What Is Confusion?

Hello The5thNovelist readers! Welcome back to another talk!

Today's topic stems from a desire for an in-depth understanding of certain things. People say, "Confusion is not of God!" This is true according to 1 Corinthians 14:33. But then Genesis 11:7 says, "Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." In this context, God himself is confusing people!

This got me thinking... What is confusion? What does it look like? How does it feel?

In my time with God and through many struggles trying to find a specific definition, I discovered that confusion is both physical and mental.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul was speaking of disorder. The word "confusion" translates to "disorder" in the context Paul was addressing. He emphasized that a prophet and someone speaking in tongues should not speak at the same time or out of order. For example, those who speak in tongues must have someone interpret it; otherwise, it does not edify the church. Likewise, a prophet should ideally speak two or three at a time.

Then I asked God, "What is disorder?"

Through my research, I found that disorder means "irregular" or "not normal." Now, God may do things that seem unusual to us because His ways are not our ways, but that does not mean His actions are disorderly. God will never go against His word. Disorder is something that goes against God—what we often refer to as disobedience or living by the flesh.

This is physical confusion—when our mind, body, and soul work against God so that we cannot distinguish right from wrong. This ties into a lack of knowledge. How can we know what is against God if we don't know who He is?

Many of us are living confusing lives, particularly lukewarm Christians! Their lifestyle displays confusion to others, which is what Paul wanted the church to avoid. We must live consistent lives—either HOT or COLD—but never lukewarm, because this actively displays confusion (disorder). People should see us either living for God, flaws and all, or living for the world—never both.

Mental Confusion

This is something I'm still learning about, but I will share what I have received from God and from research. Genesis 11:7 reminds me of the scripture that says, "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." This means He forgets our sins. It is through Jesus that my sins are forgotten upon repentance, and the Father sees them no more.

If God can forget our sin for His name's sake, why can't He help us forget things as well?

I know some people believe that God controls us by removing parts of our memory. To be clear, this applies to things that would destroy us, go against God Himself, or sometimes revelations that aren't meant for the world. We may become too excited, and He makes us forget what was told to us. God is also the one who brings all things back to our remembrance! John 14:26 says, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

This reveals that when we accept the Holy Spirit, we give Him access to regulate our minds for our betterment and for the Body of Christ.

Negative Confusion vs. Positive Confusion

Negative Confusion (Disorder) causes:

1.Fogginess of the mind

2.Inconsistent behaviors

3.Judgment

4.Lack of understanding

5.Lack Of Knowledge

Godly Confusion (Mixture or to mix) helps remove unnecessary thoughts (such as painful memories). Have you ever thought back and said, "How did I forget that?" or "I'd never thought I'd get over that?" That's the Holy Spirit helping you!

This also applies to things yet to be revealed or about to be exposed. Have you ever been told something by God, and the moment you went to share it with someone, you forgot? That's God signaling it's not supposed to be revealed yet... or maybe ever.

Godly confusion also prevents things that directly oppose God or may harm mankind. For example, at Babel, the people united to build something so high that they would become famous and stay together. They could have achieved that feat in unity, but in His wisdom, God understood it would not be good for mankind.

Thanks for reading! I'll be back next week for Part 2: What is Confusion? What is Lack of Knowledge? What is Unbelief?