Your conscience may warn you before you make an important decision. But it will not tell you what you ought to do. And listening to your conscience apart from wisdom can be disastrous for at least two reasons.

We’ve all entered that moment of decision. The temptation to act or to think when we know that we shouldn’t. It’s your conscience that tells you, “Stop!” And so you either listen to your conscience or you ignore it. It’s a stop sign that you either stop at or run.

But consciences don’t tell you what to do. They warn you about what not to do. You see: our conscience warns us against unjust acts, but wisdom tells us how to act wisely.

Wisdom

To be wise means that we live well. We know how to make good decisions and act justly. We can handle finances. We can speak to others with grace and poise. We’ve learned how to live well.

Your conscience may warn you before you make an important decision. But it will not tell you what you ought to do. And listening to your conscience apart from wisdom can be disastrous for at least two reasons.

Wisdom Trains Your Conscience

First, your conscience is something that requires training. Wisdom trains your conscience. The habits that you develop over time shape your conscience. Your habits of doing good will lead to your conscience warning you about doing evil.

But habits of doing evil will sear your conscience, and it will no longer function like it should. In other words, bad living can break your conscience.

So, wisdom, or wise living, is paramount.

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