WEBVTT - Living with a Clean Conscience -- Part 1 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:04.800 Turning our past into a testimony of transformation. Today's topic 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:06.800 here on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. 0:00:07.560 --> 0:00:10.479 Conviction, my friends, is not a bad thing. It's a 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:12.840 gift from God. If you're here right now and you're 0:00:12.840 --> 0:00:16.440 feeling pain in your spirit because of something that you've done, 0:00:16.440 --> 0:00:18.840 then you better thank God for the gift of pain 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:21.800 that's pulling you away from whatever you're involved in. It's 0:00:21.800 --> 0:00:23.440 God being good to you. 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:39.120 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is founding 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:43.080 pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:45.480 Today is the last message in our series Breaking Free 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:47.559 What it Means to Walk Tall Again. And it's our 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:50.240 hope that Mark's messages have been helpful to you, whether 0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:53.200 it's breaking generational cycles or learning how to be released 0:00:53.200 --> 0:00:55.560 from chains that are holding you captive, it takes some 0:00:55.560 --> 0:00:58.600 bold steps in obedience to overcome these kinds of forces 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:00.800 that keep us stuck. You know, Mark, we have these 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:04.680 smartphones in our hands now everywhere we go. And there's 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:06.360 also a compass on that phone. 0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:09.959 We do. And where would we be without Google Maps. 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:11.160 And GPS. 0:01:11.200 --> 0:01:13.800 Or Waze, which is one of my favorites. That tells 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:15.080 me where the accident is. 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:17.200 GPS has saved my marriage a number of times. 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:23.640 But you know, this message really is about navigating a 0:01:23.640 --> 0:01:27.280 clear conscience. And so many of us, well, we have 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:30.480 a conscience that's been defiled. And and people say, well, 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:33.199 what is conscience? And there's a difference between the Holy 0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:38.480 Spirit and conscience. But God works in our conscience to 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:43.399 point us truly to true North. And so I really 0:01:43.400 --> 0:01:48.120 desire that you would not be living with a defiled conscience. 0:01:48.120 --> 0:01:50.560 And we're going to find out how to move in 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:51.240 that direction. 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.240 How to live with a clean conscience. Here's Mark with 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:55.120 today's message. 0:01:56.840 --> 0:01:59.640 Uh, Chicagoans, we always know that East is the lake. 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:02.610 So we always. That's that's east. So we point to 0:02:02.610 --> 0:02:04.570 the lake. But if you're out of Chicago in the 0:02:04.570 --> 0:02:06.930 middle of nowhere and someone says, what's north, what's south, 0:02:06.930 --> 0:02:10.169 what's east and west, and you don't have any landmarks 0:02:10.169 --> 0:02:14.050 to identify that what a compass does, is it simply 0:02:14.090 --> 0:02:16.770 you wiggle it around and it points to north, and 0:02:16.770 --> 0:02:20.489 you always know where the compass points is north and 0:02:20.490 --> 0:02:25.250 the opposite is south. Morally, we have a lot of 0:02:25.250 --> 0:02:28.450 questions of is this right or is this wrong? Is 0:02:28.450 --> 0:02:32.090 this good or is this bad? Your conscience is that 0:02:32.090 --> 0:02:35.570 moral compass that if you wiggle it around a little bit, 0:02:35.610 --> 0:02:38.690 if it's working