"But who so looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." -James 1:25
God's ways lead to the path of righteousness and truth and walking in his ways lead to life. We can't treat God's advice as something to be discarded, or something that can be done away with according to our momentary feelings. We doubt if God's way is best, and so we stray back and forth debating whether or not we will fully give ourselves to his way. This leads to years of floundering and "being unstable in all our ways."
"Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do."
James 1:6-8
Being loyal to God and his ways is a daily walk---moment by moment, hour by hour being guided by him. We must come to a place of absolutely trusting that His ways are true and right, and that our changing opinions and daily moods are not the ones to be followed. God's ways are there to guide us and give us peace. We can't halfway give ourselves to God, while compromising with the world's ways. God gave his son fully to us, he gave his life away to us. We must give our life away to him. We must daily look into his perfect law of liberty and then be a doer of the word.
We compromise with debt, entertainment, our attitudes, materialism---we compromise our simplicity and purity in Christ. We are now his dear children, the ones he calls his own, and we must learn what he calls us to live out in our lives. We are not called to freedom in Christ to do what we want, to be enslaved to the world of sin. We are called to pure freedom to walk in God's ways because the old things no longer have a hold on us. When we are holding on to both, saying we are God's and then enslaving ourselves to the worlds ways, we are double minded.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
The enemy would like nothing more than to get us away from God with his sweet as honey compromise. We can be ok with God, and be ok with the world, and all will be well. We will never know real freedom and peace this way. The heart wants to hang onto sin and bondage until it knows Christ. To let go of this double mindedness, we must give ourselves fully to Christ. Are our days set up for us by our moods, likes and dislikes, by our feelings? Or are they set by God's ways, his priorities for us and the things he says are important?
"So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls." James 1:21
God calls us to have a pure mind and heart for Him, one that is undivided and believing in his ways, we must get to know his ways and live them out until they are a very part of our being; this requires walking in close communion with the Father. He teaches us and guides us, leading us along the path for his name's sake.
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand." Psalm 27:23-24
"Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." Psalm 25:5
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." Psalm 32:8
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