Holy Spirit conviction is not all just internal. If you’re not possessed by the Holy Spirit, you’re not going to be internally convicted by it. It has to come by external experience and voices at first. We who are possessed by the Holy Spirit are called to rebuke and correct. And in this day and hour, “fluff” and “sugar coating” have little or no effect. I did not come to Christ because an inner voice told me I should. My inner voice was guiding me in the opposite direction. Leaving me semi-comfortable in the world. In pursuit of pleasure and praise from as many as possible. Including every drug and drink I could get my hands on that temporarily masked the fact I was simultaneously, internally miserable and confused. I was made to attend Sunday school every Sunday through most of my childhood and was baptized but continued living like the devil. Mainly because what I was getting from the church made no freaking sense. I did not understand the Bible. Ultimately seeds were planted by it and one external voice in my life, my great-grandmother.
I came to Christ because God allowed the devil, internally and externally, to push me so far down to the ground that my only option was to reach for God with a passion. A full complete surrender of my life. It was either him or die.
That is when the Lord God of heaven grabbed ahold of me, shook the living hell out of me… literally, and then began showing me THE TRUTH! {{{Internally!!!}}} That is when he manifested his Spirit within me and virtually turned my upside-down life right-side up! And hell yes, it was traumatic and dramatic at first. I was scared to death because I knew what was happening. I knew it was God taking charge. But it wasn’t long for the trust to develop and the commission. END OF STORY! Here I am!
Telling you God is real. Telling you God is speaking to you right now. Telling the world the devil has blinded the masses with lies and deception and is only getting more persistent! God is pleading with you to just listen, be corrected, be convicted, and let him change your heart and mind! But you have to believe what he says is true and surrender with a PASSION! Just like I did. You have to admit you are doomed without actually acknowledging his living presence, power, and voice dwelling within you. Leading you into HIS eternal kingdom. And that it is for a reason! The reason being, the virtual separation of the forces of good and evil FOREVER!!!!
Job 5:17 ( KJV 1900 )
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
Psalm 6:1 ( KJV 1900 )
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Psalm 38:1 ( KJV 1900 )
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Psalm 94:12 ( KJV 1900 )
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, And teachest him out of thy law;
Psalm 141:5 ( KJV 1900 )
5 Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: And let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, Which shall not break my head: For yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.
Proverbs 1:23 ( KJV 1900 )
23 Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
Proverbs 3:11–12 ( KJV 1900 )
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; Neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Proverbs 4:13 ( KJV 1900 )
13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: Keep her; for she is thy life.
Proverbs 5:12–13 ( KJV 1900 )
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;
13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
Proverbs 6:23 ( KJV 1900 )
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
Proverbs 9:7–9 ( KJV 1900 )
7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: And he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Proverbs 10:17 ( KJV 1900 )
17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: But he that refuseth reproof erreth.
Proverbs 12:1 ( KJV 1900 )
1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: But he that hateth reproof is brutish.
Proverbs 13:1 ( KJV 1900 )
1 A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: But a scorner heareth not rebuke.
Proverbs 13:18 ( KJV 1900 )
18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: But he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.
Proverbs 13:24 ( KJV 1900 )
24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Proverbs 15:5 ( KJV 1900 )
5 A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: But he that regardeth reproof is prudent.
Proverbs 15:10 ( KJV 1900 )
10 Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: And he that hateth reproof shall die.
Proverbs 15:31–32 ( KJV 1900 )
31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life Abideth among the wise.
32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: But he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
Proverbs 17:10 ( KJV 1900 )
10 A reproof entereth more into a wise man Than an hundred stripes into a fool.
Proverbs 19:18 ( KJV 1900 )
18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, And let not thy soul spare for his crying.
Proverbs 19:20 ( KJV 1900 )
20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
Proverbs 19:25 ( KJV 1900 )
25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: And reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.
Proverbs 22:15 ( KJV 1900 )
15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:12–14 ( KJV 1900 )
12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not correction from the child: For if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Proverbs 25:12 ( KJV 1900 )
12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
Proverbs 27:5–6 ( KJV 1900 )
5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27:17 ( KJV 1900 )
17 Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 28:23 ( KJV 1900 )
23 He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour Than he that flattereth with the tongue.
Proverbs 29:1 ( KJV 1900 )
1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, Shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
Proverbs 29:15 ( KJV 1900 )
15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: But a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Proverbs 29:17 ( KJV 1900 )
17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; Yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
Ecclesiastes 7:5 ( KJV 1900 )
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Jeremiah 2:30 ( KJV 1900 )
30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
Jeremiah 10:24 ( KJV 1900 )
24 O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; Not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
1 Corinthians 11:32 ( KJV 1900 )
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
2 Corinthians 7:8–10 ( KJV 1900 )
8 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Galatians 6:1 ( KJV 1900 )
1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Ephesians 6:4 ( KJV 1900 )
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
1 Timothy 5:20 ( KJV 1900 )
20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 ( KJV 1900 )
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Timothy 4:2 ( KJV 1900 )
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Titus 1:13 ( KJV 1900 )
13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
Titus 2:15 ( KJV 1900 )
15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Hebrews 12:5–11 ( KJV 1900 )
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
James 5:19–20 ( KJV 1900 )
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Revelation 3:19 ( KJV 1900 )
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.