What is Conviction in the Bible? How to Endure the Process of Conviction and Refinement

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This post is about my experience of conviction and refinement and what I wish I had known about it as a baby in the Christian faith.

What is conviction?

Conviction is the intuitive feeling you experience when the Holy Spirit begins to impress the Truth onto your conscience that you are doing something displeasing to God.
These feelings usually come with deep feelings of shame, regret, guilt, and uneasiness about our past actions or our continued sin.
Conviction is an invitation from God to choose to repent and turn away from those behaviors and live righteously before Him.

When you come to the awareness of the unfiltered Truth of God’s word, it radically changes how you perceive yourself, life, and others.

When we become aware of our sins and how much they hurt and dishonor God, we’re faced with a choice.

Either continue in our sins and ignore God’s call, or endure the difficult (yet beautiful) process of refinement that leads to Jesus Christ and eternal life.

In this post, I want to discuss the feelings and adversity I faced as I was growing in my relationship with Christ.

Because one thing’s for sure: when you’re on the verge of a spiritual breakthrough with God, Satan will do whatever he can to try to keep you away from embracing the Truth and love of Jesus Christ.

My experience of conviction

I was 20 years old and living with my 25-year-old boyfriend the first time I went to a Bible study. We were smoking marijuana every day (and spending SO much money on the habit), living in fornication, and mindlessly spending our days playing video games, along with many other things that were dishonoring God.

I think we were both under the assumption that the shallow “relationship” we had with God was sufficient because we believed there was a God. Boy, were we wrong!

The disciples we studied the Bible with lovingly taught us how to interpret the word of God, and for the first time, I began to feel conviction.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the more I studied the Bible, the more painfully aware I became of the need for change in so many areas of my life.

The tension of change

It felt like pins and needles in my heart, causing an uneasiness that is hard to describe. Having to acknowledge that I was acting contrary to God’s will in so many areas of my life was painful, uncomfortable, and scary. And what made it worse was that my flesh didn’t want to stop sinning.

I was eager to learn about God and understood why I needed to change, but this didn’t make changing any easier.

It didn’t get better for a long time, especially because the conversations my boyfriend and I had about God didn’t continue at home. He wasn’t trying to read the Bible on his own or discuss the changes we would have to make to mindfully follow God.

He didn’t feel the same urgency I was experiencing. And that was so hard because I didn’t want to face losing him on top of all the other things I knew I needed to change. But over time, our relationship became more and more contentious because I knew God was calling me, and my boyfriend wasn’t willing to prioritize God in the same ways.

Why God Asked Me To Leave My Unequally Yoked Relationship

Over time, my convictions became harder and harder to ignore. I could no longer be romantic with my boyfriend without feeling God watching me in disappointment. I couldn’t light a blunt and enjoy being high because I knew God was calling me to be sober-minded. I couldn’t enjoy my sin as I once did, and it was becoming increasingly clear to me that God was calling me to change how I was living, regardless of how painful it would be.

I felt stuck between who Satan and my flesh wanted me to be, and the daughter my Father was calling me to be.

After struggling through three years of convictions, lies from Satan, and a tumultuous relationship with my ex, I decided to make God the center of my life, and I took the steps necessary to prioritize Him.

We must be willing to give up everything to follow Jesus.

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33

Satan and the weapon of shame

As I searched God’s word more and more diligently, I found myself in another battle I did not anticipate:

The battle over my mind.

Satan was trying to convince me that I wasn’t worthy of God’s love and forgiveness. He used shame as a weapon against me to make me feel like I was too dirty ever to be accepted by God. At the same time, Satan tried to convince me that Jesus wasn’t strong enough to set me free from the addictions I had developed in my disobedience to God.

When we’re baby Christians, I feel like we are so susceptible to the lies of Satan because we don’t understand how he tries to influence our thoughts, plant lies in our minds, and discourage us. But reflecting on it now, it’s clear to me that the demonic realm was at work, trying to overload my thoughts with negativity and discourage me from seeking Christ.

As I grew in my faith and continued to persevere in the word of God, I realized that the thoughts of condemnation I was experiencing were completely contrary to the words of my Heavenly Father.

The bible tells us this:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7

If you’re feeling like you’ve done too much wrong ever to be loved and accepted by God, please know that is a lie straight from the pits of hell.

You’re dealing with so much adversity because you’re on the path to the ultimate Truth. And Satan is doing whatever he can to make you question your faith in God and His power to save you from your sin.

Satan also knows that if we let Jesus break the chains of sin off of us, then our faith in Christ has the power to war against the kingdom of darkness. We can be soldiers on the ground for God to use to spread the faith to others.

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
John 8:12

God convicts those He loves

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Hebrews 12:6

It’s normal to feel the weight and guilt of your sin when God has given you awareness about it…

But remember that God is simply trying to align our minds with His and help us understand that sin has separated us from Him for so long.

He loves us SO much that He sent His only son, Jesus, to die a painful death on the cross to redeem us.

Yes, He is calling us out of our sinful lifestyle and asking us to make a 180° towards Him, but He is also a patient and loving Father calling you into a life of freedom from sin and condemnation forever!

So if you’re feeling convicted, be encouraged because God is calling you.

Don’t allow Satan to make you feel condemned for your former sin. Jesus is willing to meet us exactly where we’re at and knows the extent of pain sin has caused us in our lives.

Luke 15:7 tells us

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:7

:)!!

What happens when we allow God to refine us?

To follow Christ, we have to be willing to die to ourselves.

To be humble and recognize that we need God’s help.

To accept that we may have to lose friends and romantic partners along the way.

To let go of habits that do not honor Him.

To accept that the ways we used to cope with pain separate us from God.

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but also the best decision I’ve ever made.

Matthew 6:33 tells us:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33

This couldn’t be more true.

Since surrendering my life to God, I have experienced peace that surpasses all understanding. I have a purpose for my life. I feel protected in ways I don’t know how to describe. I feel joyful knowing that God has a plan for me and that He is in control.

Most importantly, I have a relationship with Jesus Christ and know I am loved beyond measure. And one day I will be with Him forever and ever.

Yes, the road to get here was harder than anything I’ve ever experienced. But now I have joy I can’t describe. All because God helped me persevere through the obstacles to get here, and I kept seeking Him.

So, how do you endure the process of conviction and refinement?

You unapologetically seek God, knowing that He is a rewarder of those who diligently Him
You give yourself grace while acknowledging your sins and shortcomings because God already forgives you
You prioritize Him in a way you’ve never done before and have faith that He will deliver you from the things you’re struggling with
You should be joyful knowing that the best is yet to come with Jesus Christ by your side!

Refinement is a lifelong journey.

As Christians, we are in the refining fire for as long as God puts breath in our lungs. But we can be confident that He is sculpting us to be more like Jesus and that His love for us is the greatest gift we get to experience in life.