Paul said he practiced to have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men (Acts 24:16). How do we know what to deal with?

There is a principle in the Bible (Matt. 5:23-24) that if we offend another, we must go to that one and confess. Not only do we confess to the Lord, but also to the offended one. Suppose I have gotten angry with one of the brothers. When I go to contact the Lord, my conscience condemns me, and I must say, “Lord, forgive me. I was angry with Brother So-and-so.” I must also go to the brother and ask him to forgive me for getting angry with him on that occasion.

By keeping this principle our conscience is clear and void of offense.

I have been going to the Lord every morning, asking Him to examine me, but I feel I don’t get any answer. I think I need to think over what should be examined.

No, you must never think over what to confess. When you need to confess, you will sense a specific offense. That you confess. Do not try to seek out your faults. It is not healthy and can result in an attack from the enemy. Just confess what you sense as an offense that you have not yet confessed.

What if I don’t have any sense of anything wrong?

If you do not have any sense that you are wrong or sinful, praise the Lord. It might be good to tell the Lord, “Lord, even though I don’t sense that I am wrong in anything, I do believe I am still in the old creation, in the natural life, in the flesh. Many things must still be dirty, but I do not have the consciousness of them. Lord, cleanse me.” It is good to pray this way. But if you try to dig out your faults, you will be cheated and attacked by the enemy.

Something has been bothering my conscience, but I don’t have any definite feeling.

We must all learn that if we have no sense about something specific, there is no need to go further. Rather, we must exercise our faith that we have no problem, trusting the Lord to tell us if we do. It may be that after a time the Lord will enlighten you. Have faith in the blood. This is a good principle. It is easy to be deceived by the enemy. Stay under the blood.

Many times I have gone to the Lord and sensed there was something really wrong within. But I did not have the utterance to say anything specific.

Just pray according to what you can utter. Tell the Lord, “Lord, I sense I am wrong in certain things, but I do not know how to express it. Lord, You know; wash me according to Your knowledge.” Many times when you say, “Lord, I cannot utter,” the utterance comes. Then you can tell the Lord what is wrong. The Lord is gracious. If you are not willing to confess your sins, the Lord is legal, but as soon as you are willing, He is not legal. If you will not confess, He will not let you off. Once you are ready to confess, He will say, “That’s all right, My child.”

Ever since I heard the word about contacting the Lord I have wanted to do it, but because of feeling self-conscious and not knowing how to go about it, I still have not gone to Him and opened up.

There are many cases like yours. First, you must realize that you are under the covering of the blood. Second, you are willing to confess, but you have no knowledge of any offense. Do not be bothered. Turn your prayer to praise. “Lord, I praise and thank You. I have no utterance, but You know. I am with You. I am under the blood.” This is a good lesson to learn. Rest in His faithfulness. Rest under the blood. If you wait till you sense something or try to shed tears, you leave ground for Satan to attack you. Just offer your praises to the Lord; this praise closes the door to Satan.

If you are hard, unwilling to confess, unwilling to contact the Lord, that attitude is to be condemned. But when you are soft and willing to talk to the Lord, just lacking the words, you must exercise your faith that you are under the blood and that the Lord is gracious to you; then turn to thanks and praises.
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