Peace in the midst of a war

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 1:18-20 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, ¹⁹ keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. ²⁰ Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.

Application: It is no surprise that Paul brings up “conscience” when discussing “fighting the good fight”.  We allow ourselves to get so wrapped up in what everyone else thinks about us. It affects the way we look, the way we act, what we own; it even affects the way we smell! All these outside influences are trying to mold us into a different image than what God desires. Understanding that, is really the beginning of understanding the “fight” we are in. The world has an image of a “self made” person. One that is dependent on no one, self assured and gratifies itself based on it’s appetites. God has given several things to us to enable us victory in this fight. The first and foremost is Himself, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Yet, many of us under estimate another tool God has equipped all of us with: Conscience. Our conscience is our compass in life. Our Lord honors our conscience; living in a fallen world this is important! Consider:

Genesis 20:3–6 (NET)  But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” ⁴ Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, would you really slaughter an innocent nation? ⁵ Did Abraham not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience and with innocent hands!” ⁶ Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. That is why I have kept you from sinning against me and why I did not allow you to touch her.

Conscience is key in Salvation: After Peter preached the Holy Spirit pressed hard on the conscience of those listening and they knew they had sinned. We need this tool for God to touch in His gentle way, so we can know the direction we are in, including our teaching, is correct.

Acts 2:37 (NASB95) Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

Conscience is what keeps us in peace! If we stand for the Truth in this world, we can count on the world standing against us. Being sinners ourselves, we can begin to wonder if the world is right in it’s judgments of us. Our conscience is what vindicates us to ourselves, and more importantly, our God!

1 Peter 3:15–16 (NASB95) but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; ¹⁶ and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

At the end of each day, the real issue is, am I at peace with God and the person inside? No matter the circumstances or accusations. It won’t matter how much you did or didn’t get done, if you are clear with yourself and God you will sleep well at night. To the dismay of this world and the prince of the power of the air, at the end of the day when you have kept the good fight, you will sleep like a baby!

Meditation Questions: Do you take time each day to do a conscience check? Do you let what the world thinks affect you? How? In what way should we let it affect us? In what way should we not allow it to affect us? Do you get anxious? What about? Why? What does that show? Do you ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your conscience? How much noise do you keep in your life? Where and when is there a time for you to be quiet? Do you have such a place and time?