21 Ways to Finding Peace and Happiness by Joyce Meyer Page A
Authors: Joyce Meyer
Tags: REL012000
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trap of being double-minded in this area simply because I want to get a perfect meal—and there is probably no such thing.
I have a large classic-movie collection and I often get double-minded about which movie I want to watch. I may choose three or four and keep going back and forth. I read the back of the box and ask others in the family what they think. I make a decision, but then I might ask people who have seen the movies which one is the best and change my mind again. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I end up watching nothing. I turn the television on and flip from channel to channel for an hour and then go to bed. This is a ridiculous waste of time, and it is another habit I am in the process of breaking. As you can see, I am not perfect in this area either, so if you need to change too, we can change together.
My main point is that even being double-minded in small things, which would not seem to matter very much, can still steal your peace, and it is simply not worth it.
The only way to find out if I will enjoy a movie that I have not seen is to start viewing it. If it does not suit me, I can try another one, but at least I need to do something besides be double-minded.
According to Scripture, it is the little foxes that spoil the vine. In other words, it is not always big things that cause misery; often it is small, almost imperceptible things—things we would not think matter at all.
Some people who lack peace search in all the wrong places for the sources of their problem, but it may simply result from being indecisive, even in the small matters of everyday life. To overcome this, they must practice being decision makers in less-consequential situations, and it will help them gain confidence for larger issues.
C HOOSE W HOM Y OU W ILL S ERVE
Joshua was obviously a man who had his mind made up about what he was going to do, and it didn’t matter to him what others did. He said, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). We should not wait to see what other people will do before making our own decisions, especially when it comes to serving God.
James talked about believers who cannot make their minds up whether they want Jesus or the world when he wrote: “Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery]” (4:8). James referred to people with divided interests as “spiritual adulter[ers]”: They choose the world as a friend, therefore making God their enemy.
We cannot serve God and the world. We are in the world, but the Bible instructs not to be like it. We can live in it, but we cannot love it. God must have first place at all times.
Keeping the Lord first requires consistent decisions and a refusal to be double-minded. Just about the time we make a decision to do the right thing, someone will come along and try to convince us to compromise. We have to stand firm on what we believe is right for us.
James referred to those who cannot decide whether they want God or the world as “sinners” and told them to purify their hearts of being double-minded. Satan tried to tempt Jesus with the world and all it had to offer, but Jesus quickly responded by quoting
Scriptures to him. Jesus knew what He wanted, He knew what was really important, and He stood firm on His original decision to do what God had sent Him to do (see Luke 4).
Temptation will come. It is a defining moment in our lives each time we face temptation yet remain firm on what we know is right. The devil’s ultimate plan is to destroy us. He may make sin look inviting in the beginning, but
I have a large classic-movie collection and I often get double-minded about which movie I want to watch. I may choose three or four and keep going back and forth. I read the back of the box and ask others in the family what they think. I make a decision, but then I might ask people who have seen the movies which one is the best and change my mind again. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I end up watching nothing. I turn the television on and flip from channel to channel for an hour and then go to bed. This is a ridiculous waste of time, and it is another habit I am in the process of breaking. As you can see, I am not perfect in this area either, so if you need to change too, we can change together.
My main point is that even being double-minded in small things, which would not seem to matter very much, can still steal your peace, and it is simply not worth it.
The only way to find out if I will enjoy a movie that I have not seen is to start viewing it. If it does not suit me, I can try another one, but at least I need to do something besides be double-minded.
According to Scripture, it is the little foxes that spoil the vine. In other words, it is not always big things that cause misery; often it is small, almost imperceptible things—things we would not think matter at all.
Some people who lack peace search in all the wrong places for the sources of their problem, but it may simply result from being indecisive, even in the small matters of everyday life. To overcome this, they must practice being decision makers in less-consequential situations, and it will help them gain confidence for larger issues.
C HOOSE W HOM Y OU W ILL S ERVE
Joshua was obviously a man who had his mind made up about what he was going to do, and it didn’t matter to him what others did. He said, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). We should not wait to see what other people will do before making our own decisions, especially when it comes to serving God.
James talked about believers who cannot make their minds up whether they want Jesus or the world when he wrote: “Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery]” (4:8). James referred to people with divided interests as “spiritual adulter[ers]”: They choose the world as a friend, therefore making God their enemy.
We cannot serve God and the world. We are in the world, but the Bible instructs not to be like it. We can live in it, but we cannot love it. God must have first place at all times.
Keeping the Lord first requires consistent decisions and a refusal to be double-minded. Just about the time we make a decision to do the right thing, someone will come along and try to convince us to compromise. We have to stand firm on what we believe is right for us.
James referred to those who cannot decide whether they want God or the world as “sinners” and told them to purify their hearts of being double-minded. Satan tried to tempt Jesus with the world and all it had to offer, but Jesus quickly responded by quoting
Scriptures to him. Jesus knew what He wanted, He knew what was really important, and He stood firm on His original decision to do what God had sent Him to do (see Luke 4).
Temptation will come. It is a defining moment in our lives each time we face temptation yet remain firm on what we know is right. The devil’s ultimate plan is to destroy us. He may make sin look inviting in the beginning, but
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