CONFUSION
1 Corinthians 14:33 King James Version (KJV)
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints”
How can we who are believers remain confident in this present age that God is in control and knows what He is doing?
Confusion as to why God allows evil to continue in His world and does not curb those who practice it ranks high on the list of issues with which many of us struggle with.
More so when our nation is threatened by fanatical religious terrorists and when hardly a week goes by without some violent act claiming the lives of innocent men, women and children.
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We need to move from confusion about the ways of God to confidence in His purposes. Once we lose confidence in the purpose of God then we are at the mercy of the winds of circumstance. But how do we explain the confusion about the silence of God in the midst of personal trails and difficulties? You have prayed but the heavens seem as brass. How strangely silent and inactive God appears to be at times.
What are we then to do in this situations =>
1. Admit our confusion
v Many Christians, when they feel confused, pretend they are not.
Pretense is not spiritual. Honesty requires us to admit that things are as they are. It is spiritual to confess as to why God doesn't answer you or give you some sign that He has heard your prayer. Integrity requires that whatever is true must be faced.
v Some people feel they are letting God down if they are confused, but it’s better to admit it than to dishonestly pretend the confusion does not exist. Secondly Christians mostly give the impression that we have the answer to all of life’s problems. Confusion makes us feel helpless, vulnerable and dependent- something our carnal nature desists. Living by faith is a bewildering adventure, but the just shall live by faith.
v God wants us to trust Him in the face of massive confusion, but at such times trust is not easy. Trust is one of the most difficult things to do in the Christian life.
v The ability to sit back in times of confusion and admit that though we have no idea what God is doing, we trust Him nevertheless is one of the greatest spiritual qualities we can possess. The only way to achieve real wholeness is being willing to face feelings no matter how threatening they may be.
2. Bring all our questions, doubts and feelings to God and talk to Him about them.
v Don’t be too eager to enter into dialogue with other people, first enter into a dialogue with God. Psychotherapy has been referred to as “a talking cure’. People talk their problems over with a psychotherapist until they find that the internal pressure is relieved. Problems need to be talked over with someone, and who better to talk to that supersedes the almighty God.
What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer! |
v Admittedly there are times when we are so distraught by a traumatic situation that to talk to someone rather than God is more appealing, but whenever possible we should give God the first opportunity to engage with us and help us with our problem.
v There will be times when, even though we have spoken to God about our problems and our confusion, the guidance we need will come not directly from Him but through the lips of a minister/counselor/friend.
3. How do we go about the task of telling Him exactly what is in our hearts?
v Do we address Him in ecclesiastical language and in pious tones? No, we must talk to Him naturally, openly and honestly, telling Him precisely what we think and how we feel.
v No confusion is greater than that which is caused by what we call “unanswered prayer’. God’s delay in answering prayers when we know that what we are praying for is good and right can be a real test of our character.
4. Give God the privilege of replying in His own time.
v One of the reasons why we go through times of spiritual confusion and frustration is because although we are big enough to ask the questions we are not always big enough to understand the answers.
What is the point of God unfolding to us His plans and purposes when He knows that we cannot understand them or are unwilling to do so? Our inability or unwillingness to accept God’s purposes and see things from His point of view precludes us from being informed of them.
v The more time you give to gaining a full understanding of God’s attributes and character the less you will struggle with confusion.
v When you start to think about any particular difficulty you must not focus on your immediate problem, begin further back, apply the strategy of the indirect approach.
5. Be willing to let God answer in His own way
v Learning how to wait quietly for God to answer prayer and bring about His purposes is one of the hardest lesson in the Christian life, but it can mean the difference between peace and panic.
v Which will you prefer – to get an answer to your prayer that made you wish you hadn’t made the request or wait a long time for a reply?
v No prayer goes unanswered for the answer will come in 4 forms :
(1) Yes
(2) No
(3) Here is something better
(4) Wait to see what I will do.
The first response is easy to accept; we just open our hands and take what God gives. The second one is a little more difficult, but though we may not like it, it is just as kind as the first. God sometimes saves us by hard refusals. The third response is also easy to receive. The fourth reply – “wait” may be most difficult to handle.
v The willingness to wait for God to give us an answer in His own time and in the way He thinks best is without doubt one of the greatest marks of spiritual maturity.
v Anything God says will happen in the future we call prophecy. What is the point of being anxious about the future when we know that God is committed to keeping His word? The world might seem chaotic at the moment but God is in control, at the right moment, He will step in and say “Enough”! and that moment might be closer than we think.
v Really when it comes to living in this world, there are only two basic attitudes: we either live by faith or in unbelief. Living by faith is living day by day under the controlling principle that God is true to His word.
v Living by faith is the only true way to live and fully achieve our potential, anything else is merely existence.
v Once we make up our minds that God knows what He is dong then all confusion vanishes.
Summing it up in a single sentence -
God is in charge of earth’s affairs, even if appearances are to the contrary, and should be trusted to do what is right, He has the last word!
Remain Blessed
Submitted by: |
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Song Of the day =>
OH LORD YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL
SONG WRITER: KEITH GREEN
ABOUT KEITH GREEN…..
Keith's songs were often birthed during his own spiritual struggles. When he pointed his finger at hypocrisy, he knew he had four fingers pointing back at himself. He penned honest and vulnerable lyrics—but left room for God to convict the rest of us too. He knew the journey to heaven often twists through rocky valleys, and saw no value in portraying his journey as otherwise.
Keith was constantly praying, asking the Holy Spirit to, "Please change my heart, and convict me of my sin." And when he was convicted, he took action. If he needed to repent, he repented. If he needed to phone someone to ask forgiveness, he made the call.
Keith said, ”I only want to build God’s Kingdom and see it increase, not my own. If someone writes a great poem no one praises the pencil they used, they praise the one who created the poem. Well, I’m just a pencil in the hands of the Lord. Don’t praise me, praise Him!”
“The only music minister to whom the Lord will say,
'Well done, thy good and faithful servant,' is the one
whose life proves what their lyrics are saying...
And to whom music is the least important part of their life.
Glorifying the only Worthy One has to be a minister's most important goal!”
Keith Green
SONG LYRICS
Oh Lord, You're beautiful
Your face is all I see
For when Your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me
Oh Lord, please light the fire
That once burned bright and clean
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns with holy fear
I want to take Your Word and shine it all around
But first help me just to live it, Lord
And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown
For my reward is giving glory to You
Your face is all I see
For when Your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me
Oh Lord, please light the fire
That once burned bright and clean
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns with holy fear
I want to take Your Word and shine it all around
But first help me just to live it, Lord
And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown
For my reward is giving glory to You
Submitted by: Iyekowa Taiwo |