well, it's always going to point you 0:02:38.690 --> 0:02:42.370 to what is right and to what is wrong. It's 0:02:42.370 --> 0:02:45.650 built inside of you. It's not something that you have 0:02:45.650 --> 0:02:50.209 to create. It's something that God created you with. In fact, 0:02:50.210 --> 0:02:53.929 we if we read Romans chapter two, verses 14 through 15, 0:02:53.930 --> 0:02:55.530 I don't have time to get into it, but it 0:02:55.530 --> 0:02:59.489 basically says, even the Gentiles or the people without God 0:02:59.530 --> 0:03:03.210 have a moral compass. It's not just Christians that have 0:03:03.210 --> 0:03:06.970 a compass, moral compass. It is a God design inside 0:03:06.970 --> 0:03:11.130 of us. There's an intuitive understanding, a spiritual understanding of 0:03:11.130 --> 0:03:13.970 what is right and what is morally right and what 0:03:13.970 --> 0:03:17.330 is morally wrong. And it's built inside of us because 0:03:17.330 --> 0:03:22.130 we're made in the image of God. The problem is 0:03:22.730 --> 0:03:27.130 that sometimes that compass gets broken, and sometimes that compass 0:03:27.169 --> 0:03:34.330 gets corrupted. Sometimes that compass becomes dysfunctional. I remember a 0:03:34.330 --> 0:03:37.290 couple of years ago when my son was just learning 0:03:37.290 --> 0:03:42.010 how to drive. We gave him his first, well, his 0:03:42.010 --> 0:03:46.410 first trip out of the area that he knew and understood. 0:03:46.410 --> 0:03:49.690 And he was going to take my younger son to 0:03:49.690 --> 0:03:53.330 a concert in Schaumburg. And he had never been to Schaumburg. 0:03:53.370 --> 0:03:55.250 Didn't really know where it was. And so I just 0:03:55.250 --> 0:03:58.330 said to him, hey, just follow the GPS. Well, he 0:03:58.370 --> 0:04:00.860 had never used a GPS before. He either didn't really 0:04:00.860 --> 0:04:03.580 know how to use it that well. And so I 0:04:03.620 --> 0:04:07.100 got a call after an hour or so and he said, dad, 0:04:07.100 --> 0:04:11.100 I have no idea where I'm at. I'm supposed to 0:04:11.100 --> 0:04:14.980 be in Schaumburg, he said. And I'm at Harlem. I 0:04:14.980 --> 0:04:17.700 think he was at Harlem and the Stevenson. I said, 0:04:17.700 --> 0:04:22.820 you're far away from Schaumburg here. Because although he had 0:04:22.820 --> 0:04:26.180 a GPS, he wasn't really sure how to use the GPS. 0:04:26.180 --> 0:04:29.300 And it was confusing. Some of us are like that. 0:04:29.860 --> 0:04:32.460 You started off with a good compass, but somehow your 0:04:32.460 --> 0:04:35.380 compass has gotten broken and you've ended up in a 0:04:35.380 --> 0:04:37.780 place in life and you say, how did I get here? 0:04:38.620 --> 0:04:40.419 I mean, look at where I'm at and look at 0:04:40.460 --> 0:04:43.580 what I'm doing and look at what I'm involved in. 0:04:43.580 --> 0:04:47.980 How in the world did I end up here? And 0:04:47.980 --> 0:04:49.900 so today we're going to look at what it means 0:04:49.900 --> 0:04:54.219 to restore that inner compass, get back to a place 0:04:54.220 --> 0:04:59.380 where you clearly understand right from wrong, good and bad, 0:04:59.420 --> 0:05:02.580 up and Been down and how you can set your 0:05:02.580 --> 0:05:06.140 inner compass free to really help guide you in a 0:05:06.140 --> 0:05:11.820 better way. First Timothy chapter one, verses 18 through 19. 0:05:12.339 --> 0:05:17.020 The apostle Paul is speaking to Timothy and he says, Timothy, 0:05:17.060 --> 0:05:21.020 my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with 0:05:21.020 --> 0:05:26.860 the prophecies made about you. Timothy was a prophet, the 0:05:26.860 --> 0:05:30.700 protege of the apostle Paul. He was an apprentice that 0:05:30.700 --> 0:05:33.500 the Apostle Paul invested a lot into. And so the 0:05:33.500 --> 0:05:37.619 book of Timothy is basically like an instruction manual for 0:05:37.620 --> 0:05:42.300 young leaders, young spiritual leaders, so that by following them, 0:05:42.300 --> 0:05:46.220 you may fight the good fight. Hold on to faith 0:05:46.500 --> 0:05:52.300 and a good what? Conscience. If you don't hold on 0:05:52.339 --> 0:05:55.740 to faith and don't hold on to a good conscience, 0:05:55.779 --> 0:05:58.900 the apostle Paul says. Some have rejected these and so 0:05:58.900 --> 0:06:04.990 have shipwrecked their faith. Paul is talking about these teachings 0:06:04.990 --> 0:06:08.909 that he's given Timothy, so that his faith will be 0:06:08.910 --> 0:06:12.390 strong and his conscience will be clear. And what Paul 0:06:12.390 --> 0:06:14.510 says is, if you don't hang on to these teachings 0:06:14.510 --> 0:06:17.950 and understand them, then you will lose your faith and 0:06:17.950 --> 0:06:21.310 you will lose your conscience and you will shipwreck your 0:06:21.310 --> 0:06:25.550 spiritual life. Listen to me well. This is really important. 