Where Do We Get Our Convictions?

This whole impeachment process has left me convinced.

I’m convinced the Democrats are convinced that President Trump should be convicted for abuse of power. I am convinced the Republicans are convinced President Trump should not be convicted. I am convinced President Trump thinks the state of our union is absolutely tremendous, and Speaker of the House Pelosi is convinced the state of our union is appalling. The end result has left most of us unconvinced that any of their convictions are very convincing.

With all this strong conviction making so much noise recently, I have been thinking about the biblical view of "conviction." 

God, in His infinite, creative wisdom, wove into the fabric of the human psyche the powerful guides of conscience and conviction. The way our conscience guides us is similar to new automobile technologies that cause an alert to sound when another car is nearby. It is called “blind spot detection,” and it is a great analogy to help us understand how conscience and conviction work in our lives. 

This precious gift can serve us well, but the Bible teaches us that our conscience can be seared. When we don’t respond to the convictions of our conscience, it can get worn down and warped. This is a scary thing because, once it is warped, it can guide us in the wrong direction or steer us away from things that could be good for us. Then, if we ignore or rebel against our conscience too much, we can find ourselves with full-on depraved minds. 

Now, please don’t think I am trying to say that Trump and Pelosi have depraved minds. I am simply sharing some biblical thoughts on convictions because of the intensely divided convictions we’ve seen during the impeachment process and the State of the Union address. 

We need to remember that Jesus said He was sending the Holy Spirit into the world to convict the world of sin and unrighteousness; therefore, we need to stop getting our convictions from CNN or Fox News. We need to stop getting our convictions from Hollywood, Instagram, or popular opinions of today. We need to stop getting our convictions from our own deceitful, divided hearts, or from the shallow, fleeting approval of man. 

Let us cry out with a holy desperation for Holy Spirit to rend our hearts where they are out of alignment with His. To purge and cleanse us with His gentle-but-firm discipline. To renew right spirits within us. To help us not see the fault in others without seeing the wickedness in ourselves. To take our seared, worn down, and warped consciences into His omnipotent, gracious hands to heal and enliven them.

Pray that He will do it as a great, widespread American renewal; but pray He will do it with us here in the desert, as well. 

May God bless you by guiding you with His strong convictions,

David