Wisdom Wednesday The Mind of Wisdom – Part 10
Cure for the Double Minded
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
“ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5–8 NASB 95)
Last week, we looked at the pathologies or sicknesses of the mind and heart, especially those of the blinded and depraved mind and the hardened heart. This week, we look at a condition James emphasized as “double-minded.”
What is the double-minded person?
This is the person who is insincere, not genuine, and hypocritical. Toward God, they have a divided loyalty. This is the person who tries to serve the Lord yet serves the world also. Jesus spoke of the double-minded person when he warned that you cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13)
Later in his epistle, James links the heart and mind, by telling the double-minded to “purify” their hearts (again, he uses the Greek kardia, most often translated heart, but sometimes it is translated “mind”).
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)
And the Psalms have a similar concept when referring to the “double hearts” of ungodly men:
Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
They speak falsehood to one another;
With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak. (Psalm 12:1-2)
The double-minded and double-hearted person is unstable and restless. (James 1:8) In these passages, we see it is more the duplicity goes to the core of person’s being – a divided heart.
The antidote for this duplicity? Asking God to purify our hearts and confess our duplicity so we may serve Him alone. When David was confronted by Nathan the prophet, he was convicted of his double-mind and impure heart. Here is how David prayed:
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. … Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:2,10)
