Warning Signals

I’ve flown in a lot of planes in my lifetime, in big planes and in small ones. Every plane has a warning system that tells the pilot when there is a problem. Maybe the plane is losing altitude. Maybe it’s low on fuel. Whatever is wrong, there will be a warning signal so the pilot can take corrective action.

As believers, God has given us something called a conscience, a warning system He has built inside of us. The Holy Spirit works within the consciences of believers, giving us a sense of what is right and wrong. Thus, when we begin to do something that isn’t right, the Holy Spirit works through our consciences to convict us of wrongdoing.

The Bible says that because we are God’s children, He will discipline us. We are told in Hebrews 12:7, “As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?”

When we start to go astray, when we do something that is wrong, the Holy Spirit is there, lovingly yet firmly saying, “Don’t do that.”

Here’s the problem. People who are not true believers will not sense any conviction at all. They will go out and do whatever they want to do, and their hearts will be so hard that they won’t even care. The Bible says of such people, “If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all” (Hebrews 12:8).

If you are doing something that is wrong, and God’s Spirit has been telling you to stop, I have one word for you: repent. Change your direction. God is warning you for your own good.