“If any man of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8)
I have noticed in talking to people I meet that they will try to say things that are positive or filled with hope, however, the longer they talk the more negative their words become. I am reminded of James when he said a double minded man is unstable in all of his ways. It is hard to keep two minds on the same course moving the same direction. Two minds may cause a certain hesitancy in our lives, always wondering what must I do next, how can I please the other. Hesitancy may give our enemy, the devil, more time than we should to create confusion in our lives or the lives of our family members.
“For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything {he asks} from the Lord, {For being as he is} a man of two minds – hesitating, dubious, irresolute – {he is} unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything (he thinks, feels, decides)." (James 1:7-8 Amplified Bible)
The Amplified Bible is particularly good here. It states that a person with two minds hesitates, is dubious and irresolute. The word dubious means dishonest or suspect, irresolute means indecisive. A person who can’t seem to settle things in his mind is unstable and unreliable. In the gospel of Luke 8:22 there is a wonderful story that will help us here. Jesus said, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” They got in the ship and set out. Jesus went to sleep and a storm came and the boat was filling with water. They woke Him up and said, Master we perish. I have noticed in life, there are times when Jesus just doesn’t seem to be doing anything. Don’t be fooled, He may be asleep, however, His word is filled with enough power to accomplish exactly what He said. His word will take you to the other side, no matter how bad the storm might be. Notice what happens when they thought Jesus was asleep. Fear came in and their perception of the circumstances that surrounded them was not what it should have been. They were frightened and despairing of life. The enemy of our souls will try to convince us that God does not care or that there is something wrong with us. If that is so and there is something between you and God, take heart. He said if you ask of Him forgiveness He is faithful to forgive and restore you. He will get you on the right track.
When Jesus is in your boat and says go to the other side, you will get to the other side, whatever the other side is. Let me go further, He may have been asleep, however, His Word was still working. His plan was still in the process, He had a purpose and may I say – you may not think that God is doing anything, but God is at work. He has a plan for your life. He has a purpose that you will only understand after you get there. He is processing His will through your life in a way that will bring glory to the kingdom of God.
A side thought is the fact that He did calm the storm and the raging water. When life gets to be more than you think you can handle He is there to make sense out of life.
Pastor Danny
