“Be filled with love from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.” 1 Timothy 1:5 NLT.
Better to obey your conscience than explore your curiosity.
My thoughts and comments today are about “conscience and curiosity.”
When you quietly hear an inner voice of question and caution, that’s your conscience. God created your conscience to instinctively know right from wrong. There probably have been times when you wished your conscience would be silent. Instead, listen to your conscience; you will spare yourself many mistakes and resulting heartaches.
The Bible offers wise advice and dire warning when the voice of conscience is ignored. “Always keep your conscience clear. For some have deliberately violated their conscience; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” 1 Timothy 1:19 NLT. Shipwrecked! Could Paul’s warning of needless tragedy and loss be any clearer? Usually, a shipwreck results when a ship is in waters not safe to sail, doing what it was not designed to do. In unmistakable description, a contemporary paraphrase reads, “Some . . have made a thorough mess of their faith.” 1 Timothy 1:19 MSG.
Ignoring the voice of God in your heart is always a mistake and results in hurt and loss for yourself and others. Adam and Eve lost so much for themselves, as well as all of us, just by listening to the wrong voice and ignoring the voice of God. “If many died by the trespass of one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to many.” See Romans 5:12-17 NIV.
(1) Better to obey your conscience than explore your curiosity. Incorrectly, the world reasons, “If it feels right, how can it be wrong?” What dangerously defective reasoning. Here’s the reality; most things that “feel right” to your natural inclinations and appetites are anything but right. One and all, we struggle with a sin nature. Don’t be lured and deceived by curiosity and desires. Eve was curious and unleashed a world of trouble for us all.
(2) Avoid unholy influences. Secular culture and wrong associations assault your spirit with impure signals that can and will confuse you. “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” Titus 1:15 NIV. Choose wisely and carefully to whom or what you listen. Conflicting voices attempt to stifle the voice of the Holy Spirit God has placed within you.
(3) Strengthen your conscience with the Word of God. “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Read Psalm 119:9-16 NIV. In your heart, you know before you do wrong, but still indulge your appetite and ignore your conscience, to your own harm. Allow God’s Word to guide and govern your conscience. “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand, whenever you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21. There is no substitute for filling your mind and thoughts with God’s Word. Read Psalm 1:1-3. Obey God’s Word however pressing the temptation to do otherwise.
”Our rejoicing is this: the testimony of our conscience that by the grace of God . . in simplicity and Godly sincerity . . that is how we have lived our lives toward everyone.” 2 Corinthians 1:12 KJV. Paul, a wise, life-seasoned saint, wrote to young Timothy, “The purpose of my instruction is that all Christians would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.” 1 Timothy 1:5 NLT. The love of God best flows into a pure heart, through a clear conscience, and from a sincere faith.
Today, my prayer for you is that your heart will be a home for God’s love at all times.
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