The Right Connection But The Wrong Direction - Bro Ray Asher 3-8-2026

Appreciate this church.

Brother, Sister Hal, I just told brother how I feel

like that. Oftentimes the Lord just speaks to us together.

This morning, the Lord started dealing with me. And before

you go to the Book of Saint John, chapter eight

in Revival.

Last week there was a man.

A visiting family came and they were sitting in the church,

and I felt a drawl towards the man.

I felt a pull.

And I noticed that he just almost stared blankly. And

I walked up to him after the service was over

and went to shake his hand, and his companion took

his hand and guided it towards me, and he took

my hand and he looked at me, looked. He just

said to me, he said, I'm blind. I didn't realize it.

So I said, so am I blind? Because I didn't

see the need. The Shunamite woman came to Elisha, and

the Shunamite woman fell at his feet, and Elisha's servant

went to thrust her away with the staff, and Elisha said,

let her alone.

Her soul is vexed.

And what I noticed then, Brother Hal, he said, and

the Lord hath hid it from me. I started this

morning by praying Lord don't hide things from me. Let

me see the need, not just in others, but let

me see the need in me. And oftentimes we'll let

that need get hidden from us, and we'll overlook it

for time and times times.

But I want you to go with me.

This morning of the Book of John, chapter eight, John,

chapter eight, Jesus went under the mount of Olives, and

early in the morning he came again into the temple,

and all the people came under him.

He sat down and taught them.

The scribes and the pharisees brought unto him a woman

taking an adultery. And when they had set her in

the midst they say, unto him, Master, this woman was

taken in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in

the law commanded us that such should be stoned. But

what sayest thou this, they said, tempting him that they

might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and

with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he

heard them. Not so, when they continued asking him, he

lifted up himself and said, under them, he that is

without sin among you, let him first cast a stone

at her.

And again he stooped down and rolled on the ground.

And when they.

Which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out,

one by one, beginning at the eldest, even under the last.

And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in

the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, he saw

none but the woman. He sat under a woman. Where

are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee She said,

no man, Lord, And Jesus said, under her, neither do

I condemn thee.

Go and sin no more.

I want you to notice verse nine.

And they which heard it, they which heard.

It being convicted, conviction has now come by their own conscience,

went out. They left, They walked away. I want to

preach this morning if the Lord had helped me on

the right connection with the wrong direction. Amen.

Amen.

These men, these men who, as brother hol mentioned earlier,

these men who brought this woman to Jesus, considered themselves

holy men. They considered themselves righteous men. They were Pharisees.

These were men that could quote, not read, quote, the

first five books of your Bible. These were men whose

entire life had been directed to be what they were.

Right then, Amen, But now in the the presence of God.

When they realize that I'm not as far long as

I should be, when I don't have all that I need,

when I and be convicted that something's missing in my life,

they turned and walked away from him. And we see

the same scenario time after time after time after time,

those that conviction touches him, those at the Word Can

I tell you, Amen, I thank God for church. I

thank God for this Amen. Amen, I thank God. There's

a place we come. He meant for contact with the Lord.

Amen.

But unfortunately all contact does not lead with Amen, a connection.

There are those that come to church and seems as

if they never feel anything, seems as if nothing ever

deals with them, seems as if nothing ever touches them,

seems as if nothing ever directs him. But there are

those that come into the House of God God, and

when the Lord starts speaking through the songs, through the preaching,

through the ministry of the church, they feel that connection.

Something is dealing with them, something is working on them,

something has touched them. These men were not only Amen

just there. These men that don't only just have a

hemen place they came, they had of connection with the Lord.

They connected with Conviction is a connection.

Amen.

I pity and I feel sorry for those that hear

the word of God over and over.

Again and it never connects with them. Amen. He men out,

They're like the men who were.

Walking with a Saul of Tarsus at that time on

the Damascus road, and that great voice spoke out of

heaven had said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me he man?

