Quote from Forum Archives on March 19, 2001, 9:23 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

When you make a mistake, do you feel guilty or sorrowful? Most
of us do, at one time or another. It is what we do with those
feelings and how we process them that makes all the difference,
especially if we consider the purpose of having those feelings in
the first place. I say such feelings are something placed within
us by God. How we deal with them depends on our response.

Neil Anderson, in his daily devotional, provides some useful
insight about a healthy conviction, which comes from the Holy
Spirit of God, versus accusations and guilt, which are tools of
the "evil one", the devil. Both are very real, don't be
deceived. But one is helpful, and if recognized, can be the tool
needed to learn and grow. The other one is deceptive and
destructive, and should be identified and eliminated. I hope
this message will help you to determine which is which in your
life, and respond accordingly.

Dear Lord,

I thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, which teaches,
admonishes, instructs, and corrects, training us in the ways we
should go, and helps us to discern what is right from what is
wrong. Please help each one of us to clearly identify the
discerning, healing power of Your Holy Spirit and to clearly
differentiate Your Spirit from the imposter, the accusing spirit
from the evil one.

Lord, when I am wrong, I want to know. I do not want to hurt
myself, I do not want to hurt others, and most of all, I do not
want to hurt You or any aspect of our relationship. Please watch
over me and guard my heart, that I may be in tune with the ways
that You want me to go today. Watch over my family, friends, and
those in need. Please provide wisdom for the leaders of our
communities and nations, that they would lead us in ways that are
safe and protect our land, but also in ways that enrich and
uphold our faith and our relationship with You. I ask these
things humbly, wanting only to serve You, in Jesus Holy Name.
Amen.

Brother Brian

Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 1:0:13
Subject: Neil Anderson Devotional for Monday, March 19, 2001
To: <masinick@yahoo.com>
From: Crosswalk.com <listreplies@crosswalk.com>

N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

March 19

THE SPIRIT'S CONVICTION

I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you
were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made
sorrowful according to the will of God (2 Corinthians 7:9).

I'm often asked, "How can I tell the difference between the
devil's accusations and the Holy Spirit's conviction?" Every
Christians is faced with the choice of walking by the Spirit or
by the flesh on a daily basis. The moment you choose to walk
according to the flesh, the Holy Spirit brings conviction because
what you have just chosen to do is not compatible with who you
really are. If you continue in the flesh, you will feel the
sorrow of conviction.

"How do I know which kind of sorrow I'm experiencing?" you may
ask. "The devil's accusation and the Spirit's conviction both
make me feel sorrowful." Determine whether your feelings reflect
thoughts of truth or error, and you will identify their source.
Do you feel guilty, worthless, stupid, or inept? That's a sorrow
provoked by accusation because those feelings don't reflect
truth. Judicially, you are no longer guilty; you have been
justified through your faith in Christ, and there is no
condemnation for those who are in Christ. You are not worthless;
Jesus gave His life for you. You are not stupid or inept; you can
do all things through Christ. When you find lies lurking beneath
your feelings of sorrow--especially if your feelings persistently
drive you into the ground--you are being falsely accused. To
disarm the sorrow of accusation you must submit yourself to God
and resist the devil and his lies.

But if you are sorrowful because your behavior doesn't reflect
your true identity in Christ, that's the sorrow according to the
will of God which is designed to produce repentance. It's the
Holy Spirit calling you to admit on the basis of 1 John 1:9,
"Dear Lord, I was wrong." As soon as you confess and repent, God
says, "I'm glad you shared that with Me. You're cleansed; now get
on with life." And you walk away from that confrontation free.
The sorrow is gone, and you have a positive new resolve to obey
God in the area of your failure.

Thank You, Lord, for the "tough love" of Your Holy Spirit in
bringing me to repentance when I sin.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
< www.ficm.org >.

You can purchase "Daily in Christ" and other titles by Neil
Anderson at christianbook.com (Christian Book Distributors -
CBD). < shopping.crosswalk.com/bye/devo_na >

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
< devotionals.crosswalk.com >.
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