WEDNESDAY November 4, 2026

The Conviction of the Holy Spirt

And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
John 16:8

Did you know that when we share the Gospel of Christ with others, we cannot convert them? It is solely the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the One who brings conviction to people's hearts.

In the Bible, we see the Holy Spirit at work. Peter preached the Word of God boldly to the Jews, and the Holy Spirit brought conviction to their hearts: ...they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles... “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). To which Peter replied: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

On another occasion, when Paul and Silas were imprisoned, that night, as they prayed and sang hymns, all of a sudden, God sent an earthquake and opened all the prison doors, and everyone’s chains were loosed! The jailer brought them out of the prison cell and cried out: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Do you think the conviction of the Holy Spirit was at work in his life? Yes, of course, the Spirit was working.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. Did you know the Spirit of God can be resisted? Stephen, the first Church martyr, told the Jews who accused him of blasphemy: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you” (Acts 7:51). After an amazing discourse of their Jewish history, and how they murdered the prophets who told them of the coming Just One––Jesus––they, too, were cut to the heart. But what did they do? Their reaction was very different; they murdered Stephen (Acts 7).

Are you resisting the Holy Spirit or responding to His conviction? What must you do to be saved? Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior.

The unconverted do not like to hear much about the Holy Spirit.
~Robert Murray M’Cheyne~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!