"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly." John 10:10b
God holds me accountable for all my thoughts, words, actions, attitudes, and
motives. He wants me to have a clear conscience by confessing and forsaking past sins against Him and others. When we understand
this concept of responsibility, we will experience not only a clear conscience, but improved relationships with others.
Key Truths: Like every other person, I have a sinful nature."...There is none righteous,
no, not one" - Romans 3:10b. "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good
dwells...." - Romans 7:18a.
Even as a Christian, I battle with sin. Look up Romans 7:22-23; what insights can you
glean from these verses?
As we grow spiritually, it's easy to think at times that "we have arrived" -- that we are now good
enough and don't need to grow anymore. The Lord often responds to this attitude by showing us an area in which we desperately need
to improve!
The more we mature, the more we realize that even as Christians seeking the Lord, we daily fail and
are utterly incapable of doing anything good on our own.
We can respond to this realization in several different ways. One is to ignore our sin and hope it
will go away if we forget about it. Another is to become overwhelmed with defeat and failure. Neither of these responses gives us
a clear conscience and the rewards that come with it. To respond correctly to our sin nature, we need to understand the following
truth:
Sin separates us from God.
As Christians, our salvation is eternally secure in Jesus Christ (see John 10:28-29). However, we
face a day-to-day choice whether or not we will be "connected" to God or separated from Him. Our connection to the Lord
is like a branch's connection to a vine. The branch cannot bear any fruit unless it is connected to the vine. In the same way, a
lamp does not give any light unless it is plugged into a power source.
Sin in our lives is the equivalent of severing the branch from the vine or unplugging the lamp. No
matter how good we look on the outside, we are utterly powerless when disconnected from the Lord. Jesus said, "...without
Me you can do nothing." -- John 15:5b.
Look up the following
Scriptures and list insights and truths to apply for each one:
Psalm 66:18
Isaiah 59:2
2 Corinthians 6:14
Read John 15:1-8 and describe the relationship between abiding in the Vine and bearing
fruit:
Lisa Bode writes, "When I have sinned and refused to confess it, I may still keep working. I can muster a smile. But
the joy is gone. The results of my work are gone. I feel as though I am spinning my wheels in the mud --
fruitless effort.
"I have experienced the joy of being connected to the Lord -- of practically feeling His power
running through me and accomplishing all kinds of good things I could not do on my own. I find power to overcome evil with good,
power to write and to speak, power to love others. Yet when the sin begins, the power stops.
"Now, the moment I recognize sin, I am desperate to confess it to God and get my connection
restored. You could even call it a selfish desperation -- I know how much I need to be connected with Him, how no
matter how hard I try, until the sin is confessed, I am only spinning my wheels."
No sin is too great for God to forgive."Is anything too hard for the Lord?..." - Genesis 18:14a.
Look up the following Scriptures and list insights and truths to apply from each one:
Isaiah 55:7
Isaiah 1:18-20
Who in Isaiah 1:18 is taking the initiative to restore the relationship? What does this say about
God's desire for you?
When we confess our sin, we can have a restored relationship with God."...the
blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John
1:7b-9.
God does not require us to crawl in the dust or to torture ourselves before He will forgive. If we
think an impure thought, for example, we can quickly recognize and humbly confess the sin, and immediately
experience complete cleansing, a restored connection, and power to continue living for the Lord. There is no good reason
not to confess sin. God will forgive, and our connection with Him will be instantly restored.
Read Psalm 103:11-13, and explain in your own
words what this passage is saying:
A continued "disconnection" from the Lord will destroy our effectiveness and dull our spiritual
senses. One unconfessed sin easily leads to another, until we find ourselves sadly backslidden. At this point Satan has gained
much ground and tempts us to despair.
Yet remember, no matter how many unconfessed sins we have piled up, the Lord is willing to forgive
and restore!
The devil's goal is to keep us from abiding in Christ and bearing fruit. He attacks by
tempting us to ignore or rationalize past sin. [Note: Even though most of us don't consider ourselves to be really "guilty" people, the devil
often attacks us in small areas. Look for even the small sins and pull them out before they grow bigger.]
Characteristics of a Guilty Conscience: (Put a check by any characteristics that you see in your own life.)
Trying to cover up personal failures.
Feeling far away from God.
