Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
I get this a lot.
To paraphrase.
“I had a terrible day with “me” yesterday. Old sins. Old patterns. Old temptations that turned into old “regressions” I feel so lame. I feel dirty. I am ashamed. GOD has to be disgusted. Why do I continue to do this? I feel condemned; destined for hell! I feel…well…BAD!”
When they get done flogging themselves, I usually then say, “That can be a good thing don’t you know”. To which they usually say, “Huh”?
Then I give them the skinny.
Clearly GOD is NOT down with our sinning. Never has been, never will be. But in spite of our sinning, those of us in CHRIST are not CONDEMNED.
That is a promise. That is fact.
Romans 8:1 NLT
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
In fact we are most certainly not condemned because "condemned" implies a state of being declared reprehensible, wrong, or evil, pronounced guilty.
And those of us in CHRIST JESUS are none of the above!
Isaiah 1:18
…says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool!
That is why when folks come to me “feeling the effects” of their sin or when I am feeling the effects of my sin, we can REJOICE because GOD is CONVICTING us, GOD is engaged with us via the HOLY SPIRIT.
THAT IS A GOOD THING!
It means GOD is on the case helping us to realize that we need to “get things back in check”!
That is the difference between conviction and condemnation.
It is GOD via the HOLY SPIRIT convincing us of our errors and compelling us confession and the opportunity to heal!
That is a good thing for it leads us to this...
1 John 1:9
But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.
So understanding the difference between condemnation and conviction has a powerful impact on our WALK WITH CHRIST.
You see, condemnation puts us under a heavy weight of guilt with no apparent way out. Conviction reveals truth to us and motivates us to confess and turn from sin.
Christ does not condemn us for who we are or what we have done. He paid the price for our wrongdoing by dying on the cross. When we turn from our sin and turn to him, he forgives and totally accepts us. Our righteousness is not based on what we've done, but on what Jesus has done for us.
John 3:17 (AMP)
17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
Remember, condemnation pushes us away from God. So if you are feeling condemned by your heart or other people, it is not of God! That is the enemy wanting you to move away from the LORD.
Conversely, conviction leads us toward God—and hope. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and draws us to reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.
John 16:8
He will convict and convince the world and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness.
So now that we have “defined the difference” between unhealthy feelings of condemnation and the amazing power of CONVICTION, let’s pray for the latter and denounce the former as we embark on today!
Father, I sometimes come under condemnation.
Thank you that condemnation and the hopelessness it brings do not come from you. Help me to recognize it for what it is and not allow myself to stay under that condemnation. Please help me to be sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit when I fall into error and to be quick to turn from the wrongdoing.
In Jesus' name …
Feeling better about “feeling bad” now?
I love you all…
Freedom Church
Pastor GDelaney
No comments:
Post a Comment