Spiritually Minded

Now, asking in faith without doubting, for the doubter is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and blown about. For that person must not think that way because he will not receive anything from the Lord.*

The word doubt is διακρίνω, diakrínō, from diá, "thoroughly back-and-forth," which intensifies krínō, "to judge." With this definition, what is a double-minded man? James writes it is one who can not prove or discern the will of God because he is tossed about, going back and forth.* Jesus said, "I tell you the truth if having faith and not doubting, diakrínō, he will do that to the fig tree but even if saying to this mountain be lifted up and thrown into the sea, it will happen."* So the double-minded man James speaks about sees the truth but goes back and forth, between belief and unbelief. What type of man can not discern the will of God? the natural man, which means that pertaining to the earthly life or soul; as distinguished from spiritual subsistence. Who can discern the things of God? the spiritual man. Let us not be naturally minded but spiritually-minded.

the natural man doesn't receive that of the Spirit of God for existing dull to him and he can not know because spiritually discerned.*

The natural mind is occupied with the sensual, and the things of this earth so it judges accordingly, not by faith. The spiritual man has the "mind of Christ" he is spiritual and can discern the spiritual things of God, unlike the natural man who can not understand because the things of God are spiritually discerned.* So when we look at the scriptures we see two types of minds; the natural and spiritual. A lost person is a natural being altogether so the double-minded man must be a believer who moves back and forth between the two minds, the natural and the spiritual. James writes he is like the wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about. The idea of this type of mind is also like that of a ship being tossed to and fro.

so that no longer children tossed by waves and blown about in every wind of doctrine in human cunning, in craftiness with deceitful scheming.*

Paul writes the gifts are given to the Church so that it builds up the body, into mature adulthood, so no longer children tossed about. This means they would no longer be double-minded people, thinking naturally, but spiritually, of the same mind, the mind of Christ, "your mind should be the same and like as in Christ Jesus."* Having the same mind as Christ, "having the same love, united in mind, of a single mind."* To have the same mind Paul writes, "be renewed of the spirit of your mind."* Though the natural man is wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.* This speaks to the mind being renewed.

and not being weak in faith he perceived his own body dead (since he was about 100 years old) and the barrenness of Sarah's womb thoroughly discerning, not discerning according to unbelief to the extent of the promise of God, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and established as a matter of certainty because what God promised existing also powerfully able to do.*

God had promised Abraham a son through Sarah, in whom he would be the father of many descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. The father of our faith was not weak in faith but he in agreement with Sarah slept with his maidservant to have a child. The faith of Abraham tells us he did not judge according to his unbelief but was strengthened in faith until he was established or fully convinced that what God promised he was powerful to do. We see this established, fully convinced, unwavering, undoubting faith later in his life when he so believed God he would offer as a sacrifice the very son God had promised him. Obedience or proving and accepting the will of God is aligned with having an unwavering and undoubting mind. How can we have such a mind? strengthened in faith a mind judging not according to the natural, a renewed mind spiritually.

and do not conform to this world, rather be transformed, the renewal of the mind to prove the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.*

In the new covenant, Paul writes to accept God's will as pleasing or to obey His will, transformation renews our mind. So the question really becomes how does this happen and what is my part in transformation, renewing my mind. I have to be actively involved. The natural mind can not discern the things of God and evil uses this to its advantage, to war against my soul, to bring me into captivity to sin in the flesh. I do not want a mind according to the natural but I want to judge, discern according to the spiritual, according to faith. I want to grow strong in the Lord, in the might of His strength, which happens through spiritual warfare, something I can not be passive about, nor ignore hoping the devil might go away, I have to stand against the schemes of the devil so I am no longer tossed to and fro. The battle is for my soul, in which my mind plays a strategic role. "Put off the old man with his practices and put on the new man, the one renewed in knowledge according to the image of its Creator."* We pray that we may have this mind, the mind no longer double-minded, tossed to and fro but established, firm, steadfast, sober, sound, circumspective, to be spiritually minded.

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