Q3. Doublemindedness

[Pastor Ralph]

Q3. (James 1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of “doublemindedness”? How do trials help us grow in faith?

[Renee]

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"? How do trials help us grow in faith?

Well, as far as trials helping me not be doubleminded, I really don't know how to answer that. I hope that I'm not doubleminded but I'm sure that I am at times. As far as trials helping me grow in faith that's an easy one, when I lean on God through the trial then I am increasing my faith.

[Sage]

I think the double-mindedness maybe comes when people doubt the Word. If you let doubt cloud your heart then how can you accept God's wisdom?

[pbrewstr7@aol.com]

To the question: Many times I have taken the steering wheel, when the way of my life, has gone amuck. To me that is doublemindness. I did not turn it over to my teacher. I did not ask. I ran away, tried to hide, instead of just asking God, "what is it you want me to do", an be prepared, cause when he replys, it may be what you were running from in the first place. Commitment, to his word, and mean it, not just talk it. That was me! Hope I have answered the guestions.

Thank you,

Debora

[Alise]

If I focus my mind and heart on Jesus when temptation or trials come I will not be easily swayed I will be able to stand on his word and not be of two opionions.

[joyandblessings]

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"? How do trials help us grow in faith?

Trials give us the opportunity to walk the talk. If we were all just to study the Word and not apply it, we would not grow very much. But also, if we have trials and stand on the word and get to a point where we can watch God's response, listen to his wisdom, I have to believe that over time, there will not be so much waffling around what the answer is or questioning ourselves and God. We just trust in him, giving him all our cares, keeping focused on his Word and the promises for our lives and act on it. I want to 'get off the courch' and put on the armor and go!

[kas]

My trial cured me of my major sin. It was pretty much a 360 degree turnaround. Big trials will do that. My faith has grown tremendously as a result. The joy of it is; as I am going through the process of knowing God by reading and praying daily, I am awestruck by His power, love, mercy and forgiveness. He is just too awesome. I am learning to rely on Him more and more thus increasing my faith.

[sunilbernard]

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"? How do trials help us grow in faith

What an exposition!! Doublemindedness and its cure!!! When we are really cornered and there is no other way through the trials, God shows the way. Hallelujah! 1 Cor 10:13 applies very corrrectly to this. God knows how far we can run and at the end of the tunnel, he shows us the light. What a promise keeping and faithful God we have!! When we throw up our hands in helplessness, God takes control and directs our paths. Result is our growth in His fellowship and thereby lean more and more on Him, increasing our faith life and spiritual life.

[sherrylynn]

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"? How do trials help us grow in faith?

For me trials have taught me to rely on God - to focus on Him. When we hand it all over to God and follow His leading, then we are cured of doublemindedness. But it's so easy to fall back on our old ways of handling our problems. Trials help us grow in faith by increasing our reliance on God. When we see the totally awesome things He does for us how can our faith not grow? When He pulls us out of the muck and mire, how can we not praise and thank Him?

[MannyVelarde]

Being doubleminded means we are manipulating God to our own understanding. When we get away from Bible study, prayer, personal time with God - - then the world crashes in and we begin to compromise.

Staying in the Word - - is the way to know God -- the Torah is God's character -- hand written by God -- when we stay on that trac - - our mind will be the mind of Christ...

[DebChats]

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"?

Doublemindedness robs us of the joy and truth of God's Word and is not conclusive. Trials will force us to think differently and come to a conclusion. In my own Christian walk, being in doubt or uncertainty concerning God and His Word, always results in pain .. Whether that pain be physical, emotional, or spiritual. If we want releif, we MUST develop singlemindedness in God's Word.

How do trials help us grow in faith?

I believe trials force us to think and seek. We go through life, accepting and embracing certain beliefs, thoughts, and truths as our own. We decide what is true and what is not true, what we believe and what we refute as truth. We choose and decide these truths with our senses .. what we see, what we feel, what we taste, what we hear, what we can touch. Trials interrupt and abolish these self-made truths. We can no longer believe in ourselves. We must reach outside of ourselves for truth.

[saltylight]

Trials force us to make a solid choice.... hopefully an educated one ha ha.

If your flying in a plane and it is going down you have to choose an action...

Do you jump??? or Do you stay and pray????

Do you choose Fear????? or Faith??????

You see

When we choose to ...let's say stay and pray and the plane makes a safe emergency landing then you get to physically see the results of your belief in God you have now proved it and this is easier for you to "get"

[LindaG]

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "double-mindedness"?

Trials help bring the weak parts of us to the surface to be exposed and dealt with, shows us we often have

[rach]

Trials help us cure doublemindedness as we develop our faith in God, and trust God to give us the strength to overcome the challenges in our daily life.

