If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

Proverbs 1:23 ESV

What a promise! We can receive God’s spirit and He’ll make us to now His words. That part is automatic. The condition is on our end, not God’s. Our part is turning at His reproof, at God’s correction we must turn back from our ways back to His.

He doesn’t require we not sin. He just requires we turn back. Repenting is a change of mind, a turning back and going the other way. It’s not saying your sorry and just doing the same thing again. That’s not a turn. That’s continuing in the same direction.

David, in Psalm 51, acknowledges that God does not turn away from a contrite heart. He accepts us when we humbly confess our sin and turn our hearts back to Him.

We turn ourselves away from God when we sin. But the Father is there waiting, open arms ready for our turning back to Him. And He’s waiting with the amazing gift of Himself.