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Believers After God’s Heart – Part 2

By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
25 September 2016   |   3:55 am
If you are to be classified among those after God’s heart, you must ensure that your heart is revived and that you retain an unfettered conscience.
Kumuyi

Kumuyi

If you are to be classified among those after God’s heart, you must ensure that your heart is revived and that you retain an unfettered conscience. Conscience is a good companion that makes a person know what is good or bad. It condemns wrongdoing and commends right action. Lack of clean, cleansed, clear and spiritually active conscience can ruin a person.

David had a sensitive conscience that policed, pricked, convicted and condemned him for cutting off the edge of Saul’s royal robe of honour and identity, which symbolised the anointing of God upon him. He, thereafter, made restitution by confessing and showing Saul the piece of cloth. When pricked by the conscience for wrongdoing, the believer must not persist in evil, but repent and make necessary restitution.

David consistently maintained a sensitive conscience many years after this incident as his ‘heart smote him after that he had numbered the people’ (2 Samuel 24:10). Paul the apostle also maintained ‘a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men’ (Acts 24:16). Conscience acts as a witness and guide, and must be awake to condemn wrong actions and give consent to those that are right. Believers then must allow their conscience to guide their actions, as there are things their community, tribe, politicians, neighbours and majority of people may approve that God disapproves.

A redeemed and active conscience appreciates holiness and disapproves unrighteous acts. People who have a seared conscience tell lies, gamble, give and take bribes without feeling condemned. A conscience can be deadened due to: one, repeated sins; two, deliberate rebellion; three, self-deception; four, false doctrine; and five, delayed judgment from God. Though God can resurrect or revive a dead conscience, the possessor must repent and seek the Lord for activation; he must thereafter, live a God-glorifying lifestyle and walk carefully, prayerfully and scripturally with the consciousness of the divine presence and anointing. This is what makes a person to constantly reaffirm and reproduce an uncompromising spirit and lifestyle.

We reaffirm that the kind of people after God’s heart, whom He needs in His service are those who have spiritual backbone, who can endure persecution and will not misbehave, when they encounter challenges. We reaffirm that only the best is good enough for the kingdom of God; only the vessels that are holy, righteous and obedient to the Word are useful in the Kingdom. We reaffirm that God is holy and righteous and only the people who are holy should bear the vessels of the Lord. ‘Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me,’ Psalm 101:6.

Sinners and backsliders who seek to please God must be transformed spiritually, live holy and embrace Christ’s doctrine. God desires to make believers uncompromising conquerors like Daniel, who ‘purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…’ (Daniel 1:8). Thus, defilements from ungodly counsels must be purged so that the believer can ‘be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use …’; who ‘follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart,’ 2 Timothy 2:21-22.

This will make us to please God and be commended like David, ‘to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will’ (Acts 13:22). It is impossible to fulfil all the will of God without an awakened conscience. Transformed, the believer must henceforth live a conquering, soul-winning lifestyle. God is seeking people who hate sin and love Him wholeheartedly; people who are dogged in their dedication and consecration to live for His glory; people who are focused, fervent and faithful in serving Him till the end.

Further Reading (King James Version): 1 Samuel 13:14; 24:8-10,17; Zechariah 12:8; 1 Samuel 24:4-6; 26:7-9; Job 2:9,10; Psalms 1:1-3; 16:7,8; 64:2; 73:23,24; 1 Samuel 24:5,11; 2 Samuel 24:10; 1 John 3:20; Acts 24:16; Romans 2:15,16; 2 Corinthians 1:12; 4:2; 1 Timothy 4:1,2; Ecclesiastes 8:11; Psalm 101:5,6; Isaiah 52:1,2,7,8,11; Daniel 1:8; 2 Timothy 2:19,21,22; Acts 13:22.

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