Unless we trust and believe that 'with God all things are possible', then our trials will become more burdensome day by day.

By reading God's Word and accepting that God's invitation to 'Cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for you" is an invitation for each person; and that God is faithful to His Word, we can become confident in our belief that He is not a God who lies but will deliver as He says He will.

We should seek not to waiver in our belief in a True God.

[brian]

Trials themselves may not cure us of double mindedness but how we respond to them. We all know of people who experienced difficult experiences that made them doubt God and backslide. When we experience a trial, pray to God and he helps us out then we will increase in faith in that we will trust him more we will have a reference point to rely on to build our faith on.

Double mindedness may happen when we want to trust God to help us out of a situation and at the same time we want to retain a "plan b". God wants us to be totally reliant on him and have no other source of help. Remember Shadrach , Meshac and Abednego when they were to be thrown into the furnace and they said that they would not bow down to the idol. They said that God would rescue them and if He chose not to they would still not bow to the idol. I pray that we can reach that level of faith and conviction in our age.

[Barnabas]

Trials, if we we let God help us in them. We grow, and it gives us faith then we will not be doubleminded. We will know in all things He is in control. We surely will have trials they are good for us.

[PressThrough]

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"? How do trials help us grow in faith?

Because of Doublemindedness, we have trials. Growth comes when Doublemindedness leaves. Sometimes we can still grow and still be Doubleminded, but we usually don't get to far beyond that trial, until we see why it's coming around and nip it in the bud. Don't be surprised if the next trial starts immediately or even before you're finnished with the last trial. This is a good thing, the trials help to keep us from being doubleminded, and are the perfect opprotunities to keep learning the same lessons, until we get it. And most of all, the perfect opprotunity to teach that which we know in God.

Because God love's us So much, he allow's Satan to try us where we are weak, because it wares us down, and we get sick of it, again and again, and begin to change. But changing just because somebody is sick of something isn't growth either, because it'll come back until it's nip it in the bud. Maybe it will just take a long time to reach you. For me, the reason it takes certain trials a while to reach me, it's because I don't give people much of an opprotunity anymore to try and sway me. Sure I pretty much stay within my place, but the biggest part is that I stay in the Word. That's why I am sortofsay, like a shut in. But by choise. Studying Gods Word is what I want to be doing, all the time. I have to close the door, because people don't want me there. They want me thinking and behalving like them. The more I learn to Rightly Divide The Word Of Truth, the greater Abba & My's relationship is becoming. I removed myself from the way's of the world. And let me tell you, it is so Worth it. I get lonely sometimes, but that's why we have eachother, and God told us to take care of eachother, not with those of this world. We take care of each other, and seperate ourselves from the way's of the World. Then the world will, and they do, watch you. They want to see how you are going to handle differently that which we've always done with them. And when they see God at work in us, then they do come around, and they want to know. The Truth. So study It, so the Truth may be Revealed. It is Awesomly Wonderful. Keep Maturing In Christ. Grace & Peace

Just a note, sometimes people see God at work in you and will do everything they can to bring you down. But if you hold on to God and speak The Truth, they HAVE to bow down, or back away, because we are covered by the Blood of Jesus. And Jesus gave us already that which we need to Overcome. His Word & Life, and the Power of... Although I do try to stay seperated and Into Gods Word, the trials still come to my door. I don't have to go look for them. All's I have to do sometimes, is check my mail, and there they are. I just smile and Love God and unless I get out of line, they leave me alone.

[Bob Reeves]

It seems trials keeps you focused on the promises of God.

Might mention though, there are different kinds of trials. I think "kinds" is the word I want to use. There are some trials we can fix and there are those we try to fix, but when they get worse, we turn them completely over to The One Who can fix them, The Lord God.

Like whenever there is something wrong with my car, I try to find out what is wrong, then I try to fix it. Sometime it works and sometime it doesn't. I end up taking it to the garage. Sometime, I make it worse and I have to have it towed. Just gotta try to fix it first. I'm learning there are some things I can't do. It hurts sometime, but you have to let go and get the professional.

[Kim E.]

The entire Christian life is a process of recognizing our deficiencies, and as we see these deficiencies, we relize that we must cry out to God to supply what we lack. In James we are taught to draw near to God in our adversity. When we

[Jen]

How do trials cure us of our doublemindedness? How do trials help us grow in faith?

If we will turn our eyes on Jesus and the Word and keep focused on that it cures us of our doublemindedness. I know for myself that I can read the Word and believe God that He is able and strong but when I wake up in the morning many times I feel the fear of the trial I am going through. Then I have to turn my thoughts on Jesus and read His Word and pray. And then I have to force myself to get up and go on trusting in Him. Sometimes that is easy and sometimes it is not. And that is sweet. That's what He desires of us. That when we see no answer our trust in Him is so that we go on even when the answer doesn't seem to come for a while.

