????? Confusion ????? |
It's Causes and Cures |
| by David A. DePra |
| What is confusion? What causes it? Should a Christian ever |
| be confused? And finally, what cures confusion? |
| These are simple questions, and they strike at the heart and |
| core of what makes us tick as Christians, and as human beings. |
| Indeed, it is almost impossible to discuss the subject of |
| confusion without touching upon some of the most foundational |
| points of our relationship with God. |
| What is Confusion? |
| First, what is confusion? For a sane human being, confusion |
| is a CONDITION. It is an intellectual and/or emotional condition |
| where I am torn between the facts as I know them, and a |
| resolution I cannot find. Thus, confusion is CONFLICT. It is an |
| inner conflict which arises because I cannot understand my |
| environment -- mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. |
| Confusion can arise on many levels. It can occur regarding |
| everything from a harmless math problem, to the most important |
| issues of life. But here we need only be concerned with one area |
| of confusion: That which arises in our walk with Jesus Christ. |
| For if we come to grips with confusion in that area, our other |
| areas of confusion will be resolved as well. |
| "Bad" Confusion |
| Why does confusion arise in the life of a Christian? Many of |
| us assume that if we are confused then it must be because we |
| have sinned. God is not the author of confusion. So if we are |
| confused then it cannot be of God. We must therefore obey God |
| and it will end our confusion. |
| It is true that confusion is the result of unbelief and disobedience. |
| If I refuse to believe God, and willfully disobey Him, I am going |
| to be confused. But we must ask: Is "confusion" of this sort |
| really "confusion?" By definition, unbelief is a REFUSAL to |
| believe. There is a willfulness in it. And if disobedience isn't |
| willful, then it isn't disobedience. It is ignorance. So yes, while |
| confusion and darkness do ultimately result from unbelief and |
| disobedience, this type of confusion is entirely different than the |
| than the type we are going to discuss regarding our walk with |
| Jesus Christ. |
| This "bad confusion" -- caused by unbelief and disobedience |
| to God -- is never intellectual or emotional at it's root. It is not the |
| result of missing "facts." No. "Bad confusion" is a MORAL |
| confusion. It is the result of holding the Truth in unrighteousness. |
| It is the result of being able to know, but of refusing to know -- due |
| to wanting my own way. Thus, my "bad confusion" is the result of |
| the impossible task of calling right "wrong," and calling wrong |
| "right." That is confusion! It is a walk in darkness. |
| You cannot find one scripture where God ever tells people that |
| the root of their problem is that they don't know "the facts." Never. |
| God never tells them that their confusion is because they haven't |
| yet figured Him out. Nope. But He does tell them they have |
| hearts which are either slow to believe, or hearts which they have |
| hardened. Again, "bad confusion" is not an emotional or |
| intellectual problem. It is a moral problem, between myself and |
| God. |
| If "bad confusion" is the result of turning away from the light; the |
| result of wanting my own way, then the solution is simple. I must |
| turn and expose myself to the Light. I must surrender my will to |
| God. If I do, I will have much repenting to do. But that will set me |
| free. And I'll find that the forgiveness of God has been waiting for |
| me. I'll start my way back to clarity and freedom. |
| "Good" Confusion |
| Now all of that being said, it is important here to understand |
| that NOT ALL confusion and darkness are the result of my |
| withdrawing from God. There is, in fact, a confusion and darkness |
| which results from God drawing near to ME. This is a GOOD |
| confusion and darkness -- and is a normal part of our experience |
| of growth in Jesus Christ. |
| GOOD confusion? GOOD darkness? How can this be so? |
| Isn't God Light? Doesn't the Bible say God is NOT the author |
| of confusion, but of peace? So how can it be that darkness and |
| confusion are products of God drawing near to me? |
| "Good confusion" is the initial reaction I will have when God |
| draws near to me with a new revelation of Himself. As I am being |
| brought into more of the Light, my confusion and uncertainty are |
| the initial reactions I will have. Things will appear dark to me |
| because the Light will initially "blind me." |
| We are not equipped to walk with Jesus Christ. We are not |
