Habit Of HappinessSample

A Clear Conscience Means a Happy Heart

One thing that causes us to lose our happiness is feeling guilty or ashamed. You’ve got to get rid of guilt and maintain a clear conscience if you want to be happy, because you cannot be guilty and happy at the same time.

Philippians 2:15 says, “Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people” (NLT).

You might say, “I’d like to be happy, but how do I keep my conscience clear when it’s not clear right now?” You need to do what Psalm 32:1-2 says: “What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record” (LB).

Happiness, joy, and relief are three things everybody’s looking for in life. We all want to be happy. We all want to enjoy life. We all want relief from our pain. The Bible says it comes from purity, and purity comes from forgiveness through God’s grace.

So, here’s one way to maintain a happy heart: Keep a clear conscience.

This means at the beginning and at the end of every day doing a spiritual inventory, where you talk to God about anything that is standing between you and him, and you deal with the junk from your day. You practice what’s called spiritual breathing — you breathe out your sins in confession and you breathe in God’s power and cleansing. God promise that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).


This devotional © 2014 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.