A great many people do not pray because they do not feel any sense of need. The sign that the Holy Spirit is in us is that we realize that we are empty, not that we are full. We have a sense of absolute need. We come across people who try us, circumstances that are difficult, conditions that are perplexing, and all these things awaken a dumb sense of need, which is a sign that the Holy Spirit is there. If we are ever free from the sense of need, it is not because the Holy Spirit has satisfied us, but because we have been satisfied with as much as we have. “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” A sense of need is one of the greatest benedictions because it keeps our life rightly related to Jesus Christ.
Conviction
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What gives us conviction of sin is not the number of sins we have committed; it is the sight of the holiness of God.
Henry Blackaby
God is not looking for ways to make you “squirm.” He does, however, want to be Lord of your life. Whenever you identify a place where you refuse to allow His lordship, that is a place He will go to work. He is interested in absolute surrender. God may or may not require you to do that very thing you identified, but He will keep working until you are willing for Him to be Lord of all.
Steve Brown
I don’t have to be sensitive to God, because God knows me. It’s a wonderful thing to be totally loved, so that you can say anything. In that totally unconditional atmosphere, I don’t have to protect myself. I can pray with the psalmist, ‘search me oh God’, and whatever He reveals is okay.
Woodrow Kroll
Although we have no claim on God’s mercies, and although they are altogether undeserved, nonetheless they never cease. We have done much to provoke God and give Him cause to cut off His mercy in our behalf. We have abused His mercy, ignored His mercy, even at times ungratefully accepted His mercy. Still, while God’s mercies may not always be visible, they are always present. The mercies of God may change their form, as the morning light varies from the evening light, but the mercies of God will never cease to give their light. Even chastisement is mercy in disguise; and frequently, under the circumstances which make chastisement necessary, it proves to be more merciful than if God had not chastised us at all.
Jim Elliot
The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul (Psa 19:7). Most laws condemn the soul and pronounce sentence. The result of the law of my God is perfect. It condemns but forgives. It restores – more than abundantly – what it takes away.
John Bunyan
It could be a sign of pride in your life if a word of reproof or admonition is not able to be received with the same grace, whether it be given by the poorest of saints or the most educated person.
David Edwards
The truth is, living in agreement with God will bring His conviction when we are disobedient. Conviction may feel like a negative thing, but it’s just as much a part of God as His smile. He is committed to making our lives work in Him, and He will use the strength and power of His conviction to let us know when we are outside His will. It may feel bad, but conviction is God at work in us.
Seraphim of Sarov
God shows us His love for mankind not only when we do good, but also when we offend and displease Him. How patiently he endures our transgressions; and when He chastises, how mercifully He chastises!
C.S. Lewis
God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t. In this trial He makes us occupy the dock, the witness box, and the bench all at once. He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down. ~