In Scripture God Almighty makes it abundantly clear that double-mindedness or split-allegiances place spiritual growth and development and ultimately salvation in peril. The apostle James addresses the theme of double-mindedness throughout his epistle and warns that prayers which vacillate between doubt and faith may end with nothing. He concludes that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. James later prescribes the antidote of maintaining a single fixed focus on God's will and purpose. He states that the heart becomes impure and contaminated when it tries to maintain two competing and warring allegiances. Jesus warns that no servant can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. He adds that one cannot serve God and mammon. The ground rule for this proscription against double-mindedness and the commandment for singleness of heart and purpose appears as the first commandment of all which Jesus labels the greatest. Its original declaration states that the LORD our God the LORD is one and requires love for the LORD with all the heart with all the soul and with all the strength. This singleness of purpose receives emphasis several times throughout the book of Deuteronomy. The common denominator in these scriptures revolves around the heart which refers figuratively to the very core of the thinking feeling reasoning and evaluating part of each human the very source of all affections. Wise Solomon instructs to safeguard and protect the heart as the chief priority because out of it spring the issues of life. He gives specific instructions to keep the heart pure and uncontaminated by directing the eyes to look straight ahead and the eyelids to look right before without turning to the right or the left and by removing the foot from evil. Not looking to the right or left conveys the notion of metaphorical spiritual blinders guiding away from harmful and destructive distractions and keeping the focus singular. Jesus echoes this principle in the Sermon on the Mount when He states that the lamp of the body is the eye and that if the eye is good literally single the whole body will be full of light. Jesus considers singleness of mind or having an undivided focus to be good clear healthy or sound. When the light of God's truth is taken in a faithful dedicated devoted manner the Savior promises that the whole body the totality of life will benefit from its multitudinous blessings.

Split or divided loyalty is no loyalty at all. One can be loyal to only one master at a time. One can be enslaved to career, car, home, spouse, children, medicine, hobbies, television, novels or many other things. In doing so, however, one pleases them or oneself, and fails to give pure devotion to God. One cannot have other gods and still worship God in spirit and in truth. This wavering commitment is incompatible with the fear of God and serving Him in sincerity and truth. God desires unswerving devotion to Him alone.

In Matthew 6:22-24 Jesus states that the lamp of the body is the eye. If the eye is good the whole body will be full of light, but if the eye is bad the whole body will be full of darkness. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. One cannot serve God and mammon. A man who divides his interest and tries to focus on both God and possession has no clear vision and will live without clear orientation or direction. If the goal is wrong the whole being will be off. In Matthew 12:24-25 Jesus declares that every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. One must ensure that the things focused on are not working at cross purposes to the main goal. Everything focused on must have the Kingdom of God as the ultimate goal. In Matthew 13:22 the one who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. The thorns represent hindrances to growth. No fruit can be produced when the plant is constantly fighting for room to grow. In James 1:8 a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. A double-minded man cannot be trusted because his loyalties are divided. In James 4:8 the instruction is given to purify your hearts you double-minded. In Hebrews 12:1 every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares must be laid aside in order to run with endurance the race that is set before us. In Hebrews 12:12-15 the hands which hang down and the feeble knees must be strengthened and straight paths must be made for the feet. One must pursue peace with all men and holiness without which no one will see the Lord.