Lesson for October 22, 2023
The Battle for Your Soul
Lesson 3
The Stream of Consciousness – Part 2
5. Conscience
The conscience is the compartment of the norms, standards, and priorities related to the absolutes of Bible doctrine. The Greek word for conscience is “sundeidesis,” which means the mental faculty by which one distinguishes between right and wrong. For believers, conscience is to be influenced by divine norms and standards to make decisions under the filling of the Holy Spirit that motivates them to do what is right and restrains them from doing what is wrong. In order words, it means doing a right thing, in a right way.
We establish divine norms and standards through the knowledge of accurate Bible doctrine. When we go against those norms and standards and live on the basis of human norms and standards, we destroy our spiritual life. Believers in reversionism defile their conscience by rejecting the truth of the Word of God over a prolonged period of time, producing “scar tissue” in the soul. (Romans 2:15; Acts 23:1; I Timothy 1:19; Romans 1:18-23)
I Timothy 4:1-2 uses the word “seared” for scar tissue in the soul. Removing scar tissue as stated in Hebrews 9:14 is through spiritually growth. “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
6. Momentum
There are two factors regarding spiritual momentum. The first is self-evaluation. It is a system by which a believer examines their spiritual life from the doctrine they have learned and makes the necessary corrections to their spiritual life. The second is the use of the Ten Problem-Solving Devices to handle all problems and difficulties in life. With the Problem-Solving Devices there is nothing in this life which cannot be resolved. Any attempt to apply doctrine to experience apart from the Ten Problem-Solving Devices results in heresy, distortion, and antagonism to the spiritual life.
Bible doctrine circulating in the stream of consciousness creates momentum in our spiritual life. The momentum category of the stream of consciousness is the area of spiritual growth which results in fulfilling the plan of God and glorifying Him.
Spiritual momentum is found in the following verses: I Peter 2:2. “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” II Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.” II Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
The ministry of the pastor-teacher in teaching Bible doctrine is part of the momentum category. No believer lives the spiritual life until they live by God’s principles. Those principles come from the knowledge of Bible doctrine, learned and stored in your stream of consciousness. These principles are the basis for using the Ten Problem-Solving Devices. Ephesians 4:15, “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him Who is the head, even Christ.” A pastor cannot make anyone grow up spiritually; you have to accept or reject doctrine yourself. II Thessalonians 1:3, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater.”
7. Wisdom
Wisdom is the application of Bible doctrine to your daily experiences after salvation. The wealth of God is measured in wisdom. We cannot apply what we do not know. It is the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit which takes Bible doctrine and converts it into wisdom. Wisdom is the greatest wealth a believer can have, which is the application of God’s Word circulating in your stream of consciousness. This is the treasure that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 6. At the Judgment Seat of Christ every believer will see how much wealth he or she has accumulated while on earth or how much wealth they missed by not living their spiritual life. Colossians 1:9-12, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might.”
Bible doctrine in the seven compartments of the stream of consciousness by means of the filling of the Holy Spirit is spiritual wealth. You really have an “empty soul” until you fill it with accurate Bible doctrine. God is an expert in solving problems, therefore He provided solutions to all your problems through the doctrine in your stream of consciousness. Spiritual wealth is the wisdom you gain from Bible doctrine applied to your life that results in capacity for blessing and happiness and makes you a unique person.
Wisdom is applying the Problem-Solving devices accurately and objectively to our experiences and circumstances. Doctrine does us absolutely no good unless it is applied. Wisdom means that we have taken control of our own spiritual life and have developed spiritual values, spiritual principles, and spiritual priorities.
When wisdom deploys the Problem-Solving Devices, a believer wins the battle for control of the soul. Problem-Solving Devices eliminate sin in the soul, stress in the soul, false doctrine in the soul, and wrong solutions to life’s problems.
A lifestyle of wisdom emphasizes relationship with God before relationship with people. The trend in “Christianity” is to emphasize a believer’s experience with people as taking precedence over their experience and relationship with God. This erroneous emphasis results in the idea that if you’re right in your relationships with people, you’re right in your relationship with God.
As long as a believer emphasizes their experience with people over their experience with God, they will always be under some form of suffering, self-induced misery, divine discipline, and will never advance beyond spiritual childhood. The Protocol Plan of God gives highest priority to relationship with God, not to relationship with people. Though we still have to interact with people, and though there are certain people that we personally love, God should always be the number one Person in our lives.
People-emphasis over God-emphasis means a believer will never advance in the Christian life. Spiritual growth by means of learning and applying accurate Bible doctrine is the key to knowing and understanding God, His policies, and His plan for us. When a believer remains in spiritual childhood after salvation, their priorities are toward things other than God and His Word. The result of wrong emphasis is a life of self-induced misery and divine discipline.
A believer’s relationships with people and with life will keep them distracted and they will never advance beyond spiritual childhood until their number one priority is their relationship with God over their relationship with others. A right relationship with God results in a right relationship with others.
To give meaning, purpose, and definition to life, believers must develop personal love for God. They must learn the doctrines regarding what they have and who they are as believers in Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish this, they must find a pastor to teach them accurate Bible doctrine. By doing this, a believer can begin to learn the Bible doctrines needed for spiritual growth. Those doctrines begin with knowing about Jesus Christ, what He did on the Cross, and developing personal love for Him. A believer also needs to learn about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and develop a love for Him. Learning the mechanics of fellowship with God and the filling of the Holy Spirit is the beginning of the development of a relationship with God that will ensure that the Holy Spirit is in control of your soul a maximum amount of time.