For those Seeking to "Have A Clear Conscience" (I)
What is Your Conscience and Where Does It Come From?
Conscience is the inward part of us that helps us understand if we are in line with God's will. You could look at it as God's gift to us that keeps us sensitive to His moral code because it helps us see ourselves as God sees us. If your conscience is witnessing faithfully for or against you, it will activate your heart and mind so that you know what is right and what is wrong, and you will have a strong inner call, a voice of accountability. to do what is right. When God created humans, He created us with an innate knowledge of Himself. Conscience is the God-given instinct he put deep inside us that guides us to know right from wrong. It is the part of you that helps you understand God's will and God's word. Rom 1:20 says "...we have no excuse for not knowing God." Without a strong, clear conscience, you become insensitive to sin. In a sense, you have "tricked" yourself into thinking all is well when it really isn't, or you may have "bought off" the witness of your conscience. But you can't buy off God. He is the only true unbiased witness and judge of the "thoughts and intents" of our heart.
You can't lose your conscience , but you can become so dullied and seared to its urgings that you don't or can't hear it. And over time you have learned to tune it out altogether, leading you to commit sin-laced deeds. Without your conscience alive, you feel free to do whatever you want (Jerm 7:24 "...They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts...they went backwards." Even those who have rejected God can come back to him. (Hosea 12:6). When you commit yourself to God, repent and begin living by the commands in His Word, He will restore your conscience to wholeness.
What is the "remedy"? By aligning yourself with spiritual disciplines; such as digesting the Word, daily prayer, gathering with other believers for worship, serving, attending small discipleship groups, partaking in communion, etc., seeking to correct or remove evil of any kind, healing and restoring your conscience to cleansing and newness of life. Suncreek UMC ministries offer all these spiritual outreaches. It's up to you to grab hold and move forward!
Scriptures: I Tim. 1:19; Acts 24:16; I Cor. 15:45
Meditate: We live in a broken, dysfunctional, selfish lifestyle. It is the result of "wages of sin" caused by Adam's fall. Jesus came to reverse that curse. Believe Him! Obey Him!
