If you have already had a look around Gospel Women, you may have noticed I’m a big fan of Bible journaling. It’s a delightful way to reflect and receive insight from God. Contemplation is enjoyable, peaceful and restorative, and it’s also a key attribute of godly leaders. (I wrote about that here.) However, contemplation is not an end in itself. It must lead to the next indispensable attribute of a godly leader: Conviction. So let’s take a close look at spiritual conviction, starting with a fresh definition. Then, we’ll discover how conviction is the start of vision, action and a release of God’s power.

An online search for the word conviction will bring up plenty of entries on felonies, crimes, and punishment. A narrow view of conviction is that it’s about the conviction of sin. While repentance is one kind of conviction, I want to enlarge the meaning of this term. The kind of conviction I am talking about is not just about rejecting what is harmful and wrong, but going wholeheartedly toward things that are blessedly right.

How to Define Spiritual Conviction?

Before defining, let’s back up briefly and review the first attribute of godly leaders. Contemplation is looking into the deep things of God as a way of life. Time spent considering God’s character, words, ways and person ultimately leads to revelations of God’s truth and purpose. Hebrews 4:12 comes to mind. This passage reminds us that God’s word penetrates like a sharp sword. It gets right to the heart of the matter and reveals the intentions of the heart. In other words, God’s revelation impacts us personally, on a deep level. This is a process that is ongoing throughout our journeys as a followers of Jesus.

So, God reveals his truth to us, and we absorb it. However, that is not the end of the matter. Revelation is meant to take us into an intensely personal response to the truth. Spiritual conviction begins as a deep stirring within, as the Holy Spirit activates our longing to respond to God. So finally, here is my simple definition:

Spiritual conviction is the decision to act on God’s revelation to you.

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Convicted to Act

Can you see the positive power of spiritual conviction? The Holy Spirit convicts us of God’s purpose. He then inspires us to join our will to God’s will, creating powerful motivation. Whether revelation relates to personal sin, our daily activities and relationships, or our callings, conviction is an awakening to God. This verse from 1 Thessalonians sums it up well:

“…our message of the gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…” (1 Thessalonians 1:5 NRSVUE)

The gospel moves our hearts, but it’s not merely an emotional or intellectual experience. When the Holy Spirit came in power at Pentecost, many people heard Peter’s message about Jesus and cried out, “What shall we do?” Those listening were convicted spiritually and moved to the point of taking action. This happens to us at salvation, and again and again throughout our lives as followers of Jesus. The sense of urgency is a powerful motivator. It can be painful or inspiring, or both!

How does Conviction Establish Leadership?

A number of years ago I had such an awakening of purpose in my life. Brother Yun, author of The Heavenly Man, wrote about the emergence of the house church movement in China. An explosion of kingdom growth occurred and is still happening, in spite of great persecution. It was a thrilling read, full of hope and joy. As I turned the pages something peculiar began to happen to me. An uneasy feeling welled up within as I thought about my own home, and the other western nations where I have lived. The uneasiness grew into intense grief and sadness. What about the many people in my neighbourhood and city who don’t follow Jesus? It continued for days and weeks while I kept asking, “Where is the explosion of life in my country?

For the first time, evangelism to my own culture had become a personal matter. Don’t get me wrong, I’d always thought it important for SOMEONE to do it. I just hadn’t felt it was MY responsibility. At first I didn’t know what to do with this overwhelming spiritual conviction that filled my prayers with longing. It wasn’t easy holding this tension and waiting for the “what next”. But it was only a matter of time before an actionable vision emerged out of this conviction. Leadership, in simple terms, is doing that hard thing that has to be done, by someone. It took me a while to understand that the someone in the frame was me.

The Birth of Vision

What followed was a period of years, while I waited and watched, on the lookout for someone to follow. Some people understood what I was going through, but others didn’t. My fledgling attempts to act on what I had received were clumsy. I experienced a lot of conflict and that wasn’t easy. Eventually, after many ups and downs, something happened. The Lord inspired me to make a vision board. At the top of it was the scripture He gave me to start with:

“…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13 NIV)

It was a great comfort to me to have that reminder always before me. And so, after years of longing to see the Lord refresh the gospel in my city, I finally did something about it. I planted a house church. Without ever intending to, I had become a leader. God gave conviction, then a vision, then action. His good purpose was fulfilled.

Embracing a Spiritually Convicted Life

God does not give conviction without also giving vision and action. It may not happen overnight. It won’t be easy. But you need never fear the conviction that awaits you as you seek God. Fulfilling God’s purpose is full of joy, even with the rough spots.

The image I chose for this blog post shows a woman sitting on a park bench, looking at the mountains. Spiritual conviction is like that. It begins with an awareness of something powerful and very motivating. You might have to sit with the question, “What shall I do?” for a while. Your determination to follow God may feel like an awesome responsibility. It might feel like an overwhelming burden at times. But you can answer the call of conviction and move forward with confidence. God is the powerful author of his work on earth, through you and me. He gives good visions and joyful work for us to do in his honour.

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Would you like to go deeper in your journey as a woman follower of Jesus? The best place to find your conviction and inspiration is in the gospels. Find out more with our free series on the all-in, bold women of Luke 8! You can sign up for the email devotionals here.

This article is the third in a series on key leadership attributes. You can read the first article here, and the second, on contemplation, here.