I thoughtis was interesting when Erik Reees talks about thedifference between guilt and conviction when readinghis book. He says there is a difference between conviction and guilt. Since God cares about us and our integrity, he will convict us of our sins. He wants us to repent and make our connection withhim clean again. While guilt makes us feel unworthy and causes us to want to hide from God, conviction makes us feel worthy and urges us to runto God.
Isn't thata hardline to distinguish sometimes?
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Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.
To put it in simplified terms, Conviction is when your thinking of doing something or not doing something. When the holy spirit deals with your heart and leads you and guides you to do or not do something. I used to think of when the lord places a burden on you to do something and you don't want to do it. A good friend once told me you should not think of anything the lord ask you to do as a burden. At that point I realized the wisdom in what he was saying and really understood it was conviction leading you and not a burden. Burden is something you really felt once you had sinned, It was like a BiG weight on you knowing you failed to do what God wanted. THAT IS A REAL BURDEN.
Conviction I see as the leading of the holy spirit and a wonderful thing to give thanks for.
Guilt I see as a Burden, A wedge trying to drive us away from God. Thanks to calvery it is not something we can't escape.
I thoughtis was interesting when Erik Reees talks about thedifference between guilt and conviction when readinghis book. He says there is a difference between conviction and guilt. Since God cares about us and our integrity, he will convict us of our sins. He wants us to repent and make our connection withhim clean again. While guilt makes us feel unworthy and causes us to want to hide from God, conviction makes us feel worthy and urges us to runto God.
Isn't thata hardline to distinguish sometimes?
How very true, I guess I never looked at it from that perspective.
Conviction involves being convinced of something as being true, as needing to be obeyed, or something that you are convinced that needs to be repented of, and the motivation that you need to act on it, with resolve. Guilt is a legitimate response to a legitimate wrong when it is proper. There is guilt that is unnecesarry, when it is something that has been forgiven by the promise of God, yet we stilll 'feel' like we're not forgiven. Our forgiveness is based on God's fauithfulnes to keep His word, not on whether we 'feel' released form gulit--we are regardless of what our emotions are telling us at the moment. When we are finally fully convinced that he has forgivenas He said, the we begin to , also, feel the release. This is a positive conviction. Coming under His conviction concerning something that is wrong, is progressively more difficult, sepending on what ittakes to convince us!
Your right about Guilt not always being deserved. Guilt even when you have done nothing wrong is not a new thing. In the book of Lev. there was a special offering for a defiled concious cleansing. The ashes of a red heifer. It was the only one of the offering that required a waiting period. A woman could be raped or a child molested and through no sin of there own they would feel guilt. <just an easy example not all inclusive> Now we currently have the same componants of the offering.
Jesus sitting at the right hand of the father acting as our high priest.
Jesus's blood shed on calvery making the attonement for us.
It really makes me thank God for Grace!!!!!!!!
Sin brings guilt..sin brings condemnation and judgement... Thank God for the guilt and dread that sin brings. We should feel horribly miserable if we commit adultury or any other sin. It should bring a godly sorrow that worketh true repentance. Sin is death . Jesus told the lady in John 8 "Go and sin no more." The answer for guilt is repentance. and the Spirit filled life. "There is therfore now NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk NOT AFTER THE FLESH BUT after the Spirit. As long as we follow the flesh we wil live in guilt. Obedienceto the Spirit is the only thing that brings peace.
They did, thanks for asking. Only three more classes in the fall and I will have my Finance degree and Real Estate Degree.Also I would be only two classes away from having a minor in Accounting and Financial Services after the fall.
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Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.
One little "nugget" of wisdom I heard on this subject was in the form a guy's personal testimony.
He was talking about some of his prayer-time with the Lord and he said that he heard God say:
"Yes, we need to work on _________, but I have a bigger conflict with you than that. Alan, you hate the very thing I love!!"
The very thing He loved was him (Alan).
The point was that while we are always being perfected and working out the inward battle, we must never forget God's unconditiona love for us. To be open to convicition, even to ask for it, but never give guilt or shame a stronghold.
that may be pretty random, but I thought it might help someone somewhere.
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Anything I say is my opinion, just that...and only that.
"...and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?