The conscience of a person can become so severely compromised and violated that it is of little use to the Holy Spirit. Sadly, there are too many people, even Christians, in this category.

As Paul wrote in today's verse, it is not an accidental occurrence. It is a deliberate process. A conscience is not violated in a day. It takes time, process, and continued defiance. If we continue to do things that we know to be wrong, it comes to a point when our conscience no longer pricks us. When many people get to this point, they may begin to feel, "Oh well, maybe it wasn't as bad a sin as I thought." Or they may think that maybe God had decided to approve of their actions. The sad reality is that God is still as upset about that thing as He was the first time. The only difference is that the conscience of that person has been made useless through deliberate violation. Nothing violates the conscience like deliberate disobedience. It is possible to violate our conscience to the point that it becomes completely dead.

1 Timothy 4:2 – These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. (NLT)

We need to trust God to help us, and we need to repent of any sin in our lives that we have deliberately indulged in. After this, we need to commit to living a life of obedience, which is the key to a clear conscience. Pray with me:

Prayer: Father, help me to live a life of complete obedience. Purge me of every filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, and quicken my conscience. Amen.

Our faith is one defined by sacrifices. Jesus gave up His throne, gave up His glory, and gave up His life, just for us to be saved. The apostles went through very uncomfortable circumstances to propagate the gospel. We must always bear this in mind so that we don't become believers of convenience.

Many times, we need to consider giving up our own rights and what we think that we deserve if it is going to help further the cause of the gospel or help to save another person. It takes selflessness to do this, but this is what Christ expects from us. So, while we are within our rights to do certain things, and our conscience permits us to do them, we must always consider what impact our words or actions could have on the lives of other believers, or even on unbelievers that we ought to witness to. We must never become so occupied with ourselves and our own needs that we ignore the needs of the kingdom. Let us do what is best for others, as Christ did for us.

Prayer: Father, give us the grace always to do what is best for the kingdom. Help us to see beyond our selfish desires. Amen.

Conscience sensitivity is very relative. Some things may not necessarily be sins, but our consciences may also not permit indulgence in such.

Paul wrote, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful." (1 Corinthians 6:12a ESV) This means that our conscience must not just inform us of unlawful things, but also of things that are not helpful for our spiritual life. As believers, we have been guilty many times of luring other believers into doing things that their consciences haven't permitted them to do. Today's passage says, "And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ." (1 Corinthians 8:12 NLT)

We need to be careful enough to respect the boundaries that other people have. It doesn't matter what we think we know. It doesn't matter if we think we know better. It doesn't matter if we think that their beliefs are in error. We must respect their consciences and boundaries.

So, for instance, if one believer considers it immoral to hug a person of the opposite gender, while another believer sees no issue with it, both believers must respect each other's boundaries. As long as no Scripture unequivocally calls a thing a sin, it becomes a matter of conscience, and this conscience, although varying, must be respected so that we do not offend God.

Prayer: Father, please forgive us for every time we have violated the conscience of a brother or sister in the faith. Help us to be sensitive, so as not to lure anyone to violate their conscience. Amen.

At some point, it is likely that we have all heard this sentence: "My conscience is clear." We may have even said it ourselves. While we need to have a clear conscience, the sensitivity and integrity of individual consciences are very relative.

The conscience of some people permits them to do certain things, while the conscience of some others won't permit them to do those same things. It is not enough for us to feel like we are in the clear with our conscience. We must make sure that the clearness of our conscience is in alignment with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

There are many thieves, fornicators, adulterers, idolaters, etc., who do the things that they do without feeling guilty. They believe that it is natural, and they believe that their actions are acceptable. This doesn't mean that God has lowered His standards to align with their consciences. God is still God, and sin is still sin. One can have a supposedly clear conscience and still be in danger of hell. We must seek God always to ensure that we are not just doing right by ourselves, but that we are doing right by Him.

Prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT) Amen.

In our endeavour to keep a clear conscience, we must work on having a clear conscience not only before God, but before man as well. God expects us to be ambassadors of heaven, and to do this, we must be exemplary citizens on the earth in whatever nation that we find ourselves. Christians should lead the race in being law-abiding citizens.

It matters to God not just how we behave in church, but how we behave out there in the world. It is also very important that we are not guilty of misrepresenting Christ in any way. Even if the world persecutes us, let it be for our good works and not because we have broken the laws of the land.

Of course, there is a general exemption when the law of the land violates our faith. In such instances, we are encouraged to place God above man, and be prepared to suffer the consequences. But generally speaking, we must endeavour to ensure that as much as we strive to keep a good conscience before God, we also strive to keep a good conscience before men.

The apostle Peter wrote:

1 Peter 3:16-17 – But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! (NLT)

Prayer: Teach us, Father, to be exemplary citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Help us not to bring Your name and Your kingdom into disrepute. Amen.

Every human being on the face of the earth has a conscience. When God breathed into mankind, He sent a deposit of His Spirit into every person. That divine deposit of God in us is our conscience. But just like our physical senses, some are more sensitive than others.

Unbelievers, because of their separation from God and their lifestyle of sin, have destroyed their consciences to a degree that it becomes almost impossible for them to receive the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This is why unbelievers can commit certain sins and not feel badly about them. Their consciences permit them to act that way, but it doesn't mean that it's okay. It is only permission granted by a weak or dead conscience.

As believers, if we come to a point where we no longer feel bad about what the Bible condemns, we are playing in dangerous territory. What this means is that our conscience is beginning to permit us, but it doesn't mean that God's standards have changed. Whenever we get to this point, it is proof that we have strayed very far away from Christ. We must examine ourselves sincerely to ensure that we are where God wants us to be spiritually.

Prayer: Dear Father, please help us to live lives that are pleasing to You every day. Give us a supernatural consciousness of Your will and Your ways. Amen.

The dictionary defines conscience as "a person's moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one's behaviour".

It is one thing to maintain a clear conscience before man, and it is another thing to maintain a clear conscience before God. As believers, our goal should be to attain both simultaneously. God expects us to live a life that is blameless and without reproach. In so doing, we bring glory to His name.

Our conscience is the voice of our human spirit that tells us when we are right or wrong. Everyone has a conscience. The sensitivity of a person's conscience will be determined by how aligned the spirit of that person is to the Spirit of God.

The conscience is the default installation inside of us that enables us to hear from God. However, the conscience can be corrupted. It can be made weak and insensitive by the habitual practice of sin. An insensitive conscience loses its capacity to receive accurate signals from the Spirit of God. This is why something that made the conscience of a man cringe in the past could get a pass from the same conscience today. The conscience of that person has been trained, through the habitual practice of sin, to disobey the voice of God.

Let us each pay attention to our consciences, for a healthy conscience is indeed a great asset in our walk with God. Pray with me:

Prayer: Dear Father, forgive me for every time that I have violated my conscience. Heal me, and restore my spiritual sensitivity. Amen.