SEARED CONSCIENCE

I've been wanting to post more regularly so here goes. This thought has been on my mind and convicting my spirit lately. I have allowed my conscience to be seared by various worldly influences. In the dictionary, sear means to char, scorch and create a scar. It also means to become withered and dried up, to become callous and hardened. God has given us consciences to judge right from wrong. It is one of the things that makes us unique as a creation of God, we are made in His image. When I allow myself to drink in worldly images on television, foolish and rude commentary on talk radio, etc. my conscience becomes seared. I naively believe Satan's lie that I can handle it. But the old adage is true, you don't have to get in the sewer to know that it stinks. Also, if we spend too much time near the sewer we begin to smell like it. We are called to be distinct as the children of God. We are called to be holy as He is holy. Our God is a consuming fire. We grow more and more like those in Romans 1 when we pretend that we can play with the world and not become just like them. 1 John 2:15-16 is very clear as is James 4:4-5 - "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: 'He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?'" This is a wake up call to myself to stop being enamored with popular culture. Turn it off and read a book!!