Deuteronomy 22-24

Mark 14:1-26

“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.’” —Matthew 16:16-17

When we think of the word “convict,” we usually think of it in derogatory terms and probably interpret it as being guilty of something. Yet, we are all guilty of sin. For many people, this sits heavily upon them. The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts us of sin, not to condemn us, but to make us aware of it, so that we may be forgiven and cleansed. In the process, counteracting the guilt, the Holy Spirit places conviction of another sort within our hearts.

There are countless things we know in life. We know the grass is green because we have seen it. We know ice is cold because we have touched it. We know 12 x 12 equals 144 because we did the math. There is a reason for everything we know, and in these instances, we credit ourselves with it, because we saw the grass, we touched the ice and we did the math.

But what about the spiritual? How do we know Jesus Christ is the Son of God? How do we know He died for our sin and how do we know we are indwelt by His Spirit? If we were to answer, “Because the Bible says so,” or “We believe because this is what is being preached from the pulpit,” or “We pray all the time,” we will not have a correct understanding of the power and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 1 Corinthians 12:3 tells us, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” The conviction we have in our hearts concerning the truth of the gospel is not because we know what the Bible says or we listen to the preacher or even because

we pray, but it is because of divine revelation of the Holy Spirit. Unlike most of what we know, we cannot claim credit ourselves. Spiritual truth is not achieved, but received solely by the Holy Spirit who draws us to faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not say to Simon Peter, “Good for you. You have it right.” He said, “Blessed are you,” for no other reason than what Peter answered had been divinely revealed. When we feel that stirring in our hearts, the hunger to know more of Christ, it is not because we are inclined that way, but because the Holy Spirit is active within us. In relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit continues His work, bringing us into a deeper knowledge of Him. And we soon discover that nothing sets the heart aflame more than experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit and everything He has revealed to me. I pray that Your Spirit fills me completely and brings me into a deeper knowledge of You. Thank You, Lord.