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A Prescription for a Double-Minded Man

The Bible tells us in James 1:8, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” I think if we could really see into the minds of people, it would surprise us to know the number of people who battle double-mindedness. Although he or she doesn’t realize it, a double-minded person stays at war within themselves at all times. If you struggle with double-mindedness, you may have often wondered how you might overcome this issue. Let me show you three words that may help you.

Trials. From the hand of God, our trials come to build us up, develop endurance, enlarge our faith, and mature us in our walk with Christ. Even though God intends these outcomes from the trials He allows, our response to those trials will ultimately determine whether God is able to complete His work in us. What should we do when trials come? Pray and talk with God about it. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing, and Jesus teaches us to be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to remain faithful to Him during these trials. The Psalmist tells us that when we are afraid, we can turn to our Father for help. We must keep our minds stayed on the Lord and His ability to see us through during our trials, or we will find ourselves reverting to the things of this world. When we are double-minded in our trials, we become unstable. In the midst of our trials, we become indecisive and double-minded because we don’t ask in faith, and we are unsure whether or not God will listen. If you are in a trial right now, I pray that you see it as an opportunity to move to our next word.

Trust. The more I read God’s word and grow closer to Him, the more I am convinced that the main issue facing the Americanized believer today is one issue...TRUST. Our culture has conditioned the minds of believers to a pattern of thinking that tells us our first answer is to trust no one but self. This type of thinking promotes pride and self-dependence as opposed to humility and dependence on God. Our minds must be trained to divert our trust to God in our trials instead of reverting to our natural instinct to rely on ourselves and worldly solutions to our problems. 

Truth. Remember that the Word of God tells us that you can’t serve two masters. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” The world tells us that truth is relative; that truth depends on our personal perspective and experiences. The truth is that there is no truth but His truth, and no God but Him. James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” In the midst of trials, may we hold on to the truth of God’s Word and draw nigh to Him, trusting that he will draw nigh to us.