0:06:28.470 --> 0:06:35.070 When your conscience goes bad. You will weaken or lose 0:06:35.070 --> 0:06:39.830 your faith. If you live with a bad conscience long enough, 0:06:40.670 --> 0:06:44.349 it will drain the energy of your faith. It will 0:06:44.350 --> 0:06:49.589 weaken your faith, your resolve, your understanding of God, and 0:06:49.589 --> 0:06:55.390 you will eventually find yourself shipwrecked. You were never meant 0:06:55.390 --> 0:06:57.790 to live with a bad conscience for a long time. 0:06:58.350 --> 0:07:02.150 You were meant to allow the con your conscience to 0:07:02.190 --> 0:07:07.110 begin to steer you in the right direction. Early on 0:07:07.110 --> 0:07:10.670 in this chapter, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy the goal 0:07:10.670 --> 0:07:13.030 of this command. He was talking to them about not 0:07:13.030 --> 0:07:16.230 listening to false teaching or wrong teaching or arguing with 0:07:16.230 --> 0:07:19.950 people and fables and but listening to the Word of God. 0:07:19.950 --> 0:07:22.950 He says, the goal of this command is love, which comes. 0:07:22.950 --> 0:07:26.350 Where does love come from? The. The kind of love 0:07:26.350 --> 0:07:30.150 that God wants us to have comes from a pure heart, 0:07:30.950 --> 0:07:37.110 a good conscience and sincere faith, a pure heart, a 0:07:37.150 --> 0:07:41.830 good conscience, and sincere faith. When our heart is not pure, 0:07:41.830 --> 0:07:43.950 when our conscience is not clean, and when our faith 0:07:43.950 --> 0:07:46.990 is not strong, we cannot love others and have that 0:07:46.990 --> 0:07:49.750 relationship with others that God really wants us to have. 0:07:50.590 --> 0:07:56.230 So a clear conscience affects our relationship with others and 0:07:56.230 --> 0:07:59.590 it affects our faith in God as well. So let 0:07:59.590 --> 0:08:01.560 me talk to you a little bit about this thing 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:03.520 that we call a conscience. Now, I don't want you 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:08.920 to confuse the Holy Spirit and your conscience. Your conscience 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:13.640 is a part of you that has the ability to 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:18.520 examine and distinguish what is right and what is wrong, 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:24.840 what is moral, and what is immoral. The Holy Spirit, 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:28.560 the second, the third person of the Godhead, God the Father, 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:31.160 God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:37.720 Spirit is that spiritual person of God that comes into 0:08:37.720 --> 0:08:43.160 our life and resurrects our spirit inside of us. And 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:46.800 the Holy Spirit becomes a guide or a coach to 0:08:46.840 --> 0:08:50.640 our conscience. And so our conscience and the Holy Spirit 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:54.040 work hand in hand to keep us on track. Are 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:57.960 you following with me? Okay. The Holy Spirit is the 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:00.880 voice of God, the person of God, the influence of 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:06.560 God that helps resurrect our inner compass called our conscience 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:10.079 and keeps our conscience on track. And so have you 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:15.160 ever done something that you knew was wrong and you 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:21.400 felt terrible about it? Like, ah, it's hard to live 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:26.439 with this. That is a combination of your conscience. If 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:28.920 you're a believer, it's a combination of your conscience and 0:09:28.920 --> 0:09:31.920 the work of the Holy Spirit, letting you know that 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:34.640 there is pain in doing what is wrong, and you 0:09:34.640 --> 0:09:37.400 need to fix what is wrong and make it right. 