Conviction: A strong belief or opinion. The state of mind of a person who is sure what he or she says or believes is true. The state of being proven guilty.
Have you ever done, said something, or lived a certain way and you felt that voice inside of you saying, “that’s not right, it’s time to change.”? That little voice inside of you was conviction. Feeling bad or wrong about a way you might be living. God can oftentimes use conviction as a way to open our eyes to the things we need to change. It might be a big change, or it could be a small change, but I think if we are all honest with ourselves, we have all heard that still, small voice speaking into our hearts and minds at some point in our lives. Conviction is looked at sometimes as a bad thing. It can be seen as something that is telling you that you’re not allowed to be who you are, that you’re not good enough, that you need to change in order to be better. That might be how the world looks at conviction, as a negative. But people who are trying to live a Godly lifestyle should look at conviction as a good thing; as an avenue for God to chip away the bad, a way to mold us into who we are supposed to be.
See God created us in His image at the beginning of creation. Genesis 1:27 says this, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created then; male and female he created them.” However, we live in a world full of sin, we are human. So, along the way, throughout our lives, we make mistakes, we sin, we fall into temptations. Therefore, God has to come along, if we choose to allow him to help us, and chip away at some of the baggage we have chosen to pick up. If we choose to follow him, instead of waking up and getting straight onto our phones to check facebook, we may feel to make the change and pray first thing in the morning. Or we may feel to separate ourselves from people who are not like-minded. We may feel that we need to switch jobs because the surroundings we are in don’t line up with the way we are wanting to live. We may feel to quit smoking, or doing drugs, or going to bars. See, it’s like I said, there are small changes and then there are big life changes that we can feel conviction of. Every person is different and will feel conviction over different things. But it is how we react to those convictions that sets us apart. If we feel in our hearts God is wanting us to change a certain part of our lives and we sit on that conviction and do nothing or we try our hardest to push that conviction to the back of our minds and focus on other things, then we don’t truly care to be more like God. But if we feel the conviction and it makes us want to change and we try our best (whatever that looks like to you) to be better every day, then we are doing just that, we are trying to be more like God. Romans 12:1-2 says this, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, the ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” We are not meant to fit into the mold this world has created for itself. We as followers of God, as His children, were created to stand apart. Feeling conviction is a way to know that God cares about where you are in your life and wants to help you to become a better version of yourself. “…But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” God wants for our minds to be renewed, made new, to be transformed and changed. He wants for us to live a life that is better than any life we could imagine for ourselves. But a better life doesn’t come without a little change, chiseling, molding and shaping from God.
I was lying awake in bed and couldn’t sleep thinking about where I am at in my life and I just ask God “please God, don’t ever let me lose my conviction.” I do not ever want to live in a world where I feel that there is nothing I need to change about my life or myself. Never. Because if that happens, then I know I have lost God’s attention. I want for him to be seeing me and pointing out what needs to be changed in me in order for me to be the better version of myself that he wants for me to be. Pray for conviction today. Understand that it is not a bad thing, that it is actually just God wanting to bless you with more. More of you than you are now, more of Him inside of you, more goodness, joy, healing. It might not be easy for everyone. Your reshaping from God will look different than anyone else’s and that’s okay. We are, none of us, the same. But God knows exactly who we are meant to be and wants only to accomplish our best in us. Isaiah 64:8: “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” “God, don’t ever let me lose my conviction.”
He gives us Roots so we can Fly. Roots and Wings.