| able to grasp the Truth, or come close to grasping God's |
| purposes for us in this age. Therefore, when God draws near to |
| us for the purpose of renewing our minds and bringing us on in |
| the process of spiritual growth, our first reaction will be negative. |
| We'll be disoriented. We'll be disturbed. We won't understand. |
| We'll be confused. To us, things will be dark. |
| The Bible agrees. Note the following spiritual pictures of God. |
| Darkness and confusion are shown to be a normal and expected |
| part of our experience when He draws near: |
| He made darkness His secret place. His pavilion round about |
| Him were dark waters and think clouds of the skies. (Ps. 18:11) |
| Clouds and darkness are round about Him. Righteousness and |
| judgment are the habitation of His throne. (Ps. 97:2) |
| And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches |
| of secret places. (Is. 45:3) |
| I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create |
| evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. (Is. 45:7) |
| For the day of the Lord is at hand. A day of darkness and of |
| gloominess. A day of clouds and of thick darkness. (Joel 2:1-2) |
| I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of |
| old. (Ps. 78:2) |
| What I tell you in darkness, that speak you in light. (Mt. 10:27) |
| Yet this darkness, clouds, and confusion are not unto an end |
| to themselves. They are simply the initial reaction which happens |
| when God is working with us. Later, we come into clarity, Truth, |
| and the Light. |
| For thou wilt light my candle. The Lord my God will enlighten my |
| darkness. (Ps. 18:28) |
Light is sown for the righteous. (Ps. 97:2) |
| Light is sown with seeds in darkness. Even physical plants |
| do more growing in the dark than they do in the light. Ever wake |
| up in the morning and marvel at how much plants have grown |
| over night? So it is with those who are in the hand of God. It can |
| at times be dark. But all of it is UNTO light and freedom. |
| How Do I Know Which? |
| Some Christians become overly wrought about whether they |
| are in darkness and confusion for the good reason, or for the bad |
| reason. So they try to "figure out" which. Yet the problem here |
| is never solved by figuring out anything. It is solved by dropping |
| all the "figuring out," and believing God NOW. |
| The idea that I may be guilty of some secret sin which is |
| unknown to me, and which is the real cause of all my problems, |
| and which I must uproot and resolve, is nonsense. These kinds |
| of fantastic solutions are born out of unbelief. The fact is, I am |
| literally FILLED with all kinds of so-called secret sins that I know |
| nothing about. That is the very definition of who I am in Adam. |
| And there is nothing I can do about them through my efforts. That |
| is why Christ died. |
| The reality is, if I am guilty of sin and unbelief to the point where |
| it has constituted a step into darkness and confusion, there is no |
| "figuring out" I need to do. I will KNOW I am guilty. The reason |
| I'm in darkness is that I KNOW I'm guilty and will not turn. The |
| reason I'm confused is that I KNOW I'm guilty and will not turn. So |
| the solution will never be to "figure out" whether I'm guilty of some |
| secret sin. It will be to confess to God what I know I'm guilty of, |
| and acknowledge that He has forgiven me in Christ. |
| This business of trying to figure out what sin I'm guilty of, and |
| then of trying to fix it, can become an even greater sin than the |
| ones I'm trying to remedy. That's because if I am trying to fix sin |
| in myself, I cannot believe Jesus has already fixed it. Therefore, |
| I am in unbelief. No wonder I'm confused. |
| The greatest sin, according to God, is not found in any moral |
| violation of His law. Those ARE sin -- to be sure. But the |
| greatest of all sin is when I try to fix all my other sins in my own |
| strength. That is the sin of unbelief, and we use many methods |
| to achieve this, including some that are quite religious. But doing |
| so is like trying to wash off dirt which has already been washed. |
| I rub and rub and rub, never believing I am clean. In time, the |
| very rubbing I am doing becomes the real problem: I begin to |
| injure and scrub raw the body which I sought to clean and fix. |
| Jesus Christ died for ALL my sin. Not just the ones I know |
| about, or the ones which I have confessed. So if I am wondering |
| about whether my confusion is the good kind or the bad kind, I |
| need only turn and open myself to God NOW. Then I will be |
| where I need to be for Him to have access to me. |
| Certainty About God |