And we know that from that we have the apostle Paul,

who came out of that connection. But there were other

men that heard that voice and with another way that

we never hear about them again. And there are some

going to be in this revival out fear that will

hear the words, but it will not make a connection

with them. But I feel like this morning, brother Hal,

I feel that conviction moving in the.

House of God.

And conviction is always Amen, a precursor.

Of a connection. There's a connection.

Between God and man when that soul feels I need God,

I need a touch from God. I need the mercy

of God. I need God to help me. I need

God to lead me. I need God to guide me.

Amen.

Now we have men, men who came with a bad

a bad reason. They came. They came not to exalt Jesus.

They came to find way to accuse him. They came

not to worship him. They came to accuse him remembered

in the midst of his presence. Amen, those stones start

growing heavy in their hand as they feel the connection

of the Lord upon them.

Amen.

And now the sins of this woman are forgot about

as they realize seek. Conviction doesn't deal with you about

somebody else's sin.

It deals with you about yours.

Conviction for the Christian does not deal with you about

what somebody else needs. It's about what you need. Conviction

does not deal with you about where brother Jeremiah is.

It deals with you about where you are. It doesn't

deal with you about where the church down the road is.

It deals with you about where you are.

Amen.

And sometimes we want to do as as Peter did

after the resurrection of the Lord, when the Lord told

him that a great resurrection proof he man and Peter,

one day one will bind you and ky you whether

you would not go. And Peter immediately turns around and

points of John and says, what about this man? What

shall this man do? And Jesus said, if I will

that he remained till I come again. What is that

to thee follow thou me? And I feel like this morning?

Brother? How amen?

He man, we're seeing in this world the right connection.

When conviction comes, it is the right connection.

He may.

When the word of God deals with your heart, you

don't have to ask is this right or wrong? If

it lines up with the word of God. If it's

the word of God, hemen, it is the right connection.

Hemen.

Jesus said, my sheep know my voice, and a stranger,

they will not follow.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

And when that voice starts dealing with you, and that

conviction comes, then these men whose stones have grown heavy

in their hands, Amen, because conviction shows you you they

dropped the stone.

Amen.

We're no longer interested in that. We're no longer interested

in killing. We're no longer interested in We're no longer interested.

In what she's done.

He remember now, conviction showing me me, And what a

wonderful thing it would have been.

Oh what would that s Oh?

If they would have just failed and repented right then,

or if they had just said, Lord, Lord, have mercy

on us, Lord, have mercy on me, Lord, move on

me right here.

But they went out, They walked away. This is one

of the side of scriptures in the Word of God

and one of the most revealing scriptures in the Word

of God.

This is what that did not stop on that day,

but it's enacted every time that a soul feels that

pool of God yet walks away from that pull. Can

I tell you, friend, God was offering redemption that morning.

God was offering Amen, salvation.

That morning.

God was offered sanctification that morning. God was offered a

brand new life that morning. God was offered a brand

new way to go that morning, and they went away

the right connection with the wrong direction.

Amen.

May I say this morning, that's my prayer for this revival.

Oh God, When you make that connection with a soul,

let that soul realize it is God knocking in my heart.

It's God dealing with me. It's God pulling in me.

It's God offering to me.

Hemen.

Can I tell you, friend, hemen, you are a blessed

child this morning. If you can feel God knocking at

your heart, he said, behold, I stand at the door knock.

If any man opening to me, I my Father will

come in and we will se up with him. Can

I tell you this morning, friend, I feel like hemen

this world, this world that the Bible said, the grace

of God that appears inder all men. Heymen, hath appeared

on all men, teaching them that denying ungodling us and

worldly loss, we're gonna live soberly, righteously and godly in

this present light.

Amen.

But the problem is he man the message that makes

the connection. But the life that doesn't follow with direction,

the life that walks away from the Lord, the life

that walks away. And can I tell you, friend, Amen,

I'm praying in this revival, Lord, will you make that

connection with my heart?

Amen? I don't want to.

