Double-Mindedness=Anxiety

September 2025.

I heard a quote on a podcast recently, spoken by a prison chaplain to an anxious inmate: “If you pray, don’t worry. And if you worry, don’t pray.”

That grabbed me. I had to pause and think: how often do we pray about our worries and anxieties, and then promptly start worrying again? When we second-guess and overcomplicate things, we end up being double-minded. And it creates confusion and MORE anxiety.

The Bible says this: A double-minded man is “unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8

And this from 1 Kings 18:21: “Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people did not answer him a word.”

We can choose! And there is a clear choice to be made. So why on earth do we choose to worry and be anxious? What exactly are we getting out of it? How is it serving us? What would it feel like to finally draw a line in the sand, to pray about it….and then STOP WORRYING? The beautiful simplicity! Single-mindedness! How would it affect our level of peace? Enjoyment of life?

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

The second part of that chaplain’s quote….”if you worry, don’t pray”…I heartily disagreee! If we notice ourselves worrying, we can always do a reset, and run to God in prayer with our worries. We can start over any time in this pursuit of single-mindedness.