This kind of "missing the mark" doesn't mean we didn't learn that truth before (maybe even for the 2nd, 3rd or however many times), we just hadn't applied it to that new situation ¹yet.
We may have a sound grasp of some powerfully liberating truths, but every new situation becomes an opportunity to apply that same truth in a new way - to a new situation.
Though God's truth applies to all of life, we have not lived out every situation or every aspect of life (and may never) where those truths need to apply. We are constantly encountering ¹new circumstances that require a previously learned truth be applied to that new situation.
If you struggle to apply a particular truth God has already helped you learn well, don't beat yourself up. We are all spiritually fragile and still inclined away from God no matter how long you have walked with Him. He is always expanding us in our trust in Him.
For example the truth of being content no matter what your circumstances may be firmly embedded in our heart but when a new situation presents itself that creates discontentment, that is our clue we haven't applied it to this new situation. You will need to apply what you've already learned in other areas before you have a sense of peace and contentment again in this new area.
Though God's truth applies to all of life, we have not lived out every situation or every aspect of life (and may never) where those truths need to apply. We are constantly encountering ¹new circumstances that require a previously learned truth be applied to that new situation.
If you struggle to apply a particular truth God has already helped you learn well, don't beat yourself up. We are all spiritually fragile and still inclined away from God no matter how long you have walked with Him. He is always expanding us in our trust in Him.
We still struggle with subtly buried distrust in some unknown area regardless of how long we have walked with God. New circumstances bring previously hidden distrust to the surface of our awareness. We only need to learn to apply an already understood truth to this new situation as well.
For example the truth of being content no matter what your circumstances may be firmly embedded in our heart but when a new situation presents itself that creates discontentment, that is our clue we haven't applied it to this new situation. You will need to apply what you've already learned in other areas before you have a sense of peace and contentment again in this new area.
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¹This in fact may be exactly what Christ experienced when he learned obedience through the things he suffered...yet without sin i.e. Christ was never disobedient. He struggled with some
of the choices he had to make but He never stopped trusting, always making the best and most God honoring choice. He simply went from untested obedience to tested obedience...and unlike us who often fail to trust God in all areas and situations we encounter, he always passed i.e. He always trusted His Father - He was always without sin.
¹This in fact may be exactly what Christ experienced when he learned obedience through the things he suffered...yet without sin i.e. Christ was never disobedient. He struggled with some
of the choices he had to make but He never stopped trusting, always making the best and most God honoring choice. He simply went from untested obedience to tested obedience...and unlike us who often fail to trust God in all areas and situations we encounter, he always passed i.e. He always trusted His Father - He was always without sin.
And because He encountered new areas where He had to entrust Himself to the Father, He understands and sympathizes with our struggles because he also struggled but always succeeded i.e. never failed to trust.
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Grace to you
Jim Deal