Acts 10:34-35 (NIV)
…God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
Let that sink in…
Some people ignore the truth because it comes from the mouth of people they despise or see as lower than them. b But the Bible says “ Pride comes before fall, and a haughty spirit before destruction ” ( Proverbs 16:18 )
Think about that for a moment…
We must be very careful not to forge in our own way. But listen carefully to the voice of truth. Proverbs 14:12 tells us “ there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death”.
So how do we determine what leads to life?
Even in the most sophisticated airplanes today there is still a piece of old technology called the magnetic compass. If all the fancy electrical equipment fails, the pilot can still know True North by using the compass.
Inside of us, God has given us a conscience so when we see evil we can identify it, and stop it. But just like a compass, our conscience can also get interference from an outside force
In order for us to know what’s true, we have to check our motives and see if we are carrying something in our hearts that will interfere with our God-given conscience. These things can be lust, pride, envy, fear of people, greed, and idolatry. Also… we should also be careful of the influences we allow around us because they can also affect our spiritual compass.
1 Corinthians 15:33 says,
Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character.”
In order for us to know what is truly good, we have to be aligned with God and remove any interferences that may cause us to deviate from walking down the path of truth.
Proverbs 4:27 says, Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
When we are aware of distractions and remove them from our hearts, then we can have a pure conscience not interfered with the distractions of the world.
Psalms 139 says, “ Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Take a deep breath, release it. With this, we let go of idols and anything that may interfere with our God-given conscience.
Open your hands, lift them up. With this, we give God all bitterness, hurt, anger, and rage to God, and we align ourselves with his grace.