James 4:1-6 first ask in verse 1, “Were do wars and fights come from among you?” Then the answer is given as a question, “Do they come from your desires (satanic lust) for pleasure that war in your members?” The answer continues in verses 2-6, 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34).
This desiring (demonic lusting) but never obtaining, is what James 1:2-8, is talking about when describing anyone “double-minded, and unstable, in ALL their ways”, 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be “perfect and complete, lacking nothing”. 5 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. 6 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. 7 For let not that man suppose he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Try to believe God and His word and yet doubt God and His promises is double minded unstableness. Psalm 119:89 says God’s word is eternally settled in heaven, so in us it is settled.
Try to believe the healing and health Scriptures and yet wonder if we are doing it right is double minded unstableness. Psalm 119:107 says we are humbled and made alive by the word.
Try to pray for our evil government representatives’ salvation and yet want them punished is double minded unstableness. Psalm 119:130 says His word in us gives light and understanding.
Try to get faith and wisdom from God and yet always see ourselves as dreadful doubters is double-minded unstableness. Psalm 119:67 says before we were humbled, we were deceived, but now we obey God’s word.
Yes, the human soul—emotions, mind, will—always wars against the human spirit—intuition, communion, conscience—but our “mind” must allow the Holy Spirit’s “intuition, communion, and conscience” to “control our emotions and will”; otherwise, we become double-minded and unstable in all our ways. Second Timothy 1:7 says, “God is not the One who gives us the satanic spirit of fear, but God is the One who gives us the Holy Spirit’s power, love, and sound mind.
Double-minded unstableness is telling our spouse and children we love them but spending more time with someone else, for two desired loves make life and a marriage unstable.
Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live”. Therefore, in one situation we choose “life and blessing” and in the next situation we choose “death and cursing” is double-minded unstableness that is lacking in faith, love, wisdom, power, a sound mind, and distrust of God’s promise in 2 Timothy 1:7.
When we, in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17), place something in God’s caring trust (1 Peter 5:5-11), but do not trust Him through the “suffering a while”, then we cannot expect Him to “perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle” us. Surely His “perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle” is worth our “suffer a while”, but it depends on which “comfort zone” fits our need.
How much are we being hurt by our present way of living? “When it hurts more to change than remain, we remain, but if it hurts more to remain than change, then we change”. So, do we remain in our present way of living, or do we change our way of living for God’s way?
Likewise, when God warns us double-minded is always unstable, and yet we do nothing to always keep our mind fully focused on Christ Jesus, as Isaiah 26:3 commands, because we trust Him, knowing if with single-mindedness focused on Christ Jesus, He will keep us in the perfect peace Ephesians 2:13-14 says our perfect Christ is to us.
We never need to be double-minded and unstable; when we can, in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17), do as Hebrews 4:16 commands, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”.
Boldness is not arrogant pride but humility, admitting we need God’s help in our time of need, so we boldly, unashamed, obey God and lovingly approach Him in prayer, asking for His grace, mercy, and help in our time of need, and then believe He hears us and will, in His perfect time, give us the help He knows is best (1 John 5:14-15). Be bold when believing God’s promises!!!
Jim Nabors