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:41.040 Some people run from pain, but you know, pain is 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:47.600 a gift. If you never. There's a disease that keeps 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:53.160 people from feeling pain. And I've seen this documented. And 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:57.079 so a person that can feel no pain will put 0:09:57.080 --> 0:10:00.490 their hand on a hot stove and not feel the 0:10:00.490 --> 0:10:03.970 pain of it. And they'll burn their fingers, they'll poke 0:10:04.010 --> 0:10:06.450 themselves in the head or hit themselves. And if they 0:10:06.450 --> 0:10:09.570 feel no pain, they'll damage themselves. They can go blind 0:10:09.570 --> 0:10:12.890 or lose a finger. Why? Because the gift of pain 0:10:12.890 --> 0:10:16.569 tells us this is bad for you. If this stove 0:10:16.570 --> 0:10:19.610 is hot, take your hand off this stove fast or 0:10:19.610 --> 0:10:23.650 you will damage yourself. So it's a gift. Pain tells us. 0:10:23.650 --> 0:10:27.850 Move away from it fast before you get worse. Are 0:10:27.850 --> 0:10:32.370 you tracking with me? That's the gift of pain. Spiritually, 0:10:33.130 --> 0:10:36.730 our conscience and the Holy Spirit. When we go down 0:10:36.730 --> 0:10:40.410 a road that's wrong or damaging to our life with God, 0:10:40.890 --> 0:10:44.770 there is spiritual pain that comes to cause us to 0:10:44.809 --> 0:10:47.970 pull away from it rapidly so that we won't become 0:10:47.970 --> 0:10:52.210 more damaged. Conviction, my friends, is not a bad thing. 0:10:52.210 --> 0:10:54.490 It's a gift from God. If you're here right now 0:10:54.490 --> 0:10:57.370 and you're feeling pain in your spirit because of something 0:10:57.370 --> 0:11:00.090 that you've done, then you better thank God for the 0:11:00.250 --> 0:11:02.770 gift of pain that's pulling you away from whatever you're 0:11:02.770 --> 0:11:08.690 involved in. It's God being good to you. And so 0:11:09.490 --> 0:11:12.569 as we look at conscience, as we look at what 0:11:12.570 --> 0:11:15.370 it means to have a good conscience or a bad conscience, 0:11:16.330 --> 0:11:21.290 I want to help you understand what a dysfunctional conscience is, 0:11:21.290 --> 0:11:24.689 or broken conscience. First, let's start with there. And then 0:11:24.690 --> 0:11:26.130 I'm going to talk to you about how to fix 0:11:26.130 --> 0:11:30.730 your conscience if your conscience has been broken. Number one, 0:11:31.929 --> 0:11:37.090 the Bible talks about a seared conscience. A seared conscience. 0:11:37.090 --> 0:11:39.809 In first Timothy chapter four verse two, it says such 0:11:39.850 --> 0:11:46.570 teaching comes through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared 0:11:46.770 --> 0:11:51.970 as with a hot iron. A seared conscience is a 0:11:51.970 --> 0:11:56.290 conscience that is so bad that it no longer works 0:11:56.290 --> 0:11:59.370 at all. That's a seared conscience. 0:12:05.620 --> 0:12:08.660 You're listening to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe. We're 0:12:08.660 --> 0:12:10.740 pausing the message for just a moment to share about 0:12:10.740 --> 0:12:14.940 our Bold Partner program. It's important, Mark, because without these partners, 0:12:14.940 --> 0:12:17.220 it'd be very difficult to carry on this ministry. 0:12:17.260 --> 0:12:20.260 Yeah, we're so encouraged by so many listeners that are 0:12:20.300 --> 0:12:23.500 joining and saying, yes, I want to be a bold partner. 0:12:23.500 --> 0:12:24.820 And there's results, aren't there? 0:12:24.860 --> 0:12:28.620 There are. We're seeing so many people being impacted by 0:12:28.620 --> 0:12:32.500 the Word of God. And, and we just received, uh, 0:12:32.500 --> 0:12:37.179 recently an email from someone named Eric Wayne. You want 0:12:37.179 --> 0:12:37.700 to read that? 0:12:37.740 --> 0:12:40.819 Yeah. Your message tonight was meant for me. We've all 0:12:40.820 --> 0:12:42.860 said that I think from time to time, but he 0:12:42.860 --> 0:12:45.300 says God timed it and he wanted me to hear it. 0:12:45.420 --> 0:12:48.699 Thank you, pastor Mark. Thank you. Your words were absolutely 0:12:48.700 --> 0:12:51.179 perfect and I needed to hear it. For a long 0:12:51.179 --> 0:12:53.980 time I've been grieving the Holy Spirit in me. Wow. 0:12:54.179 --> 0:12:56.500 I never heard it described the