Date: 9-13-14
Text: James 1:6-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. [NIV84]
The Big Idea: One lesson I have learned: BE still, wait and listen.
We have to asked ourselves: “What does being double-minded look like?” As a young Christian and a junior in college, I went on a college retreat near Mt. Lemon in Tucson, Az. On a particular hike, I decided to go off the trail and get ahead of everyone. Well, the trail veered one way as I went the other way. Given my ‘excellent’ sense of direction, I was quickly lost. Oh, I could tell which way was north and south etc., but I had no idea where the camp was. The weather starting changing from a balmy fall day to a sharp cold evening.
The clouds rolled in and it smelled like snow. After much mental reflection, I prayed all the more earnestly, “Lord, which way do I go!?” It popped into my head to go in a particular direction. Full of faith, off I went. “But what if I heard the Lord wrong; or maybe it was just my imagination…,” and other questions flooded my mind; a near panic set in. (Later, when the search team was in that very area, they saw my footprints going back and forth several times. Yep, that’s what I did during this moment.)
Shorting this harrowing story, I finally decided, I did hear from the Lord and started off in the original direction. As I went, I noticed orange ‘tape’ tied in the bushes and on the tree branches every so many feet. (Back then I didn’t know what hunter’s tape was or what it was used for.) So I continued to follow this and discovered the road. Having never hitchhiked before, I stuck out my thumb and got the first vehicle, a jeep, to pick me up. “Do you know where there is a retreat camp near by?” “Yes, as a matter of fact I work near there.” And off I went….
Lifestyle worshipers, your double minded episodes may not be as dramatic or as obvious. I know many of my subsequent ones were not. Even now, as I ask the Lord for wisdom as to what to do or yield to Him, I keep hearing, “Trust Me.” One lesson I have learned: BE still, wait and listen.
What lessons have you learned through your episodes of being double minded? Your thoughts….
Scriptures to Renew Your Thoughts
—Isaiah 30:21 (NIV84)
— Mark 4:35 (NIV84)
— Hebrews 10:23 (NIV84)
Heavenly Father, stir in my soul a faith that evaporates my doubts. You are good all the time no matter what. This, alone, should be my confidence. You are faithful; You will do what is Good and Just. I Praise You, in Your Son’s Name Amen.
Pastor Mike