Do you remember the first time you did something you knew was wrong? Maybe it was stealing something small from a store shelf, lying to your parents, cheating on a test, or crossing a line you promised yourself you never would. At first, it shook you. Your heart raced, your stomach knotted, and you felt that invisible pressure of guilt pressing down. That was your conscience—God’s built-in alarm system—telling you to stop.
But then you ignored it. You did it again. The second time didn’t sting quite as much. The third time was easier still. And eventually, the voice that once shouted became only a whisper. Ignore it long enough, and it falls silent altogether. The conscience becomes seared—like flesh burned until it turns into scar tissue, tough, numb, and unfeeling.
This doesn’t just happen to individuals. It happens to whole nations. When leaders silence their consciences, when truth is traded for lies, and when sin is paraded without shame, the people soon follow. Wrong stops feeling wrong. Good is mocked, evil is celebrated, and the culture loses its ability to blush.
We see it everywhere today. Abortion is called “healthcare.” Pornography is marketed as “adult entertainment.” Greed is celebrated as “success.” Corruption is brushed aside as “politics as usual.” Profanity is normalized as “just words.” Lust is excused as “human nature.” Drunkenness and drug use are praised as “freedom of choice.” Pride is championed while humility is scorned.
Can you imagine your great-grandparents walking into our world for a single day? What would they say as they scrolled through our television channels, social media feeds, and city streets? Would they not cover their mouths in shock at what we parade with pride? Would they not grieve at what we now defend as progress?
This is what it means to live with a seared conscience. And often, it disguises itself with lofty words. People convince themselves: “We’ve become enlightened. We’re free now. We don’t have to live like our ancestors did. I can say whatever I want, do whatever I want, live however I want—and nothing will happen to me.”
But the Bible warns us that this so-called “freedom” leads only to emptiness: “leanness of soul” (Psalm 106:15). It is the soul becoming like rawhide—dried out, stiff, unable to feel. The joy of innocence is gone. The sting of conviction is gone. Even the hunger for truth disappears.
And isn’t this the world we see around us? We are the most entertained generation in history, and yet the most bored. We are the most connected through technology, and yet the loneliest. We drown guilt in alcohol, hide pain with drugs, scroll endlessly into the night, and fill every silence with noise so we don’t have to face the truth. Our consciences have grown dull, and in the process, so have our souls.
Hearts once tender, hardened like stone,
Truth exchanged for lies we now call our own.
Good is mocked, and evil wears a crown,
And a seared conscience drags a nation down.
A tender conscience is a treasure. The moment we stop feeling conviction is the moment we are in the most dangerous place of all. For when the conscience no longer stirs, repentance no longer seems necessary—and without repentance, hope fades. God still whispers, but only those with soft hearts will hear Him.