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Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. Hebrews 13:18
D.L. MOODY
Is not conscience a safe guide?
No, it is not. Some people don’t seem to have any conscience and don’t know what it means. Their education has a good deal to do with conscience. There are persons who will say that their conscience did not tell them they had done wrong until after the wrong was done. What we want is something to tell us a thing is wrong before we do it.
ERWIN LUTZER
Ogden Nash said, “There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience, or none at all.” If you do not have a clear conscience, you are not currently filled with the Spirit nor will you know enduring joy in your relationships. The apostle Paul said, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). Because sin defiles our conscience, it enables Satan to tell us two lies. The first lie is that one sin really doesn’t matter. Lie number two is: “Now that you’ve messed up, you might as well mess up your life good and proper.” Once your conscience is defiled, you almost always continue to defile it.
Christians walking in the Spirit discover that before we do wrong, the Holy Spirit gives an internal warning, reminding us that we are about to cross a line into sinful behavior. We must always listen to that voice; the conscience, informed by the Spirit, warns us how sin grieves the Holy Spirit and always has negative consequences.
Paul exemplified doing all within your power to live with a conscience that was clear before both God and men (Acts 24:16). It is not enough to clear our conscience before God, we must always strive to experience the horizontal issues of personal reconciliation as well.
PRAYER
Father, teach me to keep a conscience that is undefiled before God and others.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What might be the problem of using only our conscience to determine what is right or wrong?
What is the relationship between the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin and our conscience?