“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints.”      1 Corinthians 14:33 (ESV)

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”    John 16:13 (NIV)

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”                 Acts 17:11 (NIV)

Confusion has the ability to rob us of the peace freely given by God.  It can rob us of sleep and distract our thoughts.  It causes mental stress and health issues, if a resolution is not established.  Confusion is a tool used by the enemy.  He is a talented deceiver who continuously invents lies, often leading to our bewilderment and disobedience.  The enemy knows the Word of God but misuses it to confound and trip us in our walk. 

God is NOT a God of confusion but of peace.  We have the Holy Spirit living inside us.  He provides understanding and will always guide us to the truth.  However, it takes diligence and effort on our part to seek out God’s truth.  We are responsible for our own walk and need to be like the Berean Jews. They heard what Paul preached, but then daily examined the scriptures to see if what he was speaking was true.  We too must search scripture when trials or events cause confusion.  We should also search the Bible if a Christian leader says something we question to be doctrinal.  We can’t rely solely on others to feed us.  We must go directly to scripture ourselves and study.

We live in difficult times and it will only get more challenging.  The Bible has warned us that false prophets existed in Paul’s time, and do so even now.  They come to tickle our ears and tell us what we want to hear, often mixing truth with lies.  Christians cannot pick and choose parts of the Word to believe, and then create their own truth.  God is love but love also involves truth and discipline. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that, “ALL Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  We cannot believe every spirit, but must test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 Jn. 4:1).  They are from the world and speak for the viewpoint of the world, and sadly the world listens to them, thus deceiving themselves (1 Jn. 4:5).  This includes believers living in the world! 

The lies of the enemy are often so subtle and misleading.  It takes maturity in Christ to muddle through the lies he mixes in with the truth.  This includes the lies he whispers in our ears regarding our worth and value to God.  He will try to convince you that you are worthless and unworthy of serving the Father.  He loves to impart guilt, since he wants to cripple your service for God.  The devil wants to beat us down and convince us that God has left us in the desert forever. This is a lie!  The Father brings his children out of their wilderness in His time.  Sorrows are for but a season.

Confusion will discourage the best of us, but the best way to attack it is with scripture and prayer.  Ask God for direction and wisdom.  Request that the Holy Spirit directs you to the truth, and then be prepared to face the facts and reality.  It may cause you to make choices or personal changes.  2 Timothy 2:7 advises us to reflect on scripture and then promises that the Lord will give us insight.

If you are facing trials, struggles, or you simply have questions and concerns, diligently seek the truth.  Like a buried treasure, you will find the answers and cherished prize.  Be a Berean today!  Don’t let confusion rob you of the peace of Christ.  “Seek and you will find.” (Matt. 7:7)

“Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.”                 2 Timothy 2:7 (NIV) 

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”    2 Peter 2:1-3 (NIV)

“ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.”  1 John 4:5 (NIV)