What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do
Embrace the Promises
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3,4)
Resources for Confusion: Life gets confusing! I find help in the promises of God's Word. The circumstances may not change, but when I go to the Bible and personalize God's promises, the confusion seems to lift.
Reactions to Promises: What is your reaction when you hear a promise being made? You either trust the people who made the promise or are skeptical and try to test them to see if they will keep the promise. However, God's promises are always good because God is faithful. So, we are safe to . . .
Embrace the Promise Giver. V 2
"Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
According to Peter, it is possible to know God. The more we know of Him, the more grace and peace will be multiplied to us. This is what we need the most when we are confused. We begin to know about Him through His autobiography, the Bible. However, knowing about Him isn't enough.
For example, I know about President Clinton, but I don't know him. Once I know about him, the next step is to know him in a personal way. If I want to get to know him I must experience him on his terms, and not mine. When I do that, he reveals himself to me by what he says and does. There is little possibility that we will ever get to know the President personally, but with Christ we can know Him intimately through His Word and through the Holy Spirit living in us. When we draw near to Him on His terms he enlightens us through His word, we begin to understand something of his glory and majesty and what pleases Him. This is on God's terms. When we know Him we can then trust Him.
"Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4:8a
What determines our reaction to the Promise Giver? When we know Christ's, we know his Word is good. Paul said, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God."
2 Cor. 1:20.
Embracing The Promises 2 Peter 1:3,4
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." V 3,4
We discover them by spending time in God's Word. Most of the time, we wait until we are confused and then start thumbing through the Scriptures hoping something will pop up. However, if we have been in His Word on a regular basis, the promise will more likely come back to us through what we learned when we were not in a panic.First, we must find the promises.
Second, we must understand the promises. Once we discover the promises, we are faced with a twofold responsibility.
1. We must become familiar with what is happening before and after the promise. This is called looking at the context. We must rightly divide the word of truth and avoid hop scotching through the Bible trying to find a promise that may not apply to a given situation.
2. We must determine if there is a condition attached to the promise. For example, many people like to quote James 4:7. It says Resist the devil, and He will flee from you. That sounds good and victorious but it is incomplete. The whole verse says, "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The implication is that the devil will not flee from us if we do not submit first to Christ.
There are some promises that have no condition attached to them. In John 14: 26, 27, there are these two promises that are unconditional. "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
Once we have embraced the Promise Giver and embraced the promises, then we must apply what is relevant. Not all promises apply to a given situation or the confusion we encounter. If we ask God for wisdom, He will give it. In John 14:26, Jesus told his disciples about the comforter, the Holy Spirit. "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." This is unconditional. It's a great promise. The Holy Spirit teaches us His own Word.
God does not want us to remain in a fog of confusion. He wants us to have a sense of clear direction in our lives. So, put His word into practice and the God of peace will be with you. God knows what we need and where to hit us so we work properly.
*A small factory had to cease operations when a vital piece of machinery broke down. The firm's own mechanics couldn't get a thing working again so an outside expert was called in. He looked the situation over for a couple of minutes and then took a hammer and tapped the machine in a certain spot and it started running beautifully. When he submitted a bill for $100 the plant owner figuratively hit the ceiling and demanded an itemized bill, which subsequently was forthcoming as follows: $1.00 for hitting machine; $99.00 for knowing where to hit. God uses His word to "hit" us where we need fixing.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
The hammer is the Word of God. Jeremiah said, "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? The broken down machinery is the confusion in our lives. God knows what we need and He knows where to hit us with His promises to settle us when we need fixing.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
When you get upset with life's circumstances, it's okay. Don't be too hard on yourself. Go to the Promise Giver. embrace him by submitting to His word. Take that Word, and apply it! Then;
Experience The Results 2 Pet 1:4-11
When we experience the results, the confusion will come to an end and we will enjoy communion with God.
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (vs4) These "precious promises" have a purifying effect on the believer's life. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17: 17.)
This verse links sanctification with truth, and with the word of God. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:32-36) (See also Ephesians 5:26 and 1 Peter 1:22). Jesus prayed that His disciples be "sanctified" ("set apart," "consecrated",) through the channel of the word of God. This means that we cooperate with God in His holy nature.
When we embrace the promises we discover that all we need is in God. When this is true there is no need to lust for the things of this world. Fullness in the Christian life comes when we participate in God's divine nature.
Confidence in the Future (I Peter1: 5-11) When Joseph was sold into Egypt and later ascended to a place of prominence, his brothers came asking for grain because of the famine. Later they pleaded with Joseph to spare their lives. You see he had authority to severely punish them for their sins and to eliminate them on the spot. However, he recognized God's plan in the past and said to his brothers, "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring about as it is this day, to save many lives."
When circumstances of life seem evil to us, and it appears that people are out to do us harm, regardless of what happens, God means it for good in order to bring eternal souls into eternal life. Joseph was so confident that God would bring His people back to the promised land that he made arrangements to have his body buried in the promised and when God delivered his people out of Egypt.
Counting on God. We know that we can count on God to bring us through the hard times. Jehoshaphat cried to the Lord for deliverance. He said, "Neither know we what to do, but our eyes are on You." He counted on God, and the Lord came through with a great victory over their enemies. We can count on God to bring us through if we will embrace the Promise Giver and His promises.
Contentment with Circumstances: The final result is that, when be embrace God's promises, we will have a deep sense of contentment in the midst of circumstances. This contentment comes as a result of applying the promises, It is something we learn through experience.
See Phil 4:11-13.
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A Truth Nugget
Money can buy medicine, but not health. Money can buy a house, but not a home. Money can buy companionship, but not friends. Money can buy entertainment, but not happiness. Money can buy food, but not an appetite. Money can buy a bed, but not sleep. Money can buy a crucifix, but not a Savior. Money can buy the good life, but not eternal life. That explains why we are told in the Scriptures that it is God (alone) who is able to supply us "with all things to enjoy." As Seneca, the Roman statesman once said: "Money has never yet made anyone rich."