Why do we view conviction so negatively? And why do we run from it? Without conviction, how can we expect freedom? The church should be convicting because ultimately Jesus convicted the hearts of the poor and the defeated out of love not arrogance or judgement. He was sent to be relatable not as if He were better than any of the rest of us. And although He was better and without sin, He walked the path of sinners and suffered a death as if He were one. That’s how He changed and continues to change hearts all over the world.

Therefore, if the church is His bride then we need to marry the idea of honest conviction with humble acceptance and overwhelming forgiveness. We should not be afraid to confront other Christians, non believers or doubters. For Jesus spoke calmly but was firm in his expectations. We go wrong when we live out the negative connotation that we’ve given to conviction and we start pointing fingers and turn up our nose at our fellow sinners. A sin is a sin, no matter what the gravity of the situation so we should remember to put ourselves in the shoes of others. We’ve all been through valleys, let us recognize those seasons in others and help bring them through it, not to make them feel guilty but human.

In my experience, the ones that turn away or run from conviction need the most love. And that should be our first sign to humble ourselves and stretch out a forgiving hand. It’s really in our approach as a church. Let us be like Jesus and be honest and convict hearts to better them not bury them. Let us boast of our past convictions to be relatable and humble ourselves as the Father did through His son, Jesus Christ. Let us not condemn but raise up, let us not scare away the broken-hearted but embrace their faults with our own. Let us award honesty with a challenge to go further in faith and deeper in relationships. Then, together we can continue to invite God to dwell within us and within those around us. Lord, convict our hearts so that we may become better disciples and hold us accountable as we shall hold others accountable to Your will and calling on our lives.