OF CONVICTION
“But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”
The word translated doubt means ‘inability to make a distinction’. With that in mind, Paul reveals to us that all of us actually have it in us to be conscious of something that does not sit right with our spirit, or who God generally called us to be. A frequent observation I have made over time is individuals with testimonies of child abuse. Some did not even have a fully formed brain to know what had happened or carry language for it, yet they knew it was wrong and the first response would be to hide it, be ashamed and wallow in guilt.
That shows us that when we have the Holy Spirit, we actually possess the capacity to discern something we should not be involved with. What often happens, due to the gentleness of the Spirit, He will nudge you on multiple occasions in the hope that you may restrain yourself and when you listen that produces a conviction. When you resist, he gradually ceases to speak and your conscious becomes seared, unable to be sensitive or altogether respond to truth.
Child of God, if there is anything that will guide you without fail is the sensitivity you have towards the conviction of the spirit.
Whether it brings discomfort, demands obedience, demands swift action, demands separation or causes Godly sorrow — the Lord always uses it for the greater good. You can rest assured in this truth. Hallelujah!
Prayer: Father I thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. I thank you for the convictions you gently place in my heart because they keep me from grieving your spirit. Grant me the grace to swiftly respond to each one of them and search my heart for ways I may be tempted to justify my sin instead of repenting, in Jesus name. Amen!
CI.
