What does it mean to be double-minded?
Simply put, it means that you are torn between two decisions. Your mind wants to go in two different directions, which often leads to bad decisions.
The Greek word for “double minded” in James 1:8 is defined as “wavering, uncertain, doubting.” The picture is of a wave that is constantly rising and falling. A wave is anything but consistent; it is at the mercy of the wind. We can be just like. We can allow ourselves to be blown around by our circumstances, which can lead to double-mindedness. You can start to doubt God and the Bible.
Why is double-mindedness so destructive?
If you’re double-minded, you WILL make bad decisions. Your life will be unstable. Circumstances will beat you up. Worries will be a regular companion. In other words, double-mindedness will ruin your life.
Don’t believe me? Let’s look at some examples from the Bible.
Examples of Double-mindedness
REUBEN
Reuben was the oldest of all of Jacob’s sons. He was the firstborn, and as such, he should have been the leader of the twelve.
Genesis 35:22, “And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it…”
This was the first sign that Reuben was unstable. No man who commits sexual immorality is ever a good leader. Reuben was weak.
Genesis 37:29, “And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.”
Reuben had persuaded his brothers to not kill Joseph by suggesting that they throw him into the pit. But then he seems to disappear. The brothers sell Joseph and Reuben comes back later to find the pit empty. Where did he go, and why did he leave? Later Reuben suggests that his two sons be killed if they failed to get Benjamin back. Sounds unstable!
Genesis 49:3-4, “Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defilest thou it: he went up to my couch.”
It’s interesting that Jacob compares Reuben to water, just as James compares the unstable Christian to a wave of the sea. It was Reuben’s one act of sexual immorality that proved he was unstable—he was double-minded. He was a terrible leader. Instead, Judah was the man who proved to be a strong leader. Reuben was simply a wishy-washy man.
SAMSON
Samson, possibly the most famous of all the judges, was a Nazarite. He was under the Nazarite vow, which forbid him from drinking wine, touching a dead carcass, and cutting his hair. He broke every one of these rules. He especially had a weakness for women. But on the other hand, Samson seemed to have a passion for God, and God used him to kill thousands of Philistines.
Despite his physical strength, Samson was weak spiritually. He seemed to enjoy flirting with danger. Even when surrounded by Philistines, Samson showed no fear, but quickly dispatched them like some kind of superhero. Actually, Samson WAS a superhero. His supernatural strength came from God. His kryponite, then, was his lust. He eventually fell head over heels for Delilah.
You know the story. She was paid off by the Philistines to get Samson to tell her his secret, and he eventually did! Samson’s common sense was clouded by his lust. His eyes were put out and he became the Philistines’ slave. Eventually Samson’s hair grew long again, and he decided to accomplish one last feat of strength in order to kill the Philistines.
Judges 16:28, “And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”
On one hand, Samson prayed (good), but on the other, he wanted vengeance for his eyes! Here we see his double-mindedness. Instead of doing it for God, he did it for himself. Samson’s life could have had a happy ending, but his instability ruined everything.
THE RICH YOUNG RULER (Luke 18:18-23)
This young man seemed to have wonderful aspirations. He wanted to know how to have eternal life. But Jesus knew he was double-minded. He wanted eternal life, but he wasn’t willing to give up his temporal possessions. He was wealthy and greedy. He was not willing to give up his stuff for the Savior. He was unstable, which caused him to make the biggest mistake of his life. In this one brief moment, he wavered. It’s sad to think of all the people who want Jesus but they are not willing to give up their sin.
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA (Acts 5:1-10)
You know this story. This couple could have kept some of the money for themselves. The problem was that they wanted to look spiritual by saying that they were giving all the money to the church when in reality, that was a lie. On one hand, they wanted to give this money to the Lord (good), but on the other, they wanted to keep some of it and then lie about it. That’s not a big deal, right? Actually, wrong. It was such a big deal to God that He killed them for it! The key sin was hypocrisy, but it was the couple’s double-mindedness that dreamed up the scheme that would be their death knell.
Have you ever struggled as these people did with being double-minded? We all have. In fact, even the Apostle Paul did!
Romans 7:15, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”
Romans 7:19, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”
Romans 7:22-23, “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
I Kings 18:21, “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”
Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
How to live a single-minded life (3 key steps)
—ascertain the problem
Ask yourself, “What is causing me to be double-minded?” Is it a particular sin? a relationship? a difficult situation? a job? You have to pinpoint the problem in order to reach a solution. This means that you have to be honest.
Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
You also need to want to overcome this problem. This will take will power. Perhaps you feel like you’re stuck. How badly do you want to get out? This is your choice, and no one can do it for you.
—annihilate distractions
At its core, the problem is really a distraction that is keeping you from your relationship with God. Distractions are some of the devil’s greatest tools. If you have pinpointed the cause of your double-mindedness, you need to get rid of it. This means that you will not only deliberately not do it, but you must also replace it. What is a good thing that you can replace it with? Bible reading, prayer, Scripture memorization, and singing are good options. You want to focus your mind on the Lord.
Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Notice that the Psalmist said “words” and “meditation.” That includes both outward actions and your inward thoughts—your mind. Your thoughts are not secret to God, He sees them. You should want the very thoughts you think to please the Lord. Distractions attack your mind; they take your thoughts away from God, so they need to be destroyed.
—absorb the Word of God
Read Psalm 1:1-3.
Notice that verse 1 has three distractions: the counsel of the ungodly (secular media), the way of sinners (society’s direction), and the seat of the scornful (Twitter). But verse 2 has that word “meditate.” This man focuses his mind on the Word of God.
If you’re really struggling in a particular area, take a whole day to study the Bible concerning that subject. Get your mind focused on it and meditate on it. The Bible should be everything to you. When a Christian begins to backslide, the first thing that always goes is Bible reading. But when he comes back to God, that becomes the most important thing. You can’t have verse 3 without verse 2 first.
Your double-mindedness will keep you from reading the Bible, and if you do read it, your mind will be somewhere else so that you will not get anything from it. You must deliberately choose to study God’s Word—meditate on it—in order to defeat your double-mindedness.
CONCLUSION
In Philippians 3:13, the Apostle Paul said these word: “this one thing I do.” He had a single focus. What about you? Is your life unstable? If it is, you probably know what the problem is. You need a single focus, and it should be God. Make God and the Word of God the focus of your life, the reason you wake up every morning, and you will never regret it.
