I have heard many Christians say they are not satisfied with their relationship with God. They wonder why God does not speak to them like He spoke with people in the Bible, or even in the early church. I have often thought of this, and at times have felt the same way. I have come to realize that God is still speaking with His children today, just as He always has. The problem is that we are not always listening.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: –Joh 16:7-8.
I have excellent hearing. However, I had to consider whether I listen to only the things and people I desire and unknowingly block out what I do not want to hear?
Today the god of this world has filled people’s lives with distractions, and while not all are bad, he (Satan) wants our attention and focus to be on other things, then when God speaks to us, we do not hear. So, what happens when we stop listening to God? He stops speaking, and we eventually drift away from truth. God gave everyone a conscience. It is a wonderful thing that keeps us on the strait and narrow way. But God’s word says that if we continue to ignore the prodding of the Spirit, our conscience will stop working properly. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; –1Ti 4:1-2. In other words, we do wrong, but since our conscience doesn’t work any longer, there is no feeling there. We begin to justify our actions; we are always right.
I remember years ago as I was driving to work, I noticed a police car coming in my direction. I then realized I was not wearing my seat belt, so I slyly slipped it on, hoping he had not noticed. To my disappointment, he turned around and pulled me over. He asked me a very straightforward question. “Sir, did you just put your seat belt on when you saw me?”
I smiled and told him with an apology that I did. He went back to his car and several minutes later he returned. He told me that he sees many people do the same thing. They see him and quickly put their seat belt on, but he has never had anyone admit to it. They all argue with him that their seat belt was already on. He gave me a warning and thanked me for being honest.
It is sad that today, so many people no longer listen to their conscience, which is telling them to do right. Instead, even when they know they are wrong they argue, trying to deny or justify their wrong. We expect this from the world, but is this a practice that we are seeing more and more in the church today? I have even heard many people use the Bible to try to justify their wrongdoing. Have we stopped listening to God? Have we pampered ‘self ’ to the point that we no longer can admit when we are wrong? Would we rather look ‘right’ and have a guilty conscience? Or humble ourselves, admit our failure and rejoice with a clear conscience. Friends, do we value a clear conscience? Can we say with the apostle Paul that we …have lived in all good conscience before God until this day … to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men –Act 23:1-24:16.
Let’s look at the account of David and Bathsheba. David was a man after God’s own heart, so why did this happen? The account is in II Samuel chapter 11. It was the time when kings went forth to battle, and they had a battle going with the children of Ammon. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. When we begin to do things the way we want and ignore the call of God in our lives, we hinder the Spirit. So, David is just hanging around; it says that David was laying on his bed. Was he seeking God? It doesn’t seem like it. An ancient proverb says that ‘idleness is the devil’s workshop’. David decides to take a stroll on the roof. Was David innocent even at this time? Maybe David already knew he could see this woman from his rooftop? Maybe he had been tempted before, ‘at even tide’, to look over toward Bathsheba’s home. Either way, he now found himself in an awkward situation. What amazes me is there was no thinking—David does not seem to give his conscience any time at all to work. He simply sent messengers to go and bring her to him, and then he laid with her. Again, it seems that David’s conscience is not working. But rather he goes right into coverup mode. He calls for Bathsheba’s husband and eventually has him killed… and then marries Bathsheba. But God was not done with David. In II Samuel chapter 12 it says that God sent Nathan to David. Often before God gives us over, He sends a messenger. Maybe it’s a brother in the church, maybe it’s a church leader. Are we aware of, and listening to, the messengers God sends to us?
Nathan went to David and told him a story…
There were two men in one city: the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man… –2Sa 12:4-7.
David now came face to face with his sin; there was still time. David repented with genuine godly sorrow and was forgiven (read Psalm 51).
David could have become angry with Nathan and had him killed. Or what if Nathan would have refused to go talk to David because he feared him? When we want a clear conscience, I believe people around us will know that and it will be easy for them to come and talk to us about sin in our lives. But too often the opposite happens; we would rather live the way we want and shield ourselves from the counsel of others, and when a brother or sister comes to talk to us, we get angry and they don’t come talk to us again.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise –Pro 12:15.
If Nathan would have refused to talk to David, maybe David would never have seen his sin. It is our responsibility to talk to one another and it leads to a clear conscience. It often doesn’t feel good when our conscience is pricked, but that is the way God designed it, so we act upon a guilty conscience. Unfortunately, there are many other accounts in God’s word where someone refused to repent, and God’s judgement was poured out.
