Good Morning Girls!  A friend told me yesterday that she sometimes hates reading my blogs because once she is convicted of something, it really sticks with her.  It's funny that she said that because I have been thinking a lot about conviction the last couple of weeks.  I have also thought a lot about condemnation. There is a fine line between the two.  It is a fine, yet dangerous line. It is dangerous because one will draw you near to God, and the other will cause you to pull away from him. 
I've heard it said many times that God convicts, and the devil condemns.  You can tell whether it is God or the devil by the way you feel about it.  If you feel guilty, you know it is from the devil.  If you don't feel that sick guilty feeling, or feeling like "I should" I need to" "I have to", than it is from the Lord.  Well, I think that is a pretty good place to start, but there is a problem with that theory.  They include the Lord and the devil, but they forgot one vital person.......ourselves! 
For years I used the God or devil, happy or guilty gage when making decisions, but often times I would make a decision and later think "that's not right.".  I would be puzzled and frustrated and ask myself "did I miss God on that one?".  But then I came to understand this truth: my own personality, the one that desires to do one thing, yet does another, has the ability to convict and condemn.  Sometimes I give credit to the devil....when it really should go to me!  Sometimes I think I "missed God", when really I simply got so excited about something that I mistook the desire and excitement as conviction.  Does that make sense?
For example: lets say you read something about exercise and right away you have that thought of "I need to start exercising".  Is that conviction, condemnation, or simply an observation?  There is a difference, and the sooner we are able to see the difference, the freer we will be!  I don't know all of the answers..... but this I know- this week we are going to increase our knowledge and wisdom in this area.  We are going to quit walking around feeling convicted and condemned over 42 bazillion different things at once!  We are gong to have increased discernment.  We are going to learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value!  We are gong to have better understanding of the call on our lives so we quit jumping off of our path, and hopping on someone else's!  We are going to rid ourselves of all guilt- whether it be from the devil, or self imposed!  We are going to have a clearer understanding of the things the Lord is truly convicting us of! 
So girls- we are kickin' off Conviction Week!  It is going to be gooooooodddddd!  Don't worry, my intent is not to convict you of even more.  It is to help you see that you are most likely convicting yourself way more than the Lord ever would.  You may feel so good that you will actually be ready to conquer the true things you are convicted about.  Wooo-Hooo!  It's gonna be a good one!  (that is a faith statement!).
Let's prepare our minds, hearts, and spirit to receive this increase knowledge and all keen insight by praying todays verse..........

Ephesians 1:17-18 AMP [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set apart ones)

Love you all-
Jen