Convicted or Condemned?

 

 

"For this is the message you have heard from the beginning:  You should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother.  And why did he murder him?  Because his own actions were evil and his brother's righteous.  Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.  We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.  Anyone who does not love remains in death.  Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.  This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his  presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. "  I John 3:11-20

 

There are times that when God convicts my heart, and there are times when my own heart condemns me.  So what is the difference?  Condemnation occurs when we feel judged or "damned" by God.  Usually for a Christian, condemnation is a lie from the enemy. God convicts the heart of the Christian for restorative purposes- so that they can be made willing to repent and be set right with God.  Satan, our enemy, accuses us and makes us feel unworthy of God's mercy and forgiveness.  Satan works to make us feel horrible about our situation and to leave us feeling that we are outside of God's mercy and grace.  Convictions causes us to be aware of our sin, while simultaneously feeling drawn toward God for forgiveness.

If our heart is in disrest, and we feel condemned within, we must always examine ourselves to see if we are indeed in sin.  If we are, we must quickly repent and turn away from our sin, confessing it to the Lord.  If we are not, then, we can be sure that the allegations are from the enemy of our soul and are only for the purpose of torment.  Those we must take captive unto the obedience of the Word of God.  When the enemy tells us we are unworthy, unloved and rejected by God, we must remind him that our sins have been cast into God's sea of forgetfulness, never to be remembered against us again.  When he says we are unloved, we can remind the enemy of John 3:16.  The greatest defense against condemnation is the "sword of the Spirit" or the Word of God.

God knows everything about us and our hearts- hat we do.  The twisted reasons for why we do them.  He understands the hurts that have scarred us and the weaknesses we face.  We can trust our hearts to him, knowing that he understands more than anyone else.  We can trust that he convicts and disciplines us only for the purpose of making us right with him.  His purpose and actions are always in keeping with helping us improve and grow in our relationship with him.

Are there feelings that you are struggling with?  Ask the Lord to show you if you are feeling convicted by the Holy Spirit or if the devil is condemning you.  Commit your way to God.  He will help you. 

Dear Lord, show me the difference between conviction and condemnation.  Help me to learn to know your voice and follow in your way.  Forgive me for taking your place as Judge.   In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri