Press the arrow to listen to Meredith Andrews sing “You’re Not Alone” while you read today’s devotion.

Scripture
Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. Romans 2:14-15

Observation
How can a person know if he or she has crossed the line with God? How someone turn up the volume of God’s voice? Is it possible to restore sensitivity to the soul?

The answer is accessible to everyone, whether they have read a Bible or not. Imagine inside every human life, there is a court room. The law of God is inscribed not in leather-bound law books, but on the soft tissue of the human heart. In this courtroom of the heart, there is a witness stand, with a star-witness under oath, bound to speak the truth. It is our conscience.

We don’t always hear our conscience, because as in every courtroom there is a lawyer.  The legal counsel in the courtroom is our reasoning. Our conscience can speak the truth, but like a crafty lawyer, reason can twist any argument so that we feel right while doing wrong.

So if our reasoning is not to be trusted, how can we ever know if we have pleased God or not? We are to look for two heart reactions. First we will feel accused when we do wrong. This emotion will not last long because we are skilled at taking our own guilt and hurling it on others. To keep sensitive we need to act promptly and do what our conscience requires.

After accusation, the second reaction is self-defense. When we find ourselves arguing in our thoughts and no one is debating with us, we can be certain that the Holy Spirit is speaking and we are looking for a way around his will. When we sense self-defense we should ask, “What am I trying to avoid here?” Finding that answer and acting on it peels away another layer of insensitivity.

Application
I must fight to stay tender by doing what I want to avoid. The way to turn up the volume of God’s voice, is to confess to others when I have done wrong, repair damage I have done and more. My conscience is too precious to waste.

Prayer
Father, keep me sensitive in a callous world. Amen.