Acts 24:16 "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men". In my past, I've definitely learned this the hard way. This was one of the chapters we studied during our Seeking Him Bible Study several years ago. As I've mentioned before, this study was life changing for me and continues to be. The commitment to have a clear conscience is an important key to personal and corporate revival. When our conscience is clear, we have NOTHING to be ashamed of.
What an amazingly true statement that is. Since 2005, this is something that I have strived to do. In order to do that I have learned to keep my mouth shut. In keeping my mouth shut, I find that I keep my foot out of it; I don't have to apologize to people for offending them. In having a clear conscience, I don't have to share things that I've kept hidden, things that destroy others. In other words, to have a clear conscience means to have no unconfessed sin between you and God or any other person! Having a clear conscience means we are careful to avoid sinning against God or others with our words, actions, or attitudes. It also means that when we do sin, we QUICKLY repent, admit our failure to all offended parties, ask their forgiveness, and make whatever restitution is necessary. It means we have taken whatever steps are necessary to deal with EVERY sin we may have committed against any person. It means we can look everyone we know in the eyes without shame and know that we are right with them, insofar as it depends on us. It also makes for peaceful sleeping!
Is your conscience clear? In closing, I'd like to share a list with you. A list that brought true repentance into my life. A list that showed me that I didn't have a clear conscience...not even close to one. It was a painful and difficult road for me to walk...but one that God walked right beside me, as I dealt with my past, people I had offended, family members that I crushed. But oh the freedom when that walk was finally over.
God was so faithful and He promises that as you humble yourself and begin to clear your conscience, He will walk each step of the way with you, however hard the process may be and however long it may take.
Your family:
1. Have you broken any promises to your family?
2. Have you broken your marriage vows?
3. Are you deceiving anyone in your family in any way?
4. Have you wounded the spirit of your mate?
5. Have you dishonored your parents?
Your church family:
1. Have you been guilty of gossip, slander, or a critical spirit toward anyone in your church?
2. Has God placed any area of service on your heart that you have been unwilling to perform?
3. Have you failed to give at least a tithe of your income back to the Lord?
4. Do you portray a "better-than-thou" attitude to your church family?
Your workplace:
1. Have you spoken disrespectfully to or about your supervisors?
2. When you have a disagreement at work, do you seek to resolve it quickly and biblically, or do you display anger?
3. Do you work faithfully and diligently?
4. Have you stolen any items or money from your employer or cheated on expense reports?
Your past:
1. Have you committed any crime that you have never confessed to the proper authorities?
2. Do you have any unresolved conflicts with anyone?
3. Have you lied to anyone about anything in an attempt to avoid consequences for some wrong you have done?
Is there anything else of which God is convicting you that needs to be made right? Any sin - past or present - that you have never cleared up with the person affected by it? Any person you couldn't look in the eye with a clear conscience?
Remember, God gives grace to the humble.
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