Conviction vs. Condemnation

Are there ever times in your life that you don't feel especially close to God? Have you ever felt like God was not hearing your prayers due to sinful transgressions? These questions and many others stem from condemnation. There is a difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction is known in the Bible as Godly sorrow. Romans 2:4 lets us know that Godly sorrow leads to repentance, so conviction is meant to produce Godly sorrow that will lead us to ask for forgivenss from God and repent. Condemnation, on the other hand, augments the failures in your life, making them appear bigger than your successes. Conviction brings about Godly change in your life. It convicts you to elevate your level in God, while condemnation condemns you into feelings of guilt and shame. It's not God's will to condemn you, but it is to convict you! Condemnation magnifies your problems, while conviction provides the answer through affliction. None of the two ever feel good, but one makes you better (conviction) while the other keeps you bitter (condemnation)! Romans 8:1 tells us that there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Right now there is no need for you to feel guilt and shame about what transpired in your past. "There is therefore now" indicates present tense, the here and now, "no condemnation in them which are in Christ Jesus." Why? Because He walked according to the Spirit and not His flesh (so should we!). The job of the flesh is to condemn. It is full of pride and the cares of this world. The devil plays upon the flesh's hatred for God. satan ( lower-cased by design) stresses the flesh to try to burden the spirit. Don't allow him to do that to you! Be convicted, but never condemned! Child of God, be provoked to jealousy to do that which is good and just in the sight of the Lord. Don't let condemnation steal your joy. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the LORD is your strength! Let the joy of the Lord strengthen you through feelings of condemnation. Don't let anyone, human or devil, make you ashamed of what you've done in the past. Repent to God and move on! Tell the enemy of your soul to "keep it moving!" Once you have asked God for forgiveness, He remembers your sin no more. Only drawback to that statement is that He forgets, but we remember.

Friends Part 2

You learn who your true friends are in the midst of adversity. True friends will endure with you, pray for you and believe that you will evolve into all God has endeavored for you to become. They will not leave you when they don't agree with your ideologies. True friends are willing to discuss issues, not avoid them when they are the origins of your issues! If you are in need of a true friend, let it be Jesus Christ. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24-A man [that hath] friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother.

Friends

Sometimes we need to prophesy so called friends out of our lives. There was a worldly song back in the day called "Friends". One line stated, "Friends, how many of us have them?". That is such a true statement. How many true friends do you have? Since I've been saved, I've had so many false friends. I found that the "so called" sanctified folks were more treacherous than the "un-sanctified ones"! Can I get an amen on that? In 2009, I went through the hardest time of my life. I lost my mom, uncle, grandfather, dog, friends and church members. Isn't it amazing that when you're under the most attack by the enemy friends choose to vacate your life? People that claimed that they were "down with you', "would never leave you", are the first to go. Amazing! Many today lack integrity, their words mean nothing. If you cannot keep your word, there's no way you're keeping God's word! Many saints use the word "covenant" so lightly. Real covenant relationships like David and Jonathon, are seldom found in the world today. Ask God about which relationships are ordained of God and which are not. When you have God-approved friends in your life, you can't go wrong! They will look and act more like Jesus! Blessings.