Recently, I’ve sensed God at work in my life. This hasn’t been a season of great blessing. It hasn’t been a time of receiving big promises of what lies ahead. Rather, it has been a period of having God show me some areas of my life where change is needed. It has been a time of having my eyes opened to a particular sin that God was showing me needed to be dealt with. I was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit in the area of self-reliance, which God wants to replace with a greater trust in Him.

 1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”  So conviction of sin is not a bad thing. It is a part of a healthy Christian life. But it is important that we know how to correctly handle conviction of sin, because God does not convict us to leave us where we are. Conviction of sin is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, meant to result in spiritual growth.

First, we need to know the difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and condemnation which comes from the enemy of our souls, Satan.

• Satan comes against us with usually general thoughts of condemnation. He may use our own thoughts to condemn us or he may use the words of others, but the words will bring guilt and condemnation without sowing us a way out. Hold onto the promise of Romans 8:1, that “there is no condemnationn for those who are in Christ Jesus,” recognize the ultimate source of hopeless guilt and condemnation is Satan, and refuse to give place to him. When we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he has no choice but to flee (James 4:7).   
• Conviction, on the other hand, is always specific and comes as a gentle yet corrective word. It always comes with a way out, through the process of repentance. The Precepts Inductive Bible Study symbol for repentance has always helped me to remember the meaning of true repentance.To repent is to stop the direction I’m going, turn around, and start going the opposite way. Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action.

Once we’ve determined the Holy Spirit is convicting us of a specific sin, we need to take some practical steps to deal with that sin. 

1. Prayer: Agree with God in prayer. I find the A.C.T.S. prayer method helpful when dealing with sin. A is for adoration, turning our focus on Who God is and on His character. C is for confession, admitting to God we have sinned and specifically naming the area of sin. T stands for thanksgiving, expressing our gratitude to God that He is working in our lives and that He has already made the way for us to receive forgiveness. And finially, S is for supplication. Supplication is simply asking earnestly and humbly for God’s help.
2. Study: What does the Word of God say about this sin? What character quality do I need to work on to overcome this sin? 
3. Memorize: Pick one or two verses that apply to the area of sin where the Holy Spirit is bringing conviction, and begin memorizing them. There are many ways to memorize Scripture, but one of my favorite is using the Scripture Typer app, which helps you memorize the verse and includes a built-in review system to continue focusing on it until it becomes a part of your life.
4. Meditate. Meditating on Scripture is the process by which we begin exchanging our faulty way of thinking for God’s way of thinking. It begins with reflectively reading and rereading of the Word and by reflecting on its meaning. Studying a verse to understand what God thinks about this area, memorizing it, and then meditating on it’s meaning and application in our lives are all a part of the process of renewing our minds to think like God does in this area.
5. Journal. Another step that helps me to make the needed changes is to journal about what God is showing me through my study and meditation on Scripture. Putting my commitment to change in writing makes it more real.
6. Practice. Walking out what I believe God is showing me to do, not just for a day but as a new way of life.

Are you sensing the conviction of the Holy Spirit is some area of your life today? If so, praise God. That means God os active in your life and your are growing spiritually. Thank Him for the work He is doing in you, and determine to cooperate with the process of conviction, repentance, and change.