this is your conscience speaking by dr. freddy cardoza
TRANSCRIPT
The Weight of the Inner Psychological and Emotional Discomfort Placed on Our Soul
Because of Personal Secrets Creates the Need for a Clear Conscience
So We Sometimes Tell Our Secrets
Examples of Secrets
Governments.Nuclear Proliferation Programs
Spying, Black Ops Sites, Area 51
Companies.The 11 Secret Herbs and Spices of KFC
The Formula for Coca-ColaGrand Central Station “Track 61”
People.Actions. Motivations. Indiscretions.
Some (But Not All) Secrets Are Legitimate and Need to Be Kept
To OurselvesWhoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he
who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.Prov. 11:13
But We Should Never Keep Secrets From Ourselves
(i.e., avoid self-deception and self-delusion)
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 ESV
When We Allow the Heartto Keep Secrets From OurselvesWe Corrupt Our Conscience and Lose Discernment of God’s Will
“They are darkened in their understanding… because of the ignorance that is in them
due to the hardening of their hearts”Ephesians 4:18
God Gave Us a Conscience
He gave it to help us “know and understand ourselves”
That’s part of what it meansto have a “soul”
The soul and the conscience give us the ability to reflect upon ourselves.
God created the conscience to help us deliberate within
ourselves about choices, decisions, and ethics
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21
They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or
even excuse them Romans 2:15
The Conscience and the Spirit
• All people have a soul and a conscience (Romans 2:14-15). These help them know ourselves, be aware of God, and to make decisions for life/eternity.
• Only believers have soul, conscience, AND the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). These help us know God’s Will, in addition to the others.
Everyone has a soul.Everybody has a conscience.
Our “soul” is our innermost being. It’s who we are and who we are becoming.
The conscience is what God uses to help us understand and evaluate our souls and who
we are becoming.
The conscience is the intersection of our thoughts, motivations, and actions. God,
the Holy Spirit, speaks to us and confirms His Voice and His Way through our Conscience.
It helps us mediate between them, to discern good or bad– and to help us know whether each of them are “of God” or
not
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel [H.S.]; in the night also my heart [conscience] instructs me. Ps. 16:7
Sometimes Our Own Duplicity, Caused By A Spoiled Conscience, Experiences Great Inward Conflict Between Wanting To Obey God And
Wanting To Be (Our Own) God.
That drives our minds toward instability because we try to have it both ways
A fool does not delight in wisdom becausehis heart meditates upon madness.
Prov 18:2 Aramaic Bible-PET
The Holy Spirit and the Word of God speak to our conscience–
they inform our minds (thoughts) and emotions
(feelings)
It is meant to help shape our wills (our decision-making
capacity)— as free agents/human beings
The conscience has three possible “statuses” or conditions
And two possible “states”
Strong, Weak, Seared Status(1 Cor.8; 1 Tim. 4:2)
Clear [also, blameless/pure] (Acts 24:16) or Guilty State (Heb
10:22)
(Guilty can lead to Reprobate Mind, Rom 1:28)
The Reliability of Your Conscience
The conscience has three possible “statuses” or conditions:
Strong, Weak, Seared
Its ability to help show you what to do and to know God’s Will depends on how it’s treated.
The Reliability of Your Conscience
The Conscience That Works As It Is Intended, Objecting to Bad and
Affirming Good Behavior and Decisions
1 Cor. 8; Rom. 14
The Strong Conscience
The Conscience that Objects When It Should But Also Objects When It Should’t
(Overreactive)
Signifying Legalistic, Immature Believer
1 Cor. 8; Rom. 14
The Weak Conscience
The Conscience That, Due to Abuse By Our Frequently
Doing Whatever We Want, Fails to Accuse or Object
When It Should
1 Tim. 4:2
The Seared Conscience
1Remember, Doing “Good Works”
to “Make Up” for Personal Wickedness Cannot Clean a Dirty
Conscience
This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not
able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.c.f., Hebrews 9:9
2Tell Yourself the Truth
About Everything
(Always Make Sure You’re Dealing with Facts by Having a Personal Commitment to “Traffic in Reality”)
And you will know the truth,and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32 ESV
3Acknowledge the Truth to God
God Already Knows Everything, So We Can’t “Reveal” Anything To Him. We Can only
Acknowledge It
Additional Study1)http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Guilty-Consciences2)http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Clear-Consciences
3)http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/CGG/ID/1811/Conscience-Seared.htm 4)http://www.gracevalley.org/sermon_trans/1999/how_is_your_conscience.html
SourcesImage Courtesy:
Little Zoker on Flickrhttp://cardoza.link/LittleZokerConscienceonFlickr