Pay Attention to Your Gatekeeper

The idea of a gatekeeper as a basis for effective communication makes sense. The gatekeeper serves as overseer of what is about to be said to determine its appropriateness, including the tone of voice accompanying the spoken word. The voice of conscience enhanced by the Holy Spirit becomes the gatekeeper for communications and behavior.

The gatekeepers' assessment may be overridden when words are upsetting and threatening. If frustration and anger become unmanageable, then the words that are spoken may result in regrettable consequences. The gatekeeper’s attempts to clean up the hurt and wounded pride may be met with strong resistance.

The Holy Spirit aids the gatekeeper as teacher, counselor, and comforter. Your mission is to be attentive to what is communicated following an overreaction. It takes courage to seek reconciliation, but for those willing to reach out, the appropriate words will find their way to your voice. Pray for guidance and wait for the Holy Spirit to provide it. 

_________________ 

I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.

~Ezekiel 36:27 The Message

__________________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Follow God's Searchlight: Your Conscience - Part 3

Personal freedom depends on having courage to follow the conscience, which isn’t easy to do. Threat of personal embarrassment, peer pressure, or the need for acceptance may result in failure to heed the voice of conscience. When the voice of conscience makes you aware of wrongdoing or sin and you obey, you feel stronger and more self-assured.

Failure to follow your conscience eventually culminates in the loss of personal freedom. A man confided that when he was an adolescent he became indebted to a store owner in his small community. Time elapsed and he failed to pay the debt. Shame stole away a chunk of his integrity. The store owner died and the debt remained unpaid.

Our conscience pushes for right to be done, for amends to be made, apologies to be spoken, and forgiveness to be sought after and given. Courage is the avenue to a clear conscience. Listen to 1 John 3:21. “If our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage before God and will receive from him whatever we ask.” What a wonderful promise! 

Allow Your Conscience to Accuse or Excuse - Part 3

The Apostle Paul consistently encourages us to assess what we’re striving to acquire, and at what price? C. S. Lewis noted, “We’re all given to seeking after material possessions and even conversion does not at once work the infection out of our system.” What gave the Apostle Paul the will to press on toward the mark of his high calling in Jesus Christ?

The Apostle Paul’s usage of the words “press on” implies being consistently vigilant to accomplish God’s purpose with no consideration of giving up. The conscience, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, helps us choose what is good, righteous and godly and then stay focused.

Ignoring the conscience disrupts fellowship with oneself, significant others, and God the Father. The voice of conscience, permeated by the Holy Spirit, speaks to alert us when there is danger of going against the conscience’s directives. Christ Jesus instills in us his righteousness to strengthen our conscience to ensure that fellowship between us and God the Father continues. Isn’t that a wonderful thought? 

God Is There! Are You Listening? - Part 1

How would you evaluate the ethics of our culture when it comes to going beyond what is required, doing what is commendable? Several years ago, a plane crashed into the Potomac River just outside Washington DC. A young man risked his life to save passengers by swimming out to the plane in freezing water to bring helpless victims to shore.

Luke’s Gospel records the account of the Good Samaritan who helped a wounded man who had been left for dead beside the road. He went beyond the call of duty to insure the injured man was given proper care. This parable also relates how two religious leaders of the same nationality as the wounded man used excuses to pass by and refused to give help.

The strong voice of conscience directs us to do what is morally right and good. Each person can choose to perform spontaneous acts of kindness with no thought of reward. If an opportunity arises to follow the voice of your conscience, are you ready and willing to hear and respond? What would Jesus do?  

Your Conscience: God's Inner Voice - Part 3

Andrei Sakharov, the decorated Soviet physicist, believed his work would ensure peace and protection for his country. He later came to believe that nuclear testing was destructive and dangerous to the human race. Because of this change in critical thinking, he was forced to live in isolation for eighteen years.

Andrei Sakharov listened to the voice of his conscience and stood up for what he believed. His faith in common people and the power of reason made him a hero to people everywhere. When a person listens to his or her conscience, appropriate conduct usually follows.

