Double Mindedness in the Bible: 7 Steps to Spiritual Stability and Bold Faith
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Have you ever felt torn—like your heart is pulled in two directions? One moment you’re confident in God’s promises, and the next, you’re drowning in anxiety. That tug-of-war inside? Scripture calls it double mindedness. It’s more than indecision—it’s a spiritual conflict that can deeply affect your faith, your peace, and your purpose.
Let’s explore what the Bible says about double mindedness, uncover its spiritual roots, look at real examples from Scripture, and walk through seven practical, biblical steps to overcome it.
Be sure to download your free copy of our printable Double Mindedness Bible Study, Reflection and Action Challenge guide with worksheets at the end of this post! No sign up required!
What Does Double Mindedness Mean in Scripture?
Greek and Hebrew Roots: Dipsychos and Pesachtem
In the book of James, we find the term double minded translated from the Greek word dipsychos, which literally means “two-souled.” It describes someone divided in heart—someone trying to live with one foot in the kingdom and one in the world.
James 1:6–8 (TLV) says:
“For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord—he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the concept shows up in 1 Kings 18:21. The prophet Elijah cries out:
“How long will you waver between two opinions? If Adonai is God, follow Him; but if Baal is, follow him!”
The Hebrew here uses the word פֹּסְחִים (pesachtem) from the root pasach, meaning to limp or hop between two positions. It’s the image of someone spiritually limping, unable to walk a straight path.
The Spiritual Root of Double Mindedness
Fear, Comparison, and Divided Loyalty
At the heart of double mindedness is fear—fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of choosing wrongly. That fear leads us to comparison, measuring our steps against others instead of God’s voice. We begin to live for approval—God’s and the world’s. But we can’t serve both.
How Fear of Judgment Fuels a Split Identity
When we’re afraid of how others perceive us, we end up wearing masks. We act one way around believers, another way at work, and another with family. It creates an exhausting split identity. Instead of walking confidently as sons and daughters of the King, we try to please everyone—and end up feeling like imposters.
Consequences of Being Double Minded
Spiritual Instability and Ineffective Prayer
When you’re divided in heart, you lack confidence before God. It’s hard to pray boldly when you’re not sure you really believe. That’s exactly what James is warning about. Faith isn’t about perfection—it’s about trusting God with your whole heart, even when it’s hard.
Emotional Tension and Identity Conflict
Double mindedness causes emotional exhaustion. You’re constantly overthinking, overanalyzing, and second-guessing. Your identity in Messiah becomes clouded by what others think or expect. But you weren’t made to live in pieces. God desires wholeness for you—integrity, clarity, and peace.
Biblical Examples of Double Mindedness
Lot’s Wife and the Pull of the Past
Lot’s wife looked back at Sodom—not just with her eyes but with her heart (Genesis 19:26). She couldn’t let go. Her body left the city, but her soul remained behind. That backward glance cost her everything. Double mindedness often looks like divided affection.
King Saul: People-Pleasing vs Obedience
Saul’s downfall began when he feared what people thought more than what God commanded (1 Samuel 15:24). He let popularity guide him instead of obedience. The result? He lost his authority and peace. Double mindedness always trades God’s presence for human approval.
Peter Walking on Water: Fear Interrupts Faith
Peter had the boldness to step onto the water—but then fear crept in. He shifted his eyes from Yeshua to the storm (Matthew 14:30). His faith wavered, and so did his footing. This is the picture of all of us when we stop trusting and start doubting.
7 Steps to Overcome Double Mindedness
- Submit Daily to God (James 4:7)
Surrender your plans, fears, and desires every morning. Ask God to align your heart with His. - Renew Your Mind with Scripture
Replace lies and fear with God’s Word. Meditate on verses that affirm your identity and calling. - Pray with Focused Faith
Stop praying half-hearted prayers. Speak boldly and expectantly, believing God is faithful. - Let Go of People-Pleasing
Ask yourself: “Am I doing this for applause or for obedience?” Please God first. - Choose God Over the World, Daily
Make a conscious decision each day to follow His ways, even when they’re unpopular. - Embrace Your Identity in Messiah
You are chosen, loved, and set apart. Don’t let anyone define you but your Creator. - Invite Godly Accountability
Walk with mature believers who will lovingly call you out and call you up.
📥 Grab the Free Devotional: “Pathway to Discernment” – Click Here to Download
This printable devotional includes Scriptures and journaling prompts to help you grow in clarity and boldness.
How to Build Discernment and Stay Anchored
Spiritual Disciplines That Promote Focus
Prayer, fasting, worship, and silence before God help tune out distractions and clarify direction. These practices train our hearts to stay single-minded.
