Whose Problem is It?

See if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:24 (NASB)

One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of wrongdoing. In my life, there have been things I have been doing for years and years, never thinking much about it. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I start getting convicted. When the Lord starts working with us on these behaviors, thoughts come to mind like, "Maybe I should not do that any more" and "Why do I do that?" Personally, I do not like these thoughts because I know how long I have been on this path and it is embarrassing to think that I might have been wrong all those years. Who wants to be wrong?

At these times, the Holy Spirit is the One who is working with you. God's standards are different than man's. Behavior that might be completely acceptable to others may not be acceptable for you in the Lord. However, it is the Lord's responsibility to change you. He is just letting you in on what He is doing. Our responsibility is not to suddenly change our behavior (as if it were that easy), but to yield to what the Spirit wants to do with your behavior.

If there is something in your life which you believe the Holy Spirit is working on, be thankful. It is confirmation that you are God's child. The Lord will not force His will or His best on you. But He wants you to be willing to yield to His leading in that behavior. I pray things like, "Lord, if this is a conviction from You, I ask that You will remind me before I do it again." The Lord hears all your prayers and He wants to work with you. He will not convict you and let you fix it by yourself. He wants to do the work by His Spirit, not by you in your flesh. It is in the Spirit that God gets the glory. If He led you into conviction, He will be responsible for leading you into a different behavior. Rest, Trust and Relax. You will like who you are when He is done.