Never Shut Up Your Conscience

Last saturday, I did something I shouldn't have done. And I tried to let it pass without repenting. That was a big mistake. I got panic attacks the whole night, until I fell on my knees and I prayed to the Good Lord for forgiveness. What I did was completely against my own principles, against the basics of my faith, and against my own conscience. That's one of the worst mistakes a man can't ever make. If you guys knew what I did, you would say that what I did was unsignificant, and even normal. But the fact that my actions hurt the core of my identity, it showed me that we cannot deny who we are. If we are real committed Christians, it doesn't matter what we do, our renewed hearts will notice, and we will get that wake-up call. (Thank you Jesus, for your discipline.)

We all have that Jiminy Cricket little voice inside our heads that leads us to what is actually GOOD. If we turn it off we run to the risk of  denying everything we believe in. The conscience is that little voice God put inside our heads that practically upholds God's Law in our hearts. It is not the Holy Spirit, but it helps a lot in our life. Unbelievers have it, Christians have it, everybody have it. Because of the natural state of our conscience, we are actually able to turn it off, making it insensitive to the truth, and that's dangerous.

Have you ever fought against that voice in the middle of the night, making it impossible to sleep? Have you ever felt the weight inside your heart, because of every decision you make that is against of what you believe it's good and valid? Piece of advice: LET IT WIN. IT CAN SAVE YOUR SOUL.

We Christians have the privilege of having the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us. And that's a plus in our relationship with our conscience. Because of the Holy Spirit, we can access the knowledge of the Word of God, and apply it to our lives. The Word is an armor that strengthen our conscience into what is God's will. Let's go constantly to that armory, and let's cover ourselves with the strength of God and His wisdom.

I just found on the fly (because I'm that spontaneus) a verse from the Bible. I pray I have picked it up good. It's Ol' Man Paul in his Second letter to the Corinthians:

"For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you." (2 Cor. 1:12.)

Paul was confident in the fact that he got a clear conscience in front of God and in front of his brothers and sisters. He got nothing to hide, he got nothing to be ashamed of. He was able to sleep at night because of a healthy conscience.

I want to live with a clear conscience. I want to be able to be at my dying bed and say: "I have a clear mind and a peaceful heart."

We are capable by the Grace of God to live that way. It's all about going to God in repenteance and confession, and let God clear our slate white as snow. Always works.

For the unbeliever, this is a piece of warning: Your conscience can be the only life-saver you have in this sea of sin. Your conscience can be the only candle in this cave of life. So, listen to it. God could be talking to your heart all this time, and you could be hardening yourself. Your conscience could be your only real friend, and the only lightwatch guiding you to faith in Jesus Christ.

Remember what Paul told Timothy about it:

"keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith." (1 Tim.1:19.)

(Some people would be reading this and thinking: wow...this is why he is still single. :D )