The Role of the Holy Spirit in Clarity
The Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) is our guide. He brings conviction, wisdom, and peace. When we listen to His whisper, we avoid the noise of divided loyalty.
Reflection Questions for Spiritual Growth
- In what areas of your life do you feel torn between pleasing God and pleasing others? How can you take steps to focus more on God’s will?
- How does fear of judgment from others influence your decisions?
- What does it mean to trust God more than people?
- When have you felt spiritually unstable or divided in your faith? What actions can you take to become more grounded in your walk with God?
- Are there any behaviors or thoughts in your life that reflect a “double-minded” attitude? How can you submit these to God in prayer and repentance?
- What does it mean to live boldly in your faith?
- How can you practice being more authentic and wholehearted in your relationship with God?
- How does the concept of God as the potter in Jeremiah 18:3-6 resonate with your life? What areas of your heart need reshaping?
- Reflect on a time when you felt conflicted about sharing your faith. How did you handle it, and what can you learn from that experience?
- What practical steps can you take this week to develop a single-minded focus on God’s Word and His calling in your life?
Prayer to Overcome Double Mindedness
Abba Father,
I come before You with an open heart.
You see every part of me—every fear, every hesitation, every divided thought.
I confess that I’ve wavered. I’ve trusted You one moment, and leaned on my own understanding the next.
I’ve tried to walk in two directions, and it has left me weary and confused.
Forgive me for my divided heart.
Forgive me for the times I’ve put people’s opinions above Your Word,
for the moments I’ve sought comfort in the world instead of confidence in You.
I want to be single-minded—fully devoted, fully trusting, fully Yours.
Renew my mind through Your Word.
Let the truth of who I am in Messiah define my thoughts.
Make me steadfast in faith, anchored in love, and bold in obedience.
Remove the fear that fuels my doubt.
Replace it with trust that is rooted in Your goodness and Your unchanging character.
Help me to seek Your will in every decision,
to walk the path You’ve set before me with clarity and courage.
Let the Holy Spirit be my guide,
reminding me that You are faithful—even when I am uncertain.
I surrender my double mindedness to You today.
Unify my heart to fear Your Name.
Let me walk with a sound mind, fixed eyes, and an undivided soul.
In the name of Yeshua,
Amen.
My Final Thoughts: Living Boldly Without Fear
God didn’t create you to limp between opinions. He made you for wholeness, for integrity, for faith that walks confidently—even when the path is hard. Double mindedness may be common, but it’s not your calling.
If you want to explore these topics deeper, check out the devotional or join one of our studies!
I’d love to hear from you—what spoke to your heart in this post? Drop a comment below and tell me.
And if you’re looking for a community of women walking in the Word, come join us in our Facebook group, “She Opens Her Bible Study.”
Don’t forget to download your free copy of our Double Mindedness Bible Study, Reflection and Action Challenge guide below!
FAQs About Double Mindedness in the Bible
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What is the spiritual root of double mindedness?
According to Scripture, the root of double mindedness is fear, often leading to divided loyalty and a lack of trust in God.
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What Bible verse talks about double mindedness?
James 1:6–8 warns that a double minded person is unstable in all their ways and should not expect to receive from God.
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Can a Christian struggle with double mindedness?
Yes. Even believers like Peter experienced double minded moments. The key is repentance and renewed focus.
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How do I stop being double minded?
Through daily submission to God, renewing your mind with Scripture, prayer, and aligning your life with God’s truth.
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Is double mindedness a sin?
It can lead to sin if unchecked, but God offers grace and healing when we bring our divided heart back to Him.
About Our Author
Diane Ferreira is a Jewish believer in Yeshua, a published author, speaker, seminary student, wife, and proud mom. She is the author of several books, including The Proverbs 31-ish Woman, which debuted as Amazon’s #1 New Release in Religious Humor. She is also a luxury travel specialist and owner of Diane Ferreira Travel Partners. She is currently pursuing her graduate degree in Jewish Studies, with her favorite topics being the early church and Biblical Hebrew. Diane writes and teaches from a unique perspective, bridging her Jewish heritage with vibrant faith in the Messiah to bring clarity, depth, and devotion to everyday believers.
When she’s not writing, studying, or teaching, you’ll find her curled up with a good book, crocheting something cozy, or researching her next trip.
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Tree of Life (TLV) – Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014,2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society. Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society.
I left my faith many years ago, more like a cult. But I definitely agree with you about being the authentic YOU with whichever path one takes in life. We need to stop living in fear of what others have to say about who we are. Good for you and great article. Very inspiring.
I am sorry you left your faith because of what sounds like a bad experience you had. Just know that our faith is not religion based. Religion is a bunch of man-made rules and doctrine to follow that is more about pleasing man than God. Our faith is a relationship…it is a one to one relationship with God. I would love to chat with you more if you’d like. I am so sorry that your experience caused you to leave your faith!
