By GFI Board Member, Nancy Pettit
A Personal Testimony of Perseverance from the Book of James
Greetings from the Global Faith board.
A book of the Bible I have read frequently for encouragement because of a health problem is the book of James. A major theme in this book, written by the brother of Jesus, is perseverance during trials. My faith was truly tested over the last two years when I developed constant double vision caused by scarring of the eye muscles due to a thyroid autoimmune disorder.
When I looked at my face in the mirror, I saw four eyes, two noses, two mouths, and so on. Double vision can quickly disorient you to your surroundings. Try staring at your hand, crossing your eyes, and see how long your brain can stand seeing that way. Double vision became my trial for two years, testing my faith daily.
James knows from experience that we will have trials, and our Christian faith is under constant attack—by Satan, illness, natural disasters, godless people, and our own sinful desires. James encourages us not to be double-minded (1:6–7) but to stand firm in our faith during various trials. The word double-minded in Greek literally means “two souls.” James tells us that being double-minded will make us unstable (1:8).
To be caught between faith and unbelief about the Gospel and one’s salvation is not acceptable to God. You have to choose whether you will trust, honor, and obey the God of the Bible, Satan, or yourself. There is no neutrality or middle ground with God. Is God your greatest love and treasure? Do you believe God knows what is best for you, even in the midst of suffering? James says to ask for God’s wisdom in faith, with no doubting: “for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” (1:6).
James offers a solution for double-mindedness in James 4:7–8:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
By God’s grace and mercy, after two years of double vision, an eye surgeon was able to correct my vision by realigning my eye muscles. I am grateful to God for giving me strength and to His Word for helping me persevere through this trial. James says it best:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (1:2–4).