way you said it. 0:12:56.660 --> 0:12:59.860 I've lost my son, all of my life's possessions, and 0:12:59.860 --> 0:13:01.740 I don't know what my next step will be, but 0:13:01.740 --> 0:13:03.900 I know I need to get the joy back in 0:13:03.900 --> 0:13:07.140 my spirit. And then comes the energy. I've never heard 0:13:07.140 --> 0:13:09.300 you until tonight's message. Not sure if this will get 0:13:09.300 --> 0:13:11.500 to you, but I wanted to say thank you. 0:13:11.860 --> 0:13:17.260 Yeah. So Eric, I know we corresponded via email, but 0:13:17.260 --> 0:13:20.260 I want our listeners to pray for Eric as you 0:13:20.260 --> 0:13:24.179 think of him. He's going through a very, very tough time, 0:13:24.420 --> 0:13:27.460 but God is using the word to encourage him. And 0:13:27.460 --> 0:13:30.740 I want to say specifically a thank you to our 0:13:30.740 --> 0:13:34.540 bold partners because you help get the message out to 0:13:34.580 --> 0:13:38.380 people like Eric, who needed God to speak into his 0:13:38.380 --> 0:13:41.540 heart after the loss of his son. And so many 0:13:41.540 --> 0:13:45.500 people from those that are non-believers to those that are 0:13:45.500 --> 0:13:49.500 just growing in their faith, are responding, are giving us feedback. 0:13:49.940 --> 0:13:52.500 When you become a bold partner, it means that you 0:13:52.500 --> 0:13:55.300 decide to give a monthly gift every month, a gift 0:13:55.300 --> 0:13:58.660 of any size. But we also encourage you if you 0:13:58.700 --> 0:14:03.430 give $30 or more. It opens up a door with 0:14:03.429 --> 0:14:06.630 a lot of goodies in it. Our gift back to you, 0:14:06.630 --> 0:14:08.510 so to speak. And Wayne, tell them what they get. 0:14:08.550 --> 0:14:12.110 Well, for instance, a 50% off discount of any purchase 0:14:12.110 --> 0:14:15.590 in the Moody Publisher catalog. So that's a wonderful thank you. 0:14:15.590 --> 0:14:18.189 And then also a signed copy of Mark's book unstuck 0:14:18.550 --> 0:14:21.030 and other features that we'd like to plug you into 0:14:21.070 --> 0:14:23.510 as well. So thank you for considering becoming a bold 0:14:23.510 --> 0:14:25.710 partner today. Would you pray about it and then find 0:14:25.710 --> 0:14:30.230 the information you need at bold steps.org. Now more on 0:14:30.230 --> 0:14:33.550 living with a clean conscience. Today's message on bold steps. 0:14:39.110 --> 0:14:44.790 You don't get a seared conscience right away. A seared 0:14:44.790 --> 0:14:47.470 conscience is something that gets worse and worse and worse 0:14:47.470 --> 0:14:50.510 and worse and worse until it totally stops to work. 0:14:52.190 --> 0:14:54.830 Have you ever read stories or seen on the. 0:14:54.830 --> 0:14:59.750 News people that just do atrocious things and seem not 0:14:59.750 --> 0:15:03.280 to feel one tinge of guilt about it. And you 0:15:03.280 --> 0:15:09.760 ask yourself, how could they do that? Psychologists call them psychopaths, 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:14.480 people that have no feeling at all or empathy for 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:18.240 others and can hurt and damage and and do almost 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:22.280 anything and not seem to be bothered by it at all. Well, 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:26.480 in psychological terms, it may be called a psychopath. In 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:31.600 spiritual terms, it's called a seared conscience. That something has 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:35.400 gone so bad, so wrong, so long, so difficult that 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:38.280 the conscience has been seared and that person no longer 0:15:38.280 --> 0:15:41.800 feels any guilt about doing wrong. That they can do 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:45.640 atrocious things and not bat an eye over it. They 0:15:45.640 --> 0:15:50.160 they feel nothing inside. They're numb inside because they've allowed 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.520 their conscience to be broken. But let me tell you 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:56.720 something about social sociopaths. There's no one, no matter if 0:15:56.720 --> 0:15:59.800 they're a serial killer or how bad they've gotten, that 0:15:59.880 --> 0:16:03.960 didn't start out with a good conscience. They weren't born 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:07.320 that way. Something happened