BLESSED BY DISCOMFORT

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30

During an altar call in an evangelical church, a young preacher boy tapped the shoulder of an older pastor in front of him. The pastor turned to the boy. The preacher boy said, “I don’t know if I am a Christian. When I sin, I feel real bad about it.” The pastor said, “Let’s talk after the service.”

Later the pastor explained to the young preacher boy that the discomfort sin causes is not an indication that he is not a Christian. It indicates that he is a Christian. The pastor went on to tell him that when a Christian sins, he grieves the Holy Spirit whose grief is also experienced by the Christian.

This story is an example of the discomforts that the Holy Spirit creates in the heart of a child of God when he does something a Christian should not do or fails to do something God wants him to do.

All Holy Spirit created discomfort in the life of a believer is a blessing because it protects him from sins of commission and omission.

Some of God’s children who love Him deeply possibly grieve more than other believers when they sin. For the glory of God, they want victory in ever area of their lives but still do things they hate and fail to do things they should.

Deep grief over sin in the life of a God-loving believer can result in one understanding and experiencing his union with Christ. When this happens, the God-loving believer knows that the grief he has experienced has resulted in his greatest spiritual growth and fruitfulness for God.