Internal Alarm - Martin Wiles

Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 1 Timothy 1:19 NLT

Only one time in the last year has it sounded.

I don’t remember the first alarm clock I had, but I do recall the type: analog and wind-up. Eventually, the clocks progressed to battery-operated and then electric, but as long as they remained analog, setting the alarm proved tricky. Getting the alarm hand on the exact time was next to impossible.

Digital clocks revolutionized the alarm business. With a digital clock, I could tell exactly what time it was, and I could also set my alarm for the exact time I wanted it to sound. This made life easier. My analog watch—Timex, to be precise—also changed to digital, and I could do the same with it.

Years later, cell phones appeared—from a bag phone to a flip phone and finally to an iPhone, each with a more precise alarm. With satellite technology, I could know the exact time, which also allowed me to set the alarm at an exact minute.

But for most of my life, I’ve not needed any of these things. Many people, me included, have an internal alarm clock. If I know what time I need to get up, I merely tell myself before I go to bed, and I’ll wake up at that time—or close to it. In the last year, I’ve only heard my alarm—of which I have two set—one time. On the weekend, I don’t set one, and I wake up later. Funny how God has created our bodies.

God has also placed another type of alarm in me called my conscience. Not conscious. That just means I’m awake. The other conscience is the little voice in my head that directs my life’s decisions. Paul tells his young child in the faith to keep his clear. Some haven’t—and have wrecked their faith.

As my alarm is intended to wake me up to a new day or important dates, so God designs our consciences to awaken us to thoughts and actions that do and don’t please Him. 

The conscience is negative and positive. With its promptings, we can do a good deed or say something positive to someone that we might not otherwise do or say. On the flip side, it might help us avoid doing or saying something we shouldn’t.

Honing our consciences regularly with spiritual truth from God’s Word is essential in keeping it working properly. God allows His Spirit to work through our consciences. When they are filled with God’s truth, the process works smoother, leading us to pure actions and thoughts.

We might not need a physical clock, but we do need our internal clocks. Without it—or if we refuse to listen to it—our lives will be a mess.

Don’t turn your internal clock off. God has placed it there for a purpose.

Prayer: Father, thank You for giving us an internal clock to keep us on track. 

Tweetable: Is your internal alarm clock working? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.