Though we may try to preserve our spirit, we may often become deadened or defiled. Our conscience, the most evident part of our spirit, will have some uneasy feelings. These feelings indicate to us that we have a problem with God, that the fellowship of life is cut off. We may even try to exercise our spirit, yet, we still would not have any release. In order to restore the fellowship to enjoy life again, we must deal with our conscience until it is void of offense (Acts 24:16). The way to deal with the conscience is to repent and confess (1 John 1:7-9), until the fellowship of life with the issue of peace is restored.
[These feelings of the conscience can be divided into three categories: first is the feeling toward sin. If we sin before God or before man, the conscience will immediately have the feeling of condemnation. The second category is the feeling toward the world. If we love other matters or are occupied with anything outside of God, the conscience will also give us a feeling of condemnation.] The third category is the feeling [concerning anything apart from sin and the world. There are certain matters that are neither sinful nor of the world, yet they cause our conscience to lose the feeling of peace. For example, looseness and inaccuracy in our daily living are not sin nor of the world, yet our conscience is disturbed by them. If someone scatters clothing and other articles around, leaving the room in a state of disorder, his conscience will rebuke him.]
[The three categories of the feelings of the conscience are the result of our offenses-we have either offended God or sinned against man in our intention, motive, word, and action. Therefore, these feelings can be considered as feelings of offense. The feeling of offense itself is a serious damage to our spiritual condition. When one’s conscience has this feeling of offense, his fellowship with God is hindered and thus his entire spiritual condition is lowered. Therefore, whenever a Christian has the feeling of offense in his conscience, he must immediately go before the Lord to confess his sin according to this feeling and claim the cleansing of His precious blood. Sometimes there is also the need to go before man and deal with the matter. Then the feeling of offense will vanish, and the conscience will be void of offense. Therefore, dealing with the conscience, on the one hand, is to cause our conscience to become keen and rich in feeling, and, on the other hand to cause our conscience to be secure, at peace, and void of offense.
The blood of the Lord is our only weapon to overcome Satan’s accusation and attack. Revelation 12:10-11 tells us that Satan accuses us day and night before God, but that we can overcome him by the blood of the Lamb. First John 1:7, 9 tells us that if we confess our sins, God will forgive our sins, and the blood of the Lord will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.]
Therefore, every time we confess according to the feeling of the conscience, we should be freed from condemnation. We should have the sensation of life and peace. If the condemnation lingers on, we simply declare to Satan that he must leave us, because God has already forgiven us according to His word. Hallelujah! God is righteous and just, He forgives and cleanses as soon as we confess. As we are saying “O Lord, forgive me,’’ He has already forgiven us.
After we are saved, the feeling of the conscience increases as the life grows. To the extent our life grows, the feeling of our conscience increases. The more we advance in the growth of life, the richer and keener will be the feeling of our conscience. The growth of life affects the feeling of our conscience, and the feeling of our conscience aids the growth of life. These two, in a mutual cause and effect relationship, forward us onward in the path of life.
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