CONVICTION

Have you ever done something wrong or started to do something but felt guilty about doing it?  If you don’t or didn’t, you should.  Something deep inside should tell you that you shouldn’t be doing whatever it is (whether it’s stealing, lying, cheating, etc).

Once you have the Holy Ghost, we should feel that feeling of guilt whenever we do something that is a sin.

It’s called Conviction.

A few years ago, I was listening to KLOVE and kept hearing them repeatedly play a young woman’s call-in concerning how she felt about the radio station. I didn’t pay attention to the first part of what she said, but the last part caught my attention.  She said,

“…when I listen to KLOVE, I don’t feel any conviction,
and that’s a good thing.”

Is it really a good thing?

People confuse conviction with condemnation.

Conviction means to ‘convince of error or sinfulness’.

Condemnation means ‘the expression of very strong disapproval, to blame, to pronounce guilt.

A feeling of Condemnation can cause a person to feel hopeless and want to give up.

While the feeling of conviction helps a person know they are doing something wrong.

God put within each person a conscience to give a feeling of guilt, not to condemn, but to help steer a person away from sin and prod them to do what is right.

The Holy Ghost will convict us when we’re doing wrong if we will listen.

If we don’t feel that little nudge of conviction when we’re doing something wrong, then we need to examine our prayer life a little more closely to see if we’re not praying as much or like we should. 

 

Proverbs 14:12 warns…

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death.

There is a tendency for a person to justify or excuse away bad behavior thinking it’s no big deal or God does not really care.

Many do not see anything wrong with how they’re living or what they’re doing.

Example: King David – he tried to cover his sin of committing adultery with Bathsheba by having her husband killed and then marrying her. 

The Bible does not say whether or not he felt a little guilt over what he’d done. From reading the account, it appears he was more concerned with not getting caught than about the two sins he had just committed. I can only speculate and wonder if perhaps he justified the murder of Uriah because Uriah was a Hittite. 

Uriah the Hittite was listed as one of the valiant men in David’s army (1 Chron 11:26, 41).  If he was a valiant man and fought FOR David and not against, then why would David send an order to have the army retreat and leave Uriah to be killed by the enemy?

David knew the commandment of God was that adulterers were to be killed. (Ex 20:14; Lev 20:10)  He was the King.  He couldn’t let that happen.  David also knew that God had previously commanded the children of Israel when they were conquering that land to utterly destroy every Hittite yet they didn’t. (Dt 20:17)  Perhaps this was the excuse David needed and used to justify the murder of Uriah?

When David’s sin was revealed though Nathan the prophet in a parable, he still didn’t feel the conviction he should have.  His blood boiled as Prophet Nathan told him a story of a stolen lamb…

There were two men in one city – the one rich and the other poor. 
The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds.
But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb,
which he had bought and nourished up:
and it grew up together with him, and with his children…
And there came a traveler unto the rich man,
and he (the rich man)….took the poor man’s lamb,
and dressed it (cooked to serve) for the man that was come to him.
(2 Samuel 12)

David began to think about how he would have felt if that was one of his father’s sheep that had been stolen and eaten.  King David felt condemnation in his heart toward this rich man for killing the poor man’s only lamb and wanted him to pay for this injustice!  Yet, he did not feel conviction in his heart concerning his own sins of adultery and murder.  He thought no one knew.

King David did not see himself as the man in the mirror until Prophet Nathan pointed his finger and said, “THOU art the man!”  That was when he finally felt conviction and truly repented for the wrongs he had done. (Read David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51) Two innocent lives paid for his transgression….Uriah, Bathsheba’s first husband, and the baby conceived in adultery. 

Sometimes the innocent suffer and pay the price for another person’s sin.  It’s not just. It’s not fair. But it happens unfortunately.  While God is just to forgive when a person sincerely repents, it’s also a reminder not to justify the actions of the guilty or condemn the innocent. 

Everyone thinks they are a Christian and saved nowadays, despite living a life that is completely contrary to Scripture.

They’ll smoke, drink, cuss, yell and scream violently at others, repeatedly commit fornication or adultery, and some will even steal and others have committed murder yet still insist they’re saved and on their way to Heaven. 

Many do not feel conviction over the sins they are committing.  They do not feel remorse nor do they believe there are or will be consequences for their actions. Many think they’re on the right road going the right way, but if the way they are living is opposite of the way the Bible says to live then they are not on the right path.

I saw a tombstone one time with the saying, “He did it his way.” That’s a sad way to live, yet, that’s the way so many want and choose to live. 

People today do not want anyone to tell them the way they’re living is wrong and a sin.  They don’t want anyone to say anything that may make them feel conviction concerning their sinfulness.  They love their sin, they love doing what they want to do, and do not want anyone to make them feel bad for it.

Our life is not our own.  We were bought with a price.  We are not to live life ‘our way.’ Instead, we should strive to live our life ‘God’s way.’ 

We need to pray daily so that the Holy Ghost can lead and guide us in the way we are to live.

2 Corinthians 7:10
     For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation (CONVICTION)
     not to be repented of:
     but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (CONDEMNATION)

The purpose of feeling ‘conviction’ is not to condemn us
or cause us to feel hopeless and give up.

It’s there to lead and guide us back onto the right path when we start to stray on to the wrong path.

It was conviction that caused those gathered in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost to repent of their sins and turn to serve Jesus. 

