Convicted - Not Condemned!

 Don't let the enemy turn God's sweet conviction into condemnation!

God gives us revelation about ourselves because He wants to bring us freedom and move us forward in becoming more Christ-like.  This revelation from God is called conviction - it's God's way of revealing sin issues within our hearts and exposing something that’s damaging to us and possibly to others as well.  If we stop getting conviction, or refuse to receive it, we’ll become stagnant in our growth and perhaps even a bit hard-hearted or stiff-necked.

Sometimes, however, that conviction is turned upside down by the enemy:  what God reveals for the purpose of bringing freedom can be turned into torment.  Conviction is a starting point for repentance and new growth, but the enemy can twist-up convicting revelation from the Lord and use it to keep us in a pool of self-condemnation.

If God says ‘be more gentle’ the enemy will tell us we’ve run over people all our lives and we’ll never change because we grew up in a rough family and people are sick of being around us and we have nothing to offer and yada,yada, yada.

But God says “I’m giving you an answer to your prayer.  When you asked me why the same thing keeps happening over and over in your relationships I gave you this revelation.  Now open my word and look into the word ‘gentle,’ then use it as a springboard for a new beginning in this area.” 

Conviction from the Lord is a sign of His love and active involvement in our lives.  That conviction might sting when we first get the revelation, but we cannot allow repentance and Godly sorrow to be turned into heaviness and self-condemnation by the enemy.  The devil’s condemnation is his effort to entrap us in self-absorption on the very thing that God meant for freedom. 

God leads and we follow – He does not hide Himself behind aggressive behavior toward us or push us into self-condemnation.  Don't allow what God meant for good to be turned for bad by the enemy - His conviction is an opportunity for sweet surrender.

“ Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way (Psalm 139:23-24)