Guided by Grace with Conviction
Welcome to the Holy Spirit Untethered. My name's Amber Beals, and it is my job and my mission to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me, to help demystify who He is, what his role is, and to deeply encourage you to seek a relationship with him. Alright. Let's get started. Hey, guys.
Amber Beels:Welcome back to Holy Spirit Untethered podcast. My name is Amber, and I am so happy that you are here listening to this episode. If you haven't already checked out last week's episode, it was a really special one because I had my senior pastor, Shane Rogers, on, and we talked about his journey in how he lives a spirit led life and what that looks like for him from when he was a teenager until he until now and what that looks like in his life now. We talked a whole lot about upper rooms, and my church had an upper room last week, and it was amazing, just like I knew it would be. And we kinda go into what an upper room is and the purpose of it.
Amber Beels:So, again, if you haven't already checked out that episode, that episode is episode number 20. So with Shane Rogers. So go check that out. It was really good, and you get to hear from him. And I know I talk about him a lot, so you actually get to hear from him, the the man, and, get to hear, like, how he just approaches life with the Lord.
Amber Beels:And it's just really amazing to witness, and I get to be ministered by him weekly, and it's just an awesome experience. So, yeah, go ahead and give that episode some love if if you haven't already. But this week, I am gonna be talking about, drum roll, please, conviction. Conviction is kind of a a sticky subject. It's been on my heart to talk about it, and it's gonna be it's gonna be an episode.
Amber Beels:So we're gonna talk about that. But before we get started, before we jump into that subject, let's go ahead and pray. So if you can and it's safe to do so, go ahead and close your eyes and pray with me. Dear heavenly father, I just thank you so much for this day. I thank you for this opportunity to be able to come on this podcast and just allow your holy spirit to speak through me.
Amber Beels:I thank you, Lord, for all the listeners of this podcast, and I just pray that you are working, Lord. I just pray that you are moving, Lord, in everyone's lives. I pray that you would just take this message and plant that seed and just continue to grow it. And every single person that list listens to this podcast, whether it's right when it releases or years from now, Lord, you are everlasting. You are the same yesterday as you are today, as you will be tomorrow.
Amber Beels:So I just thank you for your faithfulness and the fact that you don't change. And I just pray that you would prepare our hearts for this message, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen. Awesome.
Amber Beels:So conviction. This one, again, like I said, is kind of a sticky subject because it it kind of is uncomfortable. Right? Like, I don't like getting convicted. I don't know about you, but I don't like it.
Amber Beels:And there is very much a negative connotation to it. But as I've been convicted many times by the holy spirit, I have learned that it is a good thing. It's not bad. It's not negative. It's for my good.
Amber Beels:Right? And it's for your good, and it's meant to purify you, and it's meant to sanctify you, to make you more righteous, and to make you more like Jesus. That is the whole reason for conviction. And that is one of the roles of the holy spirit is to convict us. And I looked up the definition of conviction just to kinda get a general blanket definition of what it means.
Amber Beels:And this is just from Google, and it says, a formal declaration that someone is guilty of a criminal defense made by the verdict of a judge or a jury in the court of law. So that is more of like a worldly definition, but it it holds true to how the Holy Spirit convicts us because he is the ultimate judge. Right? The Lord is the ultimate judge. He's the one that determines right from wrong.
Amber Beels:He is the one that says we are guilty or not guilty. He's the one that says that sin is a sin. Right? He's the one that puts all those laws in place and the structure in place for us to live by. And when we don't live by those things, that's a sin.
Amber Beels:And in turn, we are being convicted of sin. Like, essentially, sin is a criminal offense. Like, according to the Lord's court of law, we are not to sin, and the penalty of all sin is death. And I know that kind of is a little mind blowing, at least for me. I found that it was because there are no levels of sin to the Lord.
Amber Beels:All sin, the penalty of all sin is death. So it doesn't matter if it's a little white lie. It doesn't matter if you guilt somebody, like all sin equals death. Like there's no levels. And that to me, like as a human, like that does not make sense because like there are different levels of sin.
Amber Beels:Like, you know, the white lie does not equal the murder, like the cold blooded murder, but in the Lord's eyes, it's all the same. It's all sin. And I always just go back to that scripture of your ways are above my ways. Your thoughts are above my thoughts because I can't comprehend everything. That that doesn't make sense to me.
