... In the deep mental and physical pain of humiliation before a
brother—which means, before God—we experience the Cross
of Jesus as our rescue and salvation. The old man dies, but it is
God who has conquered him.” 2
By the way, God will talk to you and me with words that
convict us on a regular basis, if we will let Him!
Just this week, I was given a thought that exposed a prideful,
judgmental attitude I was harboring. Interestingly, I had
somehow not felt the sting of conviction over the past few
months, though I should have, until I read something as part of
a group assignment.
It was an instant series of thoughts that caught my attention
and convicted me. I was planning to read the entire chapter of
Luke 17. As I got to verses 3–4: “So watch yourselves! If
another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is
repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven
times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness,
you must forgive” (NLT), the following thought entered my
mind: You have not really forgiven that pastor at the
neighboring church who had an affair this summer and has
since returned to his wife and ministry. You’re smug and
judgmental. And you’ve even let your distrust of him be known
to someone else. Then I could almost hear and see myself
giving my spiel at a seminar, saying, “Forgiveness is not an
option for a believer.” Obviously, I’ve read this verse many
times before, but when I read it that morning, God talked to me
with words of conviction. His words prompted me to take
personal action.
When God talks to you with words of conviction, He intends
to correct you, not crush you. How quickly you respond when