I encourage you to consider Holy Spirit conviction
The conscience and beliefs are both important, but we would be severely debilitated without the Holy Spirit’s work of conviction. He picks up where conscience and belief fall short in delivering the compelling persuasion of God, employing our inner senses to plead His case in alignment with God’s Word and the Father’s will.
As “the Spirit of truth” (John 16:13), He administers both positive and negative compulsions derived from the truth that we’ve read from the Bible (John 17:17; 2 Peter 1:21). His intention is to bring about our personal spiritual transformation (2 Corinthians 3:18). He does this work in both the saved and the unsaved. Obviously; in the unsaved, it’s to bring about repentance of sin leading to salvation. While in the saved, it’s to bring about affirmation, sanctification and guidance.
If you don’t personally know Jesus Christ; realise that God’s Spirit convicts in order to capture your attention to the fact that “You must be born again.” Like Nicodemus, you need to understand that just as “the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:7-8). You can’t predict His workings, you cannot control His interactions in your life, and you cannot manipulate His purposes. His silent voice speaks within, sometimes softly and sometimes loudly, alerting you of spiritual conflict that only surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will resolve.
You see, we humans need more than just moral knowledge of right and wrong. Having a sympathetic attitude towards God will not get you into Heaven. Yes, some read the Bible becoming aware that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). They may even realise that “no immoral, impure or greedy person… has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5 NIV). Yet, in spite of their understanding of the consequences, they continue to live in the sin of independence from God. If all you experience in your understanding is a pang of conscience, anxiety at the thought of judgment, or an academic awareness of hell; then you have never truly known the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin.
The Holy Spirit does not get your attention just for your sake. Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit’s purpose in coming into this world was to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). He has been sent to “guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). He does not intervene your life to promote a better self-image or for self-advancement. No, His mission is far more meaningful and purposeful. It’s precisely as Jesus said of the Holy Spirit; “He will glorify me” (John 16:14). God’s Spirit always convicts to promote and glorify Jesus Christ within us.
He employs the truth of Scripture (John 17:17) as His instrument of conviction. The Helper expresses Himself within us with compelling reminders that He wants us, He will not let go of us, and that He perseveres with us. Conviction utilises nagging affirmation and challenges of guilt in order to heighten your awareness of His holy standards regarding your sin, His righteousness, and the inescapable judgment that awaits us all.
Today, be encouraged, If you are aware that the Spirit of the living God is convicting you, don’t ignore Him. Give Christ your faith, your trust, your surrender. Turn from living for self in preference to living for the Lord Jesus Christ!