Let’s Get Real Over Being Double-minded Part 3

Why is this so hard?

Do you repeatedly circle back to the same negative thoughts and behaviours? Do you struggle with being double-minded in an area of your life, feeling stuck on how to change it? Or maybe you thought you were in the clear, but slowly you see familiar patterns returning? I am with you! I have too much experience in these things and have asked often, ‘Why is this SO hard?’ There is no quick or simple answer to that question, nor is there a 5-step solution you can follow.  It comes down to the condition of our heart, which needs regular tending and correction.

The heart

For the sake of clarity in discussing the heart, I am referring to the intangible rather than the physical organ within each of us.  The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states: ‘the heart was considered to be the seat of the emotions and passions and appetites.’ To understand further, The Bible Project provides an excellent video summary of the Biblical definition of heart.

So, we can see that our hearts are at the core of who we are, driving our behaviour.  As we talk about being double-minded, our heart is the root of the problem.  It is why David desires an undivided heart in Psalm 86 and why Jesus himself said, ‘…out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.’ When the heart is pure, purity will follow.  When the heart is selfish, motivation is tainted and skewed in that direction.

“Our relationship with the Lord is always begun and maintained by the heart. Of course, to contact the Lord is a matter of of the spirit, but this must be initiated and maintained by the heart, for our heart is the gateway of our whole being. In other words, the heart becomes both the entrance and the exit of our being. Whatever enters into us must enter through the heart. Whatever comes out from us must proceed through the heart.” (The Economy of God by Witness Lee)

Back to James

As we have worked through this series on being double-minded, James has been our Scriptural backbone. We have addressed doubt, lack of follow-through and selective obedience.  He continues to offer us practical instruction as we look into the text today.

James 3:13-14, 4:7-8 says this:

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth…⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

James refers to the condition of the heart more than once in these verses.  We can foster wisdom and understanding or harbour jealousy and selfishness.  As we approach God however, we cannot think these attitudes are acceptable and worth holding on to.  James instructs that we need clean, pure hearts as we learn to submit to God.  There is no place for the double-minded.

I don’t know about you, but those words leave me reeling.  I want a pure heart, free of duplicity and arrogance. My greatest desire is submission and obedience, but I struggle! I have to admit that I am double-minded and my heart wants to live on both sides of the fence.  There have been seasons of my life where I have been both seeking God, eager to obey while being stubborn and rebellious in some of my behaviours.  There is a big difference between being ‘in process’ and making mistakes versus deliberately making choices out of selfishness.  My heart was deceived and divided as a result, making me double-minded.

Is there a solution?

Never do I want to suggest a quick and easy plan, assuming that your situation is simple or straightforward.  I don’t know your story, nor do you know mine.  Our hearts and minds are complex and the situations we find ourselves in are the same.  To be told that there is a cut and dried, cookie-cutter answer can be offensive and likely not helpful.  I also don’t want to have the pious Christianese response that shouts out “JESUS” to every query.

I want to hear your story, with your thoughts and feelings attached. My healing didn’t begin with someone plunking the Bible in my lap and telling me to get my heart right.  It started with someone hearing me, listening to my concerns and then leading me to the feet of Jesus.  He is the one who continues to heal my heart and show me the way of purity.  Only he can reveal the selfish rebellion that lingers.

Submission

“Submission is a state in which people can no longer do what they want to do because they have been brought under the control of someone else.”  (Collins Dictionary)

James calls for our humility and to turn to God in submission.  He labels our double-minded nature as proud and invites us to purify ourselves by drawing near to God.  The definition of submission above sounds harsh and restrictive.  I don’t want anyone to control me! Just like a toddler who wants to be the boss, I tend to feel the same! But if there is selfish rebellion that remains in my heart, I will not be free to love Jesus as I want to.  I will not have the humility to approach him.  I need to give up what I want to be under the control of the Holy Spirit.  That is the essence of true submission and our only hope of walking away from our double-minded tendencies.

What now?

There is nothing easy about this message; it goes against everything in us. The resistance you may feel is normal.  Jesus experienced it too:  ^‘And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”’ (Matthew 26:39) What an incredible picture of the fight that goes on within and yet a humble, obedient response that wins out. Jesus couldn’t do it alone, even as the Son of God.  Neither can we.

So ask yourself:

• Where am I struggling with being double-minded? What am I holding onto?
• What selfish attitudes reside in my heart?
• How do I feel about submission? On a scale of 1-10, how surrendered am I living? What is holding me back?

Consider:

• Talking to God about what you have discovered.  Be transparent about how you feel.
• Ask for his help in walking away from duplicity.  Confess the attitudes that have held you there.
• What step can you take toward greater submission? Is there something that you need to let go of?
• Perhaps you need someone to listen and help you along this path.  Coaching is an excellent option.  Gina would be honoured to walk with you.  Therapy is also available for you at Mercy Seat Ministry.

Lord, my heart so wants to be obedient.  Like Jesus, I want to follow your plan but I am weak and want to find an easy out.  Thank you for showing us how to submit even when it’s hard.  Give us courage to lean into you for strength and endurance.  Help us to call out in the crucial moments in order to learn what surrender means.  We need you, God.  We cannot walk this road alone.