November 13th
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25 NKJV
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 16:13 NKJV
These verses can be applied to the double mindedness that sex addicts wrestle with. It is impossible to embrace the works of sin and also the works of God and prosper. The Bible says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6 NKJV).
When we yield repeatedly to temptation, we can grow numb to the sinfulness of our sin. We can grow comfortable tolerating outrageous sin while we live under the guise of a devoted follower of Christ. For example, I allowed my porn habits to have a safe place in my life, right along with regular church attendance and working with the youth group. I knew it was wrong, but couldn’t bear to face telling anyone and seeking help. I continued to live a form of Christianity without the true power of God working in my life. My life had no power or fruit for Jesus Christ.
Once I started to yield to the Spirit’s conviction of the sin, I began to see it as God saw it. The process of true repentance started with my confession to God and making a commitment to push the porn habits out of my life every day with God’s help. It took time for my double mindedness to be rooted out. A daily quiet time was a necessity, as it helped me load God’s word into my mind to reprogram it from all the sinful thinking I had practiced over the years.
I believe that God will help anyone recover from the downward spiral of double mindedness. He will help you finally die to the sins that you enjoy and help you enjoy the blessings of living in purity by his Spirit.
Questions for further thought:
How is double mindedness a form of idolatry?
How many of the Ten Commandments address idolatry? (Exodus 20:1-17)
Insanity has been defined as “doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different result.” How is tolerating double mindedness while trying to live for God akin to this?
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, Thank you for providing a way out of sin’s bondage through Jesus Christ. I confess that I have tolerated double mindedness in my heart. I confess that I have idolized __________ (list ). Please forgive me for sinning against you in those ways. “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name” (Psalm 86:11 NKJV). Please show me the steps to take from this point forward and strengthen me to obey you. Thank you, Father! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”