Don’t Ignore Your Check Engine Light

Todays blog is contributed by David Trotta

"And when (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment." - John 16:8

I recently had a check engine light come on in my car.  I immediately started to do some research as to what caused the light to come on.  I started with the owner’s manual, which wasn’t very helpful.  I then pulled out my special scanner tool that communicates with the car’s control center (computer).  Sure enough, after connecting the tool to the car, it displayed a special code that told me what the problem was.

I took those steps because I was concerned that if I did not heed the warning light and let it go unchecked, the problem could cause serious harm to my car.

The Holy Spirit uses conviction as sort of our spiritual “check engine light.” One of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to lovingly convict us of sin.  Conviction, or uneasiness in our spirit, warns us that something is not right.

When you feel convicted, immediately stop and do an honest assessment of the situation.  Prayerfully ask yourself a few key questions - Does it honor God?  Is it beneficial?  Does it edify others?  If the answer is no, don’t continue down the same path.  Instead, take a step back and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the cause for your conviction and then respond accordingly.

As with the check engine light, if we don’t heed conviction and let it go unchecked, we run the risk of causing serious harm to ourselves, others, and most importantly, our relationship with the Lord.