Grateful for the Convicting Power of the Holy Spirit (Oct., 2023)

Have you ever experienced the conviction of the Holy Spirit? What does that even mean? The Bible tells us in John 16:8, “And when he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” If you are a Christian, you may remember when the Holy Spirit was dealing with your heart about the need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You realized that you were lost and undone and without Him in your life, you would perish in your sins. That was conviction. How about the time as a Christian that you sinned, and you felt a sense of grief (conviction) over what you had done. Do you remember confessing your sin to Jesus? When you confessed that sin, the Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9 that the Lord “cleanses us from all unrighteousness (sin).

Conviction is a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts. It is a product of our relationship with God. It is a sign of God’s love and discipline for His children (Heb. 12:5-11). I am so grateful for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Is it possible to be grateful over discipline? I don’t remember being grateful when my mother disciplined me, but I can honestly say that I am grateful that she did. She loved me enough to show me the right way through those times of her paddling me. I am grateful for the discipline of the Lord. When I say or do something that I shouldn’t, the Lord disciplines (convicts) me. It almost feels like I am having a spanking in my spirit. I always grieve before the Lord when I fail Him. I am quick to repent when this happens. It truly keeps me on the straight and narrow if I will repent of my sins to the Lord. Godly grief over sin is the waiting room that leads to repentance.

We read in Hebrews 12:5-11 Amp. “…My son, do not make light of the discipline (conviction) of the Lord, And do not lose heart and give up when you are corrected by Him; For the Lord disciplines and corrects those who He loves, And He punishes every son whom He receives and welcomes [to His heart]. You must submit to [correction for the purpose of] discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? Now if you are exempt from correction and without discipline, in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate children and not sons [at all]. Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we submitted and respected them [for training us]; shall we not much more willingly submit to the Father of spirits, and live [by learning from His discipline]? For our earthly fathers discipline us for only a short time as seemed best to them; but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. For the time being no discipline brings joy but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose.”