By Kevin "Mac" McClure
The Spirit "convicts" (John 16:8). This means that He persuades us to acknowledge our guilt when we are, in fact, guilty of sin. His reason is not to belittle us, but to motivate us to avoid the undesirable consequences of sin.
A person with cancer must receive the harsh news of his diagnosis before he will be receptive to treatment. Such a revelation would no doubt result in a sense of alarm. It would be malpractice if a doctor failed to reveal this painful information. A gambling addict will benefit from knowing that she actually has an addiction and without help will probably lose everything. Loved ones won't hide the truth.
When the Spirit convicts, He uses what Paul calls "godly sorrow." In the same text
(2 Corinthians 7:10), Paul contrasts this godly sorrow with a worldly sorrow that leads only to regret and ultimately death. Godly sorrow leads to repentance. In its most literal sense, repentance is about experiencing a new understanding that results in a new direction. It is like learning that you are going west on I-94, when you realize you need to go east. You exit the highway and reverse directions. That's repentance.
I sometimes become aware that I have used a tone of voice that made my wife Laura feel devalued. When such an awareness occurs, the Spirit convicts. He awakens the godly sorrow in order to restore the harmony that has now been disrupted- between Laura and me, and between God and me (all disharmony in human relationships both reflects and affects our relationship with God). At virtually the same moment, the evil one is at work condemning me, shaming me, and aiming to convince me that my worth is diminished- in order to destroymy relationship with God. I can tell one from the other by the effect each has on me. One causes me to want to press on and the other makes me want to give up. Make sense?
To learn more about the subject of shame, go to http://www.ongodstrail.com/why-do-i-still-feel-bad/