40 Days of Prayer – Day 16

CONVICTED BY THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST JOHN 16:8–11  

Have you ever seen the movie The Emperor’s New Groove? There are a few scenes where  Kronk has an angel and a demon appear on each of his shoulders. When Kronk is faced with  moral decisions, they manifest to represent and express different ideas about what he should  do. While our reality may not contain these visual representations, that does not mean there  are not voices actively speaking into our lives and persuading our choices.  

When we place our faith in Christ, we become heirs of God and receive a down payment on  our inheritance in the form of the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew we would need help to navigate the  increasing darkness of the world, and thus He promised His Spirit.  

When the Spirit dwells in us, He encourages us in the truth yet convicts us when we have  strayed. When we receive the Spirit, we may think that He will be as easy to hear and un derstand as the angel on Kronk’s shoulder. However, due to the brokenness in our world,  the voice that convicts us can sometimes be intermixed and overpowered by the voice of  our enemy. It is only when we take the time to practice listening and learn to distinguish the  voice of the Holy Spirit that we will be able to accurately hear the truth of these convictions  and respond in the way the Spirit is guiding us. 

PRAYER POINTS: 

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of areas in your life where you are  doing something that is apart from what God’s will is for you. 

2. Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you. While it may not be audible,  when we ask in faith, we can expect a response.  

3. Pray that the Lord will reveal to you ways in which you can turn your  eyes back to Him.  

»by Andrea Wageman