Dazed and Confused
I saw the quote “Dazed and Confused” on an Instagram post and it got me thinking.
Confusion is something that everyone can experience. It can be something small or something big. Confusion can even be something that you may be struggling with right now. But how and why do we struggle with confusion?
When I was going through a tough time, a friend of mine said to me “nothing that comes from God is confusing. Satan brings confusion so that we don’t see God’s will clearly.” She is so right! Satan is the master of confusion, not God. After talking to my friend, I knew that what I was struggling with and the confusion that stemmed from it, was not from God…it was from the lack of Christ in my life. It was allowing Satan to control my thoughts and actions because I was at a moment of weakness in life.
When you’re in a state of confusion, you’re in a state of weakness. This will allow satan to come into your thoughts and grab onto those weaknesses. Satan is trying so hard for you to not see God’s light in the dark times of your life. Whenever you experience any amount of confusion, know that God is not the one causing this confusion; it’s satan. 1 Corinthians 14:33 says “for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.”
God always has an answer to whatever you may be going through, whether we knew the answer right away or down the road. You just need to keep your eyes open and have faith.
There may be a part of you that feels like you do have your eyes open so you may be wondering why you’re still confused. This is because there is still a part of you that is trying to control the situation. You are still clinging to your own wants over God’s will. You may not even realize that you are doing this because you’re blinded by selfish thoughts. Deep down, you know this isn’t what God wants for you but it’s so hard to let go and give it all to God. It takes a lot of faith and strength to give up those selfish wants. Take it from someone who has experienced this and learnt the hard way….me.
If you are focusing on what you want in life, and your happiness is stemming from that, then all of a sudden life takes a sharp turn for the worst, how will you react? You’re probably going to feel confused! You’ll start to question “why is this happening”, “this doesn’t make sense”, “I really want this but it’s constantly falling apart”. All that confusion is a spiral affect from not putting God first. Your faith is struggling because you’ve been focusing on what you want rather than what God wants. You are putting God to the side, and may not even notice it. Your actions led to it by slowly brushing Him off because of the feelings that you got by choosing certain things in life.
Just because something feels “good” or feels “right”, doesn’t mean that it’s from God. When your life is consumed of earthly satisfactions, it’s that much easier to experience confusion. 1 John 4:1 says ”Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Ultimately we need to figure out if the thing we want is truly from God. We can do this only through prayer and faith.
Many times we can be deceived by our thoughts because as humans we like to take control. But when we take control of our own lives, we push God away in the process. We need to let go of our lives and let God be in control because when we experience a bump in the road, we need God more than ever to help us through it.
Confusion is powerful. It can be dangerous when we don’t turn to God right away. It can lead to sadness, anger, anxiety, and even depression. When God is not number one in our lives, we are leaving room for satan to weasel his way through.
2 Timothy 2:7 says “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” Only God can give us the understanding we need. It might not be what you initially thought or wanted, but it’s what God knows you need.
Asking God for wisdom is important when you’re struggling with anything. When we have wisdom, our hearts are instructed to follow God’s will. It allows us to see God more clearly even if we don’t understand what is happening. James 1:5 says “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” We can’t have wisdom without God. Without Christ we have no wisdom.
God is not confusing. He is loving, patient, righteous, gracious, powerful, and forgiving! He wants the absolute best for you and me because HE planned out our life before we were even born. How amazing and wonderful is that? Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..”.
We live in a world that preaches “put yourself first” and an “I want this now” mindset. But as Christians, that can be a dangerous mindset to have because it can come between God’s will. His will is perfect in every way. It may feel at times that it isn’t perfect, but life will always have ups and downs. We just need to have God as the main focus of our lives so that we can truly see and feel His will.
It’s human nature to get confused. We can’t really avoid it. However, we can change how we deal with the confusion. We can either sit and bask in it, OR we can turn to God right away and let go of it by asking Him for wisdom and clarity. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
I pray that if you are experiencing confusion, that you allow God to show you out of it. Only He can bring you through your confusion so that you can see the light.
God has a perfect plan for you, even through your confusions and struggles. Trust in Him and have faith that He will bring you through it.