Conviction vs Condemnation

Last week we talked about a phrase that really helps us to deal with the things that bother us. This week, I want to take another step in the same direction, addressing part of Holy Spirit’s role in each of our lives: Conscience. Your conscience is actually Holy Spirit speaking to you. So, with that said, how are we supposed to react to when Holy Spirit speaks to you about something you have done/or are doing? We all do acts of sin, we give in to temptation, and we struggle with bad habits. When Holy Spirit uses my conscience to convict me to stop, it bothers me. “But you said last week that what bothers me isn’t from me.”
                You are right, I did. What I want to do for you today is help you see that when your conscience is convicting you of something, the real thing that is bothering you isn’t the conviction. It’s the temptation, the act of sin, and the habit that is really bothering you, not the voice of God convicting you. So even when you feel troubled for what you have done, it still isn’t God that is causing you grief… it’s the action or temptation coming from outside.
                The God of the Universe lives inside of you. Abba has made His home inside. He loves you. He is for you and He is with you. You are one with Him. The fact that this is true is proof that what bothers you is not from you. God has made you holy, righteous, royalty, and free from accusation. He uses love and kindness to build you up into who He made you to be, not guilt and regret.
                Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”
God does not condemn you, and He isn’t going to use condemnation to transform you. He uses love. His love does convict, but the purpose is to show you that the thing that bothers you doesn’t belong to you, and it should not be near you. So whether you are dealing with what someone else says or does to you, or if something happens to you, or if what you do really bothers you, none of these things are from you nor are they for you. Don’t let something that comes from outside the Kingdom of God affect you more than truth.
                Truth sets us free. The truth is that you are wonderful. You are beautiful. You are dearly loved and chosen by God for a purpose. Instead of being consumed with what is going wrong around you, God wants you to know that who He made you to be is greater than those things. Don’t get wrapped up in trying to be better, or wishing you weren’t who you are. If you can learn to see things from God’s point of view, you will see everything differently. Your conscience is simply God telling you that you weren’t made for whatever you’re dealing with in a moment. Don’t let that discourage you. When I learned I was free from my issues, circumstances, and situations I found so much freedom. I have lived without any condemnation for over 6 years, and even better I have seen a huge shift in the amount of convictions because my life has had such a huge transformation. People still do a lot of dumb stuff that used to really upset me, bad things still happen to me, but now I am free from all of it because I know none of those things have anything to do with God. If I keep my eyes on Him, if I stay focused on the truth then I am free… to live for Him.

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