“Adulteresses! Dont you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the worlds friend becomes Gods enemy. 5 Or do you think its without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously?

6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.

7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double- minded people! 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
James 4:4-10
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There’s a part of our nature that tells us that repentance can be just an intellectual experience. We can logically look at what we have done, acknowledge it was wrong and try really hard not to do it again. But the more we look at the true nature of the act of repentance, the more we find that conviction is something felt, something we must emotionally grapple with alongside of our intellectual recognition of what has happened. Sin must be acknowledged as wrong, but we should also be repulsed by it at the same time.

As we acknowledge in our hearts that we were taking part in something that dishonored God, that should strike a chord with us. We should not be so cold and calloused that we refuse to emotionally link in with our own guilt. Abhorrence of sin, hatred for impurity in our lives, is a powerful drive to remain on that narrow road, and a source of conviction toward right living. We can’t just make our faith some generic ‘feel-good religion’ where we never acknowledge the pain our sin brings, the consequences of our actions and attitudes. We cannot look at the cross of Christ, His hands and feet pierced, His flesh hanging off in ribbons from the flogging, the crown of thorns on His brow and keep it all neat, clean and pretty.

Sin is damaging, dangerous and damning. It should make us stop, consider it and feel the weight of what we’ve done. That weight, again, is conviction and that conviction is the driving force to keep us pure, the Holy Spirit at work in us. We cannot be emotionally or intellectually dishonest with ourselves and Christ in this. Sin hurts. It’s horrible. It separates us from God and gets piled in the heart and shoulders of Christ as He suffers.

If we are to GoLove others in His Name, sharing His grace , mercy and love, then that honest conversation needs to begin within our own hearts. Sin is ugly. We cannot afford to pretend it isn’t, but let grace be grace and once you have acknowledged it, let Christ carry that burden for you. Let His great love guide your heart in conviction and in truth.