2 Peter 3:9
The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
It takes a lot of courage to get real and respond to conviction from God, especially if we have had a negative confrontational experience with another person. Too often situations where someone has pointed a judgmental finger at us or approached us condescendingly can make us feel condemned and defeated about our sin. However, there is a monumental difference between the condemnation we experience from other people and the conviction that comes from God.
In Psalm 51, David experiences conviction from God that leads to repentance. David cries out to God in genuine repentance. He does this without self-loathing and without self-preservation. He doesn’t deny anything and isn’t defensive. David gets real before God and shows us the purpose of conviction: it isn’t to pay us back for our sins, but to bring us back to relationship with God!
Today, ask God to help you discern the difference between condemnation and conviction, as well as to have a heart that responds in repentance to conviction. Although the process of conviction and repentance is uncomfortable, focus on what you are gaining: a stronger relationship with God!