Conflict of Conscience

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 8
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“[Be] as children of obedience.” 1 Peter1:14 JND
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask
of god, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not;
and it shall be given him.”
James 1:55If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5)
If our will ever conflicts with our husband’s will we are called to yield, but a conflict of conscience is more difficult. God never calls us to disobedience either to Himself or to our husband. We are called to obedience  ...  obedience to the Lord whom we reverence and who tells us to reverence our husbands. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego submitted to the king and to the Lord, putting themselves under the authority of the earthly sovereign. When the king asked them to worship idols, they continued to address him as king but declined his command forthrightly. This was not a case of “I feel it is the Lord’s will to go to the mall even though my husband wants me home tonight.” (There is nothing inherently sinful about staying home!) Nor did the three friends refuse because they didn’t feel like bowing down and decided to use God as an excuse to justify their actions, but because they were asked to do something directly against the Word of God. They clearly stated their position but did not protest the king’s authority. They no doubt experienced some angst and tough moments, but in the fire they ended up with the privilege of walking in the presence and under the control of the pre-incarnate Son of God. In the end of Daniel 3 (verse 28), the king gave honor to God. Later he fully turned to the Lord (Dan. 4:3737Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. (Daniel 4:37)), a step that was clearly the Lord’s work alone. Like the king, our husband is God’s workmanship. God does not work the same way each time, nor do we always see the results we might wish, but He is always in control (and asks us to keep ourselves under control). If we feel a conflict of conscience, we should bring our difficulties to the Lord and ask Him to make our path straight. He has promised to give us wisdom (James 1:55If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5)); and He may direct us to state our conscience or He may show us that our husband is not out of bounds in his position. Although we must always pray, we must not nag, and it is not our job to be our husband’s conscience.