Repentance/Conviction

"Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation..." 2 Corinthians 7:10

Conviction

of sin is best described in the words:

My sins, my sins, my Savior,

How sad on Thee they fall.

Conviction of sins is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person's conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person's relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God- "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight..." (Psalm 51:40). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, "I have sinned." The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes-a reflex action caused by self disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of god is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man's respectable "goodness." Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person's life (see Galations 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses- repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for "the gift of tears." If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
Oswald Chambers

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

I was recently convicted of a sin and my heart sank when I let my Savior down AGAIN. So I prayed to God and asked for His forgiveness, but something was still wrong. That night all i could think about was the verse in the Bible that talks about how God won't hear your prayers if you don't make them right, something like that. I felt that the Holy Spirit wanted me to ask for forgiveness to the person that i did wrong to, also. (I didn't understand it at the time, but I was being convicted.) This was very hard for me to do because usually I am really shy... Anyways, I was able to apologize to the person and ask for forgiveness. I didn't care how crazy they thought I was, all i knew was that I had to make my relationship with God right. And after i obeyed, i understood the blessings!!!! A few days later I read this repentance/conviction page from
Oswald Chambers in my daily devotion. Now I understand so much more...
The Holy Spirit is working in my life if I am being convicted... I am so excited I have learned more about my Savior's Word!!!

May you pray and ask the Lord today to see if there is any wicked way in you and ask Him to convict you of anything that is separating your relationship with Jesus....It brings great blessings!!!