The vast complexity of the human mind has fascinated mankind since the beginning. As our divine book of instruction, the Bible says that as a man or woman thinks, so are they. Since we are the accumulation of our thoughts, we cannot overly stress the importance of believing what is true in order to live in God’s favor. This sounds easy and I guess it could be if we lived in a secluded garden where all there was to do is take care of the landscaping and play with the animals. However, when Satan was allowed access to the garden to tempt and influence humans, they began to reason within their minds and consider possibilities they had never dreamed of before. Once men and women understood good from evil, a new world of choosing and decision-making began and since that time life has been a minefield of heartaches and disappointments.
There are indeed different personalities, and to have a simple mindset is not necessarily a bad thing nor to be viewed as a criticism. These are people who enjoy living in peace and are cautious to avoid turning everything into a chaotic argument. In some cases, we assume they are content to have faith in what they believe is true and do not need to spend every moment trying to search for more evidence to prove something. They have learned and accepted knowledge, and consider perception to be an anchor for their soul. On the other hand, we see others who are never satisfied with accepting anything just because someone said it. These were born with a shovel in their hands who relentlessly dig for more clues.
When we look at the differences between these two character dispositions, we wonder which one is enjoying life more. Is one way of thinking to be desired over the other? According to our imagination, believing what is true should be the path to contentment, however, accumulating more knowledge within itself is not the secret to greater fulfillment. Why not? When we keep our thoughts simple we are not burdened with trying to understand things that lead us into endless questions and possibilities. I realize this statement is unacceptable to those who like to play the devil’s advocate, but spending our lives trying to argue points on every topic usually produces more speculations and theories. The simple view is that we do not need to know all the whys and hows about everything to admire and appreciate them.
What we intentionally accept as valid, creates and leads our convictions on a pathway that we will walk unless we discover new evidence that challenges us to restructure our views. Let’s say a person is an atheist and one night they have a tangible encounter with God and they now know He is real. The point is that it’s not a terrible thing to change our minds when we discover a reality that proves we were wrong, even if it causes our peers to reject us. This is the beauty of being open-minded to what the Lord wants to reveal.
The first chapter of James talks about the importance of obtaining divine wisdom and developing a strong faith to embrace it. Living a basic life that is focused on obeying and loving God might sound too simple for those who have spent their lives gathering knowledge, however, would we rather walk in optimism and confidence of being aware of God’s presence, or fluctuate in a frustrating whirlwind of discontent and uncertainty? The context is teaching a single vision within our minds. When referring to asking for wisdom verse 6-8 says, “But let them ask in faith, nothing wavering. For those who waver are like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that person think they will receive anything from the Lord. A double-minded person is unstable in all their ways.”
When we sort through our thoughts about God and the vast realms of mysteries, we must be on guard against becoming distracted by an overload of speculations. Yes, humans are generally curious, but confusion leads to doubt and this is one way the enemy of our souls can cause us to drift away from our faith in God. Ask the Lord to give you His wisdom and as James 1:4 reminds us, “Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”
Dr. Holland is an ordained and licensed minister, certified chaplain, and Christian author. Read more about the Christian life and contact information at billyhollandministries.com
