Beloved,
There are times when the Holy Spirit comes with power and there are times when He comes with gifts. Then there are times when He comes with conviction.
In recent days, I have been deeply moved by the response to this theme, “When the Spirit Comes with Conviction.” It seems we have touched something essential, something that perhaps has not always been fully embraced. And so I want to lean in a little further and ask a searching question:
Is there any room for His conviction?
We often make room for many good things. We make room for worship, for teaching, for ministry moments, and for the manifest presence of God. And yes, these are all vital. But what about when the Holy Spirit comes as the one who convicts?</strong
Psalm 85:4-6 gives us this cry:
Restore us, O God of our salvation…
Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?
This is not a casual prayer. This is a heartfelt appeal, a people calling upon the nature of God and inviting Him to move again. And throughout history, when revival has come, it has often been marked by this very thing: the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does not come to condemn. Condemnation drives a person downward into shame and hopelessness, but conviction lifts a person into truth and leads them toward transformation. Conviction is the light of God entering places that have been hidden, revealing not to shame us but to heal us, exposing not to destroy but to restore.
So we must ask honestly, are we making room for conviction in our lives?
Sometimes the Holy Spirit comes gently, like a whisper. Other times there is a weight, a pressing that reveals what is beneath the surface. In every case, He is inviting us into greater freedom. Will we allow Him access? Will we open the doors we have kept closed—those hidden places shaped by fear, past pain, or even subtle deception?
There is an invitation before us, not only to make room in our gatherings, but to make room in our hearts. To welcome the Holy Spirit not only in His power, but also in His purity; not only in what feels uplifting, but also in what brings transformation.
The apostle Paul wrote:
“Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.” —1 Thessalonians 1:5
We need the fullness of this: the Word, the power, and the work of the Holy Spirit that brings deep, inner change. Conviction leads us to repentance, repentance leads us to renewal, and renewal prepares the way for revival.
So today, I invite you to simply make room.
Make room in your heart.
Make room in your home.
Make room in your daily walk with God.
Because when the Spirit comes with conviction, He comes to restore, to revive, and to bring us into greater freedom.
Blessings, James W. Goll
P.S. Join with me in praying the prayer below 
Restore us, O God of our salvation,
And cause Your anger toward us to cease;
Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
Will You not revive us again,
That Your people may rejoice in You?
Psalm 85:4–6 (NKJV)
Father, in the name of Jesus, we love You.
We want to see change. We want to be counted among those who respond to Your call and make room for what You desire to do.
Lord, You have shown us that while there is space made for many things, there must also be space made for the birthing of conviction. So today, we ask You to help us make room, real room for You.
We choose to carve out that space first in our own hearts.
This is our honest prayer before You. We are not just asking for change around us, in our cities or our communities. We are asking for change right here, right now, within us.
If there are closed or hidden places in our hearts, reveal them. If there are locked doors, show them to us. Holy Spirit, come and move, break through with Your truth and Your light.
For Your name’s sake, for our families’ sake, and for the sake of Your testimony, we say yes to You.
We open the door of our hearts. We choose to clear out space. We make room for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
Come and search us. Come and shape us. Come and transform us.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
