James 1:8

“A double minded man is unstable in all of his ways.”

I have recently been listening to podcasts of James MacDonald. One of the verses he used in the most recent message I listened to was James 1:8. It convicted me immediately.

I admit fully that based on this verse, I am at times unstable. God is a jealous God. He wants our full attention. He deserves our full attention and more. However, when things in my life become more important than God, then my mind dwells more on those things and less on God. When God becomes less in my mind, that is the definition of a “double minded man”. i.e. a man who focuses on more than just God. That man becomes unstable. Why? because he is focusing on more than he can handle.

Just being transparent, here are things that can overcome God in my mind:

Work
Sports
Family
Self
Television

I have found that the more I bury myself in these categories, the less I spend time with God. When I spend less time with God, my walk with Him suffers.

Sounds so easy, right? Stay focused on God … He takes care of everything in your life … and you’re not unstable anymore.

How’s your walk with God? How stable are you? How balanced are you? What’s coming in between you and Christ? Whatever it may be for you will cause you to struggle in your walk? You will become “unstable.” You will find yourself farther and farther from God.

What’s the solution? For me it’s several things:

Daily time with God and His Word
Weekly devotional time with my wife
Nightly prayer time with my wife
My wife and I holding each other accountable in our walk with Christ
Being a part of a men’s group that meets weekly and holds each other accountable
Being a part of a good, gospel preaching church

It’s not rocket science … It’s not some magic formula … It’s just simply following these steps. When I do these things regularly, my walk with God is better.

I don’t know what hinders you from serving God the way you should. But, whatever it is, get it out of your life. I don’t think any of us want to be classified as “unstable.” The only way to keep that from happening is to stay focused on Christ and His Word.