September 28, 2019
What does it say?
Paul wrote about spiritual discipline and warned against misleading practices.
What does it mean?
Every person has a conscience that is guiding his or her moral decisions and standards of behavior. Paul warned Timothy that teachers with a seared conscience would emerge within the church, leading others to think they could find favor with God by following a set of rules. Because their conscience wasn’t guided by God, their words couldn’t be trusted. These teachers were liars who were influenced by demonic power to distract believers from true faith. God, not fables, myths, or old wives’ tales, should guide the conscience. Paul urged Timothy, as a young minister, to exercise and teach this kind of spiritual discipline and doctrine.
How should I respond?
It’s good to let your conscience be your guide. However, your conscience is only as reliable as the source that influences it. Who or what has been allowed to speak into your conscience? Some spiritual influences are actually a mixture of mystic belief and wrong doctrine. Even within Christian circles, there are those who associate outward behavior and rule following with being spiritual. What do you need to cut out in order to guard your thoughts and beliefs? You will either adjust your behavior to match your beliefs, or you will change your beliefs to match your behavior.