Our Conscious Conscience

 

God put a conscience in the soul of every human being ever born. Our human conscience functions from an inherent, instinctive consciousness of the will of God for our life. We can suppress our conscience, however, and walk away from His will. We turn a blind eye to the evidence of God in creation, which is clearly seen and understood by all, so that no one is without excuse when they reject God (Romans 1:18-20).

In our youth, our conscience is very active; however, it gets seared throughout our lifetime (1 Timothy 4:2). As adults, we may go through some self-help programs, but we eventually revert to our old, carnal ways. True change only comes when we surrender our life to Jesus Christ. Even if we do surrender to His call on our life, condemnation from past failings, and feelings of insecurity and inadequacy about the future, drive our conscience to perform in our human efforts to win God’s favor.

Depending on our choices, our conscience either commends or condemns us. When we continually avoid compliance with God’s truth, we sear our conscience and have no moral compass to guide our thoughts, words and deeds (1 Timothy 4:2). When we compare our behavior with that of someone in the world, we may think we are doing fine; but the world is not our standard. Jesus Christ is our measure, which means that no matter how well we behave, we often miss the mark of His perfection and end up in sin.

Sometimes, Satan makes us feel guilty, even if we are not guilty of sin, in order to debilitate us and prevent God’s Holy Spirit from using us as He desires. God’s conviction brings no condemnation with it, but always shows us a way to escape the temptation in front of us (1 Corinthians 10:13). Even if we do wrong, we can always repent of that sin and apologize to those whom we offended. Christ died to make us a new creation for His service (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Our conscience cautions us when we violate Biblical standards. It agrees with what our heart instinctively knows about God’s expectations. Yet, many people still reject God’s truth (Romans 2:14-15). It is only as we resist Satan’s lies and submit to God’s Spirit and His Word, that we can renew our mind. We realign it with the mind of Christ (James 4:7; Ephesians 4:23; Romans 12:2). Then, the Holy Spirit replaces our carnal nature with the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:4) and the fruit of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for setting us free from the manipulation of false guilt and freeing our conscience from the bondage of Satan’s lies. You forgave our sin and washed us as white as snow (Colossians 2:13; Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18). We accept Your forgiveness, we forgive our self and we live to bring You glory with all of our thoughts, words and deeds. We rest from the tyranny of our human efforts (Hebrews 4:10). As Born Again Believers, we operate in faith in the sanctifying activity of Christ and Your Spirit in our life (Colossians 2:6).

Thought for the Day:

Repentance clears our conscience by changing our mind and our actions. – 1 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 4:7

Inner Light

It is possible to know about the Lord and to walk in obedience to His precepts; yet still walk in darkness, because you are not Born Again by His Spirit (Isaiah 50:10). We can live with a mental understanding of God, without a personal relationship with Him. Even those who walk victoriously in God’s presence may lose their faith from time to time, especially if God suddenly interrupts His blessings as He did with Job. We think that God is mad at us or not sovereign after all.

When we gauge our spiritual connection by our outward circumstances, we often grow disheartened. This leads to wallowing in the darkness of depression and discouragement. However, this will only happen if we depend more upon the provision than the Provider. When we seek God’s supply rather than His presence. Actually, God’s blessings do not depend on our position with Him, because they come to the unjust as well as to the just (Matthew 5:44-45; Psalm 37).

However, only those who persevere to the end will receive the prize of the high calling of God (Matthew 24:13; Philippians 3:14). This has nothing to do with material blessings and everything to do with enjoying God’s presence in our life moment by moment throughout the day. We can live in a den of squalor or in a state of homelessness, and still have the full blessings of God on our life. Worldly success is no indication of God’s favor; even the vilest of human beings often live in the lap of luxury.

God’s blessings are spiritual and often overflow into the physical realm; however, earthly treasure is not an automatic outcome of living for Christ. Believers in third world countries are no less blessed than Americans living in the lap of luxury. In fact, they live the blessing of a much simpler life, unencumbered by the cares of this world. They need not toil or sweat to keep up with their neighbor or to have the best and the most, which money can buy.

Once we call out to God in our sinful state and completely surrender our life into His protection and provision, we can know without a doubt that He will supply all of our needs according to His abundant riches (Philippians 4:19). The next time God pulls the rug out from under you, and you land in an unbecoming pose, remember that you are always sheltered in the everlasting arms of God. There is no calamity, which can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39).

 

Prayer:
Father God, You give us both the desire and the strength to work out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12-13). You comfort and direct us through Your Spirit within and Your Word without. Your joy is our strength and You give us hope by Your presence in our life, even in the most discouraging of experiences. Help us to persevere until the end of our days, so that we can receive the crown of life (James 1:12).

Thought for the Day:
God leads us through the darkness by His inner Light within us. - John 8:12