Part 2
Where does conviction come from?
John 16:8 states, ” And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove (or convict) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ”
One of the wonders of being born again is that we are sealed and indwelt by God Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit, whose constant work is to convince us of right and wrong. At the time of salvation we begin a brand new life with Him as our guide. To transition from the old flesh life to living in the spirit, He helps us understand not only doctrinal truths from the scriptures, but gives us the counsel of His will in a ‘still, small voice’ in our conscience when it comes to moral issues as well. The great challenge is to respond to His urgings quickly. Consider this illustration. In the harbor a battleship is moored and nearby a ping pong ball is floating. I drop a stone in the water between them and the energy pushes circular rings away from the point of impact. The reaction of the ball to the ripples will differ from that of the ship. One is easily moved by the disturbance and the other repels it and stays motionless.
As we begin to seek God for deeper spiritual conviction let’s pray for fresh sensitivity to the Spirit’s voice, that we might be more like the responsive ping pong ball and less like the immovable battleship.