Train Your Conscience - Part 2 Series

Train your conscience - Part 2

In the past few chapters, we have delved deep into the subject of our conscience. To summarize briefly, we understand that our conscience is placed inside of us by God Himself, it is God’s gift to us, which serves as our internal audit to help us be aware of what is right and wrong. Our conscience we learnt enables us keep our life in order and in accordance with God’s word, so we can stand without fault before God’s judgment seat, which can be referred to as the external audit. We recognized that this conscience is instilled inside all human beings, both believers and non-believers alike. Conscience is also something uniquely gifted only to humans, and not to other animals. For instance an animal which kills another animal or even a man feels no sense of remorse.

We looked further at how the standards of this world are in conflict with God’s standards, and therefore we must constantly shape our conscience to be aligned with God’s word, as the standards of this world is altering according to the whims and fancies of people. If we allow the world’s standards to shape our conscience, we will begin to lead sinful lives that will not please God in any way.

God’s standard versus the world’s standard

In Matthew 5: 27-28 we read, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (NKJV)

The above mentioned verses, which are Jesus’ teachings on adultery refers to two standards. The one which is accepted by the world, as is also mentioned in the Law of Moses is ‘you shall not commit adultery’. However in Matthew 5:28, Jesus however taught another standard which is far higher than what the law demands. According to this standard set by the Lord, if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed the act of adultery with her in his heart.

The Lord warns us that our eyes should be trained to be pure. Many are struggling with the sins of the eyes, because while there is much restriction as to what one can do with their hands and legs, there is no restraint set as to what one can do with their eyes. We will be shocked to know that many of our sins originate from the eyes, but often people justify themselves that the sins they commit with their eyes, like pornography for example affect no one but themselves. Many youth are so addicted to the lust of the eyes, that they are struggling and unable to free themselves from these bondage. The standards of this world is dictating to people, that it is acceptable to be hooked on to obscenity, and the conscience inside of them has been quietened by the voice of the world.

We read in Matthew 6:22, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.”(NKJV)

The eye, Jesus said is the lamp of the body, and that is why what we fill our eyes with, determines what our life is filled with. Only when our eyes behold the good things can our life be filled with light. Everyone irrespective of how old or young they are, man or woman must certainly exercise caution in this area.

In the book of Job we read about Job, a man who had everything and lost it all, his wealth, his family and his health because the Lord chose to allow him to be tested. When the friends of Job joined together in judgement and accused him of wrong doing as the cause for his predicament, this is what Job replied to prove his innocence before the Lord, in Job 31:1, “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?”(KJV) Job had made a covenant with his eyes to not sin against the Lord with his eyes, and so he was very certain that none of the calamities on his life were a consequence of sin in his life.

Some of us use our eyes so extensively to watch movies, serials and memes on cell phones, and often justify ourselves that this is just harmless entertainment. What happens over a period of time, is that our minds get filled with all the values and standards that are portrayed through the various forms of media. There was a time when people would shy away from looking at anything obscene, but today there are loads of uncensored images that are readily available on our phones and many adults, youth and children too have become enslaved to these indecencies.