in their life that started to 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:10.120 sear their conscience and break their conscience. In the beginning 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:12.320 it was different, but it got worse and worse and 0:16:12.320 --> 0:16:17.600 worse until it became so dysfunctional, so bad, so deep, 0:16:17.600 --> 0:16:21.760 so broken that now they feel nothing as they inflict 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:28.480 pain on other people. That's a seared conscience. Secondly, the 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:33.760 Bible talks about a defiled conscience. A defiled conscience is 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:37.119 a conscience that has lost its ability to correctly discern 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:42.560 between right and wrong. It's less broken than a seared conscience. 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:46.000 It just means that this compass doesn't work. It points 0:16:46.040 --> 0:16:48.720 west when it should be pointing north. It points east 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:51.840 when it should be pointing north. That's a seared conscience. 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:56.000 Titus chapter 115 says to the pure all things are pure. 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:59.000 But to those who are corrupted and do not believe, 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:03.600 nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and their 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:10.440 consciences are corrupted. You see, a corrupt conscience means that 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:15.920 it's like rust has set into your spiritual compass and 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:20.720 it's broken. And so you no longer see what's clearly 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:25.120 what's right or what's wrong. It says it's corrupt to 0:17:25.160 --> 0:17:27.120 the pure. All things are pure to the corrupt, all 0:17:27.119 --> 0:17:31.760 things are corrupt. Have you ever been around someone that's 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:35.720 really pure of heart and maybe a little bit more innocent? 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:39.080 And so they just, you know, to them, they see 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:44.560 the good in everything. But then you go around someone that, well, 0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:48.720 maybe someone, for example, that everything is a sexual innuendo. 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:51.320 And so they read into every. Maybe there's someone at 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:54.000 work like that and everything you say, they kind of 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:56.920 corrupt it and turn it into something like that. And 0:17:56.960 --> 0:17:59.080 you know that you're going to be around them and 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:01.810 to the pure. Everything is pure to the corrupt. Everything 0:18:01.810 --> 0:18:04.970 is corrupt. They see the bad in everything. They see 0:18:04.970 --> 0:18:08.530 the corrupt in everything because their conscience has been corrupted. 0:18:10.650 --> 0:18:17.409 And then thirdly, he talks about the weak conscience. Uh, 0:18:17.609 --> 0:18:20.690 it says in a weak conscience is a conscience that 0:18:20.690 --> 0:18:26.570 is immature or oversensitive because improper teaching or understanding. And 0:18:26.570 --> 0:18:28.930 first Corinthians chapter eight, verse 12, it says, when you 0:18:28.970 --> 0:18:32.770 sin against your brothers in this way and wound their 0:18:32.770 --> 0:18:38.930 weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Uh, let me put 0:18:38.930 --> 0:18:45.290 it this way. A weak conscience is a conscience that. 0:18:47.369 --> 0:18:55.209 May run into stumbling blocks because of someone else's actions. Uh, 0:18:55.210 --> 0:18:59.369 for example, let's say that you've never had a problem 0:18:59.500 --> 0:19:02.899 with alcohol, never had a problem with drinking. And so 0:19:02.900 --> 0:19:06.940 you're a believer and to you, it's no big it's 0:19:07.100 --> 0:19:09.940 it's no big issue to go to the local tavern. 