Andrei Sakharov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975, and by the time of his death, democracy had engulfed some of the communist nations. Jesus’ determination to do the will of God cost him his life but made possible our redemption from sin. God blesses those who resist the temptation to cave in to the external pressures of the world and choose instead to abide by the inner voice of their conscience.  

Your Conscience: God's Inner Voice - Part 2

What is the conscience and what role does it play in determining conduct? The conscience functions as an inner voice, pointing out the best possible moral good for ourselves and others. It recalls what is ethical and appropriate by directing us to choose what is truly good, with the goal of learning to enjoy these choices.

Thomas Aquinas, the thirteenth century Italian theologian, wrote that happiness is not equivalent to wealth, power or pleasure. Happiness involves a life full of things that human beings need in the right order and in the right proportion. The purpose of conscience is to help us avoid guilt.

Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachael, maintained his moral principles even under disastrous circumstances. He made critical decisions based upon what his conscience urged him to do. The voice of conscience directs you to consider the long-term effects of your choices. Are they compatible with what is right, good, and godly? God encourages choices that reflect his highest purpose for your life. 

Your Conscience: God's Inner Voice - Part 1

Conscience is designed to govern our thoughts and action, urging choices toward what is right and pleasing to God. The job of conscience is to develop an acute awareness in the mind and spirit when there is danger of engaging in behaviors harmful to one’s values and self-respect. How important is your conscience to you.

Conscience has been called the inner voice of God, alerting us to unacceptable motives, thoughts and actions. It’s difficult to listen to the voice of conscience when secret desires and motives override what is acceptable to God. It isn’t sinful to have a bad thought, but to nurture the thought is a serious sin.

Proverbs 23:7 issues this warning: “For as a person thinks in his heart, so he is.” This warning is against having detrimental thoughts that result in wrong choices and hurtful actions. However, we can choose to have the mind of Christ, allowing our thoughts to be anchored in him. It’s possible to do this, but it takes determination. 

The Conscience As an Alert System - Part 1

Most people believe they have a conscience, an inner value system designed to keep them within safe boundaries. The conscience sounds an alert when values are in imminent danger of being violated. But how do you get a conscience? A ten-year child gave this answer, "I really don't know. It's something you get without asking for it. It just seems to happen."

Can you imagine a society whose inhabitants have not developed  consciences to guide and control their thoughts and behaviors? Psychopaths and sociopaths are defined as being without a conscience. Everyone then would be subject to their criminal acts because they lack love and compassion for others.

Parents play a major role in the development of a child's conscience. The positive, healthy parent/child attachment based on love, guidance, and correct boundaries is significant to the evolution of a child's conscience. God's word encourages parents to "teach children how to live and they will remember it all their lives." This choice will never be regretted.  

Listening to Your Inner Voice - Part 2

Most people want to rise above self-centeredness at some point in life's journey. Self-centeredness promotes self-indulgence and eventually creates a void within the heart and soul. What are you getting from your relationships, from the world of entertainment, or from a successful career? Sooner or later each person will have to ask, "What gives meaning and purpose to my life?"

There's an interesting paradox to this issue of self-indulgence. The incongruity lies in the connection between a deeper, underlying self-hatred and the drive to fill up one's life with everything possible. Self hatred, low self-esteem, and a wounded conscience go hand in hand. One reason for self-hatred is guilt.

Self-hatred and guilt tell you you're bad, but God provides an escape from  condemnation. Genuine sorrow for wrong-doing is what God expects within the heart of the person. Ask God to help you seek the promise of Psalm 126:5. "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." This choice is the pathway to change.  

The Voice of Conscience: Turn It Back On - Part 3

Most people struggle to stay in line with the dictates of their conscience. We know that impulsive decisions often indicate we're out of compliance with good judgment and are vulnerable to damaging our integrity. Still we find it difficult to override the tendency to self-indulge, even though self-indulgence ultimately leads to negative consequences.

