You and Your Conscience

The conscience. It is that still small voice in you. It is a display of God’s love, grace and kindness, calling you to Himself. - Clint Decker

David knew where all the creaks were in the floor down the hallway. This helped one night when he snuck out of the house after his parents went to bed.

He quietly opened the door of his room, and passed by his parents, while he carefully stepped down the hallway, gently hopping from left to right, strategically avoiding every creak. Then when he made it outside, we met up and took off together. (Image by magnific.com)

Why did not David just open his door and walk out of the house while saying, “Good night dad and mom! I am headed out. I will be back in a little while. Love you!”? Because David and I knew what we were doing was wrong, and we wanted to hide it from his parents.

What testified to us that it was wrong? Our conscience (and mine especially since I was a few years older). Carl Jung, a Swiss psychologist once wrote, “Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune.” David and I knew something was out of tune when he sneaked out of the house, instead of listening to that quiet voice to “Honor your father and your mother…” (Exodus 20:12)

God describes the conscience as something that leads to “…conflicting thoughts [that] accuse or even excuse them…” (Romans 2:15) One writer state’s that the Bible’s word for conscience in the New Testament is suneidēsis, which means “moral awareness” or “moral consciousness.” The conscience reacts positively or negatively when one’s actions, thoughts, and words either conform to, or contradict, God’s moral law, which is the universal standard for right and wrong.

The conscience to our soul, is like the nerve ending in our fingers. When our hand touches a hot pan, we are instantly alerted and pull it back to protect ourselves from danger. Likewise, when we violate God’s moral law through behaviors of the heart and life like lying, sexual immorality, hate, anger or profanity our conscience warns us, giving us an opportunity to protect ourselves from danger.

Some people have what is called a “seared conscience.” One writer says, “it is a conscience that has become desensitized to what is right and wrong.” One that has become numb to guilt and shame, where a person has so trained themselves that wrong is right, that they have become a servant of Satan and a tool of demons.

The conscience is a creation of God that He has gifted us with when He fashioned us together. It is truly a creation of hope. Rather than leaving us to ourselves, the conscience (with the work of God’s Spirit) awakens us to how we have fallen short of His moral standards, and how we stand in desperate need of a Savior.

Our guilty conscience may not seem like a blessing, because it weighs us down. It can distract our focus, interrupt our sleep and ruin our fun. Consequently, we try to ignore it. We try to justify what we have done. We try drowning it out with addictions like drugs or alcohol to numb our conscience. We cover it up with busyness, entertainment or work. Yet, that still small voice is there. It is a display of God’s love for you. His grace and kindness, calling you to Himself.

Jesus came from heaven to earth and died and rose again that you might turn from your evil ways and to Him by faith. And when you do, He will bless you with a clear conscience, and a peace and joy that will endure.

A prayer for you – Lord God, I realize what I am wrestling with is not myself, but you. Thank you for my conscience and your Spirit that is revealing how I have fallen. Today, I no longer make excuses but acknowledge my failure and call to you for forgiveness through Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.