I was talking with a friend a few weeks back & she brought up the topic of being double-minded. No, I don’t mean having split personalities, but rather the issue of being ruled by emotions & going back & forth on the decisions we make. At the time I didn’t really think it applied to me, but boy was I kidding myself.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally & without reproach, & it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven & tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” -James 1:5-8

God knows when we say in our hearts, “no, that’s not me!” He hears that & then gently reveals our true hearts to ourselves so we can see what we truly are, & then He proceeds to help us grow & develop through it. You see, since the conversation with my friend, God has allowed me to go through & be in situations that made me see this about myself & how I am governed more by emotion than His direction.

The main thing that has grappled me is fear. I start something, but out of fear & anxiety of failure, I back out, begin doubting, or begin to give up. When we act on our fleeting emotions, we truly become unstable because emotions change on a whim & based on circumstances. When we go through life guided by emotions, we’re not really living. I wonder how many of the historical “greats” we would have lost if they had quit or backed out when they became afraid, uncomfortable, or went through a difficult, trying situation.

That being said, I am in one of these moments now- a grueling time in which every fiber in me is screaming to throw in the towel & walk away, even though there’s still a sliver of hope & my heart is quietly whispering that I can make it through. Every moment of the day, every action I take, I have to decide which voice I will listen to- the one shouting for me to give up, or the one whispering to seek God & keep going. No matter what I choose, I must choose without wavering, because if I waver then I guarantee failure because my actions are not united with the drive, & that will cause doubt, hesitation, & even more lack-luster action. So today, I choose. I choose to go all in. I choose to do my absolute best in the present situation. I choose to fight the doubt & work for the glory of God. I choose to keep going. I choose all of this knowing I still might fail in the end, but if I do, at least I will know it wasn’t for lack of trying every step of the way.

So whatever it is you are facing, seek God’s wisdom & will, & make your choice to go all in to follow where He is leading, no hesitation, & not caving to doubt or fear. Choosing to go all in doesn’t mean fear & doubt won’t come, it just means you won’t give into it or let it hold you back. Maybe you’re facing this in your marriage, career, finances, a new venture, an old venture, or just your everyday choices & habits. I don’t know. But whatever it is, face it with God’s guidance, be intentional, & go at it with everything you have in you. Face it & do not back down. Face it without excuse. Because your decision is more than a choice, it is a war & it is a commitment to yourself. If you are double-minded then your decisions aren’t stable, you can’t trust yourself, & if you can’t trust yourself, why would anyone else?

Some of the decisions we face could mean the difference for our lives, let alone our descendants after, so why would you let your lifetime & maybe theirs be defined by fleeting emotions? Fight through & stay the course- no mater the result, you will find you have grown stronger & learned more.

So…

Go forward. Pray. Decide. Leap.

But most of all…LIVE!!

Be blessed, friends.