Conviction. We have all felt it, whether we didn’t know we were feeling it in that moment in time or the shame and defensiveness followed. I have always made it a point to people who have made me feel shameful for being a Christian, that the reason I am so imperfect and make mistakes is exactly why I need Jesus. I would be absolutely nothing without Him.
As the time draws nearer for the return of our King, supernaturally things are shifting and more and more we see people struggling with their own internal battles. It’s best to be reminded with God’s word:
‘For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places’ – Ephesians 6:12 ESV
We find ourselves falling more and more into daily temptations, more and more the odds feel stacked against us and this goes hand in hand with the conviction we are feeling. We need to love God more than the temporary reaction of what feels good in the moment. I myself have fallen privy to this and have struggled with maintaining my discipline in listening and following the commands of the Lord. As Christians, we are called to empty ourselves of this world, to not partake in worldly matters that takes our focus off Christ.
‘I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect’ - Romans 12:1-2 ESV
We are to know better and strive to consistently DO better. Doing wrong and knowing that our loving and merciful Father will forgive us, is taking full advantage of His grace for us and that in itself is wrong and a slippery slope that will eventually have you put our Savior on the back burner. At this point in time, Satan is going to do all that he possibly can to take souls down with him. He is going to strike at your weakest moments and present you with temptations that although look harmless in that occasion but will have you continually justifying every time you want to do something that brings you temporary joy, so that you no longer feel bad about partaking in worldly sin. When someone drinks or partakes in cannabis use, there is a definitive block between you and the Lord, you do not withhold any clarity and you are not able to see that what you are doing is making yourself vulnerable to supernatural attacks. God does not want you partaking in anything that will pull you away from His glory and from His plans for you.
‘Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world’ - 1 Peter 5:8-9 ESV
I have sat and prayed, asking the Lord to magnify the parts of my life that need attention where I have to keep an eye on temptations and to posture my heart to continually seek his word above all else when the feeling of justification strikes. I have seen many falling to their knees seeking the guidance to withstand these evils, seeking strength and the only way to do this is trusting in our Mighty Father, trusting in His word and to love Him more than whatever temporary enjoyment you get from partaking in things you know you shouldn’t.
‘Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints’ – Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV
Personally, I have also found community and my personal relationships to play a major role in holding me accountable when I stumble. Having true and real Christians around that are not afraid to tell you when you have messed up, but do not hold it against you is crucial. Surrounding yourself with people who have a fiery love for Christ has and will remain a major pattern I choose to keep. Asking the Lord to convict me when I walk in deceit can be seen in different ways and for myself, I have had Christ use my loved ones to show me exactly where I have went wrong. We cannot be coddled when we sin. To understand how Jesus treated sinners, we can look to the book of John.
‘but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”’ – John 8:1-11
Jesus didn’t condemn the woman, He saved her. He did not accept her sin or overlook it, He told her point blank that she has to live differently. The Christians you want to surround yourself with are the ones who are strong enough to point out your sin when you are stumbling. People who snuggle you up and tell you ‘it’s okay’ do not understand the power of our loving and mighty Father. Forgiving He is, but we must respect Him in order to receive this forgiveness. Jesus shows us the right way to handle sinners, we see people making bad decisions, but we can be LIKE Jesus. Love them enough to tell them the truth that it is not okay to live in sin. We need our King to save us and help us to change.
We need to keep close to Christ, we need to not spend 20-30 mins a day with Him, but spend every 20-30 mins with God! Praising Him, clinging to Him, praying to Him. We are so close to the end, a lot of us feel it every single day. We no longer have time to be irresponsible with our salvation and the time we graciously get in these days to repent and show our Father the undying Love, respect and NEED for Him. Time is running out. Now more than ever, submitting to Christ is what we must do.
‘ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded’ – James 4:7-8
