“Let your conscience be your guide!” Have you ever heard that saying before? Where have you heard it? Much emphasis is not being placed on the conscience these days. So what is this conscience all about? What is the importance of having a good or clear conscience? And why is it necessary to pay attention to it?

Mrs. Marilyn Hodge

Well, many of us are unaware that a "good conscience" is really a Biblical concept, and keeping a clear conscience is a must. Conscience has been defined as "that still, small voice that makes you feel smaller still," or, as one little boy puts it, "It is that which feels bad when everything else feels good." Our conscience is a conduit or instrument or means for conviction of the Holy Spirit enabling repentance. Unsullied, it is a mirror that reflects our character at any given moment. It is a reflection of the depth of our being. Hence it is important for us to pay attention to it.
Often times, we have conned ourselves into thinking or believing that we were are not doing anything wrong and by the time we catch ourselves, as the saying goes, we have already lost control. It is for this reason why we need to pay attention to our conscience. You see, God gave us a conscience and He wants us to use it. If not we can end up creating a big scab over it that we do not even notice when we are doing things wrong.
Some people deliberately violate their consciences for their own selfish means and ambitions, but we all must deal with our conscience. Our conscience can comfort and threaten us. When we fail to pay attention to our conscience, it can become hard, warped, or seared. When this happens, we tend to mistake right for wrong and wrong for right. We fail to know the difference and our consciences cease to bother us. We become downright callous and that is indeed a dreadful state to be in.
To guard against this, therefore, it behoves us to keep a clear conscience. For the apostle Paul, keeping a clear conscience is a must. Scripture tells us that his ministry took him everywhere and often it seemed that he had little supervision or accountability. Yet, he took great pains to avoid any impropriety and impression of abuses. Scripture further points out that when he defended himself before his accusers, this was what he said: "Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day," (Acts 23:1). You see, my friends, having a clear conscience is not only being blameless before men and before God; it is also about being just equally zealous in pleasing God before our accusers.
It is important to be honest with yourself and with others around you, especially those with whom you work. A clear conscience is the key to happiness. It's impossible to be happy when we're not honest with ourselves and others. Honesty is important whether we choose to utilize it at work or in our personal lives.
Another key advantage to having a good, clear conscience is that it enables you to establish trust and credibility with colleagues, bosses and customers. People will pay attention when you talk or present ideas because you are known as someone who gives careful thought to consequences of actions and, as a result, makes good decisions.
Eventually people who operate by using dishonest deeds and actions will be found out at some point in time. The temptation may be strong, but the long term benefits of maintaining a good ethical stance will far outweigh the short term benefits of acting dishonestly or unethically. When you have a good, clear conscience, there is nothing like a good night's sleep. Pride may also be hard to achieve when the conscience is not clear.
The apostle Paul also warned Timothy about having a good conscience, he instructed him, by rejecting this some have made shipwreck of their faith. A good conscience is a conscience that does not condemn you for the things you do or don’t do.
If we are to have and maintain a good, clear conscience, therefore we ought to pray for ourselves and for all men. At the top of Paul’s list of things that we must do in order to keep a clear conscience is to pray for other people. God’s instruction is summed up in this: Love God with your whole being, and love your neighbour as yourself. That must be the premise or foundation from which we must start.]
Prayer is essential in order to have a good clear conscience for three reasons:-
• It taps the power of God on behalf of others.
• It is the easiest step of love.
• It reaches farther in its effects than anything else we can do.
We must guard our conscience and the conscience of others, so we all may all have a clear conscience. Anything we do to people that are unloving will prick our conscience and threaten our faith.

Remember -"Let your conscience be your guide".

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