When Last Did Your Heart/Conscience Rebuked You Of Sinful Action As A Christian?

When Last Did Your Heart/Conscience Rebuked You Of Sinful Action As A Christian?

Text: 1 Samuel 24:1-15

1 And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.

2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.

5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

9 And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD's anointed.

11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

15 The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.

In the parlance of the world, it is 'do me I do you, GOD no go vex' Matthew 5:38. But in the parlance of the true Christians, it is 'slap me on this side, I will turn the other side to you’ Matthew 5:39. To be able to balance our Christian lives with that of JESUS CHRIST who is our perfect example, is never to pay back with the same cup that was used to measure against us even though our rights may be trampled upon in the process 1 Peter 2:23.

I know this might sound harsh and difficult but immediately you set your heart to seek after the LORD, it will become easy to practice. That’s why Christianity is never a ‘religion’ but the life of Christ put into practice. Hallelujah!

1 Peter 2:19 “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 FOR EVEN HEREUNTO WERE YE CALLED: BECAUSE CHRIST ALSO SUFFERED FOR US, LEAVING US AN EXAMPLE, THAT YE SHOULD FOLLOW HIS STEPS: 22 WHO DID NO SIN, NEITHER WAS GUILE FOUND IN HIS MOUTH: 23 WHO, WHEN HE WAS REVILED, REVILED NOT AGAIN; WHEN HE SUFFERED, HE THREATENED NOT; BUT COMMITTED HIMSELF TO HIM THAT JUDGETH RIGHTEOUSLY: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

The action of David towards King Saul when he cut off the skirt of Saul is a typical example of what true repentance entails 1 Samuel 24:5. A heart that is ready to accept wrong even though an opportunity to revenge justly was discovered is a heart that is ready to seek GOD. A heart that puts others ahead of himself is the heart of LOVE, which never consider his own, instead it look for the possible ways to rights any wrong committed if there are 1 Corinthians 13:5.

A heart that is always hardened to accept his fault even when those faults of his are glaringly staring him in the face is a heart that can never repent, no matter how much word of repentance he may hear. This is the heart of stone that GOD says He will destroy and replace with the heart of flesh Ezekiel 11:19.

A HEART THAT IS READY FOR GOD’S SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION IS THE HEART THAT CONFESSES HIS FAULTS EVEN BEFORE HE IS ASKED

Sometimes in June 2014, I and my wife had a heated argument with our next door neighbour because he was becoming like a thorn on our flesh. We shouted at each other to the extent that people from outside our yard started coming in to see what was going on. It was really a terrible scenario though I was conscious of the words I was speaking as a Christian.

But immediately we entered into our room, the word of GOD reproved me sharply and my conscience condemned me for the actions that just took place. I then told my wife that we have committed sin against GOD, for opening our mouths to quarrel with our neighbour. I told her what the Bible says that we were never supposed to open our mouths to fight back irrespective of the challenges we were facing at the time Matthew 5:39. Right there on our knees we immediately repented, prayed and asked GOD to forgive us because we’ve allowed the devil to use us.

After this I told her that we MUST go and meet our neighbour to apologize to him. Although it was a bitter pill to swallow; but that was exactly what we did. We went to his room, apologized for being insultive to him though he was the one that looked for our trouble. We asked for his forgiveness by telling him that, we were never supposed to open our mouths to abuse him as Christians.

We did this to demonstrate that our consciences were not dead and as Christians, we must seek every avenue for peaceful coexistence with our neighbours. Although the said neighbour later dragged us to the Law Court but this doesn’t stopped us from exercising our Christian virtues towards him.

That is why GOD tied peace with all men to holiness as a requirement that MUST be achieved before you can ever make heaven. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Hebrews 12:14.

Likewise when it was just about three months or so to my wedding in 2006, I almost committed fornication with a girl we were living in the same house in Yola, Adamawa State, whiles my wife to-be was in far away Benin City, Edo State. I said almost because by the grace of GOD, no sexual affairs took place but that does not mean that I didn’t sin. I sinned against GOD greatly for ever attempting to commit sexual immorality when I was not married.

So after that wicked manipulation in the night, I picked up my phone and called the woman I was not yet married to confessing my sins to her. Although I was seen and regarded as a ‘fool’ by my friends who were angry with me for telling a woman that was not yet my wife my personal fault/error, but it however goes a long way to gain the trust and confidence of my wife to-be in dealing with issues of infidelity in marriage should it ever arises, though she was injured earlier psychologically after hearing the terrible news from me.

