DOUBLE-MINDEDNESS
"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. 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. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:5-8)
Decision making can be tough. Should I or shouldn't I? Sometimes we are like Israel when Elijah (I Kings 18:21) said, "Why halt you between to opinions?" It would seem to be a no brainer in that situation – to serve God or serve Baal. But often the way is not so clear-cut. We need God's wisdom to make our decisions.
Indecision is the barrier that keeps us from moving forward. We sit at the crossroad wondering which road to take. And we sit, and sit, and sit and go nowhere. The old adage attributed to Yogi Berra says something. This Yogiism goes, "If you come to a fork in the road, take it!" Making a decision is better than dithering, because dithering gets you nowhere. A double-minded man is unstable because he never settles on a conclusion. Back and forth. One day, he is for this, and the next day he is for that. He never can settle on one solution. Maybe this, maybe that. He is like the boat on the waves, tossed to and fro.
Jesus said, "Let your yes be yes and your no, no. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37). James quoted this saying later in his letter when he wrote, "Let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No, lest you fall into judgment" (James 5:12b). "Maybe" will get you nowhere. The inability to make a decision comes from fear, and basically that fear is that I will fail. This is not to say we should make rash decisions. But once we are convinced of the facts and that God is leading, we need to take a stand. That is faith – I know God is true and I will trust Him. When I make a decision, I make it the best way I know how, and then trust God. I may even make a mistake, but I can trust that God is faithful and will bring about good. I can rest in Him. I hate the words, shoulda, woulda, coulda.
Jesus used another illustration when he talked about the eyes. He said, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:22-23). Double-vision does not let you see things clearly. Everything is fuzzy. So we get corrective glasses to see clearly. The Bible is our eye-glasses. Seeing things through the prism of God's Word helps us see the issues clearly and helps us choose the right path to take. "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." God's word sheds light on our path. As C.S. Lewis said, "I believe in Christianity as I believe in the sun has risen; not only because I see the sun, but because by it I see everything else."
Wisdom comes from seeing things as God see them --- through His eyes. That's why we can ask for wisdom from Him. He will never reproach us when we seek His direction. If we rely on our own understanding, we will be like the boat on the turbulent sea.
It can be scary to make decision. When I felt that God was leading my wife and I to leave teaching and go into pastoral ministry, I was faced with two paths. One would have provided security if I stayed where I was. The other was to follow my heart, and leap into the unknown. It involved a big move financially, house-wise, and ministry-wise. But God is faithful.
If you are faced with a decision today, seek God. Ask for His wisdom and see the issues through the paradigm of God's Word. Then move with confidence that God will lead you. He is faithful.
Love, Dad
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