To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

Titus 1:15

Every time I read this verse or hear it quoted, it’s a gut punch. So many of my daily sins and struggles come down to the extent to which my mind and conscience are defiled. When I laugh at a coarse joke, when my mind wanders down the paths of discontent and lust, when I am tempted to read into the words of a brother or sister in Christ and believe the worst of their intentions…all of these actions are the result of a defiled soul!

Obviously, our past effects this greatly. If we have indulged in sin, the flesh, and the world, we will find this battle to be more acute. But one thing should be clear: there is no place for continued engagement with these things in the life of the Christian! It is one thing for your past to contribute to the defilement of your conscience, but our present must not do so!

Examine your heart. Do your current patterns of entertainment, or passing the time, contribute to the purity or defilement of your conscience? If the latter, are those pursuits worth the cost to your personal obedience and love for Christ? Do not be surprised to find that a defiled conscience will take less pleasure in the Word, the Body of Christ, and worship. There is an inverse relationship between your enjoyment of sin and your communion with God. Let us pursue Christ relentlessly, and may he purify our minds and consciences!

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The “Isolation Introspection” series started as an opportunity for me to encoruage members of our Bible Study with daily reflections from the M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan during the 2020 “Stay at Home” mandate in Los Angeles. I’ve moved them here so that they can be shared easily, and perhaps benefit others. I hope you enjoy!