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"If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” James 1:5-8.
The dictionary defines double mindedness as: Having different minds at different times; unsettled; undetermined. The Greek word “dipsuchos” means: wavering, uncertain, doubting and divided in interest. No wonder the bible says that the double-minded person is unstable in all they do, just reading the definitions above brought on a slight feeling of confusion!
The doctrinal theme of the book of James is “good works” and he starts it out talking about trials and temptations. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4. How are we as believers to go about good works if we can not persevere through trials and the attacks of Satan because our faith is weakened from being inconsistent, fickle, unsettled, uncertain, unstable etc.? The double-minded person, while claiming to be a person of faith, become anxious, discouraged, intimidated under pressure and thinks with their feelings instead of their head. They then come to the conclusion that God must not care for them and woe is me. Then life becomes a series of continual disappointments, discouragements and discontent, wondering where did God go in my life?
The answer to becoming single-minded is found in James also; “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:7-10
In repentance, we are honestly ready to listen to Him, we submit. Also, closing our ears and hearts to Satan’s suggestions, we draw near to Him through prayer and bible study then He will draw near to us. As He does, He reminds us of His forgiveness and restores us. As double-minded people we need to confess our mixed motives. The grieving, mourning, wailing and gloom are all of where our hearts should be if we are sincerely confessing and repenting of our sins.
So then, if we are to go about doing what we are here on earth for, we need to believe all that God says, not just some of it. We need to walk by faith in God and not our feelings as those trials and temptations come our way. Let’s get spiritually healthy so we can go out sharing the good news for His praise and His glory.
Vertical focus, not horizontal.