| "Good confusion" is good because of what it indicates. It |
| indicates that God is calling us out of ourselves, and out of our |
| reliance upon our understanding, to faith alone in Jesus Christ. |
| Therefore, while "good confusion" may involve uncertainty about |
| everything God is doing, it leads us to total certainty about God |
| Himself. |
| Many Christians do not understand what God is after in these |
| matters. We think that if we don't understand what He is doing, |
| that something is wrong. So we try to figure Him out, and perhaps |
| get under condemnation because we are not able to do so. But |
| absolute darkness as to what God is doing may indicate that |
| everything is right! The Christian life is, at times, a walk in total |
| darkness, but a walk in total certainty about the One who is |
| leading. |
| God's Classroom |
| If you have ever attended a class on a subject you knew |
| nothing about, you will likely agree that there were times when |
| you were totally confused about what the instructor was talking |
| about. This is normal. This is expected. If you were never once |
| confused, then you didn't learn anything. You were never once |
| challenged by more than you already possessed in the way of |
| knowledge. You did not grow. The class was useless. |
| Your confusion in the class was a sign that you were being |
| challenged with more that you presently possessed. The fact |
| you were in the dark about answers was an indication that you |
| were about to be enlightened. |
| Your confusion did not last forever, did it? (Maybe it did if |
| you flunked the class!) But generally speaking, confusion over |
| what is going on in a class is a necessary stage of development. |
| Eventually, as I am exposed to the subject, I learn. The |
| confusion is replaced by clarity. I'm not so much in the dark |
| anymore. |
| Take another example. Have you ever gotten lost as you |
| travelled to a new place? Sure. You couldn't be expected to |
| know anything about a place you had never visited. Yet if you |
| are reading this, you found your way. You aren't still out there, |
| wandering around. Your lost condition was only temporary. And |
| if nothing else, you learned about a new place -- through the |
| experience of getting lost and finding your way out. |
| God has us in a great classroom. And He is taking us on |
| many journeys into places we have never before visited. This |
| classroom and new place, however, are spiritual. Our classroom |
| teaches us about Jesus Christ. And it is in Christ that we are |
| travelling and learning. |
| In order to learn about Jesus Christ, and in order to enter the |
| the riches found in Him, we must be adjusted. We must be faced |
| with knowledge, experiences, and situations which are MORE |
| than we have ever possessed. That means that confusion WILL |
| be part of the process. Darkness -- at least as it appears from |
| our standpoint -- WILL be part of the experience. Thus, we have |
| this "good" confusion and darkness. They are not the result of us |
| withdrawing from God, or of God withdrawing from us. They are |
| the result of God drawing near to us, and of Him taking us into |
| a new REALM -- the kingdom of God. |
| What we THINK We Need |
| Never think that when God invades a person and begins to |
| work with them that it is going to be a joyride. It is not. It is |
| going to confusing, dark, and at times, terrifying. That's because |
| a human being is not geared for the kingdom of God. It takes a |
| tremendous adjustment and a lifetime of trials to become so. But |
| the confusion and darkness are not the end of the story. They |
| are only the "withdrawal symtoms" which we must pass through if |
| we are going to be set free from our addiction to this age; to this |
| flesh. They are only birth pangs unto something else: A walk |
| by faith. |
| Now, when we are confused, and don't have answers, there is |
| usually one thing above all which we THINK we need: The facts. |
| An answer. A Word from God. Then, we reason, our confusion |
| and discomfort will dissipate and things will be fine. |
| Isn't that right? If only God would tell me what I need to know! |
| If only God would speak to me, somehow and someway, and let |
| me know the facts about this problem! If only God would provide |
| me with the Truth -- then I wouldn't be confused. Then I could |
| be at peace. Then I would understand. Then everything would |
| make sense! |
| If you have walked along with Christ for very long, however, |
| you have found that God often does NOT give us the answers we |
| are looking for. Instead, He keeps quiet. Despite the fact that we |
