Conviction - How Much Do You Know About It?

People usually only see the negative in conviction, but there's so much more to it than that! God loves you so much that He doesn't want to leave you the way you are, drowning in your sin. He is willing to help you change so that you can live life more abundantly! Think of it in the metaphor of a parent disciplining a child. The parent, through discipline and correction, is helping the child change so that he/she won't make the same mistakes anymore. That child's life will be more positive and rewarding now that he/she has changed and listened to the loving kindness of the parent. God's conviction is the same!

I looked up "conviction" in a couple dictionaries, and they basically said the same thing: "A formal declaration that someone is guilty of a criminal offense." YIKES! That sounds a little scary, doesn't it? And pretty harsh! I think that's why so many people take offense when God convicts them! First, it's not easy to listen to conviction. Whether it's God directly revealing your faults to you, or through someone else God has selected to use as a messenger, no one really wants to hear, "Hey, can I talk to you about something? I'm concerned that the sin you're living in will ruin you if you don't overcome it" (or however else you would hear conviction, there are numerous ways). Conviction is really a blessing in disguise! (How many times have you heard that about the ways God works in your life? It's true!) Honestly, if God didn't love you, He would leave you in your sin. Remember all sin is the same to Him; no sin is better/worse than any other, so if God were to leave you in your sin, you would be of the world. You would be chasing after flesh instead of chasing after the Spirit.

"So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature [the flesh] craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of [contrary to] what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions [to do whatever you want]. But when you are directed [led] by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law." Galatians 5:16-18

How blessed do you feel when you're being convicted? If you're like me (HUMAN!) then the answer is probably, "Um, I don't feel blessed at all. Is that even an option?" I'm here to tell you: it is! Conviction used to be a very hard pill for me to swallow (and sometimes still is), but especially when I was coming back into the faith and turning away from the worldly sins I had been living in. My goal was to be "in the world, but not of it," and let me tell you, when you have that kind of mindset and devote yourself to that through Christ, He will DEFINITELY use conviction to help change your heart and your habits. That's not a bad thing though! Remember the metaphor I used earlier about the parent/child discipline relationship. Now obviously God isn't going to sit you down and be like, "Okay [your name here], you've been committing [particular sin here], so I'm gonna sit you in time out for five minutes so you can think about what you've done." I mean, honestly, the only things time out did for us were: (if we were young enough) make us forget about whatever wrong we had done, or (if we were old enough) make us dwell on whatever wrong we had done. When God convicts us, I don't believe that He wants us to completely forget about the sin we've committed (at first, anyway), or else how would we be able to change it? "You're right, God, I'm gonna just forget about that and move on." Yes, that IS what we need to do, but only AFTER we have figured out how to change our hearts for the better. Also, God does not want you to dwell on your wrongs either. What kind of a loving God would want you to constantly think about how many wrongs you've done? Not our loving God that we serve :)

I have one of Joyce Meyer's devotional books, Love Out Loud, and the July 2nd devotional really touched down on the subject of conviction. So here it is, laid out in Joyce Meyer's words for you:

Yes, Lord
"For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes." Hebrews 12:6

As we change and grow in God, we won't always do everything perfectly. As a result, we need to know how to receive God's loving correction. God corrects us and disciplines us because He loves us. In Revelation 3:19, Jesus speaks this same truth when He says: "Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults...So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude]."

As I've dealt with my children and with hundreds of employees over the years, I've discovered that in order for my correction to be effective, it's essential that the people I correct know that I love and care about them.

The people who struggle most to receive correction are those who do not know they are loved. Instead of feeling corrected for their own good, they feel punished.

No one can receive God's correction properly without a revelation of His great love. We may hear the correction and even agree with it, but it will only make us feel condemned or angry unless we know it comes from God's heart of love and will ultimately bring about the changes needed in our lives.

Next time God corrects you, remember that He "dearly and tenderly" loves you and that He accepts you, cherishes you, and welcomes you to His heart. Receive His correction as an act of love and respond by saying, "Yes, Lord."

Love God Today: "When You correct me, Lord, I will welcome it, receive it as an expression of Your love for me, and say yes to You."

Wow! Isn't that powerful? What a great message Joyce delivers to us through this devotional. She really helped me to see and understand that when God convicts me, yes, it is indeed because I am doing something that is wrong and doesn't glorify Him, but it is also because He loves me and wants what is best for my life. He already has my whole life planned out (and yours, too!) so if I truly want to do His will, and have it be done in my life, listening to His correction will lead me to that.


I hope this has helped anyone who has been struggling with conviction, or even struggling to feel loved. God always loves you, and He always will, even when He's gently showing you correction. Remember these parting words from a Christian account (@SaviourAndKing) I follow on Twitter: "Jesus is the biggest opportunity you will ever get. Don't miss Him standing there with open arms because you're too busy in the world."


I love you all,
n.