conviction?

Conviction

• an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence.
• a fixed or firm belief.

Conviction is a product of the relationship with God. It is not something that suddenly inspires a person to stand up for God; rather, conviction is the product-the fruit- of a relationship. Conviction, then, is not something we have in a flash but a quality that builds through the experiences we have with God, in making Him the center of our lives.
Why are we convicted? Because we really come to know Him. Our perception of God's nature, our discernment of right and wrong, our vision of His purpose - all of these elements feed into strengthening convictions that will prove what we are in the day of trial. We are concerned with the growth of these elements,  and their growth depends upon our day to day faithfulness in the little things of life.
(borrowed from: http://www.bibletools.org/)

**Conviction comes in all shapes and sizes. My convictions may not be those of any others. My convictions may not even be shared with my own husband.

I feel that in today's day and time we can come up with some piece of scripture (though it may be twisted completely out of context) to make it "okay" to do whatever we want. Just so we don't feel guilty about it in the end...

Convictions may include (but are not limited to ha!): alcohol consumption, drug use (or abuse), tobacco use (yup...getting all the "touchy" ones out first), body piercings, tattoos, clothing, hair styles/colors, choice in music, tv shows, movies, internet, books, choice language/vocabulary...and SO much more.

I have my own personal convictions. I feel that if I went against my own convictions that I would be placing a "wall" between God and myself. Definitely not saying that I'm perfect... we all sometimes slip and fall. :)

I firmly believe in taking responsibility for what I/you do or do not do. If I choose to go against my conviction - then it's completely on my own shoulders. No one else has to answer for my actions...it's all me.

I spent the evening with some of my very best friends. While there - we started talking about convictions of sort. Well, kind of. We were more focused on trying to justify the things that we feel convicted of.

If I choose to do something that I feel wrong doing, I shouldn't seek justification in doing that thing. I'm not going to go searching for someone (or a place) that says, "hey, it's okay if you smoke pot!" or "it's okay if you get drunk, just as long as you don't drive afterwards!" or "it's fine if you listen to that kind of music, as long as you don't take the words and meaning behind them to heart". I don't need acceptance for the things I chose to do.

I think that's what's wrong with a lot of "Christians" today. They have these convictions - they really don't feel what they are doing is right...so they seek out friends,family, church families, people in general who say it's okay. As if their permission dismisses our gut feelings. I think I'll start referring to these as "feel good" groups. I mean, it's okay to do things you've always stood against, as long as you have others standing beside you doing the same thing... and as long as you feel good about it, right??

Sad thing is...people are subjecting their innocent children to these things. *sigh* It breaks my heart.

Whew...okay - sorry about that randomness. It's just something that I really needed to get off of my chest. :) I wrote this post in my head on my way home from Aleisha & Joe's.