What does the Bible say about confusion?
Being confused can be one of the worst feelings. Are you struggling with confusion? If you are don’t worry because you are not alone. I have struggled with this as well. The things that happen every day in our lives can be confusing. We all need direction, but as Christians we can rest assure that the Holy Spirit is living inside of us and He is able to guide us and keep our mind at ease.
Christian quotes about confusion
“Confusion and impotence are the inevitable results when the wisdom and resources of the world are substituted for the presence and power of the Spirit.” Samuel Chadwick
“Storms can bring fear, cloud judgment, and create confusion. Yet God promises that as you seek Him through prayer, He will give you wisdom to know how to proceed. The only way you will survive the storm will be on your knees.” Paul Chappell
“He is not a God of confusion, of discordance, or accidental, random, private courses in the execution of His will, but of determinate, regulated, prescribed action.” John Henry Newman
“Prayer is the cure for a confused mind, a weary soul, and a broken heart.”
“God is the reason why even at the saddest part of life we smile, even in confusion we understand, even in betrayal we trust, and even in pain we love.”
“Confusion and mistakes come when we forget the importance of God’s Word as our unwavering guide.”
“Our business is to present the Christian faith clothed in modern terms, not to propagate modern thought clothed in Christian terms… Confusion here is fatal.” J.I. Packer
“We are raising a generation on the spiritual junk food of religious videos, movies, youth entertainment, and comic book paraphrases of the Bible. The Word of God is being rewritten, watered down, illustrated, and dramatized in order to cater to the taste of the carnal mind. That only leads further into the wilderness of doubt and confusion.” Dave Hunt
“Much confusion in the Christian life comes from ignoring the simple truth that God is far more interested in building your character than he is anything else.” Rick Warren
Satan is the author of confusion
Satan seeks to cause chaos, disorder, death, and destruction.
1. 1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
2. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
3. 2 Corinthians 2:11 “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
4. Revelation 12:9-10 “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”
5. Ephesians 2:2 “in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”
Satan tries to confuse us when it comes to sin.
He says, “one time wouldn’t hurt. You’re saved by grace go ahead. God is OK with it.” He always seeks to attack the validity of God’s Word. He says, “did God really say that you couldn’t do it?” We must resist by turning to the Lord.
6. James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
7. Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden?”
Satan comes when you are down.
When you receive disappointment, when you are in some type of trial, when you sin, when you’re struggling with a certain sin, these are times when Satan will rush in and say things like you are not right with God, God is mad at you, you are not really a Christian, God has forsaken you, don’t go to God and keep on asking for forgiveness, your ministry is not important, it’s God’s fault blame Him, etc.
Satan will come in and make these lies, but remember Satan is a liar. He will do anything he can to make you doubt God’s love for you, His mercy, His grace, and His power. God is with you. God says don’t lean on your own understand which bring confusion, but instead trust in me. I got this. Even as I am writing this Satan seeks to bring confusion upon things in my life.
8. John 8:44 “You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars.”
9. Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.”
10. Luke 24:38 “And he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”
How Satan tries to confuse believers
Satan will try to make you think that God is incapable of helping you in a particular situation.
“This situation is too hard for God. It is impossible for Him.” Satan can lie all he wants because my God works in impossibility! He is faithful.
11. Jeremiah 32:27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”
12. Isaiah 49:14-16 “But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”
The world is under the confusion of the devil.
13. 2 Corinthians 4:4 “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Confusion brings fear
Even if God has given you a personal promise that He will make a way for you, the devil will bring confusion. He will start making you think God didn’t say He was going to provide for you. He is not going to make a way for you. You’re then going to say God, but I thought you said you will provide for me, what did I do? Satan wants you to doubt, but you must trust in the Lord.
14. Matthew 8:25-26 “The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”
15. Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
16. 2 Corinthians 1:10 “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”
Satan sends confusion when you seek to do God’s will.
