Double-Minded

In the last year and a half - after a long period of turmoil in my life -  I began to feel a refreshing and restoring of my walk with the Lord.  A rising up, back to my old "self" (in a way) and (in many ways beyond anything I have ever experienced), spiritually-speaking, where my confidence was and is being restored.  I suppose, for me, when the storms of life come and my sails get tattered and torn, it can take God a lot longer than necessary (out of my own choice) to restore my situation.  I know I can get tossed around from faith to unbelief in a matter of seconds sometimes by the enemy’s manipulative tactics and that frustrates me more often than not because one moment I can be on the mountain of faith and the next, in the valley of despair and unbelief.  Sigh….




So, during this time where I have become close to the Lord and in His Word daily and “studying the Word to show myself approved” He has begun to speak some pretty amazing things to me about faith and being a “double-minded” man from Scripture and how that has played out in my own life.  It has been a long journey (much to my chagrin at times) but the end result is I am very angry (honestly at myself) because in my IGNORANCE (which as a Believer is absolutely NO excuse) I have allowed a defeated foe (the enemy and his minions) to take me into double-mindedness, which I can now see directly resulted in circumstances in my life that were less than what I had faith and hope they would be.  That was not because of God, nor because I lacked faith, but because of what I have allowed….Glory to God that today I am getting a NEW revelation and a fresh understanding of what the Word says!


James 1:5-8 says:


“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”


As I have been meditating on these verses and seeking the Lord and even listening to a powerful preaching series on just these verses), I am now understanding, through the Spirit, more and more about this passage in that if I do NOT stand on the Word of God, but allow another thought to impede my mind (sown by the enemy) I can expect to receive nothing from the Lord and expect that my journey (my way) will be unstable (restless).


Romans 10:17 tells me that:  “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”


As I look back at some of the trials I have endured, I get it!  (hindsight is always 20/20).  I WAS unstable in my thinking and some times in my feelings and emotions.  I find, if I seek out the experience in reflection, that it was because the enemy came and sowed a seed of a LIE into that experience, that formed emotions in me (I allowed that seed to grow) and thus, shaped my belief and altered my faith!  It all worked to produce a crop in my life that was less than righteous, less than what God would have for me as his daughter, and contrary to the truth of His Word.


What an oxymoron.  If I had NOT gone through the trials the way I did, I would not have had the revelation I have had, yet if I had the REVELATION before the trial, I would NOT have had to suffer the trial the way I did…..


So, if given the obvious choice, I sure intend to gauge my faith on the WORD OF CHRIST and not on my OWN understanding or what anyone else says or what the enemy says!!!!


The opposite of “unstable” is “stable”.  The opposite of “expect nothing” is “expect everything”…


We really must build our trust (our faith) on the Word and on nothing else.

Living Confidently!

Last night at the Gathering, we talked and about living confidently! I enjoyed the discussion and Word as it always comes at exactly the right time for me and while I may be leading, I am doubly blessed each time by the interaction of the women and their honesty and how candid they are in our environment together. I count it a great joy and blessing to be “doing life” with such amazing, Godly women!

Our text last night started in Mark 4:38-41 where Jesus had just preached to a multitude and had taken His disciples and retreated to a boat to go to the other side. Jesus tells them they are going to the other side and thereafter takes a nap. During the time He is sleeping a big storm comes up and starts filling the boat with water….

Beginning in verse 38:

Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4: 38-4.)

We questioned that when God wants us to do something or is telling us where He wants us to go, we know for sure the enemy comes to create distractions and storms to attack our faith. We so identified with the men in the boat, afraid, without faith (Jesus says still you have NO faith?). In a moment, the men walking face-to-face with God, allowed fear to grip them, choking out the promise of God.

How does Jesus handle the storm? He rebuked it and told it what to do.

Rebuke in the Greek language looks like this: From epi and timao; to tax upon, i.e. Censure or admonish; by implication, forbid -- (straitly) charge, rebuke.

(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.)

It wasn’t something He did after prayer, or waited to see what could/would happen. It was immediate and it was with authority.

When the enemy comes calling with lies (we aren’t good enough, we can’t do THAT, we will NEVER be THIS….) do we allow those thoughts to “rent space in our heads” or do we stand up and immediately rebuke the enemy’s attempts to pull down our faith and confidence? Not always our first response but a habit that, when well-learned, really goes far in living confidently and abundantly!

If you read on in Chapter 5 of Mark and you see mighty miracles of God working and healings. An amazing work is done with a man who is demon-possessed by a LEGION of demons (that are cast into 2,000 pigs who fling themselves ultimately off a cliff). This man was living in the graveyard and no one could tame him he was so out of it and in one fell-swoop Jesus casts out the demons and many come and find him clean, orderly and 100% healed and sane! This is only one of the miracles that is performed after they arrive.

So, what would have happened if they had let the enemy keep them in the storm and boat and lost their faith? God had a mighty plan for these men on the distant shore and the enemy knew it. And, while he may have done his best to distract and destroy and even kill, it could not stop God or harm his people.

How did the disciples handle the situation? How does that relate to how we handle things in our own lives when the enemy comes to with lies?

We remember and thank God that we know that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy but Christ came so that we may have life, and have it ABUNDANTLY!!! (John 10:10).

Believing in you,
Cori