Dealing with conviction… or not!

Reflecting on Luke 3:19-20

"Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison." (Luke 3:20)

You can read about the history of Herod Antipas and Herodias here.
Herod Antipas was a cruel person, as husband, father and leader of the Jews.
John is calling out Herod for his corrupt ways, and Herod has him arrested.
Luke describes this as just one more corruption added to the list.

It was not Herod, but Herodias, who schemed for John’s death (Matthew 14:6-11).
Herod seemed to both fear and respect John.

“Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.” (Mark 6:19-20)

It seems that the words of John were penetrating Herod’s heart.
Not enough to make him change, but enough to make him think.
He felt some kind of conviction… but he did not act on it.
Instead he tried to find a way to silence that conviction.

The Spirit of Jesus in John still speaks conviction to us.
We may sense it as a feeling of unease about something.
Or it may be a clear challenge from someone against us.
The Spirit’s purpose is not to make us feel bad.
Rather the Spirit of Jesus is prompting us toward a better way.
The thing we are being convicted about is not healthy, for us or for others.

How do I respond to those moments when I experience conviction?
A sense that something is wrong, or that I have acted in a bad way?
Do I work through it, admit it, and seek to correct it?
Or do I look away, ignore it, or worse silence the source?
Herod adds this sin to the list of all the others: he silences John.
He refuses to heed the Spirit’s warning.
He chooses to go his own way, no matter the result.

The Spirit of Jesus is using these words to make me ponder.
Where am I experiencing a sense of conviction that something is not right?
How am I responding to that conviction?
Ignoring or silencing that conviction only adds fuel to the fire.
And one day the result of that ‘something not right’ will arrive.
Better to heed those warnings now, than to face the consequences.

How am I responding to Jesus’s loving rebuke, the conviction of the Spirit?

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I can think of something in my life that is not feeling right, that is not good and healthy for me or others. Help me not to ignore or silence this warning, but to respond with humble repentance and determination to change.