0:19:09.940 --> 0:19:13.660 And while everybody's drinking out there, you drink a Mountain 0:19:13.660 --> 0:19:17.700 Dew and they're having their Jack Daniels and they're having their, uh, 0:19:17.940 --> 0:19:20.540 bud lights and they're getting buzzed and drunk, but you're 0:19:20.540 --> 0:19:22.540 having your Mountain Dew and it doesn't affect you. And 0:19:22.540 --> 0:19:24.580 you talk to them and you're in that environment and 0:19:24.580 --> 0:19:27.740 it's no big issue. But there's a brother at your 0:19:27.740 --> 0:19:31.500 home group, let's say that they come out of a 0:19:31.500 --> 0:19:36.140 background of alcoholism. And before their life was I get drunk, 0:19:36.140 --> 0:19:39.740 I get blasted, it's partying, and I'm trying to break 0:19:39.740 --> 0:19:42.260 out of this. And it's really difficult for me. And 0:19:42.260 --> 0:19:45.179 it's hard. And I'm fighting every weekend not to go 0:19:45.180 --> 0:19:47.699 to the bar scene, not to go to that old 0:19:47.700 --> 0:19:50.139 scene of pick up and hang out and get high 0:19:50.140 --> 0:19:52.700 and get drunk, and it's really, really difficult to leave 0:19:52.700 --> 0:19:56.260 it behind. But since your conscience is not bothered by 0:19:56.300 --> 0:19:59.220 going to the tavern and having a 7UP, you invite 0:19:59.220 --> 0:20:01.860 this brother along with you and you say, hey, want 0:20:01.900 --> 0:20:03.740 to hang out with me? And they say, yeah, and 0:20:03.740 --> 0:20:05.580 they go with you and you're driving and you say, 0:20:05.580 --> 0:20:09.180 where are we going? We're going to the tavern. You see, 0:20:09.180 --> 0:20:12.580 your conscience is is strong and clear and you don't 0:20:12.580 --> 0:20:14.700 have any problem with that. But as soon as that 0:20:14.700 --> 0:20:20.179 brother with a weaker conscience walks into that tavern, then 0:20:20.180 --> 0:20:24.260 suddenly all of the temptations he's been fighting start to 0:20:24.540 --> 0:20:28.660 start to drag him down. And he tries to resist. 0:20:28.660 --> 0:20:31.620 And he tries to say, no, but but you're you're 0:20:31.619 --> 0:20:35.900 strong conscience has led a brother with a weaker conscience 0:20:36.060 --> 0:20:40.700 into a tavern. And before you know it, your conscience 0:20:40.700 --> 0:20:44.460 has become a stumbling block to them because now they're 0:20:44.460 --> 0:20:46.780 back to the same old thing. They've opened up the 0:20:46.820 --> 0:20:49.139 door and they're getting drunk again and high again. And 0:20:49.140 --> 0:20:51.420 you say, well, how did this happen? Well, I was 0:20:51.420 --> 0:20:54.060 staying away, but this brother took me there. You see, 0:20:54.100 --> 0:20:57.979 your conscience has become a stumbling block to a person 0:20:57.980 --> 0:21:03.020 with a weaker conscience. AM I making sense here? You see, 0:21:03.020 --> 0:21:05.060 it's not just. Is this good for me? You have 0:21:05.060 --> 0:21:07.980 to ask yourself, is this a stumbling block to others? 0:21:09.740 --> 0:21:14.580 It's a stumbling block to others. And sometimes what is 0:21:14.580 --> 0:21:17.220 not a stumbling block to us becomes a stumbling block 0:21:17.220 --> 0:21:22.300 to others. And our conscience can lead a person with 0:21:22.300 --> 0:21:29.500 a weaker conscience into a difficulty or into sin. So 0:21:30.260 --> 0:21:33.700 he goes on to tell us, here's what happens when 0:21:33.700 --> 0:21:37.500 we have a troubled conscience. When your conscience is not 0:21:37.500 --> 0:21:41.020 clear and you're living with a defiled conscience, a conscience 0:21:41.020 --> 0:21:45.340 that is weighed down, a conscience that has stuff, unfinished 0:21:45.340 --> 0:21:48.260 business on it, then this is what happens. Listen what 0:21:48.260 --> 0:21:51.060 it says in Psalms chapter 32, verses one through four. 0:21:52.780 --> 0:21:58.260 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, who sends are covered. 0:21:59.310 --> 0:22:02.510 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not 0:22:02.510 --> 0:22:06.629 count against him, and in whose spirit is no deceit. 0:22:07.470 --> 0:22:10.469 You know how great it is to live with a 0:22:10.470 --> 0:22:16.670 clean conscience. Do you know the liberty of being able 0:22:16.670 --> 0:22:19.030 to know that you're not perfect, but you are forgiven, 0:22:19.030 --> 0:22:21.310 and everything that God has called you to deal with. 0:22:21.350 --> 0:22:25.350 You've dealt with. And so you have a clear conscience. 