Amber Beels:However, if it's in the bible, then I'm gonna believe that it's true and that it's accurate and that I'm wrong, and that I just don't understand it. And I need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in me and allow me to work through that unbelief and allow faith to step in. And that goes for everything in the Bible, not just, you know, that all sin equals death. There's there's just plenty of things in the Bible that I've had to kind of retrain myself and be like, okay, well, it doesn't matter how I feel in that situation. My feelings don't matter, not in that context.
Amber Beels:So no matter what I feel, the Lord is gonna be right and the Lord's word is gonna be the staple, the standard that I live by, and I have to believe all of it. And so in the midst of feeling like this is unfair or this doesn't make sense, I have to allow the holy spirit to work in me through faith to be like, this is true. Holy spirit helped me help me understand this. And if I can't understand it, then just help me in my unbelief. Just help me allow you to work in me and just truly believe that your word is true and to not question it like I tend to try to do.
Amber Beels:Sometimes I can be stubborn and I try to question everything. And I'm like, the Lord's like, okay. You need to sit down and just calm down. Okay? So in that way of, like, all sin equals death, I'm kind of going on a little tangent here.
Amber Beels:But it all wraps into a nice little bow of conviction because the holy spirit is convicting you of something that you've been doing, something you've done, something that you struggle with, and he's bringing it to your attention so that you can address it with him. It's not because he wants you to feel bad. Now the enemy also convicts. But his conviction, the goal of that is to make you feel guilty, to make you feel shameful, to make you feel like you are less than, that you are not worthy. And so the enemy is trying to create this cycle of like, look, you did the thing again.
Amber Beels:Look, you're unworthy. Oh, you're shameful. And then you feel those feelings, and then you go back to the thing. And then it becomes this vicious cycle of sin. And you just keep going back because you're stuck in this identity of shame and conviction of, like, this is who I am.
Amber Beels:This is my identity. And that is the role of the enemy is to do that, is to really bring to light all of your stickiness, all of your ugliness, all of your sinful nature so that you stay in that sinful nature. And so that you make that your identity because you can't get out of it, because you're stuck in a rut, because you keep going back to the thing. And the holy spirit is different. The holy spirit loves you.
Amber Beels:And the holy spirit, it's like a father talking to his child of, look, I know you struggle with this, and we just need to tackle it together. I need you to realize that what you're doing is wrong. I need you to realize that you're stuck in this cycle and this isn't who you are. You are my child. You are a son or daughter of the living king of the universe, and you don't need to be stuck in that.
Amber Beels:Like, that's not who you are. So let me help you get through this. Let me help you shed this. And then I know a couple episodes ago, I talk about how gold where you refine gold, you have to put it in the fire. And that's that refining process.
Amber Beels:But before you get to the refining process, you have to get to the convicting process. And that's almost just as hard as the refining process because he has to bring it to your attention. He has to make you aware of it. So I want to read some scripture that talks about conviction from the Holy Spirit, just to give you some Bible context. So I am in second Corinthians 7 in verse 9.
Amber Beels:And this is Paul, a letter from Paul to the Corinthians. It says, now I rejoice not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death. So Paul is talking to the Corinthians saying he's happy that they were sorry and that they were convicted.
Amber Beels:He's talking about conviction here because the Holy Spirit revealed something to the Corinthians and that made them feel sorry and regret. But instead of staying in that that state of guilt and shame, it led them to repentance. That is what conviction is supposed to do. Conviction is supposed to lead you to repentance so that you can partner with the Holy Spirit and say, look, I can't do this alone. Obviously, I struggle with this in my life.
Amber Beels:And holy spirit, I need you to come alongside me and help me through this. Because I can't do it. I keep going back to it. I keep doing this. I keep doing that.
Amber Beels:Like, I keep thinking that, you know, I've struggled with this thing, whatever it is, for so long in my life that it's become an identity to me. Like, it's it's been with me for so long. I don't know how to be me without it. And that is where the Holy Spirit steps in. He reveals it.
Amber Beels:He brings it to the light, and then he says, okay. Now that we're on the same page, which is part of what conviction is, it's about being on the same page as the holy spirit and agreeing with him. Like, this is not right. This is not what I should be doing in my life as I'm pursuing the Lord. This is not what it looks like to live a spirit led life when I'm doing x, y, and z.
Amber Beels:So I need to make a change. I need to do a 180, and I can only do that when I have the support of the holy spirit helping me do that. And let me tell you, I this is way easier said than done. Like, this this is tough. And I can't tell you how many times I've repented over something.
Amber Beels:And apparently, it wasn't repentance because, like, I keep going back to it. But the holy spirit has encouraged me in certain areas of my life and look and saying like, you know what? I know that you keep going to this thing. I know that you struggle with this. I know this is a stronghold in your life, but look how far you've come.
