Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:7-10
Merriam-Webster defines double-minded as "wavering in mind: UNDECIDED, VACILLATING," and "marked by hypocrisy: INSINCERE." Another expression we might use is a flip-flopper, someone whose opinion changes depending on the situation. We often see this with politicians whose actions once they achieve office differ from what they stated as their belief on the campaign trail.
James warns us against being flip-floppers. As followers of God–His set apart people–we can't endorse sin while at the same time hating sin. We are all sinners in recovery and remain in recovery only by distancing ourselves from things we know are temptations. In thinking, just a little sin is okay if done in moderation and not too frequently; we are double-minded.
But there are those unintentional sins Paul writes about in Romans 7:15, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Though we try our best to remain in recovery, we make that occasional slip against our will. That hating, but still doing, doesn't make us flip-floppers.
By drawing near to God, he moves nearer to us. As we come humbly, sincerely, and repentantly–washing our hands–God purifies our hearts–again! In His amazing grace, He restores us to right alignment with Him.
Heavenly Father, we come before You, seeking closeness and Your divine presence. As we draw near to You, we trust that You draw near to us. We confess we sometimes are flip-floppers; we convince ourselves it's okay to dabble in the occasional sin. We now confess our sins and our double-mindedness and ask for Your cleansing and purifying grace. We come humbly, grieving our transgressions, mourning our failings, and crying out in repentance. Father, once again, show us Your mercy and love so that we may stand decidedly, firmly, unflinchingly, steadfastly, washed clean, and renewed in spirit. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