0:22:36.310 --> 0:22:38.750 This is bold steps, and you're listening to the candid, 0:22:38.790 --> 0:22:42.550 topical Bible teaching of Mark job. Well, we love getting 0:22:42.550 --> 0:22:44.950 listener letters. And so if you'd like to connect with us, 0:22:44.950 --> 0:22:47.590 or if you'd like to share your story or testimony, 0:22:47.590 --> 0:22:49.790 then we want to hear from you. You can write 0:22:49.790 --> 0:22:53.830 to us at Bold Steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, 0:22:53.869 --> 0:22:57.949 Illinois 60,006 ten or connect with us online when you 0:22:57.950 --> 0:23:01.310 go to bold steps.org, or send us an email at 0:23:01.310 --> 0:23:05.629 bold steps@moody.edu. You can also give us a call and 0:23:05.630 --> 0:23:11.510 leave your message on a recorded line by dialing (312) 329-2011. 0:23:11.550 --> 0:23:18.270 Again (312) 329-2011. Mark this month on bold steps. We've been 0:23:18.270 --> 0:23:21.750 talking about our bold step gift. Louie Giglio's book Goliath 0:23:21.750 --> 0:23:24.270 Must Fall. And one of the points made in the 0:23:24.270 --> 0:23:26.630 book is the time to act on our giants. To 0:23:26.670 --> 0:23:28.230 see them fall is now. 0:23:28.590 --> 0:23:31.270 You know, Wayne, we don't always feel ready for the battle. 0:23:31.750 --> 0:23:35.670 David definitely didn't say, hey, I'm just a shepherd boy. 0:23:35.670 --> 0:23:38.070 Let me go get some training. It'll be months and 0:23:38.070 --> 0:23:41.629 then I'll come back and fight. There's certain battles that 0:23:42.270 --> 0:23:46.150 you need to fight now, or the giant is going 0:23:46.190 --> 0:23:49.470 to take you down, even when you don't feel fully 0:23:49.470 --> 0:23:53.430 prepared for the battle. If you're battling some issues in 0:23:53.430 --> 0:23:56.750 your life and you say, you know, maybe later when 0:23:56.750 --> 0:24:00.480 I graduate, or maybe when I'm older. Maybe when I move. 0:24:00.520 --> 0:24:03.359 No no no. It's time now to fight those battles. 0:24:03.400 --> 0:24:05.240 We have a part to play, but it's. God is 0:24:05.240 --> 0:24:06.120 going to win the battle. 0:24:06.240 --> 0:24:08.480 He's going to ultimately win the battle. And you know, 0:24:08.520 --> 0:24:12.600 Giglio makes a good point of just reminding us that 0:24:12.600 --> 0:24:18.160 we're not fighting for victory. We're fighting from victory. Jesus 0:24:18.160 --> 0:24:21.360 has already won the battle. So like David, I mean, 0:24:21.400 --> 0:24:24.000 he wasn't quite prepared, but he went in there with 0:24:24.000 --> 0:24:27.720 his slingshot. He obeyed God, and God fought the battle 0:24:27.720 --> 0:24:30.600 for him. Some of you need to say, I'm going 0:24:30.640 --> 0:24:33.400 to tackle this even though I don't feel fully prepared, 0:24:33.400 --> 0:24:36.080 because when you rely on God, he will fight that 0:24:36.080 --> 0:24:41.240 battle for you. There's an urgency. Don't delay. We're excited 0:24:41.240 --> 0:24:44.879 to offer this book Goliath Must Fall. And by the way, 0:24:44.880 --> 0:24:46.400 he must fall today. 0:24:46.680 --> 0:24:49.280 Yes. So request Goliath must fall when you make a 0:24:49.320 --> 0:24:52.440 donation of any amount to support bold steps, just call 0:24:52.440 --> 0:24:58.879 us at 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. Or give online 0:24:58.880 --> 0:25:03.040 at bold steps.org/give. And you can also send your gift 0:25:03.040 --> 0:25:05.520 through the mail, of course. Write to us at Bold Steps, 0:25:05.600 --> 0:25:11.640 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois. 606 ten. And have 0:25:11.640 --> 0:25:14.360 you subscribed to Mark's YouTube channel yet? It's a great 0:25:14.359 --> 0:25:17.040 way to get his latest video teachings and insights right 0:25:17.040 --> 0:25:20.280 on your phone or device. You'll find powerful messages on 0:25:20.320 --> 0:25:23.760 topics like marriage, identity, purpose, and what to do when 0:25:23.760 --> 0:25:27.040 you're feeling stuck. Just search for Bold Steps Radio on 0:25:27.040 --> 0:25:30.640 YouTube and click that subscribe button. Well, thanks for being 0:25:30.640 --> 0:25:32.920 with us. That's all the time we have today. If 0:25:32.920 --> 0:25:34.760 you can be sure to join us again tomorrow when 0:25:34.760 --> 0:25:38.119 Mark continues his message on living with a clean conscience, 0:25:38.440 --> 0:25:41.760 learn about the inner correcting power of God. The message 0:25:41.760 --> 0:25:45.320 is coming up Wednesday on Bold Steps with Mark Joe. 0:25:46.680 --> 0:25:49.800 Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a Ministry 0:25:49.800 --> 0:25:51.359 of Moody Bible Institute.