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Clarity in the Midst of Confusion:
Holy Spirit, in the midst of my confusion I invite the power of clarity. Fill me with the ability to tune into the essential in my life and release the non-essentials, which all too often create confusion and chaos. Make it simply for me to know my next step and to move forward with confidence knowing that you have plans to prosper me and not to harm me, to give me hope and a future. I want you to bring clarity to my ears so that I can hear and respond to God’s voice behind me saying, “this is the way, walk in it.”
Learn:
Problem: Due to the drug of approval, our innate desire to be seen acknowledged and recognized, we end up replacing the clarity that the Holy Spirit offers us with confusion. We look to the outer world to give us that, which can never bring lasting joy and contentment. Jesus left us with the gift of the Holy Spirit to remind us of what Jesus revealed and to guide us into all truth, ultimately setting us free from confusion. As we learned in the Edge God In Podcast: Trust Trumps Fear, Adam and Eve where thrown into confusion: “Did God really say that? Come on take a bite.” Satan is the author of all confusion and the Holy Spirit brings us back to clarity of focus, which leads to accuracy of response.
Scripture Clarity in the Midst of Confusion: John 16: Jesus had more to share with His disciples, more than they could handle. He speaks of the gift that keeps on giving: The Holy Spirit. I will often say that the Holy Spirit is my virtual assistant because He guides me into details of life I often forget due to overload. So what’s the role of the Holy Spirit? A big one as mentioned by Jesus is that He will bring glory to Jesus by taking what directly flows from Jesus and make it known to us. John 16 is an invitation for us to deepen our ability to rely on, lean into God’s presence in our life (v 24) so our joy is complete. In verse 25 Jesus will clearly speak to us and pull us out of our confusion as we ponder our identity and purpose: Who am I? Why am I here? What will it matter?
Reflect:
Read John 16: 29:30: What moves the disciples into the belief that Jesus came from God? Reflect on Jesus ability in these Sacred Scriptures to bring clarity to their confusion through wisdom (The Holy Spirit)…the disciples were confused.
Read John 16:19-24 and John 16:29. How specifically did Jesus bring clarity in the midst of the disciple’s confusion? When has the Holy Spirit brought clarity to you in the midst of your confusion?
Identify & Adjust:
What fuels confusion in your life? Identify a specific area or situation in your life that you are experiencing confusion around and ask yourself the following questions:
- Have I specifically invited the Holy Spirit into this situation and surrendered my will to God’s will? If not, then I will right now in this present moment.
- How does this situation that I am giving power over to that is throwing me into confusion align with what I value most in life?
- What resources do I have available to help me gain clarity? What resources do I need to gather to myself to help bring about more clarity?
Integrate/Take Action:
Confusion breeds anxiety. Anxiety is your body’s response to your thought life. The tension and confusion you feel in your body is the result of giving more authority to outside circumstance than to God’s power and wisdom within you (1 John 4:4). Moving forward into your life, make a deliberate choice to practice transferring the knowledge you have gained in this Bible Study into your daily actions. Focus on 3 key pieces of knowledge revealed to you by the Holy Spirit that you will take action on to bring clarity in the midst of your confusion. Read Romans 12:1 and John 16:33, as you invite the Holy Spirit into your thought life and give Him Permission to evict those serpent thought forms that are trashing your interior castle and throwing you into confusion, erase and replace with Sacred Scripture. Jesus has told us all of these things contained in John 16…why? So we can have peace and joy in this world in the midst of trouble and confusion. Invite the Holy Spirit inside the perceptions that are throwing you into confusion: “Holy Spirit clear out my confusion and replace it with clarity around the person God is calling me to be and the direction He desires me to go. Reveal my next forward action step so that I can move out of the dark and interior the light of clarity. Give me simplicity of action and thought so that I can run and not grow weary, walk and not faint for you are the God of clarity, peace and joy, have your way with me in spite of my confusion and doubt. I give you permission to override the fog in my mind and replace it with still waters and simple forward action steps that bring honor and glory to your name.”
Thank you Melissa for joining us on our Podcast Today:
Resource Materials from Melissa Overmyer on Clarity:
http://www.melissaovermyer.com/single-post/2017/02/22/doors
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Edge God In Podcast Week 11: Clarity in the Midst of Confusion