02-02-24-ESP.

. . . in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them . . .

Romans 2:15

We all have equal access to a conscience that helps us know the truth. Our conscience has been given to us to bear witness on what we do and say. It is our conscience that guides us into truth and helps us identify deceptive strategies of Satan. In fact, your conscience ought to make you feel guilty when you think or do something contrary to the truth. It also ought to make you feel confirmed when you think or do something that aligns with the truth. If you have ever continued in a practice of sin, you’ll know the cycle your conscience goes through. You will start off feeling guilty. But as you continue to move ahead with whatever sinful thought or action you are taking part in, you are suppressing the truth in your own life.

You are holding down the manifestation of the truth. You might begin by making excuses. You dismiss any thoughts that say you should stop. Yet eventually your conscience gets so used to what you are doing that you don’t need excuses or dismissals anymore. In fact, your conscience becomes so dulled that it no longer even alerts you to the deception you’ve adopted as truth. Your conscience started out as a gift from God to serve as a regulator for your human heart. It’s a gift that has been given to everyone. That’s why even if a person doesn’t have a Bible or doesn’t attend church—even if they are not a Christian—there are certain behaviors and thoughts that don’t make sense or sit well with a conscience.

There are certain things that gnaw at a person’s internal compass because God has built this truth into all of us. And the only way we remove its influence is through an ongoing suppression of the truth it reflects. God tells us clearly that we are without an excuse for knowing the Source and Author of truth. God has demonstrated His truth and His presence throughout the majesty of His creation. He has placed in every human heart the knowledge of the reality of His created order. The fact that God knows what He is doing and what He is talking about is evident not only by what He has made, but by what He sustains every moment of every day. But recognizing there is a God who made everything means we should also recognize there is a God who knows how things should operate within the world He has made. Since God made the world, then He knows how best it should operate and how best we should function within it. If you want to establish your own set of values or rules, then you just need to go make your own world. Yet while you and I live in God’s created order, it is best for us to function according to His values and rules.

Our conscience is a gift that enables us to know God’s rules within us. Paying attention to that internal voice known as your conscience will help you live a life that is pleasing to God and beneficial not only to yourself but also to others.

Reaction:
Can you identify a time when your conscience convicted you of sin but you persisted in the thoughts or behavior? What happened to your conscience’s conviction of that sin over time? In what ways does the media or entertainment go about attempting to eliminate the collective conscience toward sin? Are there areas in your life where you have dulled your conscience that you need to address? If yes, what is one practical step you can take today and this week to address it?

Prayer:
Jesus, forgive me for those areas in my life where I have allowed my conscience to become dull as I continue in sinful thoughts or behaviors. Will You give me wisdom on how I can reactivate my conscience in those areas so that I am sensitive to sin and its effect in my life? I want to please You and honor You with my life choices, so please give me a greater awareness of the areas in my life where I am living contrary to Your kingdom values. In Your name I pray, amen.