"Sarge"
Director NCFP
16 posts
Feb 16, 2009
6:52 AM
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“No, I don’t believe adultery is right!” “Yes, I love my wife.” “I wouldn’t hurt her or the children for the world!” These are actual responses of men in the purity ministry. Perhaps you’ve said similar things yourself. Why would men who say such things behave so differently? Why would they profess love, believe in marital faithfulness, abhor harming their loved ones yet turn around and engage in acts that do just that?
Can I propose a possible answer? Disconnection. Men who live with this dualism have made a disconnection between what they believe and how they behave. Professing to believe one thing they act in contradictory, hypocritical ways. In a nutshell, they are divided, double-minded men. Many counselors call them “double-life” men because they have private lives that are radically different from their public lives.
How does a man become double-minded? James 1:8 says it is the result of doubting the Lord. The double-minded doubt whether He’ll answer prayer, doubt whether He’ll meet their needs, doubt whether He’ll lead in their lives and open doors of opportunity. Doubting God forces the double-minded man to take matters into his own hands. He’ll answer his own prayers. His motto becomes “God helps those who help themselves.” Yet, if queried, he would say he believes in God and trusts Him to meet his needs. The result is a dichotomy, a disconnection with God and others, and a double-mindedness. Psalms 119:113 declares God’s scathing assessment of this condition, “I hate double-minded men . . .”
How does a double-minded man become single-minded? James 4:8 is God’s remedy. He exhorts the double-minded to do three things: a) Come near to God. The path back is the path up. It involves repenting of one’s sin and seeking God with all of one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength. b) Wash your hands. Wash your hands and cease and desist from doing evil. Put guardrails in place to keep you on the straight and narrow. Be ruthless in washing your hands of evil. c) Purify your heart. This is where taking thoughts captive in obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) comes in. This is where memorizing Scripture (Psalm 119:9, 11) comes in. This is where repentance, brokenness, confession, forgiveness, and applying the blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7) comes in.
How long will you tolerate being double-minded? When are you going to stop making excuses? When are you going to do something about it? You cannot go on this way. Every Man’s Battle For Purity specializes in helping disconnected, double-minded men get reconnected to the God who can make them whole and holy. Join us for The Battle.
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