| pray and pray for answers and solutions, God will often refuse to |
| speak to us about it. He may leave us in our confusion. And this |
| condition may, in fact, continue for a long time. |
| Why? Doesn't God promise to give us what we need in our |
| times of need? Sure. But there is a big difference between what |
| WE think we need in a trial, and what God knows we need. We |
| usually think we need facts so that our suffering, confusion, and |
| uncertainty can be alleviated. But God may know we need the |
| suffering, confusion, and uncertainty because they are will be |
| used to set us free to a life of faith in Jesus Christ. |
| Confused About God? |
| God is all-wise and all-knowing. And He never acts, or fails |
| to act, unless it is in our best interests -- from an eternal |
| perspective. Therefore, we can be sure that when God is silent, |
| that it is good that He is silent. If God is leaving us in a trial, it is |
| for our good that we are left in it. And if we are confused, and |
| God isn't giving us answers, then that too, is for a great purpose. |
| God is after something through all of it. |
| It is here, however, when God doesn't answer and solve our |
| problems, that things usually shift gears. For when God doesn't |
| act like we expect Him to act, our confusion and suffering over |
| circumstances become secondary issues. The primary issue |
| becomes God Himself. When God doesn't act the way |
| we expect Him to act it is quite possible, if not inevitable, that we |
| will become confused about God. |
| What does it mean to become confused about God? It means |
| that I have nothing in my knowledge of Him which can explain |
| why He is allowing what He is allowing. I cannot refer to anything |
| I know about God and use it to reconcile the facts as I see them. |
| This type of experience, where I cannot explain God, often |
| occurs when I am in a trial of circumstances. But it can also occur |
| when my trial is an inward one. When God begins to plow me and |
| dredge up all kinds of unpleasant reactions and attitudes, I may |
| not have a grip on what is happening to me. This terrible |
| experience may be something I had never made room for. It may |
| be something which throws me into turmoil and confusion. I try to |
| find God, but can't seem to get a sense of what He is doing. I |
| have no point of reference for what is happening to me. |
| Now, it is right here that we must again see the most vital Truth |
| of all. Confusion and uncertainty ARE part of the will of God; part |
| of the process of growth. But they are not things unto themselves. |
| They are tools, used of God unto a purpose. What is that |
| purpose? That I might stop leaning upon my own understanding |
| and perception, and trust God. |
| We must repeat it over and over again: The walk of faith is |
| a walk in total darkness, but in total certainty about God. And |
| the way I can enter into this walk is to be stripped of my faith |
| and reliance upon my own understanding. |
| There is a great security which comes from thinking I KNOW. |
| Thousands of Christians are absolutely bound by their demand |
| to know before they will trust. But when God allows me to face |
| the unknown, and will not give me answers, then all of my trust in |
| my understanding will collapse. I must then find a NEW source of |
| confidence. Rather than in my own understanding, I must, by |
| faith, place my confidence in God Himself. |
| Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own |
| understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall |
| direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, |
| and depart from evil. (Prov. 3:5-6) |
| Can we grasp this? God Himself sees to it that life befuddles |
| us! God Himself sees to it that we are faced with more than we |
| can explain. Yet all of it is unto a great purpose: That we may |
| trust in Him without knowing why or how. That we may abandon |
| ourselves totally into His hands. |
| Be not afraid of sudden fear....for the Lord shall be thy confidence, |
| and shall keep thy foot from being taken. (Prov. 3:25-26) |
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will |
fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort |
me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine |
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. |
(Ps. 23:4-5) |
| God desires that we stop having faith in our understanding, |
| and begin having faith in Him. This transition is central to what it |
| means to unconditionally surrender to God. For once we stop |
| relying upon our understanding, we have fully handed ourselves |
| over to God. |
