We need to know more about how the Holy Spirit leads us as far as the specifics of our lives are concerned. The primary way of being led is through a Word from the Bible being personalised by the Holy Spirit to the individual, and all other ways can be regarded as secondary. One of these secondary ways is to be led by the conscience – one of our primary senses or faculties. The conscience is a person’s inner voice which has been given by God to everybody. The conscience will operate in alignment with the inner value system of an individual and it will only be a good guide as long as it has been spiritually trained, exercised and educated by the Word. It then becomes another aspect of the voice of the Holy Spirit. The conscience is that which initially convicts us unto salvation. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from an accusing conscience that convicts us of being evil. When our conscience has been changed and re-educated to the place where we understand that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ and live in accordance with his will, our conscience will powerfully persuade and convince us that we are now righteous children of God, instead of us living a life burdened with a continual feeling of guilt and fear. It is sad that, because of the preaching of the Law in the Church, this guilt and fear is the state in which most Christians find themselves. When our conscience has been educated, we have confidence in God. We no longer pray and read the Word because of a fear of displeasing God, but because we love doing it. When our consciences have been educated by the Word to the sure knowledge that we are forgiven after our repentance, at peace with- loved, and accepted by God, pleasing unto him, the conscience is like an alarm clock which usually is silent, but when it does give an alarm – for instance by a feeling of guilt, we need to listen to it and obey. Godly sorrow, followed by repentance, changes a person unto the likeness of Christ, and leaves no regret. Worldly sorry brings death because it causes no change. Following your conscience, the voice of the Holy Spirit, will result in fruitfulness.
