Hosea 10:2
What was “wrong” with the heart of Israel?___________________
What will God do to their altars and sacred pillars?______________
Double-mindedness makes God angry. When we don’t have our heart completely set on God, forsaking worldly thoughts and desires, He is jealous. He wants our complete devotion. One of Satan’s most successful weapons is distractions.
Distractions can be our downfall in trying to follow God. I know social media is one of Satan’s distractions. We must use self-control when it comes to “screen time.” Meditating on His word throughout the day, praising Him and thinking about Him
keeps us focused on the right things.
Isaiah 29:13
Matthew 15:7-9
Jesus is quoting from Isaiah.
What did Jesus call the scribes and Pharisees?_________________
What are these people doing with their mouth and lips?__________
_____________________________________________________
Circle the word “but” in your Bible. This is an important word and shows us a contrast.
What is the contrast?____________________________________
_____________________________________________________
How are they worshipping God?____________________________
What do they teach, showing that their worship is vain?_________
_____________________________________________________
Are we sometimes guilty of teaching for doctrine the commandments of men? We let our opinions become doctrine. We might say “he is binding what is not bound.”
What is vain (empty) worship?_____________________________
_____________________________________________________
How can we avoid empty (or double-minded) worship?__________
_____________________________________________________
Psalm 119:113
In the Hebrew, Double-minded means ambivalent or half-hearted.
(Brown-Driver-Briggs#5588, Studylight.org)
What does the writer hate?________________________________
What does he love?______________________________________
Following God’s law with a single mind is what he loves. The double-minded are those who might read and even quote the scriptures, but don’t follow them.
Matthew 6:24
According to this scripture, why can one not serve two masters?___
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Trying to serve God and the world (mammon) does not work. We can’t be double-minded and expect God to accept us, He will let go of our hand if we are holding on the world with our other hand. He wants ALL or nothing.
2 Peter 3:14-18
Peter knew something about being double-minded. In his denial of Jesus at the trial of Jesus, Peter denied knowing Jesus even while he loved him and had just been with Him.
Peter finishes his second epistle with an admonition about those who twist the scriptures.
He says that some of Paul’s words were hard to understand.
What two kinds of people “twisted” the scriptures?______________
Those who are “unstable” are of a double-mind. They are “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).
I have known people who want to adopt denominational ways and yet hold on to the true gospel. We cannot and should not look to our friends in the denominations for ways to worship or live. They may have some truth, but they do not have ALL of truth. Being single minded keeps us focused on God’s word for instructions in worship and life.
Also, they will twist God’s word to support their worship practices. We must “rightly divide” the word (2 Tim. 2:15) in order to please God. We can’t pick and choose the scriptures that support our own opinions. We must look to God’s word, the complete word, to know what pleases Him.
James 1:8
James tells us we should ask for wisdom and that we should “ask in faith.”
What are the 3 descriptions of the double-minded man?
- He who doubts is like________________________________
- He is a __________________________________________
- ________________________ in all his ways.
The greek word here for double-minded is dípsychos which means wavering, uncertain or doubting (strongs 1374).
When we approach God, our faith should help us know that for certain He hears us and He will answer us. Doubting His ability to help and bless means that we will not “receive anything from the Lord.” We must be single minded in our faith.
James 4:8
I love the book of James because he states plainly what the Holy Spirit said.
James begins this verse with an “if-then” statement without using the word “if” or “then.”
What happens when we draw near to God?___________________
In the next phrase he equates sinners with the double-minded.
What does he say that the sinners need to do?_________________
What does the double-minded need to do?____________________
Psalm 24:3-4 uses the same phrase “clean hands and a pure heart” to describe a righteous person.
When something is pure it is not defiled with anything. It is clean. When we are double-minded and conflicted about our spiritual state, our heart is defiled with doubts and maybe fears.
What does it take to purify our heart?_______________________
Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart” in Matthew 5:8.
Let us determine to be single minded in our everyday walk with God. Let us find purpose and meaning and follow Him whole-heartedly.