James 1:5-8 & Identity

Because of the self-centeredness incurred by the "knowledge of the tree of good and evil" and the compulsion to measure ourselves by it, as well as the fact that it is inherently "not good for man to be alone", one of the most dominating fears afflicting man is the fear of rejection. This fear compels us to become the person we believe will be accepted or recognized, which will very to some degree with each new group or situation. With each change we make to comply with external circumstances, there is a subtle erosion of the consistancy and stability of our personality. Soon we are utterly confused as to who we really are and we can then be controlled, almost completely, by external circumstances.

With the recent infusion of certain philosophical and psychological theories, there has been an even greater erosion of human consistancy in personality. In human transactions, from individuals right up to international foreign policy, the oscillations are becoming more and more pronounced. A good example is the sweeping changes in public opinion - astonishing in their extremes. Our tendancey to easily abandon one position for another is a telltale sign that we are fast losing our grip on just what we really beleive. There are powerful forces at work successfully undermining human stability. The future will be an avalanche of debauchery which the Bible calles the greatest time of trouble the world has ever seen.

What is double-mindedness? It literally means to have more than one mind or personality. Degrees of this trait are found in all who have not been transformed from the carnal nature of fallen man by the renewing of their minds in Christ. If we tend to have one personality at home, another at the job, another at church, another with our friends, etc, these are symptoms of double-mindedness. We may think that we are just being flexible and that such changes are normal (and it is for those in the world), but it is not normal for the man God has re-created! The only true stability that man can ever know, is the Rock, Jesus.

Man was created in the image of God and can only know his true identity when he is rightly related to God. Double-mindedness can lead to having multiple personalities, which is perpetuated by a frustrated sense of identity. As one draws further away from the One in whose image he was made, the confusion increases. On the other hand, as we draw closer to Him, we come to know clearly who we really are and we become the most consistent, decisive, stable people the world has ever known. External situations and social pressures will no longer bend us and shape us. Until Jesus is the true center of our lives, we will not know true sanity or freedom. This also involves the laying aside of personal ambition and a desire to become a true servant.