The First Step to a Clear Conscience

[The First Step to a Clear Conscience]( [Kay Warren's Online Retreat: Breathe]( Current Teaching Series [Connecting with God: The Lord's Prayer]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [The First Step to a Clear Conscience]( By Rick Warren — 10/22/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) The first step to a clear conscience is to do a personal spiritual assessment. Here’s how you do it. When you’re not in a hurry, sit down with God in a quiet place and tell God, “I want to do business with you. I want to make a list of anything that is getting between you and me. Help me see the things I know are wrong, and the things I don’t know are wrong.” Ask God to reveal your sins. You can pray like the psalmist: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). When you pray this, you’re asking God to find the things in you that have entangled you and are holding you back. It’s important to take your time. Don’t rush it! Don’t say, “God, I’ve got five minutes for you to reveal every sin I’ve ever done.” Take your time—and be sure to write it all down. Why is it important to write it down? Writing makes it specific. Thoughts untangle themselves through the lips and the fingertips—through what you say and what you write. If you haven’t written it down, you haven’t thoroughly thought about it. Let me ask you a very important question: How serious are you about wanting God’s blessing on your life? Enough that you’re willing to be gut-level honest with him? Are you willing to be honest with yourself? Are you willing to be honest with other people? Or are you just going to live in denial? Denial and God’s blessing do not go hand-in-hand. If you long to have a clear conscience, then you’re just one step away from liberation—from a feeling of joy like you’ve never experienced. Along the way, you’ll find freedom from the habits, hurts, and hang-ups that are messing up your life. Please don’t procrastinate. Reserve time this week to complete your personal spiritual assessment. It’s the first step to enjoying a clear conscience, and it will change your life! [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What’s keeping you too busy to do a personal spiritual assessment? - Why do you think you are sometimes dishonest with God, even though he knows everything anyway? - How does fear keep you from being honest with yourself about your habits, hurts, and hang-ups? How does pride keep you from honesty too? The post [The First Step to a Clear Conscience]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. 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[LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 8 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Connecting with God: The Lord's Prayer. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: You've Got to Get Connected Message 2: Prayer of Connection Message 3: Prayer of Surrender Message 4: Prayer of Dependence Message 5: Prayer of Cleansing Message 6: Prayer of Release Message 7: Prayer of Deliverance Message 8: Prayer of Fulfillment [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2021 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States