I don't want the Lord to come by and pat

me on the back and say you did this right,

you did this right. I want him to come by

and show me every place I need to move up,

every place I need to draw closer to him, every

place I need to fall down before him, Brother Rod captain,

and admonish myself and call out unto him, Oh, would

somebody lived a hand this morning? For reason, some are

never sanctified. It's not because that God doesn't deal with

them to be sanctified. It is because when they receive

the connection, they go in the wrong direction, Amen. For reason,

some do not have the baptism of the Holy Ghost Hamen.

I know there're some who said, we've not even heard

of such a thing.

I know that, amen, Amen. But some have had that connection,

some that felt like I need that. Some have felt

like I've got to have that. Some have felt like

that's for me. But then where do they go? They

had in the wrong direction, Amen, Amen, They walk away

from that, they walk away from what God's trying to do.

And these men are never heard of again. These men

are never known of again. These men are not ever

brought up again.

Amen. Amen.

And in my heart I wonder if somewhere over in Jerusalem,

but the hell, there is a place where, if you

went there, you would see a bunch of rocks laying

on the ground.

And Lord, what are these? These are worse?

Some men came one morning. These were some men came

who thought they were righteous. These were men came who

thought they were the men of God. These were men

who kept the law of Moses. These were men who

knew the law. These were men who had came to

find accusation against the Son of God, against the Alpha, Omica,

against the beginning in the end, against the man you

want God with us. These are men he men who

Jesus in his mercy, Jesus in his Do you understand

the mercy that dealt.

With those men?

The problem is that most preachers when they go to

these scriptures, focus on that woman and Jesus that's it.

But the focus right here Amen, and these men. You

talk about mercy, Well, Jesus had mercy on that woman,

Thank God hemen. He is merciful.

Amen.

But do you see the mercy he had on these men?

Do you see the mercy he had on them?

Amen?

This woman, this woman knew she was a sinner. This

woman knew she Amen. But these men did not see

that they were sinners. These men did not say that

they hadn't all that problem that we have when we think, Amen,

the correction and conviction is for everybody but us. Correction

and conviction is for everybody. But everybody needs help but me.

Everybody is wrong but me. Everybody is wrong but me. Amen.

These men, these men, the mercy of God, these men, Amen,

These men who blood thirstily come before Jesus, the son

of God, Amen, with the desire he met. They're the

real desire was not the destruction of this woman, but

the destruction of him.

Amen. So here's the conundrum in their mind.

If he says, don't stoner, then he has now broken

the law of Moses and we got him. Amen. If

he says stoner, then all of this poor pitiful rabble

that's following.

Him will leave him. Amen.

And the great Master, the great Alpha and Omega, he

is from everlasting to everlasting. Amen.

Knew them.

He knew their hearts just as he knows mine, and

he knows yours, just as he knows the heart of

everybody listening to this right now.

Amen. And is the stone growing heavy in thy hand

this morning? Amen? Oh Amen.

And Jesus says, if you are without sin, if you

have no sin, may I tell you that that stipulation

is not in the law. That stipulation is not there.

It's not a requirement to not have sin just on somebody.

Amen. That's not in the law. Amen. What it was

was conviction going through the law.

I ain't gonna say bypassing it, because he don't have

to bypass anything. He blasted through the middle of it

and laid conviction in their hearts. He men laid conviction

on lives that thought they were he men, didn't need anything. Oh,

I wish somebody had praised him this morning, laid conviction

on hearts that thought, we're as far along as we

need to go. He mean, can I tell you, friend,

I've not made it to heaven yet, and neither of you.

Amen.

I'm not over there yet. I'm not through the gate yet.

I'm not on the street of gold yet. I've not

hurt him. Say well done thou good and faithful servant

yet Amen?

Amen.

And the only thing that's gonna get me there through

this world that I'm living in right now is if

God will keep knocking at this heart. I'm saying, move up, sign,

move up, Move up, child, Move up, Move up, child,

Move up. And I feel like this morning he liked

to move somebody up right now. He'd like for somebody

to come out of where they are right now. Whoa

we Rocky, We walk into church with that rock a

preconceived notion.

This is what I believe. This is what I believe. Amen, Amen,

preach what do you want to preach? Preaching? But this

is what I believe right here?

