A Clear Conscience

This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. (Acts 24:16)

Today’s devotional is from REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE VOLUME 2. Rev. Chris Hodges is the President of Abiding Above Ministries. Chris will be speaking at America’s Keswick this summer.

Have you noticed that you get an unsettled feeling deep down inside of you when you say or do something wrong?  This is your conscience speaking to you when you sin. The Holy Spirit works through your conscience to direct you in matters of right and wrong.  To enjoy unhindered communion with God, you must have a clear conscience.

A clear conscience gives you an inner freedom of spirit and soul that comes from knowing that you are right with God, and right with other people. Does your track record show that you are frequently in conflict with others?  Do you subtly control others – manipulating friends and family members with your silence, withholding approval, making them perform to your expectations, and playing them one against the other?  This is clear evidence of a soul that is sick, and one who has a defiled conscience.  These personal traits may seem to be for a lost person, but they can be true of a Christian, even someone in ministry faithfully ministering God’s Word to others.

This is what Paul meant when he said, …. I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. This verse shows that a clear conscience involves being right with God. We must know in our heart that there is no sin between God and us. But it also involves being right with our fellow man.  My friend, we must know that we have made things right with others. You simply cannot be right with God if you are in carnal conflict with anybody in the world.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24, Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

If we want to have a clear conscience, we must allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and show us our offenses against others.  When you have faithfully confessed your sins to God, and faithfully dealt with your sins against others, it will seem as though a great burden has been lifted from you. Maybe your new motto can be, “Stay close and clean.”  Rev. Chris S. Hodges

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 41-42; Romans 14

Quote of the day:  With God, if we give in order to get, we give amiss. We are then thinking of ourselves first and of God second – a dangerous order of priorities.

John Garmo

Bible Memory: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. Psalm 119:9