Curing Double-Mindedness

One of the main things that blocks the path to spiritual transformation is double-mindedness.

This is something that we focused heavily upon in our class this week.

Remember the video we watched? Remember watching the two men in the canoe facing in opposite directions, rowing in opposite directions. Their "double-mindedness" sent the boat in circles. The canoe could not sail a straight course in any particular direction because the forces of double-mindedness had it in a tail-spin.

What can we do to cure ourselves of this condition? Ephesians 5:25-26 shed light for us: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word..."

We need to wash ourselves in the Word of God.

The Word of God is like soap. I don't know about you, but when I go more than a day or so without soap, my world gets a tad odoriferous.

We wash ourselves in the Word by deliberately, intentionally studying God's word on a regular basis. We need to do this to be reminded of the thoughts of God. You see, all the clutter and stuff in this world can distract us and "dirty us up" with regard to our spiritual state. In order to clean up, we need to bathe in the Word on a regular basis.

Here are some key tips from the Ortberg book we can cling to as we consider the importance of meditating on Scripture as a spiritual discipline:

• Biblical meditation cannot be done quickly.


• Biblical meditation is so important it is mentioned more than 50 times in the OT!


• Meditation implies sustained attention and is built around a simple principle: "What the mind repeats, it retains."


• The purpose of meditation is not to gain information, but to open ourselves to become the transformed into people from whom goodness flows on a consistent basis.

For some more thoughts on why we need to set our mind on the Word on a regular basis...click here

....and here.

Transformation without Confession?

Can we be transformed spiritually without making the discipline of confession part of who we are?

Based on our discussion Sunday, the discipline of confession (and sincere repentance) open us up to our true potential in Christ. Without confession at conversion and without the ongoing attitude of confession in our daily walk, sin has a nasty tendency to creep in and distort our perception of reality.

In Matthew 7:3-5, Jesus teaches about the "plank" in the Pharisee's eye:

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

We've all gotten a speck of dirt in our eye. It hurts. It makes us wince. It blurs our vision. In some cases, it totally interrupts our ability to see. Imagine how much more a "plank" would distort our ability to see clearly.

In the story of David and Bathsheba, the sin in David's life was driven by pride and prevented him from being able to detect and deal with the sin that had ensnared the great King of Israel.

Sin, in the form of a speck or a plank, distorts our ability to see properly.

Sometimes we may be too proud to acknowledge the sin to confess it. Sometimes we're too ashamed. Sometimes we fear the consequences of owning up to our sinful acts.

Take some time this week to note how God responds to those who confess. Check out these passages:

Isaiah 43;25
Joel 2:12-13
1 John 1:7-9

Also, take a look at the freedom we experience when we have the courage to confess (even Christians need to confess sometimes):

Psalms 32:1-2
Acts 3:19
2 Corinthians 7:10

Practicing Prayer

I hope you had a nice 4th of July holiday. Our family enjoyed the vacation time away. We needed to reconnect with each other.

We will reconvene as a class on Sunday morning at 9:45 in the old sanctuary upstairs (our usual place).

As you move through the "In's" and "Out's" of the week, lift each other up in prayer.

Our last class focused on prayer as a discipline.

Practicing prayer is like practicing piano. None of us will likely master the art of praying in this lifetime, but we can learn to get better at it.

How can we practice prayer? I remember when I practiced piano as a kid, my teacher made me learn and play the scales. This helped me learn the location of the keys on the key board so the notes on the page would make sense.

Do you know which "keys" on your prayer keyboard help you enter into effective, meaningful prayer with God?

Pluck a few of these keys to get started:

• Thank God for who he is (Father, Creator, Master)
• Thank God for his goodness and mercy
• Ponder God's righteousness
• Thank God for his saving grace
• Thank God for his promises

Plucking the keys of thanksgiving are a great way to enter into a time of authentic prayer with our Father in Heaven.

For more musings on "practicing prayer" click here.

What helps you pray more effectively? Feel free to share....

See you Sunday in class!!!