I give GOD all the glory that He has been helping me thus far in handling the challenges of marriage these past eight (8) years. Amen.

Zacchaeus in Luke 19:8 stood, and said unto the LORD; “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; AND IF I HAVE TAKEN ANY THING FROM ANY MAN BY FALSE ACCUSATION, I RESTORE HIM FOURFOLD.” This he did because his conscience one way or the other had pricked him regarding some of the decisions he took in the discharged of his duties as an influential member of council in his time. Confess your faults one to another the Bible enjoined us in James 5:16 so that our prayers will be very effectual. Hallelujah!

If you think that you can keep wickedness in your heart and be smiling in the face, by the time the anger of GOD that burns with indignation is kindled against you, there shall no place be found to hide you from His wrath. Jeremiah 10:10 “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.”

Until your heart is circumcised, whenever you are being corrected and rebuked by your fellow Christian brethren for your sins, you will always claimed that you are being judged. This is responsible for the decay in the churches today where sinner–Christians are very comfortable committing sin in total disobedience against the word of God and yet, no sign of showing remorse for their sins, talk less of repenting from it. These are the believers whose consciences are DEAD and SEARED WITH A HOT IRON which then afford them to speaking lies in hypocrisy 1 Timothy 4:2. Should you fail to repent today, a fire is kindled against you already.

Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”

Even though the Bible talked about GOOD CONSCIENCE in Acts 23:1, 1 Timothy 1:5, 19, 1 Peter 3:16, 21 and Hebrews 13:18; it then about PURE CONSCIENCE in 1 Timothy 3:9 and 2 Timothy 1:3; there’s is EVIL CONSCIENCE as well Hebrews 10:22, as well as a WEAK CONSCIENCE 1 Corinthians 8:7, 12.

While the good and pure consciences are devoid of sins with consistent fear of GOD to always repent when his sins are made known, weak consciences on the other hand are susceptible and prone to defilement and wicked contamination though it can still repent once brought to the light. But the wicked and evil consciences are those that don’t give room to the world of light to shine in them. They are very comfortable in their darkness hence they can do and go to any length to satisfy their pleasures irrespective of whatever it may take to achieving it.

SEE A PICTURE OF WICKED AND EVIL CONSCIENCES IN ACTION

Some of you people reading this post right now are working with forged certificates and credentials. In fact some of you are using the certificates and credentials of your late relatives in your places of employment. And some of you are today in another country with lying credentials and fake names, and fake countries of origin which you presented to obtain your residents permits. And yet some of you bribed your way through to be employed and attain this current position of yours in your places of work.

In fact some pastors who are reading this post right now buried live human beings on their altar to become a magical power demonstrator in the name of the LORD. What a wicked heart! Some others are daily worshipping strange beings behind the curtain to remain relevant in their devil assigned church ministry.

Now is it not an act of wickedness that you people who are involved in these terrible sins are there in the churches paying huge amount as tithes out of your wicked earnings to GOD? Is it not wickedness for to be very comfortable in your sins and appear ‘holy’ in the face, whereas your hands are soiled with oil and your hearts never made ready to repent? This is wickedness of the highest decree.

One thing is positively and truthfully sure: You will surely be rewarded by GOD according to your works shortly! Galatians 6:7-8. 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

Friend, you can deceive yourself, your neighbour, your wife, your children, your husband, your government, your employer, your friends and every other deceivable element, but you can NEVER deceive GOD Galatians 6:7. Hide your sins and wickedness from man; they are wide open before GOD Psalms 139:7.

You better repent of your evil deeds now and purge your conscience from dead works Hebrews 9:14, so that it will be well with you when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the LORD. Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

As you are reading this message right now, what can you say about your conscience? Is it a good and pure one, a weak one or a wicked and evil one? I pray you will repent today in JESUS name. Amen.

Acts 24:16 “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.”

How can one have a conscience void of offence towards GOD and towards man? Of every single thing that your conscience judges you about, be ready to make amendment. It’s just that most of us are very stubborn today and hardened in our sins otherwise our consciences are still rebuking us inwardly concerning our willful disobedience to the word GOD, such as women wearing trousers, making up their faces, wearing all kinds and types of jewelries, fixing all artificial hairs, nails, eyes lashes etc. including wearing seductive clothes to church service.

Remember that JESUS CHRIST loves you and he don’t want you to die in your sins and go to hell fire John 3:16, therefore repent of your sins today, stop hardening your heart against the truth, make amend whenever your heart or somebody else rebuke you of sin, and ungodly appearances.

God bless you as you repent in JESUS name. Amen.

Shalom!