a guilty conscience

"Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people's bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins." 

Hebrews 9:13-14 NLT

Ever have your conscience "prick" you? That niggling in the back of your mind that those words that left your mouth might not have been the right thing to say? Perhaps you indulged in a bit of gossip thinly veiled as a prayer request. Maybe passed judgment on a stranger. Spoke ill of your spouse. Criticized a loved one. Like the song we used to sing as children...

"Ashes, ashes, we ALL FALL down!"

We all fall down. We all make bad choices from time to time. We miss the mark. (God calls it sin.) And we are taught from the time we are children to listen to our "conscience", for it will keep us out of trouble. Right? Well, sometimes.

Because of the Fall, my default setting for my conscience was "guilty". But because I am a new creature in Christ and follow Him, my default setting is now set to "holy". Now I can have a face-to-face relationship with the Father. Because of Christ's perfect sacrifice, my sin doesn't separate me from Him any longer. The price for my freedom has been completely paid. I am wholly and dearly loved by the Father, and I am free to become the dream that He has had on His heart since the foundation of this world! But my mind needs to be renewed to the truth of these things.

I've come to understand that my conscience can be defective. If it sides with the truth found in God's word, then, yes - it's a good thing to listen to. But if it decides to side with lies concerning my identity in Christ or anything contrary to scripture, then no. And I refuse to give it the time of day. 1 John 4:1 says:

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Jesus came to cleanse us and deliver us from a guilty conscience - a heart that is totally focused on sin. It's okay to question the messages we are hearing in our hearts. We are commanded to guard our hearts diligently (Proverbs 4:23). Our life flows from this very place, and it must be protected at all cost. It is the blood of Jesus that purifies my conscience. Why? So I can worship Him in spirit and in truth. So I can worship the living God. If I hear a voice that dissuades me from that one magnificent purpose, chances are I'm listening to the wrong voice. I heard a pastor say one time,

"I can't afford to have a single thought in my head that God doesn't have in His." ~Bill Johnson

Now THAT is truth you can hang your heart on.

Have a guilty conscience? Take it to the Lord. He alone can see clearly to cleanse you and purify you and set you back on your feet once more. Ask Him for His perspective. He delights to see His kids free! Don't let it keep you from receiving His free gift of grace in your time of need.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us 

in our time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16