THE DOUBLE-MINDED BELIEVER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY DECEMBER 13, 2022.

SUBJECT: THE DOUBLE-MINDED BELIEVER!

Memory verse:  "Therefore I say to you, whatever thing you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11 vs 24.) 

READ: James 1 vs 5 - 8:

1:5: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

1:6: But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

1:7: For Let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

1:8: he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

INTIMATION:

A double-mind is a mind that wavers; it’s not completely convinced about the referenced subject. For instance, in relation to God, a double-minded person is not completely persuaded that God’s way is the best. It treats God’s Word like any human advice and retains the option to disobey. It vacillates between allegiance to subjective feelings (the world’s ideas), and God’s commands. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle James likens such wavering mind to the waves of the sea. If you have observed the waves of the sea, you would notice how restless they are; subject to the forces of the wind, gravity, and tide. Double-mind or doubt leaves a person as unsettled as the restless waves. The double-minded has no complete and absolute trust in God. And God is not pleased with such mind because it  doubts His integrity. Consequently, such mind hardly receive from God since it’s in doubt and hardly would ask in faith. 

To "ask in faith, with no doubting" means not only believing in the existence of God, but also believing in His loving care. It includes relying on God and expecting that He will hear and answer to your prayers, when you pray in line with His Will. We must have the confidence that God will align our desires with His purposes, that is, being in harmony with the principles of God's kingdom.

In First Kings 18 vs 21, the Bible gives an illustration of the double-minded person; "And Elijah came to all people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word."

Elijah was confronted with the problem of dealing with double-minded men, who would not take a stand, and were vacillating between two opinions about the true God. In the modern church, and indeed the world, we have the same problem. Many people, including believers, are very unstable in their ways. They hardly can take a stand in their lives. In fact, it is grievous when they cannot take a stand in their relationship with God, and are just drifting along with whatever is pleasant and easy to them. They are inadvertently, worshipping false gods, this time, themselves!

The unbelieving, double or doubting mind, is an indication of spiritual infancy, resulting in lack of divine wisdom. The apostle James advices that those who lack such wisdom should ask from God, and that, in His loving kindness, He will liberally and without reproach give to them. 

For the adult or mature believer in Christ Jesus, divine wisdom is yours because Jesus is made to us wisdom (First Corinthians 1 vs 30). But the babe in Christ, the undeveloped believer, has not yet learned the secret of trusting the Word. 

In Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God; being chosen for salvation, being adopted as His children, forgiveness, insight, the gifts of the Spirit, power to do God's Will, the hope of living forever with Christ. All these are already delivered to you in Christ Jesus: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1 vs 3.)

Here the believer is blessed with every spiritual blessing—wisdom, divine ability, strength, love, and every other thing that is necessary to make the believer's life beautiful, helpful, and victorious. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my faithful Companion, and ever loving Father. You have given me everything that pertains to life and godliness in Christ. My sufficiency is in You. May I fully live in fullness of all that Christ received for me in redemption, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!