Joanna Harris is an author and blogger with a tremendous passion for God. You can contact Joanna here. For more on Joanna and her ministry, check out her website here. There you can also find links to her other blogs.
www.newlineministries.com
Have you ever
been bitten by a gnat? It's an annoying
inconvenience for your body, but it quickly fades away. But have you ever
experienced the bite of a fire ant? It’s not something to take lightly.
In the
spiritual realm, sometimes we treat God's conviction of sin in our lives like
it's a gnat, ignoring it or swatting it away. Perhaps we need to think of
conviction as a fire ant instead and pay attention.
Webster
defines conviction as "the act of convincing a person of error or of
compelling the admission of a truth." Spiritual conviction comes from God.
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit "will convict the world of guilt in regard
to sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8). When we sin, the Holy
Spirit is faithful to convict our hearts. He shows us we’ve done something
wrong and prompts us to repent of that sin.
Often,
conviction comes as a quiet inner voice telling us we've messed up. Sometimes
it's a direct rebuke from a friend. Other times, it's a specific verse that
reminds us of truth we have forgotten or ignored. Spiritual conviction is a lot
like Jimminy Cricket, Pinochio's little "conscience."
As sinful
human beings, without conviction we would persist in our sin and wander further
and further away from God. We need to be confronted with the error of our own
actions in light of God's truth.
The purpose
of conviction is not to make us feel guilty, however. Guilt makes us want to
hide or run from God. Guilt comes from our enemy, the accuser of the
brethren—not from God. Conviction is the necessary wake-up call about our sin,
but always with the intent of bringing us back to sweet fellowship with our
Savior.
Contrary to
our natural thinking, conviction is a blessing, not a burden. Romans 2:4 tells
us it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. His conviction is a sweet
mercy to keep us from pursuing our own stubborn, willful and self-deceived
ways. The reason God convicts us is so we can repent and resume walking in step
with Him. God desires to commune with us every moment.
Through His
death on the cross, Jesus provided forgiveness for our sins, not only in the
past, but also in the present and the future (Col. 2:13). Hallelujah! When we
experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we can acknowledge our sin to
God, thank Him for His forgiveness and rely once again on His Spirit to empower
us to choose obedience. We are not slaves to sin anymore—Christ has set us
free!
God is
faithful to convict us of our sin, but we aren't always ready to repent.
Sometimes conviction is a lot like the gnat bite, annoying but not necessarily
painful. Often we respond with a quick "ouch" and then promptly
forget about it. After a while we can desensitize ourselves and not even notice
when the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts. Sometimes God has to use a
"fire ant" form of conviction to get our attention. I can testify
that this method is at times painful, but it’s definitely for our good.
As we learn
to pay attention to the little pricks of conviction, the Holy Spirit can lead
us to quiet places to listen and study God's Word. This is where the deep conviction takes place, where God
often reveals our hidden or willful sins. Through this process of conviction,
repentance and desiring to obey, God accomplishes His ongoing work of inner
transformation.
God’s desire
is to keep us walking with Him in truth –not fooling ourselves that we're
walking with Him while we allow certain areas of our lives to remain in
darkness. Paying attention to the little "bites" of conviction trains
us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to make abiding in Christ our deepest
desire and daily habit.
Learning to
listen to the gentle pricks of the Holy Spirit and avoid the pain of a fire
ant’s bite is an ongoing process. Obviously, we can't change ourselves. But we
can ask God to change us little by little, moment by moment. After all, it is
"God who works in you to will and to act according to His good
purpose" (Phil. 2:13). I’m so glad He does!
Lord, give us
ears to hear your conviction and hearts that long to obey you in everything, especially
the "little" things. Keep us from rationalizing that something isn't
sin because others do it. Teach us to welcome your conviction about any areas
of darkness that attempt to invade our lives and gain a foothold. Make us
joyfully submissive to your Son, so that through us you can demonstrate your
goodness and bless many. May our hearts be open to your conviction today, and
may we continually rejoice in your eternal forgiveness, transforming grace and
empowering love! Amen.
www.newlineministries.com
