If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)
How can a human being be ‘double-minded’? An animal is never double-minded. But we regularly find ourselves in two minds about things. Our double-mindedness makes us unstable and unpredictable. Animals are very predictable. If more tired than hungry they will sleep and vice versa. Their behaviour is the outcome of a single mind and purpose. But we find ourselves doing things we don’t agree with and we don’t want to do the things we know are good! Where does this ‘double-mindedness’ come from? We know that we don’t literally have two minds. The reason we are double-minded is because we have sinful hearts. Our hearts and our minds clash. God is truth. Beautiful, joyful, happy, satisfying truth. Our minds know this. But our hearts lead us astray. The world and the deceitfulness of everything that it offers, presents to us other less-than-God things that our hearts desperately want us to believe are beautiful, joyful, happy and satisfying. Our minds are held hostage to our evil desires. Our minds deeply suspect that these things are not true and not as good as God. But because we desire them, we have told our minds that they are true and they are good. In short, because I want it, I convince myself that it is good. Eve looked at the forbidden fruit and it looked desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took and ate. But all along, our minds know other things are not God and they are not true even though the heart desires them, and so we experience the age-old conflict between the head and the heart. The head may be right, but the heart feels so right. If we follow our hearts we will be driven and tossed by desires that come and go like waves of the sea in the wind. And eventually, all waves crash. The only escape is to be single-minded. To have our hearts desire what our minds know is truly true, and beautiful, joyful and satisfying. Wisdom is the ability to line up the head and the heart on one thing: God. Wisdom is discerning what is truly precious and what isn’t. Wisdom separates what is Truth and what is, at best, partially true. PRAY today that God will give you this wisdom. Know with all your heart that He really will. Pray that He will make you single-minded in your heart’s desire for Him. And then, all through today, look at everything and believe with all your heart that it is nothing compared to God Himself.