Amber Beels:Before, you wouldn't even talk to me about it. Before, you would just ignore it. And now at least when it happens again, you come to me about it. Like, you're quicker to come to me, and it's not so much me trying to convict you and being like dragging a dead corpse and being like, okay, come on. We need to address this.
Amber Beels:Like, you are coming to me faster. And so there is progress here. And I think that's what that's what refining process looks like. It's not being perfect. Like, I'm not perfect, and I still struggle with plenty of things in my life, but at least I'm coming to the Lord and I'm repenting.
Amber Beels:And I'm saying, you know what? I'm sorry. Like, I struggle with this. Lord, please help me. And he rewards you for that.
Amber Beels:He's going to have arms wide open. He is full of grace. The Lord is always full of grace. The Holy Spirit is full of grace and comfort and love, and he convicts you in love. He's doing it for your good.
Amber Beels:He's doing it so that he can bring light to certain areas of your life that don't serve you anymore. They don't serve you and they don't build the kingdom and they just tear you down. And so he addresses those. He brings those to the light so that you can work together. And a lot of the times it takes time.
Amber Beels:It's not a quick, you know, snap your fingers and it's done. I think he works that way for some people. I think some people get, you know, healed from addiction overnight. Sometimes Lord will take it away, but a lot of the times, Lord doesn't. He does not take those things away.
Amber Beels:And instead, he works with you to work on those things. He partners with you so that you can address those things and not be in prison. Like, he wants you to have freedom, to live in freedom, to live in Christ's freedom. And being enslaved by addiction or whatever it is, that those are chains, those are strongholds that he is trying to free you of. But you have to be brought to light about it.
Amber Beels:You have to be aware of what's going on, and the Holy Spirit helps you in that. And it's a still soft voice. It's not it's not rebuking. It can be for some people, I guess. If you keep struggling with it and you keep ignoring the Lord, then he's gonna have, like, a more rebuking tone to you.
Amber Beels:And I think the Lord speaks to different people. The Holy Spirit speaks to different people, different ways. Right? He has multiple children. He's gonna speak to his daughter a different way than the way he's gonna speak to his son because they have different personalities.
Amber Beels:They receive information differently. And so he's going to cater how he speaks depending on the person who he's speaking to. And so I know for me, a lot of the, I'm a sensitive person. So the Lord's gonna be a little more gentle with me when he talks to me about things. Now it doesn't mean he isn't firm.
Amber Beels:The Lord has been firm with me. You can trust me on that one, but he has a gentleness to his firmness because he loves me, and he's doing this because it's for my good. It's because I need it in this season that I'm in, and we need to address it. In order for me to get to the next stage, to get to the next season, we have to address this portion of my life so that we can move forward, so that I can edify the church, so that I can build the kingdom, so I can fulfill the purpose and the calling that he's put on my life. I can't do that if I'm chained by things in my past, by false identities that I have that are just holding on to me that I need to let go, and I needed his help to do so.
Amber Beels:I can't do it alone because I've tried. Lord knows I've tried. And the only way that I'm gonna be able to get through this is with his help, with his sovereign help and his wisdom, and just his faithfulness to me to never give up on me. Even when I give up on me, he doesn't give up on me. And I can't tell you how amazing that is when you're in a dark, dark place, when you feel like the Lord has left you alone, convicted you, and then dipped out.
Amber Beels:Like, that's that's not a good feeling, but it's not true. It's just the Lord is working on you. He's always moving even when we don't feel it. It's like that song in the way maker. Even when you don't feel it, like, you're working.
Amber Beels:And it's something that it takes a lot of faith. It takes a lot of faith to know that the Lord is working even when you don't see it, when you don't feel it. The Lord's working in your life, and he's purifying you, and he's refining you to be more like Jesus because that is the one of the main roles of the holy spirit is to point us back to Jesus. Because Jesus never got convicted because he never sinned. Right?
Amber Beels:He lived the world that we couldn't live, that we couldn't accomplish. He's our redeemer. He's the one that lived the perfect life and then became the perfect sacrifice so that we can live in his image. So that when the Lord looks at us, he sees Jesus. He sees his son.
Amber Beels:And that's why we can have a relationship with the Lord. And another verse that I wanted to to read is out of Hebrews. Now this is Hebrews 8 verse 10, and it says, for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. None of them shall teach their his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, know the lord, for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
Amber Beels:For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds, and I will remember them no more. So this is the Lord saying that this is the new covenant. This is part of why Jesus came is to create this new covenant with us. Because in the old covenant, we had laws. Right?