Our conscience attempts to remind us that self-indulgence is not suitable for good health. Succumbing to self-indulgence causes our integrity to suffer. We become manipulative and controlling in an effort to fulfill our desires, but still we feel empty and like Ezekiel 37 describes as "a dessert full of dry bones, with no life, direction, or purpose."

Yet what God can do with faith the size of a mustard seed has no bounds! God told Ezekiel to say to those dry bones, "Dry bones, hear the voice of the Lord: 'I will make breath enter you and you will come to life.'" Permit God's power  to penetrate your life so your conscience and integrity can be restored and healed. This is a wise choice.  

The Voice of Conscience: Turn It Back On - Part 2

Losing the battle of conscience ultimately causes prolonged suffering. A clear conscience enlightened by the presence of Christ Jesus, however, brings freedom from shame and guilt. Everyone can choose to tune out the voice of conscience and allow it to grow cold and hardened, but the freedom they're searching for is never realized.

The saddest consequence of the progressive deadening of conscience is a loss of connectedness to the Lord God and those who love you. Perdition is a strange word derived from Latin that means to throw away or lose the soul. Willfully shutting down the conscience and the voice of Christ within you can be devastating.

How long has it been since you felt connected to God or others? God sent Jesus to save you from bad choices. His purpose reaches beyond this objective. He sent Jesus to save you from eternal separation from himself, so choose to let God save you by committing your life to Christ Jesus. This is the most important decision you will ever make.  

The Voice of Conscience: Turn It Back On - Part 1

Every person is subject to self-indulgence at some level. Self-indulgence can range from food to video games and is not reserved for what money can buy. Anything taken to excess is an indulgence and tends to cross all socioeconomic lines. Queen Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI of France, was known as the queen of self-indulgence.

During the French revolution when poor people were begging for food, the queen's insensitive response was, "Let them eat cake." She was so obsessed with food, nothing satisfied her taste and cravings. She was so captivated with self-indulgence that her conscience and integrity disintegrated.

Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus, found in Luke 16, reveals the startling, sad truth that self-indulgence blinds us to compassion and the realistic needs of others. Perhaps God is speaking to you and prompting you to make important changes before it's too late to turn things around. Ask Christ Jesus to help you do that right now.  

Conscience, Your Inner Voice: To Heed or Not To Heed? - Part 2

The inner voice of conscience is alive and alert, even when a person's wants, desires, and passions speak so loudly that it can no longer be heard. To live with a clear conscience is to harmonize your integrity with your thought patterns and behavior. Listen to the Apostle Paul's words from Acts 24:16 regarding his conscience. "I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man."

The conscience is an alarm system that warns of imminent danger. The voice of conscience is persistent since its mission is to bring us to confession and repentance for violations and sinful choices. Failure to heed your conscience may seem OK initially, but disregarding this voice can be devastating.

God will restore and renew a damaged integrity and conscience so you can experience peace with him and fellowship with Christ Jesus as well as peace with those who love you. Choosing the path of positive change is not always easy, but the Holy Spirit makes a way to do so when you are willing to ask for help. Would you give this a chance to work for you?  

Conscience, Your Inner Voice: To Heed or Not To Heed? - Part 1

How much power and control do you allow your conscience to have in directing and guiding your thoughts and actions? Conscience is defined as an alarm system or inner voice whose purpose is to alert us against committing behaviors that violate our moral, social, and spiritual values. Your conscience is most vulnerable when you stubbornly refuse to listen to its voice.

The conscience works in partnership with your integrity to guide you toward what is good and pleasing to God. Permit Christ Jesus to empower and strengthen your conscience as a guard against temptation that confronts each person. You will then be dissuaded from making bad decisions capable of taking you to the brink of unhappiness or disaster.

Christ Jesus enlightens the conscience to help you make choices that save your integrity from damage. If your choices have acutely injured your integrity and conscience, prayer and patience are required so that forgiveness and cleansing are free to heal you. Ask Christ Jesus to give you to strength to set boundaries on choices that violate your conscience.