Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

  • Home
  • About
  • Favorites
  • Policies
  • Contact

Confirmation Bias and God’s Will

June 9, 2023 by Lauren 4 Comments

Every single one of us holds inside ourselves certain biases.  I have written about racial bias many times, but confirmation bias consumes my thoughts this week.  Have you heard this term before? Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that supports one’s own beliefs or opinions.  Based on our upbringing, environment and experiences, we bring a set of predilections and inclinations to every relationship, conversation, book we read and movie we watch.

 

Our biases can be positive or negative, but they can become dangerous when put on God and His Word.  Romans 12:2 says, “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.” NIV

Can We Really Know God’s Will?

 

I think it’s safe to say that anyone who believes in God is interested in His will.  We pray to know it and we pray for it to happen.  But I see the global church increasingly aligning with the pattern of this world and less to God’s will as written for us in His Word.

 

What does it mean to test and approve what God’s will is?  I firmly believe that God speaks to His children in a myriad of ways.  And if we aren’t careful, we can become convinced He is directing us along the path of our confirmation bias.  Can we ever be 100% certain of God’s answer to our prayers?  Depends on what our question is.  God makes it very clear what He wills for us on many, many issues…in His Word.  The Bible is our ultimate authority and the plumb line with which we should measure everything!  So the first and most important thing we can do is to put what we believe we are hearing or thinking up against God’s Word.

 

How to Go About Eliminating Confirmation Bias

 

There are lots of topical study helps.  How should I treat my spouse?  Should I lie to my boss to save my job?  Who is Jesus?  How can I be saved?  Should I tell my co-worker about Jesus?  These questions and so…many…more can be found in the Bible.  Seek out a scripture, read it in context (the whole chapter or more.  Not just the verse.), and look up the original language to make sure you know what the author intended.  My favorite tools for this practice are biblehub.com and blueletterbible.com.  Our Heavenly Father will never give you revelation or direction that contradicts His Word.  Period.

 

But what if you can’t find your issue in a bible index?  The scriptures won’t tell you if you should go back to school.  Or whether you should take a new job.  Or whether buying a new home is a good idea.  (Although at times there are underlying issues that God’s Word will address).  In situations when correct theology or sin are not involved, asking for guidance from mature, godly men and women in your life can help you draw wise conclusions.  But remember, everyone brings confirmation bias to the table.  So hold everything said – including from the pulpit – up against the Holy Scriptures.  In other words, see point number one.  It is the most important point.

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

This post on persevering in prayer was a reminder I needed this week.

The Link Up

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

 Now Let’s Link Up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Bible reading, Christian, Grace & Truth Link Up, Jesus, prayer

Comments

  1. Amy Johnson says

    June 9, 2023 at 6:17 am

    Oh, I so agree with this post! Your sentence: ” But I see the global church increasingly aligning with the pattern of this world and less to God’s will as written for us in His Word.” is something I’ve been seeing for awhile now and have found so disturbing. Christians aren’t reading or they are misunderstanding the word of God and are following the culture instead of the Lord. Your comments on confirmation bias are so true. People look for news articles, friends, etc. that only confirm what they want to hear or believe rather than trying to understand another viewpoint. Thanks for the party.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      June 9, 2023 at 12:29 pm

      Amy, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this.

      Reply
  2. Tammy Kennington says

    June 15, 2023 at 6:53 pm

    Lauren,
    Such great wisdom here. I love biblehub.com, too!
    I appreciate your insight.

    Blessings,
    Tammy

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      June 18, 2023 at 8:39 pm

      Thank you, Tammy!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
Read More

Subscribe for Updates

Enter your information below to receive the latest updates from the blog!

Recent Posts

  • Sad, Sassy and Surprised in September
  • Joy as an Active Pursuit: My Word of the Year
  • Speaking the Truth in Love
  • What Does it Mean that the Word of God is “Living and Active”?
  • First Friday Prayers: Pain Awareness Month

Find Devotionals By Me in These Books and Click on Image for Order Information!

A 25-Week Bible Study with Topics from Abide to Zeal
A 26 week journey to a better prayer life.
30 devotionals for faith that moves mountains

For Sharing

Lauren Sparks

Like Podcasts? I’m on This One

…and This One! click to listen.

Click below to get a free trial of my favorite technology monitoring platform

Need More Than Just Monitoring? Find Filters and Accountability Here

Search This Site

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 Lauren Sparks | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM

Stop!  Don't Miss Out!

I have a brand new e-book.  This was Not On My Bingo Card:  Essays on Cancer and Related Surprises is available to you FREE by simply subscribing to my blog!  

Invalid email address
I promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!