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.

One of my favorite parts of the Bible

"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father." Matthew 5:13-16

Pleasing God

"Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant." Galatians 1:10 -- We should all remember this! Pleasing the world, our friends, family, or whoever else is not what we should be focusing on. The only person we ever need to please is God. If we are pleasing Him, then He will help us please others in a way that still glorifies Him. And if we can't please others in a way that still serves Him, He may remove those people from our lives in order to introduce us to other believers who will better help us by growing in the faith. God is a loving God :)

Don't Let Your Emotions Vote

June 22 "Trusting God Day By Day" Daily Devotional by Joyce Meyer

Don't Let Your Emotions Vote

"Do not be misled, my beloved brethren." James 1:16

If we desire to walk after the Spirit, all our actions must be governed by God's principles. In the realm of the Spirit, there is a precise standard of right and wrong, and how we feel does not alter that standard. If doing the right thing requires a "yes" from us, then it must be "yes" whether we feel excited or discouraged. If it is "no," then it is "no." A principled life is enormously different from an emotional life. When an emotional person feels thrilled or happy, he may undertake what he ordinarily would not do. But when he feels cold and emotionless or melancholy, he will not fulfill his duty, because his feelings refuse to cooperate.

All who desire to be truly spiritual must conduct themselves daily according to godly principles. A good sign to show you're growing and maturing in Christ is when you consistently obey, even when you don't feel like it.

Learn not to ask yourself how you feel about things, but instead ask yourself if doing or not doing something is right for you. You may know that you need to do something, but you don't feel like doing it at all. You can wish you felt like it, but wishing does no good. You must live by principle and simply choose to do what you know is right. There may be a certain thing you want to do badly. It might be a purchase you want to make that you know is too expensive. Your feelings vote "yes," but your heart says "no." Tell your feelings they don't get to vote. They are too immature to vote and will never vote for what is best for you in the long run.

We don't allow people to vote in political elections until they are eighteen, because we assume they would be too immature to know what they are doing. Why not look at your emotions the same way? They have always been a part of you, but they are very immature. They are without wisdom and cannot be trusted to do the right thing, so just don't let them vote. We mature but our emotions don't, and if they are left unchecked, our lives will be a series of unfinished and disappointing ventures.

Trust in Him: Pray and ask God to help you trust Him more than you trust your emotions.

God's School of Wisdom

May 28 "Love Out Loud" Daily Devotional by Joyce Meyer

God's School of Wisdom

"I have taught you in the way of skillful and godly Wisdom [which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God]." Proverbs 4:11

True Christianity goes far beyond mere doctrine. We certainly need to know the principles of our faith in the form of doctrine, but real love for God is so much more than a set of basic beliefs; it is also a way of daily, practical living that comes from understanding the ways and purposes of God.

When we approach everyday situations from the perspective of God's ways and purposes, we ask questions such as: "How would Jesus talk to that person?" "How would Jesus deal with that person's obvious need?" When we begin to think along these lines, we are learning to be wise because we are seeking to understand the ways and purposes of God.

Moses was a very wise man, one who understood the importance of knowing God's ways. In Exodus 33:13, he cried out to God: "...If I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You..." God answered Moses' prayer, as we read in Psalm 103:7: "He made known His ways...to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel."

Notice the distinction between what God made known to Moses (His ways) and what he made known to the children of Israel (His acts). Some people are only interested in God's acts--what He will do for them. But wise people are like Moses; they hunger for a deep understanding of His ways. Let me encourage you to cry out to God as Moses did.

Love God Today: Ask God to show you His ways and help you understand His purposes.

Oh Today...

Hey all! It's been soooo longggg since I've posted anything! I'm determined to try to at least somewhat keep up with this blog! I mean really, it's the least I can do.