Amber Beels:The Israelites had laws literally written down, and the Israelites had to follow them. And I think it was, like, once a year, they did sacrifices for all the Israelites because, obviously, they couldn't follow the law. It was a lot of laws. So, I mean, I've read them, and they're, like, very specific, and there's a lot of them. And there's a reason for them.
Amber Beels:But I think one of the purposes the Lord put them in place was to show the Israelites they couldn't do it, that they couldn't do it without him. And so they had to do sacrifices, animal sacrifices every year to pay for the sins of the year, and they would have to do this every year. And Jesus came to do a new covenant. He was the perfect lamb to pay for all the sins and not just the sins of the Israelites, but since the Gentiles too, you and I, so that we all could have a relationship with the Lord. And it says in Hebrews in that verse that I will put the laws in their mind and write them on their hearts.
Amber Beels:And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. He's writing the law in our heart. And the only way that we can know the law in our heart is through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one that lets us know what the law is. He's the one that convicts us when we do something bad.
Amber Beels:And it doesn't have to be conviction for a stronghold or something big in your life. It could be something small. Like, it doesn't have to be big. It could be small. Like, I have this one story of I was with my husband, Eric, and I was taking a little bit too long to get ready to watch a movie.
Amber Beels:Like, we were just watching a movie at home, and Eric's like, Amber, are you coming? And I was like, oh, I didn't know he was waiting. I thought he was on his phone. And so, like, I came in here, and he's like, where were you? And he's like, what happened?
Amber Beels:I thought we were gonna watch this movie. And I was like, oh, I was in the bathroom. And that wasn't true. I wasn't in the bathroom. I was just playing around on my phone, just taking my time, getting ready to watch this movie.
Amber Beels:And as soon as those words came out of my mouth, the holy spirit was like, what was that? And I was like, nothing. That was nothing. Holy spirit's like, it didn't sound all like a whole lot of nothing. And I was like, gosh, dang it.
Amber Beels:And I felt so convicted. And it was just, again, that little white lie of just, it was at a convenience. It wasn't harmful. It didn't hurt Eric. It didn't hurt me.
Amber Beels:Like, well, it did hurt me, obviously, because I was being heavily convicted over it. But, like, this lie to me wasn't a huge deal, but the holy spirit made it a huge deal. And let me tell you, we were watching that movie, and that movie was a long movie. It was, like, 3 and a half hours. By the end of it, I whip my head around to Eric, and I'm like, Eric, I have something to tell you.
Amber Beels:And I tell him that I lied, and he just laughed because he was like, that was bothering me. Did that bother you the whole time, like, during the movie? And I was like, yes. And he's like, okay. He's like, I forgive you.
Amber Beels:Like, it's it's fine. And I was like, it's not fine. Like, I had to tell you about it. And the holy spirit, you know, he has a sense of humor, but he was like, look, you had to bring it to light. I have to commit you for the little things too, because if I don't, you become desensitized to those things, and then you won't hear me anymore.
Amber Beels:You won't hear my voice when I'm convicting you even for the bigger things. You need to be trained to know when I'm telling you something and when I'm bringing something to your attention that you need to take care of, that you need to ask for forgiveness and repent right then and there. Because if you don't, then the next one will be a little bigger and you're gonna think it's okay too. And then the next one's gonna be even bigger. And then those things, that's where strongholds come into play.
Amber Beels:That's how those little lies turn into strongholds. And so the lord really laid it on me for that little white lie. But it was big on me. Like, it tore me apart that entire movie. Like, I could not enjoy the movie because I was like, lord, I gotta tell him.
Amber Beels:I gotta tell him. This is so stupid. Why do I need to tell him? But I need to tell him. Like and and so I did afterwards, and I felt a lot better.
Amber Beels:And I learned a lesson that day. And I think Eric did too because he saw that. I was, like, torn like, I was tearing up about it. And he's like, okay. Like, it's okay.
Amber Beels:I forgive you. And I'm, like, not just about the white lie. It's about how quickly I got there, how quickly I responded with that, and that I didn't just instantly respond with truth. Like, I just responded with a lie that was convenient at the time, and that should not be my default. And that was ultimately what the Lord was kind of, like, revealing to me of, like, that should not be your default.
Amber Beels:Like, I should be your default. Truth should be your default. Anything lovely, anything true, anything beautiful, anything righteous and pure, those things should be what you think about and should be your default. And so for me, I had to kind of relook at my, like, my life and be like, okay. I had a fear of man in that moment.