| The term "faith in our understanding" might be confusing. But |
| it is often the only faith many of us practice. We think we know. |
| And as long as we think we understand, we feel secure. But we |
| are deceived. The fact is, we don't know. And the time is going |
| to come when God is going to expose our inadequacy. We will |
| be faced with circumstances which cannot be explained with our |
| present concept of God. Then we will learn what it really means |
| to have faith. Again: Faith is to walk in total darkness, yet with full |
| certainty in the One who is leading. |
| Does this mean that we are to spend our lives walking around |
| in ignorance, sure of nothing? No. We are talking here about |
| what we rely upon. Those who walk by faith know God. But |
| they also realize there is always more to God than they could |
| ever perceive. Thus, they do possess the Truth. But their faith |
| is in the fact that the Truth Himself possesses them! They hold |
| close the Truth. But their faith is in the fact that the Truth holds |
| them! |
| What we see here is something which should carry us out of |
| ourselves. WE are not the glue which holds our universe |
| together. It is not OUR perception of God which carries us. It is |
| God's possession of US. We are merely given little pieces |
| which we are priviledged to understand. |
| Job |
| The best example in the Bible of someone who was confused |
| about what God was doing is Job. Job is, in fact, God's example |
| of how He works with His people. In Job's experience we find |
| out some of the story behind God's dealings, and where God |
| wants to bring us through it all. |
| Job knew the Lord. He had heard about God and believed |
| what he heard. He had believed and obeyed God. God said so. |
| But then his world came crashing down, and Job had nothing by |
| which he could explain it. His beliefs about God did not make |
| room for someone who obeyed God to suffer such tragedy. Yet |
| he did suffer it. The result was confusion and darkness. Job did |
| not understand. He could not understand. |
| Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to His |
| seat! I would order my cause before Him, and fill my mouth with |
| arguments. I would know the words which he would answer me, |
| and understand what he would say unto me. Will He plead |
| against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in |
| me. There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be |
| delivered for ever from my judge. Behold, I go forward, but He is |
| not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him: On the left |
| left hand, where He doth work, but I cannot behold Him: He hideth |
| Himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him. (Job 23:3-9) |
| But then Job concludes: |
| But HE KNOWS the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall |
| come forth as gold. (Job 23:10) |
| Get that great Truth. Job had no answers for why God had |
| allowed his trial. Job wished and longed for the opportunity to |
| talk with God; to have God explain to him what was happening. |
| But Job could not find God. He had looked everywhere; tried |
| every gimmic in the book. Yet at last, Job was beginning to |
| emerge from his confusion. He said, "I can't find God. But God |
| has found me. I don't know God's way, but He knows mine. I |
| can't see God, but God sees me." |
| Here we see utter reliance, not upon MY faith to find God, but |
| upon God's faithfulness to find me. Not upon MY ability to know |
| God, but upon God's faithfulness to reveal Himself to me. This |
| is again a walk by faith: In total darkness, but with total certainty |
| in the One who is leading. |
| God allowed all of this to happen to Job for an eternal purpose. |
| He wanted to alter Job's perspective of God forever. Job said it |
| best: |
| I have uttered what I understood not. Things too wonderful for me, |
| which I knew not...I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear. |
| But now my eye sees you. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent |
| in dust and ashes." (Job 42:3-5) |
| Job's conclusion was NOT the result of God explaining to him |
| what was going on. In fact, you can't find anywhere that God ever |
| explained to Job why those tragedies occurred. Job's |
| realization, and repentance, were NOT the result of him seeing |
| the "facts," or the "answers." His repentance was the result of |
| Job seeing GOD. |
| We all utter things we really don't understand. And we can get |
| quite spiritually proud over them. There is a certain security we |
| get from thinking we "know the Truth." But then the Truth comes. |
