Soothing Others Under Conviction
I imagine we have all been talking with a friend or a family member, when they confessed to us that they had sinned, and the Lord was convicting them of their sin. The natural reaction of the flesh is to respond with comforting words that make them feel better about their situation. However, that is the worst thing we can do. If we say anything to condone sin in any way, we are hurting them much more than we are helping them. God listed His grievances against His people for Jeremiah to prophesy and to record for us. He mentioned their idols and another practice we might have missed. (Jeremiah 8:11) Their sin was that they healed the hurt of the daughter of His people slightly by saying, "Peace, peace!" when there was no peace. Their comforting words helped lessen the hurt they were feeling by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and thus kept them from repenting of their sins. That is a serious sin. We must not interfere with the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of other pe...