Convicted by the Word of God
The Bible is the Word of God to us. All 66 books of the Bible were written to show God's love for us, and to give us direction in how to trust Him and how to live for Him every day. When we read the Bible, we are not just reading another book. It is the most important book ever written because it reveals all of the will of God we need to know to live the life God has for us to live. It is alive and powerful, so it will speak to us every time we read it, if we are really listening for the Lord to speak.
King Josiah of Judah was a young king who had taken over when his father, Amon, was killed. He did what was pleasing in God's eyes, and began fixing up the Temple. In the process a scroll of the Book of the Law was uncovered and read to him. (II Kings 22:11) When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. He was convicted by the Word of God because he knew the people had not been obeying the Law as they should, and God was angry with them. He set out to follow all that was read to him and to seek the Lord's forgiveness.
When we read the Bible, we should always begin by asking God to speak to us through what we read. I believe we should ask Him to show us just what His Word means and how it applies to our life specifically. I believe we should ask Him to teach us what we need to learn, show us what we need to do, and to show us what to share with other people. If we will do that and listen carefully for the Spirit to speak to us, we will hear from God.
Then, our response will determine if God blesses us and helps us or not. If we will take it all very seriously like Josiah did, God will be very pleased with us and bless us. However, we have to be willing to practice what the Bible says every day. We have to be willing to repent of sins that God shows us, and we must begin to do things the right way, like Josiah did. That should be our response to the conviction of God. We can't just stay the same. We have to be diligent to do all that He shows us. Then, God will work things out well for us in our lives for His glory.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 24-25 and I Chronicles 1.