This truly blessed me and made me think about who I am and where I am and realize that I myself have been double minded. I can’t live that way and expect to please God. Thank you!
More Grace, Adrian
Adrian I am so glad it encouraged you and we all fall into double-mindedness from time to time. As long as we don’t take up residence there, right? 🙂
Thank you so much for your comments!!
I’ve beem strugeling with this & didn’t know what to call it, NOW I do thank you so much! Saving this to re-read.
I’m so glad you found it helpful Paula!!
So being double minded is like not total surrender to God?
Yes that’s one way to describe it. Strong’s Concordance says “divided in interest namely, between God and the world”.
Hello,
Thanks for sharing your experience with double mindedness. I wanted to share mine just in case someone else is feeling condemned and need encouragement.
There are many reasons people split into dual personalities and that’s really what double mindedness is. Trust is always at the root of the issue but sometimes it is trust issues born out of severe, sustained trauma where people have learned to split their personality and mind as a survival mechanism.
Double mindedness means having two minds and two souls. So the person has dual personalities warring against one another. They are not whole and are in conflict with who they really are.
The Bible says that a person who is double minded when it comes to the promises and provision of God should not expect to receive anything from God. This passage cuts like a knife for people like me who find it very difficult to trust anyone because of severe past trauma. There are a lot of people who don’t understand how hard it is for some people to trust anyone, including God. I stumbled across this blog after reading several very condemning blog posts on double minded people. It seems as though the grace, love, mercy, and blood of Jesus can cover anything except doubt or fear, in most people’s mind. If you are struggling with double minded for any reason, pray. Pray to God, confess where you are and ask him to help you have more faith.
I grew up in a very dysfunctional, violent, abusive home. I learned before kindergarten (no joke) that I had to take care of myself and that I was the only person I could truly count on. I couldn’t trust my family to love, help, protect, or care for me. When I went to them with a need I was either rebuffed harshly or a promise was made yet never fulfilled. In addition in my family I was demanded to take on adult roles and responsibility very young. So, I was groomed to believe that no one would help me. I was the help. By the time I reached 16 I was super independent and self sufficient. My teachers and friend’s parents loved me because I was so “mature” and “wise.” I just wanted to be a kid but no one would let me be that. I had been well-trained either overtly or by circumstance to do it myself, no matter what ‘it’ was. And I did. I handled ‘it’ far better than most adults most of the time.
Once I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior to forgive me of all my sins and seal me to him in eternal life, I experienced relief for the first time in my life. For the first time it wasn’t all up to me. There was someone else more powerful than I who could help. The problem was is Jesus doesn’t need a co-pilot. He was asking me to surrender and let him take the helm. I didn’t know how to do that. No one had ever done that for me before. Not ever. I was always responsible for carrying at least half of the load if not all. I didn’t understand and really couldn’t receive the love of Christ unconditionally.
As is often the case childhood trauma that is pushed down doesn’t go away. It starts to ooze, bubble, and seep up into your life in ways and places you don’t expect or want like smack dab in the middle of my walk with Christ. When I brought a problem to Christ that I couldn’t handle and he didn’t take care of it in his time, I’d find a way to handle it on my own figuring that’s what he wanted me to do. The truth is I don’t feel comfortable trusting anyone. I’m ashamed to say that my emotions are still that damaged even now which is sad. God is working in me to heal me. It takes time.
I never received any counseling and no one knew how I grew up. I was groomed to keep the family secrets and I did. So, I pushed down all of the past pain, hurt, fear, and anxiety and went on with life. My childhood baggage eventually pushed back and began to ooze, bubble, and flow into my life. All of my friends, coworkers, and boyfriends thought I was one person–smart, together, capable, brave, fun, honest, fair, good. They didn’t know about the other me that showed up when I dealt with my family–angry, sad, fearful, doubting, low self esteem, low self value, unlovable, unable to love, unable to feel, scared, scared, and more scared, depressed, and riddled with anxiety. Did I say scared?
Praise him, God is healing all of me: body, mind, and soul. But it is a process. He is reconciling the two parts of me into the one child that he created out of love who was shattered and left wounded and unable to trust. He does not condemn me for failing to trust. He knows my story and how I became the way that I am. It doesn’t mean he excuses it but he is a God of mercy and grace. He gives us beauty for ashes and meets us right where we are–even if where we are is afraid, anxious, and double minded. So if you’re living a double life because you are afraid, ashamed, anxious, or just have trust issues for whatever reason: Pray. Ask God to help you. He will. He can heal your wounded parts and mend them back into one. God Bless you.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with all of us. I agree with you; fear tends to be at the heart of double mindedness. In fact, fear had been a big part of my life for a long time for various reasons but mainly because of some people in my life. In fact, I shared that story in a blog post I just published today called I Quit – How to Overcome Fear in Life!