Things that are clearly God’s will for you that God keeps on telling you to do in prayer becomes confusing. Things that should be so obvious to you Satan starts planting seeds of doubt and wonder. You start to think God I thought I have been doing what you want me to do I’m so confused. This is a huge topic for me.
This has happened to me a lot for large and even small matters. For example, there have been times when I have been around others and I get a burden to help a homeless man I see and Satan says don’t give to him, people are going to think you’re doing it for show. What are people going to think, he’s just going to use the money on drugs, etc. I have to fight against these confusing thoughts all the time.
17. 2 Corinthians 11:14 “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
Be careful how you live your life so that you don’t confuse others.
You can bring confusion to others by the way you live your life. Don’t become a stumbling block.
18. 1 Corinthians 10:31-32 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God.”
Trust in God when you feel confused and scared.
Whether you’re going through trials and chaos or confusing relationship issues, make sure that you never trust in your heart, but instead trust in the Lord and His Word.
19. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”
20. John 17:17 “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
Satan tried to confuse Jesus.
21. Matthew 4:1-4 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Jesus came to destroy confusion
You might be feeling confused right now, but I want you to know that Jesus came to destroy confusion. We must rest upon Christ in confusing situations.
22. 1 John 3:8 “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
23. 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
24. John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
25. John 6:33 “For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
The Holy Spirit helps us overcome confusion.
Pray to the Holy Spirit. Say, “Holy Spirit help me.” Listen to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide.
26. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
27. John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
28. Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Reading God’s Word helps to clear confusion
29. Psalm 119:133 “Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any wrongdoing have power over me.”
30. Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
31. Proverbs 6:23 “For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life.”
32. Psalm 19:8 “The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
False teachers bring confusion
There are many false teachers who do Satan’s dirty work and bring confusion and false teachings into the church. We must be careful because some false teachings might sound extremely close to the truth or have some truth within it. We must test the spirit with the Word of God.
33. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
34. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 “A time will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead, they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who tell them what they want to hear. 4 People will refuse to listen to the truth and turn to myths.”
35. Colossians 2:8 “See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ.”
We must pray for wisdom when we are confused.
Ask yourself are you praying for wisdom? There has never been a time when I asked for wisdom and God didn’t give it to me. This is one prayer that God always answers. Pray for wisdom and pray for God’s will and God will let you know in a variety of different ways and you will know it’s Him.
36. James 1:5 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
37. James 3:17 “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
38. Proverbs 14:33 “Wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart; wisdom is not found among fools.”
39. Proverbs 2:6 “The Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Examples of confusion in the Bible
40. Deuteronomy 28:20 “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him.”
41. Genesis 11:7 “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
42. Psalm 55:9 “Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words, for I see violence and strife in the city.”
43. Deuteronomy 7:23 “But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.”
44. Acts 19:32 “The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.”
45. Deuteronomy 28:28 “The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind.”
46. Isaiah 45:16 “All of them are put to shame and confounded; the makers of idols go in confusion together.”
47. Micah 7:4 “The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day God visits you has come, the day your watchmen sound the alarm. Now is the time of your confusion.”
48. Isaiah 30:3 “Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.”
49. Jeremiah 3:25 “We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.”
50. 1 Samuel 14:20 “Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords.”
Bonus
Pray to the Lord and say God help my unbelief. I believe, but Satan’s confusion along with sin is affecting me.
Mark 9:24 “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
I know the Holy Spirit led me to this website. This is a site I most definitely will bookmark and subscribe to. May God continue to provide strength, as well as peace and a sound mind to deliver wonderful Scriptures and positive quotes. Praying this helps others just as it has helped me. Blessings!
Hey Lavonda,
I’m so thrilled that you have been blessed by this article.
My prayer is that it helps others grow in their faith as well.
Thank you for your encouraging comment.
God bless,
– Fritz
Really excellent — thank you for this. The world is drowning in chaos and confusion. These verses put us back into the Word to get both insight and a plan for coping and persevering!