When we look back and see answers to our prayers it helps our faith to grow and mature.

Sometimes I have felt like I am driven and tossed by the wind and then I need to go back to the Lord and read HIs Word, start praising Him and praying. I appreciate what J Vernon McGee says in his commentary on this subject and what a struggle it had been for him.

"I must have my Savior with me

For my faith at best is weak

He willl whisper words of comfort

That no other voice can speak."

God Bless!

Jen

Numbers6:24-26

[Helen Spaulding]

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"? How do trials help us grow in faith?

God does not promise us a "trouble-free" life. In fact, as we read in Paul's letters to the Thessalonians, we are guaranteed trials, tribulation and persecution--just by following Jesus! Sounds like fun, hum?

But, seriously, satan, not God, causes the trials. When we must go through them, we find that we MUST depend on God to guide and empower us! We can't do it ourselves. So, we learn to depend on God--not to try to go it alone. We need to be of the mind of Christ--totally committed to following Him and obeying God's commands--not wishy-washy--choosing first our plans then God's.

When we learn to lean only on God and His enabling, we grow in understanding and our faith becomes fixed on Him and Him alone!

[Sgt_Z_Squad]

3a.) (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"?

3a.) We either turn to God or we do not. Many times out of desperation when everything you have tried fails.

3b.) (1:5-8) How do trials help us grow in faith?

3b.) Our family just attended a retreat with its theme - Fully Relying On God (F.R.O.G.). We must fully rely on God in all trials; but especially those beyond our control.

[lindaparadise]

how do trails help us of doublemindeness? how do traild help in our faith?

if everything you asked for from GOD were granted, then all would become equal. and you might think that GOD was a puppet and you the puppeteer. nothing would be special and you would be the decider. this is not so. GOD knows what's best not us. for he knows all. he has a plan for everything that's done or not done. so whenever or not we sit to think about the results. this is how we grow in our faith by analyzing.GOD won't lead us in the wrong direction. if you don't understand the why ask him he'll inform you.

as for the last 2 questions i answered them but i guess i didn't do it correctly, sorry

but today i asked GOD to help me figure it out and here i am.

[apratt]

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"? How do trials help us grow in faith?

Morning all,

I am enjoying the active participation of so many points of view.

"In Two Minds" was a book that I read as a youth. I can't remember the author but the title stuck with me as a way of thinking about doublemindedness or doubt. The picture of have two complete thoughts or visions is clear. Having two things between which you have to choose is life.

Louis L'Amour said that "Adventure is a romantic word for trouble." We often say that life is full of troubles. Well in the church we often call them trials or the really bad ones get called tribulations. Perhaps it is a matter of perspective. Maybe life is full of adventure!

Paul (in Romans 5) and James agree that trouble leads to one thing and that is the Greek words, upomonen katergaqetai is variously translated "the ablity to endure" or "have patience". Maybe to put it really crassly, "put up with".

And that "putting up with" leads to character, what we in the church call faith or trust.

So what troubles lead to is this idea of character. And here Paul and James diverge, not disagreeing but they describe the character differently. Paul suggests that it leads to hope. James points out that it leads to maturity.

James then goes on to talk about the danger of being in two minds. Is it fair to describe this as making a decision? When we are in two minds, we have a choice, we need to make a decision.

Practising making decisions leads to maturity. Moving forward, getting over - through - past troubles requires making decisions. Can anybody else see where James is going? Decisions, honestly made, lead to action.

Angus

[Jose Rivera]

How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"?

Trials are often times caused by doublemindedness. Doublemindedness is literally, "double souled." One soul directed towards God, the other to something else. (Jamieson, Faussete, Brown's Commentary)

James 1:6 discusses this and uses the term waverer, meaning a person who is unstable in all their ways. When we have a double mind it is a mind that is not focused on God and what God wants. We give in to this alternate mind-set and we pay for our transgressions. Whenever we choose away from God we suffer for that choice.

Trials are what we go through when we head in a direction that is opposite from where God wants us to go. It is in trials that we are brought back to God for relief.

How do trials help us grow in faith?

When we face a trial we must remember that He who is within us is greater than all outside of us. He will deliver us, provide a way out, or sustain us through it as necessary.

When we see how God answers our prayers or through His divine intervention makes the impossible possible, we know that He is and will always be the one who delivers and provides for us always. When this happens to you or even someone around you, your faith grows.

It is a pity that we only grow when we see. God also said in John 20:29: Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Amen.