Jiminy Cricket And The Holy Spirit

One of my favorite Disney characters, Jiminy Cricket, said, “Let your conscience be your guide.” While basis for this may be true to an extent, when we become believers in Jesus Christ, we learn that this “conscience” is actually another way to describe the Holy Spirit working in our heart.

We Want Help!

As Christian business leaders, we certainly want the Holy Spirit guiding us in the way we run our businesses. I don’t think anyone would argue with that. At the same time, there may be differences of opinion as to exactly what that looks like. There will also be differences according to our maturity in Christ.

The simplest and most common evidence we will see of the Holy Spirit working in us is in convicting us when we step out of line. The problem with this is that we will all experience differing levels of conviction in our business operations. Add the fact that our industries are often very different and you can see why it is hard to quantify the role of the Holy Spirit in our businesses for the purpose of discussion among believers.

Holy Spirit Seldom Discussed

I think this difficulty is one of the reasons we do not discuss the role of the Holy Spirit in our businesses as often as we probably should. In an effort to counter that trend, I would like to offer a very simple way of assessing your own position.

What I am going to describe is NOT easily measurable. It is an imperfect model, but at least it will serve to help you determine (to a degree) your level of maturity in your Christian walk. Hopefully, as you read this you will understand what I mean and not over-analyze it!

First Level

The first level of maturity, as reflected by conviction of the Holy Spirit, is revealed when we do something really bad. I am not going to specify any particular action or behavior here. I will leave that up to you. Just think of something you have done in your past that you consider to be “really bad.”

In this situation, a less mature Christian will certainly feel terrible about committing this act. We will have feelings of guilt and remorse. In this case, it is the Holy Spirit bringing this sin to our attention and helping us to recognize it for what it is.

Second Level

As we mature over time, this feeling of conviction begins to happen even when the act is not as “bad” as the one considered above. The degree of the sin decreases as our maturity grows. However, the conviction from the Holy Spirit will likely still be as strong.

We will likely even notice the difference. “I used to feel this way when I did something much worse than I did this time. Now, I cannot even get away with ____ without recognizing it as sin!”

As we mature, we are becoming more aware of our actions and behaviors. We are more sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit as well. This is a good sign of growth!

Third Level

Over time, if we continue to grow in our maturity, there is a reversal of sorts. Instead of only feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit when we do something bad, we begin to feel His conviction when we fail to do something good!

Think about it. The more mature in Christ we get, the more we begin to notice opportunities for good deeds and the more we feel guilty when we fail to act. It is very likely you have noticed this to one degree or another.

Sign Of Drifting?

This trend may even be a good indication of where we are in our current walk with Jesus. As we notice our instances of conviction by the Holy Spirit weakening over a period of time, maybe we need to take this as a sign that we are drifting from God.

Like I said, this is not a perfect model of assessment, but I do believe there is some merit to it. A great way to measure this may be through a personal journal. Again, there is no easy way to quantify this. Just let your conscience lead you!

How would you apply this to a past business situation?

Do you see the work of the Holy Spirit progressing as you mature?

What evidence have you seen of the Holy Spirit’s work in you?