Let Your Conscience be your Guide?
Posted on June 23, 2017 by Graeme Wilson in Freedom Fighters
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, That He may abide with you forever…” – John 14:16
Most of us remember the advice given from Jiminy Cricket to his buddy Pinocchio. Unfortunately, Pinocchio didn’t always take heed to the council from his little friend and he found himself in some precarious situations.
Now, I’m not sure you’ll find the verse that says “let your conscience be your guide” without first making sure your conscience is being directed by the Holy Spirit. I remember that, as a new believer in Christ, I would often misinterpret my lack of peace as peculiar and unordinary. It seemed as though it would bother me more than usual when I was not doing the right thing. I felt as though I was being haunted by my words and actions. I remember thinking to myself “that never bothered me before.” I was sharing my recent experiences with some of the guys from the church I was attending, it was like I just told them a joke. They all began to chuckle and with nodding heads they explained to me conviction. One guy jokingly said “I used to be able to go out and live like the devil, then Jesus came and ruined everything.” We laughed and that became a teachable moment that I share with others to this day.
In the two letters Paul wrote to Timothy, he referred to the conscience 5 times in the NKJV, four times about having a good or pure conscience and once about those who “having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” I believe it’s important to be sensitive to God’s Holy Spirit in order to faithfully walk according to His will. Unfortunately, I know it’s possible to ignore to nudging that we receive when we are in the flesh. Like the ignoring of the pain that comes from using a tool with soft sensitive skin, if we continue, we develop a callous that prevents us from feeling the discomfort.
When we are prompted by the Spirit of God it can sometimes put us in an awkward position, there are times when God calls us to share His word with someone or speak out against an injustice that may cause conflict. The question we have to ask ourselves is whether we want to please man or God. I’ve heard it said “I would rather please God and have man against me then to please man and have God against me.” I’m not sure how biblical that is, but I do know that I’ve lost sleep over not doing what I believe to be what God wanted me to do or not do.
These thoughts are not exhaustive and should never take the place of a daily Bible reading. My prayer is that by writing these devotionals it will only cause you to dig deeper into God’s word. I will purposely leave out a number of referring scriptures to prompt you to pull out your Bible and connect with God through His word.
So if you have the Holy Spirit of God actively working in your life then I can say “Let your conscience be your guide”. Amen!
Rob Russomano is married to Terri, he is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a full time staff member. He is also available as a speaker of the grace of God with a message of Hope for church events. You can contact him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org.
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