{"id":6820,"date":"2012-10-31T13:22:19","date_gmt":"2012-10-31T13:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=6820"},"modified":"2012-10-31T13:49:01","modified_gmt":"2012-10-31T13:49:01","slug":"taking-the-next-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=6820","title":{"rendered":"Taking the next step……"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Yesterday we started a good conversation on how to witness. \u00a0This mornings lesson in the In Touch Daily Devotional \u00a0from Dr. Charles Stanley was an an amazing reminder that when we are in tune with His spirit we will reach out with His word!!! \u00a0It was such a confirmation thatg we asrte on the \u00a0right track. \u00a0Here is today’s scripturte and devotional;<\/p>\n

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John 16:7-11 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>New Living Translation (NLT)<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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7\u00a0<\/sup>But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don\u2019t, the Advocate won\u2019t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8\u00a0<\/sup>And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God\u2019s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9\u00a0<\/sup>The world\u2019s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10\u00a0<\/sup>Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11\u00a0<\/sup>Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
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Jesus assured His disciples that it was to their advantage that He go away so that the Helper could come (John 16:7<\/span><\/a>)–God sends Him to convict people of their sin. Since the Holy Spirit is unlimited by time or space, He can reach out to every individual on the planet. However, His work differs with regard to believers and unbelievers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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With regard to unbelievers, God’s Spirit penetrates the heart and brings awareness of wrongdoing. He reveals that according to God’s holy standard, they have sinned and stand condemned by their transgression. Unbelief is the greatest sin against God, so every prick of the heart is meant to point out their need for the Savior.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As for believers, the Holy Spirit deals with them on the basis of their relationship with Jesus Christ and convicts us of disobedience to Him. In other words, He makes us aware of specific sins and the Lord’s attitude about them. But He also prompts us to be accountable before Christ for our wrongdoing by confessing it and repenting.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Convicting believers of sin is an important part of the Holy Spirit’s job, but He is equally delighted to make them aware of the Lord’s approval. God commends righteous living, obedient actions, and loving acts done in His name.<\/span><\/p>\n

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While conviction is often uncomfortable for unbelievers and believers alike, it’s a beautiful demonstration of God’s love. He desires to bring us into the center of His will and keep us there for our good and His glory. The Holy Spirit’s work makes that possible, if we choose to follow His promptings.<\/span><\/p>\n

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While it is never comfortable to be under conviction, it is a vital part of our walk to seek conviction. \u00a0It is the critical link that keeps us on our knees, and in His will!<\/p>\n

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Be blessed,<\/p>\n

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the pilgrim<\/p>\n

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* Today’s image is from our dear friend Raymond Jabola, one of the best shooters I know! \u00a0Raymond is recovering from some surgery and I would ask everyone to pray for a speedy and full recovery! \u00a0We miss you Raymond, won’t be the same out west without you!!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday we started a good conversation on how to witness. \u00a0This mornings lesson in the In Touch Daily Devotional \u00a0from Dr. Charles Stanley was an an amazing reminder that when we are in tune with His spirit we will reach out with His word!!! \u00a0It was such a confirmation thatg we asrte on the \u00a0right […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chronicles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6820"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6824,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6820\/revisions\/6824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}