Courageous Joy

Conviction/Condemnation

I've been up for hours (I'm not sure I got sleep last night....maybe I've been sitting here holding Stacia all night LOL).

Anyway - I'd like to spend some time and write this pretty but I've been thinking about it over a week and I simply need to say it.

This is a tricky issue, one that concerns me when I begin to share things such as "Parenting in Proverbs".

Condemnation is bad. Conviction is good. Unfortunately, there is confusion today about the two. Some feel that conviction is condemnation. Anything that makes me feel uncomfortable must be condemnation and not sanctioned by God. I maintain that that is not the case. I see lots of examples in the Word where folks were "uncomfortable", submitted to God's work in their lives, and were transformed mightily.

I think in a nutshell I'd say condemnation will attack your character. It leads to self pity and hardly ever to true change.

Conviction is uncomfortable but also, deep down feels "good". It's an "ah" moment....usually conviction is a missing puzzle piece for me. I've KNOWN that something wasn't quite right, I read or hear something that makes me think, "I'm off the mark here". The next feeling may well be discomfort. If I follow that road and allow myself to begin to think SELF I often will land in the condemnation camp. The thing to do with conviction is go to God in prayer. Confess (agree with God, say the same thing about your actions that God does), repent (go in a new direction), accept forgiveness and ask for help to change. After that first discomfort of realizing I've missed the mark, my next feeling IS often one of "Ouch - but this is so good for me".

Please, do not wallow in self-condemnation. If the Holy Spirit convicts you as we read Proverbs - take it to God. Confess your shortcomings (He's already aware of them), make a prayerful plan to move on - ever closer to His ideal. Remember and thank Him for his AMAZING grace and His mercies that are new every morning. Begin to pray earnestly for Him to show you how to redeem the time and mistakes you may have made.

I have personally found reading through Proverbs and seeing how it would apply to my raising of children convicting....but it's a GREAT discomfort.

I would agree that condemnation is not of God. I would humbly suggest that some of us, however, have labeled the convicting work of the Holy Spirit as condemnation and therefore have avoided the transformation work that God is wanting to accomplish in our lives.

One other thought. I've often seen a friend share the things that are convicting her with another, and seen the first one try to talk the friend out of that feeling....that conviction. Let's be very careful NOT to talk one another out of spots of discomfort where God may be working....let's instead encourage friends to move from self-focused condemnation to God focused transformation. If you find that you share with a friend some failings or conviction and she tries to make you feel better about yourself...and when you pray you STILL feel convicted...I suggest you simply confess, repent and accept forgiveness...then prayerfull ask God to help you formulate a plan for change. Friends won't always understand the work that God is doing in our hearts.

Does that only muddy the waters????