Nothing Wavering

James 1:6-8
Previously, we learned we need to say yes to wisdom.  Now we are going to learn about saying so to wavering.
I went to dictionary.com to see what the definition of waver was...I mean, we all know what it means but I wanted to see it in black & white. You can click here to get the definition.
Now here it is in the Greek:

Strong's #1252.  διακρίνω diakrinō, dee-ak-ree´-no; from 1223 and 2919; to separate thoroughly, i.e. (lit. and reflex.) to withdraw from, or (by impl.) oppose; fig. to discriminate (by impl. decide), or (reflex.) hesitate:—contend, make (to) differ (-ence), discern, doubt, judge, be partial, stagger, waver.

Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Vol. 1, p. 22). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

If you want wisdom in your trial, it will be granted on 2 conditions [according to this verse].
1.  You must ask in faith.

Strong's #4102.  πίστις pistis, pis´-tis; from 3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; mor. conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), espec. reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstr. constancy in such profession; by extens. the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:—assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

What does this mean? If I pray and ask in faith God will do whatever I want? What if I want my trial gone? Or the people of my trial out of sight or gone?  That is absurd because it goes against the character of who God is.
Look @ John 14:13.  "And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
"In my name" includes the character of God, those things that glorify Him, bring honor to His Kingdom and expand His Kingdom.  James says to ask in faith.  Faith is a whole-hearted attitude of full and unquestioning commitment and dependence upon God as He has revealed Himself in His son Jesus Christ.  When you come to God to ask for wisdom you must not only believe in His ability to answer your request but also in harmony with His character and His purpose and His will.  It may not be in His will to give you what you think you should have! Trials are sent to test us, to see if we are genuine, is our christianity real? Trials do not destroy us but they test us and what we are in our trials is what we are.  It's challenging in our trials, but we need to trust God and we either believe God or we don't believe God.  Hebrews 11:6 Diligently seek him...that means a whole-hearted pursuit in full unquestioning commitment to him.

2.  No doubting [nothing wavering].

Strong's #1252.  διακρίνω diakrinō, dee-ak-ree´-no; from 1223 and 2919; to separate thoroughly, i.e. (lit. and reflex.) to withdraw from, or (by impl.) oppose; fig. to discriminate (by impl. decide), or (reflex.) hesitate:—contend, make (to) differ (-ence), discern, doubt, judge, be partial, stagger, waver.

Doubting = Divided against oneself.  It's a union of belief and unbelief and yet the latter Greek word is the stronger of the two.  This is not a picture of a genuine believer who vacillates between believing and not believing what God can do. This is not what James is talking about.  The picture described here is a professing spurious believer who wants the world and whose heart is divided. There is no promise that God is going to answer the prayers of these kinds of people. In fact, if you love the world, in James 4 he calls those kinds of people adulterers and adulteresses and says, Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? You cannot love the world & God at the same time, it is impossible.  You cannot have a divided heart.  God is more interested in the state of your mind and heart than in the details of your life.  He wants your holiness over your happiness.  We have a hard time with that because we think we deserve to be happy.  God says I want you to be holy.  I want you to love me with your heart, mind, soul & strength.  Sometimes, God will use the trials of life to get you to that point.  I Timothy 2:8

James goes onto to say "For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."
Have you ever seen waves from a hurricane? They are pretty scary!  There is no stability to them!  They're at the mercy of the wind, tossed about.  If you come to God, unsettled like a wave of the sea...do you know what happens? Every new feeling that comes up will toss you around.  The people James is writing to knew all about this because the Sea of Galilee would have violent storms that came up sudden-like. [Read Luke 8].  The churning of the waters would suggest the agitation of the doubters heart.  These people are encouraged one minute and discouraged the next [up and down/down and up].  [Eph 4:14 immature christians].  Don't be like that! Divine wisdom cannot be given to a mind that is tossed here and there, doubting God's character.  He will not give you wisdom if you are like the wave of the sea, driven about.  If you do that, you deny the very character of who God is. Either he is God or he is not God. To doubt the ability of God is to reveal the true character of your heart which James says is unregenerate.  When we think of things that are humanly impossible, we begin to doubt in spite of the fact that God is capable of bringing it to pass.  With man, things are impossible, but with God everything is possible.  By contrast, the woman or man of genuine faith is stable, they are mature during trials, they remain steadfast, and they remain confident that God is going to work.  They may not have all the wisdom they need in their trial but they go to the right source which is the Lord.