Well, today I learned a valuable lesson. I overcame temptation! *Cheers* *Applause* Thank you, thank you. Okay, but back to a serious note. I don't know if anyone else does this (I'm sure you do), but sometimes I read a Bible verse and I'm like: "That's a great verse! I'm gonna remember this verse so that when I'm going through a trial or a struggle, I'll have it to back me up and lift my spirits." OHHH THE STRUGGLE. The verse I'm thinking of right now is 1 Corinthians 10:13. "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't remember the verse word for word. I completely had to look it up on BibleGateway.com (which is a great site, by the way!). Let's face it: I HATE BEING TEMPTED. I'm not sure I know anyone who enjoys it, but seriously. It's not even a mindset of "Oh here I am being tempted again." No, it's "Oh my gosh, how am I ever going to overcome this?" (There's an emotional difference that I'm hoping you maybe can pretend to "hear" while reading that, haha.) But honestly, temptations aren't easy. They're not meant to be easy. If everyone could overcome every temptation easily, they wouldn't be TEMPTING to us. I like that BibleGateway has footnotes about this verse. It says "The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested." Whew, that's something to wrap your mind around! It's so true, too. When you are being tempted, you are also being tested. God knows this, and if you know it as well and trust in Him to help you work through the struggle, you will succeed in turning away from the temptation and turning toward God.

Temptations are enticing to us because we're humans and we make mistakes and we enjoy a thrill (which is why temptations are also bad for us). Giving in to a temptation doesn't make you a bad person. It further solidifies that you are, in fact, HUMAN. The dictionary on my computer defines temptation as "a desire to do something, esp. something wrong or unwise." Well if that's not blunt then I don't know what is. Remember, we're humans, which means as intelligent as we are...well, we're also stupid sometimes. We all know that temptations are "wrong" and "unwise," so why do we give in? Because, as the dictionary even knows, temptations are DESIRABLE. Something attracts us to the sin or wrongdoing that we know we may or may not be about to carry through with. But we can overcome.

One of my absolute FAVORITE verses in the Bible is John 16:33. "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." That is always SO encouraging to me. I'm gonna struggle. I'm gonna go through trials. I'm going to encounter temptations and hate them and wish they were gone, but the truth is, they'll still be there until I commit to doing something about them, whether that is giving in to my selfish ways or rising above all that with Christ.

Today I chose to rise above. Although that statement may prod you to commend me on a job well done, I don't want to take any of the credit. I don't deserve that. I'm not trying to be overly modest or humble about it, but I'm also not being braggy. I am proud of myself, though. It's amazing that when you're going through a struggle, while you're in the midst of a temptation, prayer is the powerful force that helps you climb your way out of the pit you've fallen into. The one that you have happily dug for yourself while toying with the idea of saying yes to the temptation right in front of you. But the great thing about prayer is that even when you don't feel like you're praying a "good prayer," your heart knows better. Your heart prays what your mind and words can't, and God hears that. He offers you a hand and helps you up out of the pit and embraces you in His love, and all because you chose Him over sin.

I don't know, maybe this sounds like such a trivial thing to you, but to me, it's more than that. Temptations come in all shapes and sizes, and the more you overcome them with Christ, the more you are strengthened in Christ.

"One day, you'll be standing in front of God, and He'll show you just how easy it was to say no." A very special person in my life likes to remind me of these wise words, and he's right. That's also something that keeps me going when I'm in the midst of trying to resist a temptation. As much as I want to give in (remember, it's tempting because it's desirable), if I just stop and breathe and really think about it for a minute, I realize that the payoff of saying no is much greater than the adrenaline rush from saying yes. An adrenaline rush doesn't last, but the lesson God teaches you from saying no...that's something you can hang your hat on for the rest of your life.

So long story short, don't feel alone if you're going through a temptation. For one, you're human, so you're going to be tempted. It's completely normal. For two, you have so many brothers and sisters in Christ (friends, family, church family, whoever!) who are more than willing to listen to you in your time of need. Do not ever hesitate to contact someone when you're being tempted. The devil wants you to try to face it on your own so that you'll give in, but God wants you to turn to your Christian family and Him, so that we all can help you overcome and grow from it. And I promise, the growth you receive after overcoming is SO worth it :)


Much love,
n.

Redesigned!

Did some redesigning of my blog! New background, new fonts, new pictures :)

I mean I've updated my life recently, so shouldn't my blog be a part of that too?


Enjoy :)