WEEK THREE FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS GOODNESS

– DAY 19 | CONVICTION vs CONDEMNATION

This past Wednesday night’s service for me personally was one of the most important messages I’ve shared in years… I was sharing with our church about

“Re-Discovering Grace.” The presence of God was so amazing and at times very tangible. As I was sharing I realized that so many believers are battling condemnation and understanding the difference between conviction and condemnation.

Please remember this… It’s critical to our approaching God…ALL METHODS OF DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD MUST BE SEEN THROUGH THE FILTER OF THE GOODNESS AND GREATNESS AND THE GLORY OF GOD!

Our tendency to relate to God based on our elevation of ourselves.

There are two major enemies of our faith and they are condemnation and lack of understanding the Word of God. Either we don’t know what the Word of God or we don’t really understand it. As a result we don’t recognize who we are in Christ.

God said, “My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.” Hos 4:6 NLT

Conviction moves us to look at what God offers and challenges us to know this infinite, loving and almighty heavenly Father.

If we don’t have the right knowledge of the power of God’s grace, we will be severely hindered in reaching our full potential as mature followers of Jesus Christ.

Then there is condemnation. It may surprise you, but do you know that if you love and you want to please Him, you are a great target for condemnation? This is because even though you want to please God, you are human and will never perfectly obey Him in all areas of your life, at all times.

We have weaknesses and sometimes we give in to those temptations. We make mistakes, or we sin, and then the enemy accuses us and we feel condemned. If you are not firmly grounded in an understanding of God’s grace and the New Covenant, guilt and shame will take the joy, and therefore the strength from your relationship with God.

Conviction moves us to hunger for more of God. God speaks to us by giving us an ever–deepening conviction and awareness of His presence in our daily lives. He not only wants us to listen so He can tell us what to do, but He also wants us to listen so we know what not to do. This is His conviction.

Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit indwell us and convict us of sin,

John 16:7-10 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; NIV

When the Holy Spirit convicts us, we see just how desperately we need God. God doesn’t convict us of our sins to expose us and make us feel bad. Instead, He wants to make us feel desperate for Him, realizing we have no confidence in ourselves.

“Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin. And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God.” Oswald Chambers

Conviction moves us to look at what God offers and challenges us to know this infinite, loving and almighty heavenly Father.

The Holy Spirit speaks to our conscience to convict us of any sin and gives us a disposition toward righteousness. His conviction is intended to convince us to repent, which means to turn and go in the right tended to convince us to repent, which means to turn and go in the right direction rather than the wrong one.

This is so important for many believers to learn… God Speaks Through Conviction.

In other words, if we are behaving in a way that is not pleasing to Him, we must be willing to make an adjustment in our lives. If we don’t, our hearts become hardened. Hardened hearts are the result of ignoring the Holy Spirit’s conviction of right and wrong. The more hardhearted we become, the more difficult it is for us to quickly hear and promptly obey the Lord.

Condemnation is shame-based and accuses us in our character.

If I am angry at someone, bitterness can grow in my heart. If, however, I allow the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to quickly prompt me to forgive, I can receive grace to move on and hear the Lord speak accurately.

I can depend on God to convict me to do what is right. God loves to transform people. It is a promise in His Word. He said that He would take our stony and unnaturally hardened hearts out and instead give us a heart of flesh, a heart that is sensitive to the touch of our God.

Conviction vs condemnation
Condemnation is shame-based and accuses us in our character.

Conviction arouses hope. It moves us beyond failure and causes us to want to know God more fully and deeply. It is about a specific sin, rather than a general accusation of character.

Oh this is another point so important to understand… The devil condemns us, but God convicts us.

Condemnation brings doubt, fear, unbelief and hopelessness. Satan condemns us to bring us down and destroy our faith.

God convicts us to restore us to righteousness and faith. He always corrects us to build us up, and His conviction always brings hope and a way of escape.

It is so important to discern the truth and know the difference between conviction and condemnation. If you respond to the Lord’s conviction, you will be lifted up and out of sin; however, condemnation only makes you feel bad about yourself. It is healthy and normal to feel guilty when we are initially convicted of sin; but, if we keep feeling guilty after we have repented, it is spiritually unhealthy.

We could sum it up this way—conviction is our friend. It is God speaking to us about His limits, providing protection for us. Satan’s goal through condemnation is to bring us into bondage—bondage to shame and false guilt.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Rom 8:1 NLT

– Pastor Sam Hinn