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Conviction

"So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law.

Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.

Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.” So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them." Nehemiah 8:1-12 nlt

The people stood to their feet, Ezra praised the Lord, they all said, "Amen, Amen!", they lifted their hands, they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with faces to the ground, Ezra read from the Word, they cried tears of conviction, and they rejoiced and celebrated with a feast. 

This sounds like modern day church to me!

I can imagine how the Jews must have felt as they wept tears of remorse. But they were immediately instructed to stop weeping and rejoice.

When we feel conviction, we are to repent and mourn in prayer as we ask God to forgive us. Then we are to rejoice. 

After I was healed from depression and anxiety, God showed me how self absorbed I had been for much of my life. I was shocked at what I saw when I looked in God's mirror. It was not a pretty sight. 

I could have chosen to walk around in shame and regret for the rest of my life. 

Instead, I chose to to rejoice that God had given me the opportunity to see my past mistakes, repent, and be transformed by prayer and studying His word. 

If you struggle with shame, simply make the choice to replace the negative thoughts with the Word of God. Write down some scriptures on a card and keep them handy. Or make a note in your phone. Memorize the scriptures. Every time you have a shameful thought, quote the scriptures. Replace the negative thoughts with God's word. This will take determination and some time. As you repeat this process, God will empower you to walk away from shame once and for all. Remember, we have the gift of choice. We can choose to drown in shame, or we can choose rejoice that we are forgiven. 

"Thank You, Jesus, for the mirror of Your Word. Thank You for transforming me day by day and prayer by prayer. I love You. AMEN."


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