And when He comes, He will convict and convince the world about sin and about righteousness. ~John 16:8 (AMPCE)
Throughout our life here on earth, God’s Spirit works with and in us, helping us change for the better. God wants us to see the truth, not just the facts, so we can agree with Him that change is needed but not so we can punish ourselves or feel condemned. The bible teaches that when Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to help us. The Holy Spirit works holiness in us. He not only shows us what needs to change, He also gives us the strength to change. His goal is to help us be what God wants us to be so we can enjoy what God wants us to enjoy. Humility is key in allowing God to make the changes He wants to make in our lives. We must submit to God and His word and allow Him to show us the changes we need to make. We are born with a carnal attitude of pride that is what is causing the corruption in this world and all of mankind to fall in the first place! Each and every one of us needs to daily maintain an attitude that says, “Lord, change me and make me what You want me to be.” When was the last time you asked God to help you be all He created you to be no matter what you were going to have to let go of? That is a much healthier approach than what the enemy would have us to do. He tempts us to walk away from God and His perfect will for our lives and then he starts beating us up in our mind about what we have done wrong. That is not conviction. That is condemnation. Jesus said in John 3:17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (NIV)
Condemnation weakens us; it makes us feel guilty and miserable, but conviction is intended to lift us out of a fault. Knowing God loves us unconditionally makes us want to live according to His precepts and He has given us His Holy Spirit to show us where we are missing the mark and then to help us overcome. When we don’t understand that conviction is intended to set us free, the devil takes the very thing meant for our good and turns it to torment us through condemnation. Don’t let that happen to you. When you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, thank God that He loves you enough to work with you and help you to change for the better. But when you feel condemned about something you have to learn to rest in the love of God. He promises us that if we do go astray, He will come after us. He says He pursues us with a jealous love. He wants the best for us and when we aren’t getting it right, He is committed to patiently helping us to get it right. We can count on the Lord to pull us out of any bad attitude or mess that we find ourselves in if we just trust Him to be true to His word. God loves us unconditionally and He is working in us through His Holy Spirit to sanctify us and make us everything He has called us to be. God gives us everything we need to conform to the image of His Son, even down to the desire!
It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. ~Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
What do you need to let go of to be more like Jesus?
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