After reading this, you might be thinking "You have NO idea what I am going through.  I cannot do this." Well, then do you want to know what the Lord says about you according to James? What the results of that "seasick praying" is?
Look at verse 7 -  "For let not that man/woman think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." Strong Greek word - Strong's #1565.  ἐκεῖνος ĕkĕinŏs, ek-i´-nos; it's kind of like a personal rejection...James does not want to be around that kind of man or woman.  Why? Because he/she turns out to be a hypocrite.  They don't believe God, they don't believe in the character of who God is.  James is contrasting the man/woman of genuine faith with the man/woman of spurious faith going through trials.  The man/woman of genuine faith asks for wisdom out of an obedient life; but the man/woman that has a spurious faith...they can ask all they want but because their heart is divided between God and the world, and he/she is doubting and he/she is back and forth, he/she wilts under the hot sun of the trial.  This is a sad picture.  They are professing believers but once a trial comes into their life they deny the very Lord God who bought them, proving they were never in the faith. This man/woman is described in Matthew 13:20-21 / I John 2:19.  They get a test a trial & they take off.  "I've had enough of this Christianity!"  If this is hard to swallow, read Hebrews 11 and study it.  These people were great saints of faith and went through horrendous trials, yet they did not doubt! They didn't waver! They had faith! They looked to Jesus as the author & finisher of their faith.  They are excellent examples for us to follow.
James describes this man who wavers:  Verse 8 - A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Strong's #1374. δίψυχος dipsuchŏs, dip´-soo-khos; from 1364 and 5590; two-spirited, i.e. vacillating (in opinion or purpose):—double minded.

The man/woman who doubts will get nothing from the Lord but James says he is double minded, he is unstable in all his ways, which means two-souled.  This word is used nowhere else in the NT except in this verse.  It means a soul divided between faith and the world.  One soul believes God, the other soul disbelieves God.  Read Jeremiah 29:12
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 
Unstable in all his ways ~ Strong's #182. ἀκατάστατος akatastatŏs, ak-at-as´-tat-os; from 1 (as a neg^. particle) and a der of 2525; inconstant:—unstable.

II Peter 2:14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls.

II Peter 3:16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

This is a person who cannot be relied upon.  Why?  Because they are as ready to depart from God as they are to be close to him.  They are not firmly rooted in Biblical belief/doctrine.  They can't make up their mind about anything.  You may be like this if you don't know that God is sovereign and He is in control of every event in your life.  To a double minded unstable person trials can be frightening, there can be a sense of hopelessness, panic, despair, depression.  James says in all his ways he is unstable so what does that mean?  He is unstable in his prayer life, his principles, his integrity, his plans, his emotions, his physical life.  This person's whole life is affected to the point that he finally abandons himself to living in hypocrisy and open sin.  He loses the advantage of wisdom that God would have given him in the time of trial if only he would ask.

The man who cannot trust God, cannot be trusted by men.  Many people blaspheme God by the way they live during trials.  I pray that this is not the way I am.  How about you?
Food For Thought
**Are your trials proving you are genuine producing patience, perfection & prayer in your life? Or, are your trials proving your faith is spurious by producing anger, bitterness & doubts about God?
**Are you seeking God for wisdom in your trial or do you quickly turn to the "Dear Abby" in your life?
**Do you ask in faith or are you a doubter?
**Have you said yes to wisdom & no to wavering?

Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Proverbs 9:1-6

If your trials are not pushing you closer to the Lord Jesus Christ, if they are not perfecting your character to be more like Christ then maybe you need to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.  II Cor. 13