Does your conscience ever bother you? It's a good thing to have a sensitive conscience. God made you that way. When you do wrong, you know it. No one needs to tell you. When you do what is right, your conscience is at peace.
The problem is that all of us do the wrong thing from time to time. Then, you can heed a guilty conscience or ignore it. If you ignore it, the voice of conscience is weakened. It becomes easier to do the wrong thing. You can even totally ignore your conscience and silence it.
A guilty conscience is a moral barometer telling you that you are moving into a risky area. God does not want you to live with guilt nor shame. He wants you to admit to him that you have done wrong and turn from it. When you confess your guilt and turn from the wrong direction peace returns.
"Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things" (Hebrews 13:18, ESV). When you pray for God to direct your life, listen to your conscience. When you are living in God's will, your conscience will be clear.
When your conscience is not clear, it's time to confess or agree with God about your sin. God will cleanse your conscience. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, ESV). Confession of sin results in a clear conscience before God.
