Conviction Vs. Condemnation

Have you ever felt condemned?  This video of an excerpt by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church is just over five minutes long and well worth listening to if you’ve ever felt condemned by something someone said or did.  There is a distinct difference between conviction from the Holy Spirit and condemnation from Satan.

In addition, while I don’t agree with everything Pastor Peter Haas teaches, in his sermon Pharisectomy Part 2 – Joy Driven Christianity, he said this:

“The Bible teaches that guilt, shame and condemnation are inferior substitutes for grace.  They are an inferior form of motivation, but they are a form of motivation, make no mistake.  That’s why so many preachers turn to them.  That’s why so many Christians turn to shame.  They get an instant response when you shame someone.  The only problem is it kills joy, and it’s not sustainable.  And joy is the very power that God gives us to overcome sin.  Again– the joy of the Lord is your strength…. We use guilt, obligation and shame to motivate ourselves and others into being a better person, and not only does it steal our joy, it steals God’s glory.”

If you are feeling heavily burdened because of something someone said, or if you have been made to feel like God cannot use you because of something you did, please watch this video.