I greatly appreciate you sharing and love your faith! You need to start a blog!! You have so much encouragement to share! Bless you!!
Wow Bea you told my story how amazing really amazing Word thank God for you and now I have better understanding with this battle my Faith is strengthen. I know can overcome this thanks Diana I feel encouraged
I am so glad you felt encouraged! That is such a blessing to me! Thank you so much and God bless you!!
Thank you so much. I cannot begin to express how similar our stories are. There really is not one word in your comment that I don’t identify with. I am determined to model single mindedness and obedience to scripture. I am so grateful to have come across this blog and especially this comment.
I am so glad that it resonated with you Rinn and I pray that the Lord will give you wisdom and direction as you seek that single-mindedness! It is definitely not easy but with Him, it is possible!!
I resonate with this so much!
Thank you for sharing your story. Beautiful
Hey so im a boy if it doesn’t matter but im having alot of doubtsss like even about God and him exsist and i know God does exsist and I struggle with alot of things even my own sexuality and i know God says hes going to heal me is that something God can help me with also and how can i stop the double mindedness and just be straight up with myself cause this is actually a big problem how do i fully surrender to God
Hi Quintez! God can definitely help you with some of the conflicting emotions you are experiencing. But sometimes we all need some help and direction, especially when we are experiencing confusion…which is what a lot of double mindedness stems from. I would recommend speaking with someone like a Christian counselor who can help you sort through what you’re feeling in a way that keeps God at the center. Sometimes our healing comes through people that God has equipped in certain areas (such as sometimes our healing has to come with a surgeon and oncologist for certain things like cancer). I think sitting down and talking about your feelings with someone who understands and who knows God is so vitally important. I am praying for you as well!
Thank you. Fear of man gets to me a lot when sharing the Gospel. I struggle a lot with double mindedness but Jesus can get me through it
Yes He can and He will! Keep doing what you are doing and don’t worry about anyone’s opinion but God’s! Bless you!
Wow, this really helps. I struggle with double minded behavior as well. I am tired of going back and forth. I am trying to be perfect when the one who died on the cross for my sins is perfect. Jesus Christ wants me to take his yoke and burden, yet I keep leaning to my own understanding. I guess sometimes we just have to surrender, and leave it with Christ instead of picking it back up. I hope Jesus will help me and I know he will help me along the way, even if it is hard. Doing what his will is pleases my soul.
I totally understand how you feel. We sometimes just get into that mindset where we are so torn that we become double minded about things. But yes, He is perfect and He will help you when you give it to Him and let Him handle it. And that is tough to do when we all live in a world that teaches us to handle it ourselves. Bless you and thank you for sharing with me!
Thanks, this has helped me decently. I wasn’t really sure of what double-mindedness was until today when I decided to look it up after reading Psalms 119. I’m a college student so I’ve got a lot of different friends, some Christian some not. I wear a small cross necklace and I’ve got the little cross emoji in my bios, but I’ve always felt hesitant to share any faith-related posts in fear of being judged by my non-Christian friends. Thanks for helping me see that it’s a little silly to feel so pressured by man like that. And in my heart I know my real friends will understand, even the ones who aren’t Christian. Also, your part with the makeup and stuff also really lifted a weight on my chest about still enjoying hobbies without thinking that it’s wrong to like anything in this world. It’s made me feel better about the books and movies/tv I enjoy. Thank you so much for the great article! I can tell it’s Jesus’ way of telling me to breathe and drop that anxiety. Pray you have a good holiday season!
Declan I am so glad it helped you feel more confident in your faith. My husband is a college Dean so I have a real heart for college students and your story really resonated with me. I am sure you living out your faith in a genuine way that is uniquely you will be a better witness to your friends than you know! Have a wonderful holiday season and please, come back and let me know how you’re doing!
IYOOO. this is so helping me atleast after so many years i found a defenation of what i am going through, i am easly getting angry, offended and all this is because i dnt stand my grounds i please even where i know the truth. i will rather keep quite, and say mmmm. not saying what i know. this caused a pain in my heart that never went, was prayed for. tryed hospitals. low self esteem, discouraged in everything. my faith is in danger an i am going out. i now started experiencing eating disorder
until last night when I tried to pray i was given Matthews 5:8
may God bless for encouraging us.
I am so glad this helped you and I am so sorry for the pain you have gone through. Bless you!!
Thanks so much, I was really blessed by this post. God bless you and more of God’s grace upon your life.
I am so glad it blessed you!! And thank you so much for blessing me by commenting!!