Amen.

But then all of a sudden, conviction starts.

Waiting that hand down conviction starts bringing that hand down.

I can't hardly hold on to it anymore.

And finally it drops out of their hand, and they

realize he's talking to me. He's talking to me. He's

not talking to everybody else. He's not reaching into the

white house, he's reaching into the church house.

He's talking to me. He's talking to me right now.

And then this great mercy now dealt with these men.

They turn and walk away from him as if nothing

ever happened. But somewhere I'm wondering if down the line

they looked around. I said, do you remember that day?

Do you remember that day he dealt with us? Do

you remember that day he came by? Amen? The travelers

on the Amass road said, did our heart's not burn

within us? When he talked with us? By the way, Amen,

did our heart's not burn? I wish somebody's heart was

on fire this morning. I wish somebody's heart was burning

right now. Lord, I need more, I need more of you,

I need more in my life. Saints of God, we

are we are Amen. We are travelers traveling towards He

made a final meeting with him, and we will stand

before him, and I woll hi hear those words echoing

through my mind, sister Asher. Hemen, when those stood before

him and said, Lord Lord, did we knock cast out

devils in thy name?

Lord Lord?

Did we not n me many mighty wonderful works in

thy name? And He'll say, depart from me. I never

knew you. I never knew who you were, because when

I came by, when I came by and down with you, you.

Went another way.

When I walked towards you, you walk the other way.

But I feel like, right now, Saints, let's just start

revival out by saying, it's me. It's me, oh Lord,

standing in a need of prayer, not my brother, not

my sister. But it's me, oh Lord, standing in a

need of prayer. Amen. Amen.

And Acts.

Acts Chapter twenty four, Verse Amen twenty four. After certain days,

when Felix with his wife Drusilla, who was he Jewish,

he men, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning

the faith in Christ, and has he reasoned of righteousness, temperance,

judgment to come. Felix trembled and answered, go thy way.

For this time, when I have a convenience season, I

will call for thee right connection, wrong direction. Yes, there

will be the bank robber. They will be the mugger,

there will be the murderer, There will.

Be all kinds of grievous sin.

He men will slide down into the eternity of hell.

But how many will be standing there hearing him say,

depart from me simply because you have the right connection

and you went the wrong direction. I wish she'd praise

him this morning, if you need to be saved this morning,

if you feel that that I need to be Do.

You know you do not know you're lost unless He

tells you you're lost. Amen. Amen.

Trying to explain being lost to somebody who God hasn't

dealt with would be like explaining the color blue to

a blind man.

Amen. Amen.

Her name was Helen Keller, or her teacher was a

woman by the name of Annie Chapman. Helen Keller was

born blind, born deaf, and dumb. She could neither hear,

nor see, nor speak. And Annie time I was trying

to teach her to speak, And how she finally done it.

She went to an old fashioned pump and pumped water.

As that water ran over little Helen Keller's hand, she

would make the motion of her mouth to say water, water, what.

And from that it went on and on and on,

And one.

Day a great preacher of that era, and by the

name of Phillips Brooks, came to her and preached a

little helen Keller about Jesus. And helen Keller is reported

said to him, old pastor, I always knew who he was,

I just did not know his name. May I tell

you this morning, his name is still Jesus. His name

is still Jesus, and he is still God. He is

still Alpha, he is still Omega. He's still the beginning,

He's still the end. He's still the first, He's still

the last. He is the Messiah.

Amen. Amen.

And when he knocks at your heart, you are a

privileged individual. When all of a sudden, the stones in

your hand are feeling heavy, When all of a sudden,

the preconceived notions are feeling heavy, The preconceived ideas are

feeling heavy.

Amen.

The thought that well, I'm okay, just like I have

is feeling very heavy, and it.

Finally pulls out of your hand.

Oh happy day, the stones have fell away. Oh happy day.

I'm not carrying the rocks no more.

Amen. But what direction are you gonna go? Now?

Are you gonna run to him or run away from him?

