A Young Mom, Toddler Toys and Hearing God

          My friend told me this story when she was a young mom and had a toddler at home:

 
We were trying to leave the house and were running late. My little girl would not pick up her toys. She was going very slowly and I was getting more and more frustrated with her. She would not do what I said. I started yelling at her to hurry up and pick up all the scattered toys. In anger, I began picking up all the toy pieces and throwing them into a box.

Then, as clearly as if my husband was speaking to me, I heard a voice in my spirit say:

                                            I don’t parent you that way.

Immediately, I knew it was the Holy Spirit convicting me of my attitude and my actions. I stopped what I was doing and acknowledged He was right. I apologized and asked for forgiveness.

I never forgot those words from God. They came back to me again and again as I raised my kids. I wish I could say I got it right after that, but I haven’t. God has continued to correct me and grow me in my parenting and my relationship with Him. I am grateful for His correction in my life.

            Jesus said when the Holy Spirit came He would convict the world of sin (John 16:8). Romans 8:1 says, “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

            Another way to tell whether a thought, voice or impression is from the Lord is it will point out sin, but not leave you feeling condemned, like in my friend’s story. She felt convicted of her sin, and immediately confessed and asked for forgiveness. She knew God loved her enough to point out where she was messing up and help her be the parent He wanted her to be. (By the way, she is a great parent today, an example to me and others.)

            When we feel condemned, like we are a terrible person and will never accomplish anything, the Bible says that thought is from Satan. Revelation 12:10 says Satan is the one who accuses believers. Guilt and shame are a dark cloud and will draw you farther away from the Lord and deeper into sin.

            Conviction is the Holy Spirit nudging us to confess and turn from the sin and He provides the power to do so. Conviction is God shining a light on our sin, encouraging us to confess, ask for forgiveness and move closer to God.

        So, the next time you have a thought, ask yourself if you feel condemned or if you feel true conviction from the Lord to stop doing something. Then, determine to obey.

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        Do you have a time when you felt conviction or condemnation? We would love for you to share it in the comments below.

(If you would like to read the previous posts on this topic, click here,)