Why Jeremiah 18 Is the Key to Overcoming the Spirit of Double-Mindedness

I have often heard pastors and teachers, teach on the subject of double-mindedness, but what if I told you it was much deeper than what we think?

The Bible says, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). There are two words to consider in this passage: the first is “double-minded,” which comes from the Greek word dipsychos, which means “wavering or divided interest.” The root of this word literally means to have two psychologies or dual consciousness. The double-minded person literally has two agendas operating inside them. Another translation is “two souls.”

Often, the double-minded person is unaware that they are working against their own vision or assignment because of a division in their soul. This division is usually a result of trauma. This trauma can range from molestation, abandonment, rejection, divorce, betrayal or church hurt. A woman praying for a husband while sabotaging relationships. A man praying to be in a position of authority while actively dishonoring leadership. Or a person saying they are looking for a good church but failing to commit when they find one. These are all examples of double-mindedness.

The other word to consider is the word “unstable.” This word comes from the Greek word akatastatos, which means unable to stand or unable to be set. The friction between the two personalities of the double-minded person creates an atmosphere of spiritual and emotional instability. They are never “settled” in their purpose, and ultimately, they never fulfill their destiny in God.

This is more than a deliverance issue. The double-minded person needs to be healed and made whole from the self-inflicted damage they have undergone. They must kill the other ungodly (false) personality that has been given influence over their thinking. Then and only then will they experience real stability and lasting change.

It is like a clay pot that is broken into pieces; the fragments are dispersed in different directions. That vessel is no longer capable of holding any water. God spoke to the children of Israel through the Prophet Jeremiah say, “For my people have committed two evils; They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water: (Jer. 2:13).

Many people in the church are like those broken cisterns. They are incapable of containing the living water. They go from conference to conference, from church to church, looking for a move from God, and they are unaware that until they allow the Holy Spirit to mend their broken pieces; nothing God does in their life will be sustainable.

The good news is found in Jeremiah 18:3-6:

Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was making something on the wheel. Yet the vessel that he made of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:  O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter? says the Lord. As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

The God that we serve is in the business of restoration. He (and He alone) is more than capable of bringing us to the place called wholeness. As the psalmist wrote, “He restores my soul” (Ps. 23:3a). It is time for the body of Christ to allow the Holy Spirit to produce in us the single-mindedness necessary to release revival to this generation. {eoa}

Dr. Kynan Bridges is senior pastor of Grace & Peace Global Fellowship, Inc. Visit graceempowered.org.