Are you gonna run to his presence or run away

from him? Are you gonna come to him or.

W go away from him?

The right connection, the right connection, the right connection. God

dealing with you, Amen, God dealing with you. God talking

to your heart. God talking to you God.

Amen Amen, Amen Amen. And then man walks away.

Pottle of stones laying on the ground, A trembling monarch,

a couple in paradise hiding from God.

Amen.

When God cried out, Adam, where art thou? May I say,

God knew where Adam was? Adam just didn't know where

Adam was? Adam, do you know where you are? Do

you know what you've done?

Adam? Do you know what the place your life is

in right now? Amen?

I hid myself because I was naked and ashamed. I

hid myself because I now I saw the condition I'm in.

So I hid myself.

I saw the condition in I was in, so I

got away from God. I saw the condition I was in,

so I didn't go to church no more. I saw

the condition I was in, so I stayed away from

that hole in his church. I saw the condition I

was in, so I quit listen to brother, how I

saw the condition I was in, and I quit going

down there and worshiping with them people. That's the wrong direction.

The right direction would.

Have been to ran to the feet of the Lord God.

I see my condition.

I see the shape I'm in right now. I see

the shape I'm in right now. Would you help me?

Would you redeem me? Would you touch me? Would you

save me? Would you sanctify me? Would you fill me

with the Holy ghost and fire? Would you set my

feet on a solid rock?

Amen?

Amen? Amen?

But they hid, But they hid, they walked away.

Will you? Jesus preached a message to seventy preachers the

Bible had said. He sent them out two by two.

They all came back, saying, Lord, even the devil's a

subject under us with thy name. They all came back

and said, you've given us power over all manner of sickness,

is all matter of diseases.

They all came back. They preached one message to.

Them about consuming him in spirituality completely, a complete salvation.

And they said this is a hard saying. That's too hard.

That's heard preaching. Who could hear it?

And from that.

Many of them went back and walked no more with him.

Feel the Holy Ghost of God here this morning. And

Jesus turns to the twelfth and says, will you go away? Also, amen,

will you go away? Also as your fifty eight brethren

have already done, as the fifty eight others done, as

fifty eight that you knew did, as fifty eight that

you used to worship with did at fifty eight that

used to say they had God in their heart, at

fifty eight that had aymen, that child had with you,

that worshiped God with you.

And now not just you twelve left. Now are you

gonna go away? Alsoul?

And Peter said, Lord to whom when we go thus

words of eternal life. But I see him standing by

a firepit, cursing to hide the simple truth of who

he was. But thank God when that angel spoke to

Mary after the resurrection. And if you in against underlying

things in your Bible, I suggest underlying this one. He said,

he has risen. Why seek you the living among the dead.

He's not here, He's risen. Go tell my disciples, and Peter,

go tell my disciples.

And that one that went in the wrong direction, go

tell my disciples.

And that one that feels like he failed at the

crucial moment. Go tell my disciples, and that one that

did not heed in the time, Father, than he should

have eaten, Brother Gabriel, when he should have ran to me,

when he should.

Have ran towards me, when he should have ran tomorrow.

Go tell him that I'm gonna meet with him again.

Oh that's the Bible. Oh that's revival. Go tell him

I'm gonna meet with him again. Tell that backslider, I'm

gonna meet with him again. Tell that lost man, I'm

gonna meet with him again. Tell that one that's give up,

I'm gonna meet with him again. Tell that one that

thinks he can't make it, I'm gonna meet.

With him again.

So I ask you this morning, has God made a

connection with you? Has God made a connection with you?

Or are you just in contact with his body. You're

saying that no difference, Preacher, there's no difference. On I

beg your pardon.

Amen.

There was a day when Jesus was surrounded the cold

of a throng of people. They were all around him,

and there was a little woman who'd had a disease

for twelve long years, and she made her way through

that great press of people. For she said within her heart, son,

if I could but touch him, I know I'd be

made whole. And she comes through and she reaches out

and touches him, and Jesus immediately says, who touched me?

