Shepherd of Hermas 36

1He says to me: Remove double-mindedness from yourself, and do not at all be double-minded when asking anything from God, saying within yourself, “How am I able to ask from the Lord and receive, I who have sinned so much against him?”

2Do not reason about these things, but turn to the Lord with your whole heart, and ask from him without doubting; and you will come to know his great compassion, because he will certainly not abandon you, but will fulfill the request of your soul.

3For God is not like human beings who remember wrongs; rather, he does not remember wrongs, and he has compassion on what he has made.

4Therefore cleanse your heart from all the vanities of this age and from the words previously spoken to you, and ask from the Lord; and you will receive everything, and you will lack nothing in any of your petitions, if you ask from the Lord without doubting.

5But if you waver in your heart, you will by no means receive anything of your petitions. For those who doubt with respect to God—these are the double-minded—and they do not at all obtain their petitions.

6But those who are complete in faith ask for all things, having put their trust in the Lord, and they receive, because they ask without doubting, not being at all double-minded. For every double-minded man, unless he repents, will be saved with difficulty.

7Cleanse, then, your heart from double-mindedness, and put on faith, because it is strong, and believe God, that all your requests which you ask you will receive. And if ever, after asking some request from the Lord, you receive it more slowly, do not be double-minded because you did not quickly receive the request of your soul; for surely it is because of some testing or some transgression, which you do not know, that you receive your request more slowly.

8So do not cease asking for the request of your soul, and you will receive it. But if you grow weary and become double-minded while asking, blame yourself and not the one who gives to you.

9Look at this double-mindedness: for it is evil and senseless, and it uproots many from the faith, even those who are very faithful and strong. For this double-mindedness is a daughter of the devil, and it acts very wickedly toward the servants of God.

10Therefore despise double-mindedness and master it in every matter, having put on the strong and mighty faith. For faith promises all things and accomplishes all things, but double-mindedness, because it does not trust, fails in all the works that it does.

11“You see then,” he says, “that faith is from above, from the Lord, and it has great power; but double-mindedness is an earthly spirit from the devil, having no power.

12Therefore serve faith, which has power, and keep away from double-mindedness, which has no power, and you will live to God—and all who think these things will live to God.”