God’s Three Alarm Clocks

When [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of its sin.   John 16:8

God has three ways to intercept sin in a person’s life. You could think of them as three alarm clocks. As you consider each of them, think about which one you would most like God to use in your case.

The first is the quiet and gentle work of God’s Spirit, opening up the conscience and revealing what’s wrong so that you can change it.

If you sleep through that, the Holy Spirit speaks more loudly and directly, as he did with David. The king wasn’t listening to the Spirit’s prompting in his conscience, so God revealed David’s secret sin of adultery to the prophet Nathan and sent him to speak to David. David’s sin was exposed, and it became public knowledge. At that point, David turned to God in repentance. If that’s what it takes, that is what God will do.

The situation of a person who ignores God’s second alarm becomes perilous. That’s what happened with Pharaoh. God sent Moses to him, but Pharaoh refused to listen to God’s command, even when he was confronted directly. He continued to harden his heart, and eventually Pharaoh came under the judgment of God.

Karen and I have three alarm clocks in our bedroom. The first alarm wakes us gently with music. The second alarm is set a few minutes later, and it’s more disturbing. We have it set in case we sleep through the first one. The third alarm is set later still, and it’s our last resort. It makes a horrendous sound, and the day begins much better if we’re up before it sounds its deafening blast.

Consider God’s three alarms: the quiet work of his Spirit in opening the conscience, confrontation by another person, and the direct judgment of God Almighty. Which of these ways would you like God to use to stop you from sinning?

We should be deeply thankful to God for the work of his Holy Spirit, which is a wonderful expression of his grace, and determine to be sensitive to his voice. God is reaching out to you in the gentlest of ways.

For further reading, see 2 Samuel 12