“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16).
We must come to a point and place in our life and walk with the Lord where it can be safe for our conscience to guide us in our lives and affairs. This was originally the plan and purpose of God for man. Our conscience must be alive, clear and stirred in the direction of God such that it speaks to us and directs us in the perfect will of God (Romans 2:14-15, 9:1). But this is not so with most people today. Even those who are claiming that they are listening to the voice of their conscience are perhaps listening to a perverted conscience.
Our conscience must be exercised so that its voice can be pure, clear, loud and followable. Exercising your conscience means, allowing the word of God and the operations of the Holy Spirit to purify it as He engages it on a daily basis. Your conscience will function based on the influence that it is open to. This was what affected the first man (Adam); he was exposed to the wrong influence and the conscience became corrupted. Christ came to purge our conscience from dead works so that we can serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14).
The purging and alignment of our conscience is not supposed to be a one time or occasional encounter. It must be a daily thing. Just as you exercise your body daily to be physically fit, you’ve also got to exercise yourself (heart) daily so you can be heartily fit. Don’t forget that the heart of the matter is always a matter of the heart. If your heart is wrong, your life is wrong.
Having a perfect heart is not about being a perfect person. It is about having a heart that is open enough to God’s Spirit for correction, rebukes and instructions. Once you take a posture of someone who wants to be right, you are already on the path of perfection and the Holy Spirit will find it easier to help you to live life with clear conscience.
David always presented his heart to the Lord for checks, cleansing and culturing (Psalms 139:23-24). We must also do so. You cannot help your heart except the Lord helps you (Jeremiah 17:9). This is why a daily walk with the Lord in fellowship and followership is of utmost importance. Once you give God your heart, He would help your conscience and help your life (Proverbs 23:26). It is as simple as that.
May you learn to constantly present your heart to God on a daily basis in Jesus name!
© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria