"Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked."¹

"Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame, also wrote a story called "Ninety-Three." It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, part of the ship's cargo, that had broken loose. It was moving back and forth with the swaying of the ship, crashing into the side of the ship with terrible impact. Knowing that it could cause the ship to sink, two brave sailors volunteered to make the dangerous attempt to retie the loose cannon. They knew the danger of a shipwreck from the [loose] cannon was greater than the fury of the storm."²

Life's certainly like that. Not always, but more often than not, it isn't the storms  without that cause us the most problems, but the storms that rage  within usâ€"such as a spirit of bitterness, jealousy, pride, greed and so on. Other "loose cannons" are unresolved hurt, anger, a lack of  forgiveness, guilt, lust, and so on. These, if not confronted and  resolved, can readily cause shipwreck of our relations, our faith, or even our life. Some "loose cannon people" in organizations also need to be brought under control before they destroy "the ship."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for Your Word, the Bible, that reminds me to live with a clear conscience. Please confront me with any issue in my life that could, if unresolved, lead to shipwreck of my faith, relationships, and even of my life. Thank You for hearing and answering  my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 Timothy 1:19 (NLT).
2. Brett Blair, Cited on www.eSermons.com

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