The Little Fox Of Double-Mindedness Series

Song of Solomon 2:15 KJV Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

James 1:8 KJV A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

I. INTRODUCTION—THE NATURE OF DOUBLE-MINDEDNESS

Another of the little foxes that can come in and destroy our effectiveness for the Kingdom of God is double-mindedness. Double-mindedness speaks of instability, doubting, hesitating, wishy-washy, wavering, or uncertain. A double-minded man is being pulled by two worlds and two different masters. In fact, he is a man who looks forward to plow the harvest of the future, but he also looks back in consideration of the past.

Double-minded men are those who are constantly speaking out of both sides of their mouth. If there ever were a time when this fox needs to be put out of our lives it is now! Double-minded men and women become guilty of fostering instability in every part of their existence. It plays over into their family relationships, job responsibilities, and most detrimentally into their progress in the Kingdom of God.

The man that is double-minded falls into the strange category of being carnal and spiritual, serious and sensual, heavenly and worldly, and manifesting evidence of fleshly drives and spiritual progress. It is evident that there are two different wills that are driving this man.

• He is a man who wants to be saved but wants to satisfy his own lusts too.

• He is a man who can be happy in the next world but wants the pleasures of this one too.

• He is a man who has fits and starts of godliness but never a consistency about his walk.

• He is a man who lets his relationship with God have great flows and ebbs, it rises and falls, it grows and then it decays.

• He is a man who has a heart that is bound with impurity and mixes with the world while trying to fellowship with the church. His behavior in both places is repulsive.

• He is a man who is trying to shoot a bulls-eye on two targets with one arrow.

• He is a man who will repent of his sins and then repent of his repentance.

• He is a man who has fluctuating opinions that are determined by his company he is around.

• He is a man who is given to emotions that can be as calm as a quiet lake and then change to an angry sea that is whipped by hurricane-force winds.

• He is a man who has a great civil war of trust and distrust battling within.

There can be a temptation for every saint of God to fall to the trap of double-mindedness.

In John Bunyan’s allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, there are three cities that are named that hold great fame. First is the City of Destruction where Christian is escaping from. His destination is to the famous Celestial City which is Heaven. The third city that gains the most attention is the one called Vanity Fair where much worldliness and distraction takes place. But there is another little town that features a character that attempts to take Christian off of his goal. The town is called the town of Deceit where a character named By-Ends comes out to have a talk with him about what he is doing. This town is populated by many unscrupulous characters whose intent is to deceive those who are attempting to serve the Lord. He is accompanied by Mr. Facing-Both-Ways, Mr. Fair Speech and Mr. Two-Tongues.

Mr. Facing-Both-Ways is a character who looks one way but is actually working in another way. They are like the oarsmen who do competitive racing in the rivers of England. Mr. Facing-Both-Ways is a hypocrite who is double-minded. His behavior depends on his crowd that surrounds him. He is a man who can howl with the wolves and then bleat with the sheep when necessity and deception demands for him to work in such a way. Mr. Facing-Both-Ways is a man who has no principles in his life.

A. Quotes on Double-Mindedness

John Mason—The double-minded man is easily overcome in an hour of temptation.

E. Stanley Jones—If you don’t make up your mind, then your unmade mind will unmake you. Here is the place where there must be no dallying. For any dallying will be the Trojan horse that will get on the inside and open the gates to the enemy. God can do anything for the man who has made up his mind.

B. Biblical References on Double-Mindedness

The Bible also has much to say about the little fox of double-mindedness.

1 Kings 18:21 KJV And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.