Amber Beels:I feared that Eric would be upset because, like, I was taking too long. I was lollygagging in, like, the bedroom. And when in reality, I should have a fear of god instead of and just telling Eric, like, look. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were waiting on me.
Amber Beels:I was just taking my time in the bedroom, and here I am. But instead, I just didn't want to upset Eric or go through those feelings of, like, you know, ugh. Now he's gonna be mad, and now I have to kinda, like, you know, say I'm sorry and stuff. I'd rather just tell him I was in the bathroom, and then he feels bad because I was in the bathroom, but that wasn't the case. And so, like, it's that it's that thought process.
Amber Beels:It's not just a little white lie. And as I'm talking about this, like, that makes sense why the lord puts all sin as the penalty of death because it's not really about the white lie. It's about your heart. It's about your posture. It's about your responses and your like, who do you fear?
Amber Beels:Do you fear man? Do you fear man's opinion of you, your boss, your your parents, your friends, your coworkers, your pastor, or do you fear what the Lord's gonna think of you and how the Lord sees how you're acting? Because there's nothing you can do that's outside of the Lord's vision. I mean, the Lord knows what you're doing. He always knows what you're doing, and he's there every minute of every day.
Amber Beels:And so when you default to a lie or to a sinful way of living, then that's gonna grieve him, and he's gonna bring it to your attention. He's gonna convict you of it. And it's all about your heart posture and your fear of the Lord. You know, the scriptures say the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. I believe it's one of the Proverbs or or Psalms or maybe it's in both, but it's so important to make sure that you have that reverence for the lord and that it's greater than the opinions of others.
Amber Beels:It's greater than what the opinions of others are. And you have to really truly believe that in your heart, not just say that. I feel like a lot of the times it's easier to say, like, oh, I don't care what people think of me. Oh, I don't care. You know, only god can judge me, but other people are watching you, especially if you're in the church, and you're an example to somebody.
Amber Beels:So it's important that you live the life that is god fearing and not man fearing. It's important because, like, for me, I'm a leader in my church. I I lead gen h, which is my youth group. I also am on the council. I'm also I also preach sometimes.
Amber Beels:And so, like, I am supposed to be held at a higher standard because I essentially have a flock that is looking to me. Everybody has a flock. Everybody's a shepherd of some flock, whether it's one person, whether you're a mom and you have a kid, and that's your sheep that you need to to shepherd. Like, we all have people looking to us. If we say that we are a Christian and that we are a believer in Christ, then you have eyes on you.
Amber Beels:People are watching to see how you act around other people. Are you patient? Do you have those the fruit of the spirit? Are you patient? Are you kind?
Amber Beels:Are you slow to anger? Do you love people? Because Jesus even says in the new testament, like, they will know us. They will know you by your love. So that is so important.
Amber Beels:Paul talks about it a lot. Let all that you do be done in love. He talks about love, love, love, love because Jesus is love. The lord is love. He loves us.
Amber Beels:Everything that he's done is because he loves us. Everything that he does is because he loves us, and he wants what's best for us. And he he created us out of love. Like, he he wanted us to experience life with him. He wanted his creation to be around him.
Amber Beels:He loves us. He loves you so much. And so it's it's important for us to live our lives for Christ. And when he does convict us, when the Holy Spirit does bring up things that are sticky, that are uncomfortable, we need to know that he is doing it from the utmost place of love. He is doing it so that he can make you more like Jesus, so that he can purify you even more, so he can see his image in the gold in you.
Amber Beels:He wants to see his image in you. And it's not about a behavior thing. It's not about like, oh, okay. I need to stop doing this. I need to start doing this.
Amber Beels:Like, yes, behavior is is important, but it's not about that. It's about your heart. It's about your heart posture, and the rest will follow. It's about, I wanna serve the Lord. I wanna make sure he's first in my life.
Amber Beels:I wanna make sure that my life is spirit led and it's God fearing. And once you do that and you just set your eyes on the Lord, everything else will fall into place. And then you will have the fruit of the spirit. Then you will start acting more like Christ. And you are creating an environment where the Holy Spirit can really partner with you and and make you more like Jesus.
Amber Beels:Alright guys. Well, that's what I got on conviction. I hope this message blesses you and hey, could you do me a favor? Could you rate this show on apple podcasts and on if I need some ratings. I need some reviews.
Amber Beels:So if you could do that for me, just write a short little thing just saying how this podcast has blessed you, that would be amazing. I really appreciate you guys and I'll see you next week.
