Quote from Forum Archives on March 20, 2002, 9:18 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I intended to send this message to you yesterday afternoon and had
formatted the message itself, but did not get a chance to add my own
thoughts and comments. Today, time pressures exist, too. So rather
than add much, I think the merits of this message stand on their own;
When I have more time to write, I promise that I'll write you a full
message based on my own personal experiences and interpretation of
scripture. Meanwhile, please pray for me and also for one another.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

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.

-----------
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=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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