Acts 2:37
          Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart,   
          (they became convicted) and said unto Peter and to the rest
          of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
         

The Bible records that there were 3,000 souls added to the Kingdom that day as they became convicted and turned from their sins, were baptized in Jesus name and were filled with the Holy Ghost.

Jesus said in John 16:7-8

Nevertheless I tell you the truth;
it is expedient (important) for you that I go away: for if I go not away,
the Comforter (Holy Ghost) will not come unto you;
but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when He is come,
He will reprove (convict) the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment.

 

The purpose of the Holy Ghost is to convict us of sin, show us what we’re doing wrong, and then lead us into living right before God.

Jesus said in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke (convict) and chasten; be zealous therefore and repent.

Jesus is saying in this passage of Scripture, “I convict those I love.”

It’s the love and mercy of Jesus that brings conviction to our lives.

Once we feel that conviction when we’ve sinned (done something that is wrong in God’s eyes), the next thing we need to do is acknowledge our sin to God and ask Him to forgive us.

1 John 1:9

If we confess (admit) our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Just as we forgive our children when they admit they’ve done something wrong, God does the very same.

He said He’s faithful and just to forgive us of our sins IF we confess and admit we’ve done wrong…whether it’s in feelings, thoughts, actions, or words.

Once we admit our sins and ask God to forgive us, then we must strive not to commit the sin again.

 

WHAT IF I DON’T FEEL CONVICTION
OR THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG TO DO?

We must always follow and obey what the Bible says concerning each matter regardless of whether we feel conviction about something or not.  

Our ‘feelings’ can deceive us.  And they often will.

A popular saying is to ‘follow your heart’ but the Bible says….

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked: who can know it?

We can not follow after our feelings.  We have to follow the Bible.

Because the heart is desperately wicked and will deceive a person into doing wrong while ‘feeling’ that there’s nothing wrong with what they’re doing.

Sadly, there are people who will cheat and steal and never feel bad about what they were doing although the Bible clearly says that stealing is a sin.

There are those who will fly into a rage, angrily yelling at others giving them a piece of their mind (the Bible calls them revilers) all while not feeling remorse or conviction that their temper is a sin.

People fornicate, or commit adultery, they’ll move in and live with someone they’re not married to (the Bible uses the word “chambering”) yet they do not see anything wrong with it. 

The Bible calls those that do these things unrighteous and warns over and over that anyone who does such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9-10)

Paul continues, “and such WERE some of you.” (vs 11) That is past tense.  Once you are Born Again, those old sinful ways should be something of the past, not things that keep recurring in the present and future.  

That is not to bring condemnation.  If we mess up but then repent, God is faithful to forgive.

A common problem today even within the ‘church’ is people see nothing wrong with telling what is considered ‘a little white lie.’ They do not feel conviction over it.

There is no such thing as a ‘little white lie’!  A lie is a lie whether it’s little or big, whether it’s completely fabricated or merely twisting or omitting parts of the truth to avoid a sticky situation.

The Bible says,

But the fearful, and unbelieving,
and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part
in the lake which burneth with fire  and brimstone:
which is the second death.
Rev 21:8

It is concerning and scary when someone who claims to be a Christian will twist the truth and not feel bad about lying.  I’ve heard some excuse and reason it away…. “I didn’t want them to be mad.” Or “it’s better if they don’t know the truth.” Or “it really isn’t lying.” Etc.  Yet, the Bible says ALL liars shall have their part in the lake of fire.

It’s dangerous to make excuses for sin.  It can lead a person to have a seared conscious. We need to let the Holy Ghost convict us and not ignore it.   The Bible will never direct us to do wrong. 

Conviction leads us to repentance – turning away from, shunning, forsaking sin.

 

God loves us too much to leave us the way He found us.

If a person is not feeling conviction over something the Bible clearly calls a sin, that’s NOT a ‘good thing.’

He gives us the Holy Ghost to lead us, guide us, and direct us in the paths of righteousness (right living), but we have to allow Him to convict us. Then we need to listen to the little nudges that His Spirit gives and obey Him.

We need to become more sensitive and allow God to convict us for anything we allow our eyes to see that we shouldn’t.  There will be times that you may not be able to help or avoid what comes before your eyes.  But we are responsible for what we continue to allow our eyes to look upon.  David should have looked away but instead he continued to look which led to sin.

We need to become more sensitive and allow God to convict us for anything we allow our ears to listen to that is not pleasing to God.  You may not be able to control at times what you hear as you walk past people, but you don’t have to stay and continue to listen to it whether it’s cussing, worldly music, crude speech, gossip, etc.

We need to become more sensitive and allow God to convict us for any word we may utter that is not pleasing to the ears of God. 

We need to become more sensitive and allow God to convict us for wrong thoughts.  They may pop in your head but you don’t have to allow them to take up residence there.  Cast them out and begin to think on good things.

We need to become more sensitive and allow God to convict us for any thing we may wear that He is not pleased.  Yes, God looks on the inside, but from Scripture we also find that God also looks on the outside (beginning in Genesis when God changed Adam and Eve’s clothes from skimpy fig leaves to a modest coat). How a person dresses is often a reflection of what is going on in the inside.  

We need to become more sensitive and allow God to convict us for any thing we may do or places we may go that is not pleasing to God.  

Conviction IS a ‘Good Thing’!  We need more of it!