Not wanting to look people in the eye.
Blaming others for offending me.
Showing off my good points to gain others’ approval.
Avoiding people who are upset with me.
Rationalizing sins as being too little to really matter.
Fearing that admitting my faults will cause everyone to reject
me.
Does it really matter whether or not I have a clear conscience?
YES! Confessing our faults to those whom we have offended is
essential. Guilt can contribute to physical and mental problems and emotional breakdowns.
A clear conscience is also important for our witness to those around us, as we strive to conduct
ourselves in a manner worthy of God. "that you would walk worthy of God
who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." -
1 Thessalonians 2:12. Having a clear record with others (having asked for forgiveness for every offense) is a powerful witness.
(See 1 Thessalonians 2:10.)
A guilty conscience is a big strain both on our relationships with people and on our relationship
with God. Asking for forgiveness will lead to greater blessing in our lives. Jeremiah 18:8 tells us that when a nation repents of
its evil, God will show mercy. God brings blessing into the lives of those who honor His Word and understand the importance of
having a clear conscience.
Asking for forgiveness requires humility, but God
gives grace to the humble. "...God resists the proud, but gives grace to
the humble." - James 4:6b.
A clear conscience should be valued as one of our most powerful weapons for serving God and resisting
the devil.
CONCEPT TO THINK ABOUT: When we try to balance guilt with blame, we allow bitterness to
develop in our hearts towards the people we blame for our problems. As our guilt increases, we attempt to balance it with more and
more blame on others, thus increasing our bitterness. When we try to balance guilt and blame, we never effectively deal with
either one.
Clearing my conscience enables me to experience joy in the Lord, to work effectively for His
kingdom, and to share freely with others all that He has done for me.
Look up the following
Scriptures and list insights and truths to apply from each one:
Proverbs 28:13
Matthew 5:23-24
Acts 24:16
Necessary Heart Attitudes:
Realize that it is impossible for me to not sin. The only way to be perfect is to be
cleansed from sin.
Desire God’s approval more than anything else – be willing to be rejected by everybody if necessary.
"For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if
I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." - Galatians 1:10.
Become desperate for a clear conscience as a prerequisite to bearing
spiritual fruit.
Surrender my life and reputation to God by dying to self and trusting Him to give me the grace to
confess one sin at a time. (See Mark 8:34 and 2 Corinthians 9:8.)
Do not postpone clearing my conscience. "Therefore, to him who knows
to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." - James 4:17.
Instant Application:
If you have never cleared your conscience before God, then the hardest time is right now!
Starting is tough, and the devil will try to discourage you.
Kneel in private before God and ask Him to search your heart for any words, actions, attitudes,
thoughts, or motives that have offended Him (see Psalm 139:23-24).
As God brings them to your mind, confess them to Him, ask His forgiveness, and purpose to turn from
those sins. Remember, you are forgiven immediately! Jesus has already paid the price; you do not need to earn your
way back into a right relationship with God.
This is indeed the hardest part. But once you have a "clean slate," you will experience joy and
freedom! From this point on, daily come before God in prayer (right before bed is a good time) and search your heart for sin.
Daily maintain a "clean slate" before the Lord.
Week 6 memory work: Choose at least one verse from the following list. Memorize the verse(s)
that you think will be the most helpful for you to remember:
Proverbs 28:13
James 4:17
1 Thessalonians 2:12
Lindsay's friend had just loaned her an exciting book, and Lindsay was eager to begin. As soon as
she finished school on Monday, she delved into the first chapter. All through that week, every spare moment found Lindsay with her
book, as she read through the pages with excitement.
Day after day, she skipped her quiet time with the Lord. She was not much help to her family. And
when an elderly couple came to visit Tuesday evening, she acted as disinterested as possible, dreaming about her book and waiting
until she could finally get away to continue her reading.
Her heart felt heavy and distant whenever she thought about God and His will for her week. But the
book was so captivating that she pushed thoughts of normal life away and lived in a dream world of excitement.
Saturday night she finished the last page, and felt strangely deflated. She figured she had better
pray after skipping so many days, but even that did not seem to help. God seemed very far away, and her family felt distant also.
Should Lindsay go to bed and hope she feels closer to God in the morning? How could applying the
lesson in this chapter help
her situation?
