How To Overcome Confusion Part 1

Confusion is a malady symptomatic of mankind since the beginning of creation. Often times things are not as clear as we would like them to be, and at other times certain occurrences in our lives are outright confusing. The danger is not confusion in and of itself, but what confusion over a certain doctrine, occurrence, or event in our lives can lead do. Often times confusion leads to uncertainty, uncertainty leads to doubt, and doubt leads to outright disobedience or rebellion of God.

Since we are still in our ‘how to’ miniseries today we will discuss how to overcome confusion, and obtain clarity.

The first way in which we overcome confusion is by identifying the source.

1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

Well, that settles it, no further inquiry required. If only it were that simple! It is true, the Word is clear, God is not the author of confusion rather of peace, but the problem arises when due to our preconceived notions concerning a certain matter or doctrine, we misinterpret the word or message of God as being from the enemy because it is confusing, or contradictory to what we perceived or believed.

The only way by which we can discern and know whether something that is causing us confusion is of God or of the enemy is by going to the Word and diligently seeking therein to see what it says concerning the matter. Identify the source, it may just be God trying to steer you away from a certain teaching or doctrine that you had pre-established in your heart that’s causing the confusion, and not the enemy. Due diligence is a must in our walk of faith, because there are millions of voices presenting millions of doctrines, millions of which are unbiblical and detrimental to our spiritual man.

If only the folks believing they would board the heaven bound shuttle in May had done their due diligence, if they had investigated the source of their confusion, they would have come to realize that the sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach was not an attack of the enemy but the Word of God blaring a warning that they ought to turn away from such foolishness and pursue the righteousness of Christ.

In His love God warns us in various ways when we begin to wander off the path of righteousness, when we begin to receive into our hearts those things which do nothing to sanctify us, and often times individuals who are set in their ways, unwilling to receive correction, mistake the warning of God for the confusing voice of the enemy.

The second way in which we overcome confusion is by freeing ourselves of presuppositions or preconceived notions on a matter.

There are certain doctrinal aspects concerning which some individuals have already made up their minds. Due to the denominational dogmas and influences asserted upon them, due to their doctrinal upbringing, the presuppositions some individuals have concerning certain aspects of our faith are already established, cemented, and unshakable. Notice, I did not say they were biblical, just cemented. This is a dangerous position to be in, because often times our presuppositions contradict the Word of God, our preconceived notions are in direct opposition to what the Bible says, yet we hold to our pet doctrine as though it were a life preserver in the midst of a storm.

On the last day of the feast, Jesus stood and taught about the Holy Spirit, the Living Water, and His message was so eloquent and moving that many from the crowd began saying ‘truly this is the Prophet.’ Jesus caused such a ruckus in fact that the people took him before the Sanhedrin, excited at the prospect that they were witnessing the promised one, the Christ, with their own eyes. Being men set in their ways, the Pharisees took one look at Jesus, and inquiring where He was from, came to a conclusion on the spot do to their presuppositions.

John 7:52-53, “They answered and said to him, ‘Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.’ And everyone went to his own house.”

So here was Jesus, speaking words unlike which any man had ever spoken before, here was Jesus performing miracles, healing the sick, raising the dead, and because of their preconceived notion concerning Galileans the Pharisees dismissed everything Jesus said and did, because well, no prophet had ever arisen out of Galilee.

‘False alarm, nothing to see here, couldn’t possibly be Him, He’s a Galilean, ergo His teachings are irrelevant, His miracles are irrelevant, His words are irrelevant, because He was born in the wrong place.’

And everyone went to his own house. That’s all it took for people to turn away from Jesus, that’s all it took for men and women of apt intellect and reasonable logic to grow disenchanted with Jesus, the words of a few pompous blowhards who pointed out the fact that He was born in a region of the country wherein no prophet had ever arisen from. That’s all it took for these people to dismiss what they had heard with their own ears, and seen with their own eyes, and felt with their own hearts. This is why presuppositions are so dangerous, they blind us to the reality surrounding us, often times overriding logic and reason because a presupposition or a preconceived notion are deeply rooted things.

I realize this is off topic, but one of the preconceived notions deeply ingrained in certain denominations is the cessation of the work of the Holy Spirit. There is no biblical proof that the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased to operate within the church, there are countless examples throughout the world testifying to the fact that they are still available to the church, yet men continue to deny them without giving it a second thought.

Just a thought, nobody counterfeits monopoly money. Nobody counterfeits something worthless, or nonexistent. When men attempt to counterfeit something, it is always something of value, it is already a preexisting currency or product, trying to get as close as possible to the real thing in order to fool the unsuspecting and easily swayed among us. I’ve never seen anyone trying to pass off ‘the Bob’ as legal tender, a pink piece of paper with a picture of an aardvark on one side, and a picture of a hamburger on the other. They always try to pass off something that looks like the dollar, or the euro, but just doesn’t feel right to the touch. The very existence of the counterfeit signifies the existence of the real and authentic.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.