow than I was yesterday!

I've Got Too Much To Live For!

The devil might have used drugs to mess up your past, but don't let him use drugs to mess up your future.
You might have had some mess ups in life, but if you're not dead yet, then for the moment life goes on
But what kind of life will it be?
Prison might have taken 10 years of your past, but don't give it another 10 years of your future.
Tell yourself, " I'm tired of going before the judged, standing there knowing he's got my life in his hands. I'd rather stand before God and throw myself on his mercy. Tell God that I'm guilty, but I'm sorry. And instead of a judge sentnecing me to death, I'd rather hear God sentence me to life.

For the thief cometh not but for to steal, kill, and destroy; but I am come that ye might have life, and life more abundantly.
Now I'll no longer live for the pleasures, I'm living for the Lord!
I'm no longer living for the
No suicide on my mind, I've got to much to live for.
I live to please the Lord.
I live to do His will.
I live to give Him praise.
I live to tell somebody else that Jesus Christ is still the same yesterday, and today, and forever; and if he did it for me, with my messed up past, he can do it for you and make your tomorrow better than your yesterday.

The Real Question Is Not Whether Or Not You Have A Past, It's Whether Or Not You Have A Future.

It all depends on you!
You can keep what you've had, or you can trade it in for a real life in Christ.
When you get tired of killing yourself, Jesus is standing by.
When you get tired of doing the wrong thing, Jesus is standing by.
When you get tired of not getting it right, Jesus is standing by.

The Devil Had My Past, But He Can't Have My Future!