Topic: Goals and Conscience [Charles Stanley Daily Devotional 7 January 2021]
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Goals and Conscience
1 Timothy 1:18-19
Perhaps this has happened to you: While working toward a goal that honestly seems good, you realize getting there will require a choice or action that feels troubling. Anytime that is the case, you can be sure the Lord hasn’t approved the plan, because a godly goal will never force you to violate your conscience.
As we spend time in prayer and Bible study, the Holy Spirit builds God’s truth into our conscience, the “filter” through which we process our behavior and decisions. An inner alarm will go off if we think or act in a way that doesn’t align with that filter—it is God’s warning when we have stepped out of bounds.
The Lord won’t ever approve a goal that is achieved on a godless trail. Following that path will lead only to heartache, disappointment, and regret. If reaching an objective requires violation of your conscience, then you are headed where God has not called you, and the goal is your own—not His.
Good intentions aren’t enough to make a proposed plan right. Learn to appreciate your conscience—God’s gift of an internal warning system—and heed its admonitions.
Bible in One Year: Genesis 24-25