When our conscience is pricked, we have two choices: either to get angry and deny, or to humble ourselves and repent. It is really that simple. What do we find ourselves doing when God speaks to us through our conscience? Are we broken?
In the book of Acts, we have a few accounts of how people responded to their conscience being pricked. The first account is in chapter 2, the day of Pentecost. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, lifted up his voice and spoke some very hard things to the large crowd that had gathered. It says that after Peter was finished preaching, the people were pricked in their heart. So how did these people respond? They …said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost –Act 2:37-38. And about 3,000 souls were added to the Kingdom.
When we respond to that pricking of the heart, or the voice of God to our conscience, God hears us and will forgive us! However, if we turn just a few pages in our Bibles we see another response to the pricking of God in our conscience.
In Acts chapter 5 we see that the apostles went about preaching and healing the sick, and the high priest and those that were with him put them in prison. But God opened the doors and released them. Notice that this group of more than likely very young men, and new in the faith, rose up early the next morning and went into the temple to teach. They were sold out. That day the high priest wanted to talk with the disciples, so he sent someone to the prison, but they were not there. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people –Act 5:25. So, they went to the temple and brought them to the high priest. Peter then again began to speak boldly, telling them that they should obey God rather than man: …we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them –Act 5: 32-33.
Again, we see God speaking, convicting the conscience, but notice their reaction to the voice of God: ‘They took counsel to slay them’. Even though we are believers, we still tend to give a similar response when our conscience is pricked. We want to neutralize whatever it was that was spoken to us. In similar manner as David had Uriah killed, the Sadducees sought to slay the disciples, Herod beheaded John the Baptist, and the World killed our Lord, we avoid people that speak truth and say the hard things that God wants us to hear. The Lord is hated by the world because he testifies …of it, that the works thereof are evil –Joh 7:7.
Maybe we begin to have itching ears, hearing only what we want. We rid ourselves of the presence of people who love us and desire to speak into our lives. We often forget that our conscience is a gift from God and a very important part of a believer’s life. When it stops working, we are in big trouble.
A guilty conscience has proven to be a very difficult thing to deal with. It has caused many to turn to drugs and alcohol. It has also caused many like Judas to take their own life. Many people do not understand that a troubled conscience is God’s way of calling someone to himself. There is great hope for a bad conscience. It is not pills, or classes, or drugs, or entertainment. It is the Lord Jesus Christ and only Him. It is impossible to drown away a bad conscience.
What is worse than a bad conscience is a seared conscience. This occurs when someone has ignored God’s calling to repent and turn from their wrong for so long that He gives them over to their sin. He allows them to think that what they are doing is okay. This is a position that is very dangerous, and few find their way back to truth.
One hundred years ago it was common for a town or village to only have one sheriff to control its crime. Forty years ago, someone asked one of these then-retired sheriffs how they were able to control all the crime by themselves. He said that it was easy; back then, men’s consciences still worked. He went on to say that most criminals would eventually turn themselves in. They would rather face prison than continue living with a guilty conscience.
Today there are many criminals on the run, and men everywhere comfortably living in sin. It seems that their conscience is no longer working, being seared with a hot iron. That is not my concern today, but rather my concern is for the church of Jesus Christ. Do we have a clear conscience before God? Are we really looking forward to the return of the Lord? Do we have joy in our lives, relationships, and marriages? Are we actively pursuing the Kingdom of God, or are we trying to ease our conscience with the ways of the world, money, entertainment, pleasure, and the likes?
My children wanted a dog for some time, so I finally decided it was time and brought a puppy home. The children fell in love with it over the next months. Then someone stole it. The children were devastated, and they prayed every night that God would bring the puppy back. One day as we walked home from the Sunday service a puppy came running from a small house, jumping and yipping. We quickly realized it was our puppy. I walked over to the house and asked the man if this was his dog. He said that it was, so I asked him where he had gotten it. The man claimed he had purchased the dog. I then asked him if he was a Christian; guiltily he said he was. I smiled and told him that he should know that God knows the truth, that God sees everything. I patted him on the back, and we walked home.
Then we waited… sure enough, there was a knock at the door. Opening the door, I saw the man holding our puppy. He said he was sorry and gave the puppy back. I shook his hand and told him that God was pleased with his response to his conscience. The man walked away with no puppy, but with something far greater, a clear conscience before God.
When we choose to ignore our conscience, we eventually become bitter; we believe everyone is out to get us. We have a problem with the sermons we hear, we have a problem with our spouse and children. We shut ourselves off, we separate ourselves from God and his people.
If you find yourself in this state, remember, a clear heaven is only a prayer away.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise –Psa 51:17.
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