| And the first thing it does is expose our house of cards. We find |
| that all the things we uttered cannot explain the trial. They cannot |
| carry us through. We have to find God. And in time, we will. Our |
| faith is then no longer in our ability to understand. It is in God |
| Himself. |
| Walking on Water |
| Faith is never reliant upon us understanding what God is doing. |
| Faith believes and trusts that it it sufficient that God knows. |
| Thus, what we come to is this: "Good confusion" is not DOUBT. |
| It is not an accusation towards God. Neither is it a product of |
| rebellion. No. "Good confusion" is simply not knowing. It is a |
| an opportunity to keep our minds, hearts, and eyes, on Jesus |
| Christ. |
| This Truth is expressed in the incident of Jesus walking on the |
| waters of the Sea of Gallilee. Remember it? Jesus was coming |
| to the disciples, walking on the water. But they were also |
| surrounded by a terrible storm. Peter asked to come out to Jesus |
| on the water. As he did, he began to sink, "because he saw the |
| waves and the storm." When it was all done, Jesus asked him, |
| "Oh ye of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matt. 14:23-33) |
| Now, Jesus wasn't being unreasonable. If He upbraided |
| Peter, we can be sure it was justified. Peter evidently had what |
| he needed to walk out to Jesus, namely, a word from the Lord |
| Himself to do so. But he doubted. And He began to sink. |
| Note the tremendous spiritual lessons in this experience. For |
| instance, when Peter asked to walk out to Jesus, Jesus didn't say, |
| "In a moment, Peter. Wait until I make the storm stop." No. Peter |
| had to step out of the boat in the midst of the storm. God does |
| not stop all of the sources of turmoil, confusion, and uncertainty |
| BEFORE we are to step out in faith. Rather, we are to step out |
| despite these things -- right in the middle of them. |
| Peter did step out of the boat. And we know what happened. |
| He looked at the waves and wind and storm, and they got to him. |
| They were so real! He could feel the wind on his face. The water |
| was whipping up all around him, drenching him. And even though |
| Jesus DID tell him to come out to Him, maybe Jesus didn't |
| quite understand the situation. Did He really expect Peter to |
| walk on water with a storm going on? |
| Peter began to transfer what started out as faith in Jesus to |
| faith in his grasp of the situation. Any thinking man would be |
| crazy to believe this Man who was walking on water rather than |
| what his senses told him. So despite having the word from Jesus |
| Christ to come out on the water, Peter took his eyes off of the |
| object of his faith, and put them on the contradiction of the waves |
| and the storm. |
| Peter's reaction was more than just an emotional one. Much |
| more. Emotions may be a reaction to a situation. But they are |
| not faith. Indeed, if I can feel it, it is not faith. Faith is an act of |
| will based on the Word of God. It is surrender to the One I'm |
| believing. Emotions are merely the surface reactions of the flesh. |
| I can have terrible emotions and a godly faith, or wonderful |
| emotions and no faith at all. Christians need to discern the |
| difference between faith and emotions. It will save us much |
| trouble. |
| It is a fact that Peter really doubted. He didn't sink because |
| he physically took his eyes off of Jesus. No. He took his eyes |
| off of Jesus because he doubted. He had put his eyes, and |
| consequently, his faith, on the storm. IT, to Peter, was telling the |
| Truth. Not Jesus. Peter had forgotten the verse in Isaiah: |
| Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on |
| thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Is. 26:3) |
| The solution to the storm is not to turn upon the storm and try |
| to fight it. That never works. In fact, it makes things worse, |
| because now my mind is focused upon the storm even more. |
| Rather, I need to set my mind upon Jesus. If I do, the storm |
| around me will not cease. But the storm within me shall cease. |
| I'll gain the peace of God because my mind, and faith, are on |
| the One who is in charge. |
| We must not neglect the boat in this spiritual picture. The boat, |
| afterall, was Peter's only security in this situation. Sure, it was |
| being tossed a bit to and fro by the waves, but it WAS something |
| to cling to. Our boat is the thing we can see and feel -- the place |
| we occupy spiritually BEFORE we step out in faith. It is the point |
| of security we must forsake if we are to step out to Jesus. |
| Peter had to step out of what security he had in the midst of |
