Topic: The Blessing of Conviction [Joyce Meyer Devotional 11 November 2020]
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And when He comes, He will convict and convince the world and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment.— John 16:8 (AMPC)
Jesus told the disciples that when the Holy Spirit came, He would have an intimate, personal ministry to them. One of the things the Holy Spirit is responsible for is guiding believers into all truth. He is the one involved in the process of sanctification in believers’ lives, which is partially accomplished by His conviction in our hearts. Every time we start to get off track or go in a wrong direction, the Holy Spirit gently convicts us, letting us know that our behavior or decision is wrong, and shows us where to go instead.
This is accomplished by a “knowing” in our spirit that what we’re doing just isn’t right. When you and I feel convicted, we should repent and change our direction. If we’re willing to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, we can grow in spiritual maturity and release all the planned blessings of God in our lives. If, however, we ignore His conviction and go our own way, we’ll find the road extremely difficult.
Satan doesn’t want us to receive conviction, or even to understand it. He always has a counterfeit for all the good things God offers—something somewhat like the truth, but actually a lie that will ultimately bring destruction instead of blessing. Satan’s counterfeit for true godly conviction is condemnation, which always produces feelings of guilt. When we’re condemned, we feel “down” in every way, and as if we were “under” something heavy, which is exactly where Satan wants us.
God, on the other hand, sent Jesus to set us free, to give us righteousness, peace, and joy (see Romans 14:17). Our spirits should be light and carefree, not oppressed and heavy with burdens that we are unable to bear. We cannot bear our sins; that’s why Jesus came to take them off our shoulders at the cross. As we receive His forgiveness, we can move forward freely, knowing that He’ll always lead, guide and show us anything we need to repent of, and give us the grace we need to change.
Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for Your conviction to keep me on track. Please help me discern the difference between Your convicting voice and the enemy’s condemning voice, and give me the grace I need to change and grow closer to You today. In Jesus’ name, amen.