Who touched me? Who touched all that? Somebody would touch

him in here this morning? He's already touched you. I

wish you'd touch him back. I believe he's touched somebody

this morning, Brother Jeremiah, believe he has Amen, Brother Jesse,

I believe he touched somebody this well.

Amen, Amen, who touched me?

And then the disciples answers, Master, Master of the crowd down.

If he says, now, who touched me? He said, somebody

touch me? He man, somebody make contact. Somebody got a connection,

somebody got a connection. Amen, he meant for I felt

virtue go out of me. I felt something go out

of me. And it goes out of him, it.

Goes into you.

Let me say that again, Well, it goes out of him,

it goes into you.

Whoa go to God, God to God.

And he turned around to her and he used a term,

sister Wooten, that is nowhere else in the Word of

God all through the old Testament. You have the sons

of God, the sons of God, the sons of God.

But now God with us turns to this woman and says, daughter, daughter,

you're my daughter. You're my daughter. Just adopted you. You're

my daughter. Now, Amen, you're my daughter. Now whow God

to God? Son?

I ask you this morning.

Throwing throw an electrical cord in front of every single

outlet you want to throw it in front of, and

it will do you no good. But once you take

that plug, see what you need is in there, and

it needs to travel from there into you.

So we're not just in contact. We make a connection.

And once the connection is made, then we either go

one way or the other. We either go to Him

or away from Him. I wish you'd obey God right now,

if you're here this morning and you're lost without God.

If you're here this morning and would be bold enough

to say, preacher, I believe in Jesus, I believe in

the Christ of Calvary. I believe in the Word of God.

I believe it with all my heart.

But it seems like my life is just not following

the direction that has drawn me nearer and nearer that

old song draw me nearer, nearer, near blessed Lord, to

the cross where Thou has died. Draw me nearer, near

Precious Lord, to thy precious bleeding side.

May I ask you this morning?

Will there be somebody saying, I just need to I

just need to I need to turn around.

I just need to have a little little closer direction

to him.

Amen, I don't need to do a three sixty, I

need to do one eighty this morning and turn around,

turn around. Hemen, he met God's calling to you. The

connection's been made this morning? What direction will you go?

Will you go away?

Also?

Will you join the Pharisees, Will you join Felix? Will

you join, hey men, those that were traveling with soul

of Tarsus will you Will you join, hey man, our

lost ancestors in.

The garden, Will you join them and walk away from him?

This morning? Will you come to him as I'm going

to today and say, Lord Lord, what I'm feeling in

my heart is letting me know I need to draw

closer to you. What I'm feeling in my heart right now,

this isn't a gold glory, This is not imagination, This

is your This is God knocking at the heart right now,

I'll tell you what I would do right now. I

just get up from where I was, and I'd walk

down to this holder, Amen, and I'd lay myself on

the alder and say, Lord, here, I am here, I

am Lord. I ain't brought you a cow. I've not

brought you a turtle dive. I'm not brought your sheep.

I brought you me.

Lord.

I'm laying me on the altar, and I want to

be as close to you as I can possibly be.

I want to draw nigh unto God. I want to.

Draw nigh unto him. I want to hear his voice

speaking to me again. I want to feel his hand

touching me again. Come on, Saints, I feel like somebody

ought to make a run to this holder right now,

before the devil talks you out of it, before before

the conscience talks you out of it, for self talks

you out of it. I've run down to this holder.

Let me, I've run down to the older.

Amen.

I would not I would not even take the risk.

Hemen walking down. Come on, there's more, amen. Amen, Let's

come in around this holder. Let's come in around this holder.

He man, there's help for you this morning. Hey, you

said well, I'm saved. That's by the house that nobody.

Nobody is saying you're not saved. Nobody's saying that. I'm

not saying that. God is just saying, come unto me,

Come on unto me. Let me help you, Let me

draw you closer, let me draw you closer.

Whoa, that's it.

The alters are open if you would come and pray.

Don't go the other way. That's a wrong direction. Don't

walk away from him this morning. That's wrong direction. Don't

walk away from God.