| the storm, and simply believe what Jesus said. He began well. |
| Indeed, Peter actually asked Jesus if he might come out to Him. |
| But once Peter stepped out of the boat, he was walking where |
| he had never walked before -- on water. |
| Water is totally foreign territory for man. We can't breathe in it, |
| and certainly can't walk on it. On water, we are totally out of our |
| element. It's like this when God calls us forth out of our boat to |
| His Son. He calls us to walk by faith upon alien territory. He calls |
| us to a spiritual territory we know nothing of. It has many waves, |
| billows, and terrifying aspects to it. These can cause confusion |
| and a sense of uncertainty. But He does call us. And He would |
| not do that if it were not possible, by faith, to walk there. |
| Despite beginning well, Peter began to encounter things |
| which contradicted Jesus: The wind, waves, and storm. Peter |
| had never stood, without a boat, without any haven of rest, on |
| the top of raging waves. This was all new. And when the sea |
| began to rise up upon him, and seem to threaten him, He took |
| his eyes -- his faith -- off of Jesus and began to believe what the |
| storm was suggesting to him. |
| The story doesn't end there, however. Remember what |
| happened next? It's usually left out of the teaching on the incident. |
| When Peter sank, Jesus didn't say, "Too bad. You didn't have |
| enough faith. Down you go." No. Jesus RESCUED Peter, and |
| got him back to the boat. |
| Do we see what this means? It means that when we fail to |
| keep our eyes on Jesus, God doesn't disown us. No. He does |
| not condemn us. Jesus simply grabbed Peter and got him back |
| to the boat -- that is -- brought him back to the starting place. Back |
| to the place where Jesus said, "Come forth." He then corrected |
| Peter for doubting. |
| If we fail in a trial, and allow confusion and darkness to keep US |
| from getting to Jesus, Jesus will get to US. He will get us back to |
| the boat. But only for another day. He will take us back to the |
| starting place so that He can build us up again to the point where |
| we will have opportunity to once again step out of the boat and |
| come to Him. |
| God is an eternally redemptive God. It is never too late to turn |
| to Him. There is always a new beginning in Jesus Christ -- even |
| with regard to the trials and lessons God wants to teach us through |
| confusion, storms, and turmoil. |
The Trial of Faith |
| What is "a trial of faith?" Often, we think "a trial of faith" is the |
| problem, sickness, circumstance, or confusion we are suffering. |
| But those things are only vehicles. The trial OF faith is exactly |
| that: It is a trial OF FAITH. In other words, our faith is what is |
| being tried. |
| Now, in order for our faith to be tried, we must be plunged into |
| something which will tax our faith to the limit. We must be faced |
| with trials and testings which will call into question what we |
| believe about God and His Son, Jesus Christ. We must face |
| things which suggest that our faith is nonsense, and that we are |
| fools for trusting God. Indeed, our faith is not being tested unless |
| our relationship and trust in God is being contradicted and |
| challenged by what we feel, see, and hear. |
| We MUST grasp this. A trial of faith doesn't occur when our |
| doctrinal beliefs are challenged. It doesn't occur merely when |
| we must go through a tough time. A trial of faith occurs when |
| our faith in God Himself is put to the test! It occurs when |
| everything we believe about God -- our confidence, security, |
| rest, and reliance upon Him -- when all of that is attacked, |
| challenged, and seemingly contradicted. That's when we have |
| a trial of faith. And that's when we will either grow or fall back. |
| By definition, if we are in "a trial of faith," we WILL be confused |
| about God. We simply will not have answers. But if we respond |
| in a trial of faith the way God wants us to respond, WE WON'T |
| NEED ANSWERS. Why? Because we have God Himself. |
| So how do we respond? By standing. That's the constant |
| picture God gives in the Bible. We stand our ground. We hold |
| our ground. We refuse to be moved by anything which might |
| seem to contradict God. We have the right to stand by faith |
| because the victory is already won. |
| Do you see that? You can't STAND and HOLD ground if the |
| territory is still in dispute. Only if the victory is already won can you |
| stand and refuse to be moved and be sucessful. This is, of |
| course, the core of Truth found in the gospel. We are not called |
| to win the victory. We are called to stand in His finished victory, |
| and to do it regardless of personal cost. |
| They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot |
| be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round |
| about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from |
| henceforth even forever. (Ps. 125:1) |
| A stand in the trial of faith is a stand for the faithfulness of God, |
| regardless of whether I can understand how God could possibly |
| be faithful in the situation. I trust without understanding. I trust |
| without explainations, or facts. I trust because I know that God |
| Himself is the answer. He does all things well. |
| Faith |
| Finally, what exactly is faith? |
| There are many implied "definitions" of faith in the Bible. The |
| most direct one is found in Hebrews 11:1. "Faith is the |
| substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." |
| Read that again, closely. Notice what it really says, and does |
| not say. You might be surprised. It says that faith is substance. |
| Faith is evidence. It is substance and evidence of those things |
| which we cannot yet see, and yet hope for. |
| This makes faith a substitute. It is a substitute which holds |
| things together until the "things not seen" and the "things hoped |
| for" can be worked out. But it is not an imaginary substitute. It is |
| not the product of my mind. It is divine EVIDENCE. It is divine |
| SUBSTANCE. It is something REAL. It is of God Himself. |
| Genuine faith is never generated from myself as the source. If |
| it were generated from myself, then it would be a product of my |
| mind, will, and emotions. For what else do I have to work with? |
| And if my faith is a product of these, then my faith is not of the |
| Holy Spirit. It is of me. |
| Despite this, many Christians continue to "try to generate faith." |
| They try to get God to do stuff for them. We have forgotten that |
| Jesus is both the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. Faith is |
| not of us! |
| No. Real faith is not generated from myself. It is generated |
| from God. It is a divine substance and evidence placed within |
| me by God. It is the substance and evidence which is upholding |
| me until the reality is brought to pass. |
| How do we receive this faith; this substance and evidence? |
| We have already received it. All of us have been given a |
| measure of faith. And God is in the process of giving us the |
| opportunity to stand in that faith against that which would |
| contradict it. If we will stand, our faith will grow. We will more |
| and more see what it is the substance and evidence of. But if we |
| will not stand, then we will move away from God to something |
| less. |
| Faith for the Eternal Ages |
| Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence |
| of things not seen. Therefore, faith is reality. It is an eternal |
| deposit of God which girds and holds us up in His purposes. |
| Regarding confusion, then, we can see the place of faith. |
| Faith in God is a substitute for the facts. It is a substitute for |
| understanding. Yet not an inferior substitute. It is divine substance |
| and evidence of those things which I cannot see or perceive. |
| I may not have a clue as to what God is doing, but within me is |
| evidence that what He is doing is good. |
| The result of standing by faith is two-fold. First, I die. To |
| stand by faith can be likened to standing in a terrible sand storm. |
| The wind and sand are going to pummel me and strip me of |
| everything. Every emotional crutch I relied upon will go. I'll have |
| nothing left but --- what? But faith! Faith, hope, and love: These |
| three abide. |
| Have you ever been spiritually "sandblasted" by the enemy? |
| Have you ever had to stand by faith when everything around you |
| seemed to be working against you; contradicting your faith? |
| Again we see great irony in the ways of God. The more I |
| stand by faith, the more I become reduced to the point where |
| faith in God is all I have. It must be so. Faith, as we experience |
| it, is but a seed for something eternal. It is a but a preliminary |
| segway to something which will be released and experienced |
| in the eternal ages. So the more I become reliant upon God |
| HERE, the more I am being prepared for life in Christ THERE. |
| The Christian life is a walk on water out to Jesus, in the midst |
| of terrible confusion, darkness, and turmoil. But we do have His |
| Word to "come forth." And if we will put aside all the uncertainty |
| suggested to us by our human perception, and keep our eyes |
| on Jesus, we will reach the arms of the only One in whom we |
| CAN be certain. |