YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR MINDSET!!!!!

Exodus chapter 20







Today we are walking in: You Must Change Your Mindset!!!!










Today we look to the word- CHANGE- H2015- haphak- a primitive root; to turn about or over; by implication, to change, overturn, return, pervert:—become, change, come, be converted, give, make (a bed), overthrow overturn), perverse, retire, tumble, turn (again, aside, back, to the contrary, every way).










The Torah Testifies…………….


Leviticus 27:33


He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change H2015 it: and if he change H2015 it at all, then both it and the change H2015 thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.










The Prophets Proclaim………


Malachi 3:6


For I am the LORD, I change H2015 not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.








The Writings witness……………



Proverbs 24:21


My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change H2015:





THE KINGDOM AND THE REPUBLIC


Most of us who are raised in a democratic society have trouble understanding the concept of a kingdom. For the same reason we also frequently have difficulty understanding the Bible, because the Bible is not about democracy. Since we live under a democratic system of government, we tend to assume that The Most High Yah is democratic. This is not so. Although many of the foundation stones of democracy are biblical, such as the principles of individual human rights, liberty, and dignity, democracy itself is not a biblical concept. Democracy arose in ancient Greece, a product of the thought of Greek philosophers like Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. Democracy is an invention of man; it did not come from the Bible.


In our modern world, democracies usually take one of two forms: a republic or a parliamentary democracy. A republic is a democratic nation headed by a president elected by the people. Ultimate power in a republic lies with the citizens rather than with the leadership. The United States, Canada, Nigeria, England, Spain, Jamaica, Brazil or any other democratic form of government, or a parliamentary democracy, are all republics because they have elected presidents.


For example, in the Bahamas, which is a parliamentary democracy under a commonwealth of nations. The highest leadership position in our country is not an elected president, but an appointed governor, under whom is a prime minister elected by the people. The prime minister is the chief executive of the Bahamas and responsible for executing the mandates of the governor. After every election, the prime minister gives his governing plan to the governor who reviews and returns it. In a parliamentary democracy, the prime minister, although he is the chief executive, takes his orders from the governor, who holds the highest position. Symbolically, however, even the governor is not the ultimate authority because the Queen of England is, in name, the ruler of our country, even though she does not really govern anything. In the commonwealth of nations, she is the titular head of state.


Whether we live in a republic like the United States or in a parliamentary nation, the problem we face as citizens of a democracy is understanding what it means as believers to live in a Kingdom. This is a very important distinction. The Bible teaches about a Kingdom ruled by The Most High Yah. A kingdom is diametrically opposed to a democracy. Living successfully in the Kingdom of The Most High Yah will require of us a complete mental reversal. We cannot be effective citizens of the Kingdom of The Most High Yah and continue to think democratically.


DEVELOPING A KINGDOM THINKING


The first recorded words of Yahusha’ public ministry directly address our need to shift our thinking and acting into a Kingdom context. Yahusha, after being baptized by John in the Jordan River and spending 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by Hasatan, embarked on His earthly mission:


From that time on Yahusha began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17).


Yahusha came into the world to introduce The Most High Yah’s plan for this planet, and the first thing He said was, “Repent!” In His very first statement to the world, Yahusha began by telling us that we need to change our minds. That is essentially what the word repent means. Perhaps a better way of saying it is that we need to change our thinking or our mindset.


Literally speaking, to repent means to stop, turn around, and go in the opposite direction. It is like walking down a road, realizing you are headed in the wrong direction, and turning around 180 degrees to head in the right direction. This suggests action, but action follows thinking. Before we can turn around, we have to decide to turn around.


Some might even find Yahusha’ first word to us insulting, because He is saying, “You’ve got wrong thinking. Everything you’ve learned is wrong, and you need to change.” For example, in our democratic environment we have been taught that governments operate by the will and vote of the people, even in choosing our own leader. In a democracy, every vote counts and every opinion is important. The majority rules. Not so in a kingdom. The vote of the people means nothing in a kingdom, and only one opinion matters—the king’s.


There is no vote in the Kingdom of The Most High Yah; His Word is supreme and absolute. We do not vote for our Leader; He is already in place and His is a permanent office. The Most High Yah’s tenure as King is eternal, a reign that will never end, neither by death nor by conquest. In The Most High Yah’s Kingdom, our opinion is of no importance. His opinion is all that matters; His will and His ways supersede all others. Majority does not apply in the Kingdom of The Most High Yah. Even though a majority of the earth’s population lives in ignorance of and rebellion toward The Most High Yah, He is and will remain the sovereign King of creation. There is no vote in the Kingdom of The Most High Yah; His Word is supreme and absolute.


CONTRASTING A KINGDOM WITH A DEMOCRACY


A kingdom and a democracy are two totally different worlds. That is why it is difficult for believers who were born in a democracy to live a strong Kingdom life. We want to debate the issues or interject our own thoughts and opinions. We try to reach consensus or compromise to keep everyone happy instead of simply recognizing that the King’s Word is law. If The Most High Yah says that adultery is a sin, that is the word of the King, and His Word is the law. The matter is not open for discussion. We can debate The Most High Yah’s words and decrees until we are blue in the face, but in the end all we will have to show for it are blue faces; His Word will still be the law. No matter what humanistic philosophy preaches from its pulpits in the schools and in our courts, The Most High Yah’s law is absolute.


In a democracy, citizens can gather to protest government policies and form committees and groups to lobby the legislative bodies to change laws. That does not happen in a kingdom. The Most High Yah’s Word is absolute in His Kingdom, because it is set down for all to see in the Bible, which is the “constitution” of the Kingdom of The Most High Yah. The King has decreed that adultery is a sin. This is recorded in the “constitution” in Article Exodus, Section 20, Subsection 14: “You shall not commit adultery,” and Article Leviticus, Section 18, Subsection 20: “Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.” These decrees, and others like them, are stronger than stone because they are the words of the King. His Word is law and will never change.


If we claim to be living the Kingdom life, we cannot constantly be forming our own little groups to advance our own opinions or to challenge the Word of the King. As law, His Word is non-negotiable and immutable. We run into problems every time we try to carry our democratic mentality over into Kingdom life.


A LESSON FROM A MAN NAMED JOB


We would all do well to take a lesson from Job. A man greatly blessed by The Most High Yah in family and wealth, Job lost everything after The Most High Yah allowed Hasatan to test his faith. Through much travail and suffering, including the worthless advice of some well-meaning friends, Job desired to debate The Most High Yah because he believed he was being treated unfairly.


That’s when The Most High Yah stepped in to remind Job of his place and of the nature of their relationship:


Then the The Most High answered Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens My counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell Me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:1-7)


Here begins a dizzying barrage of questions that The Most High Yah puts to Job, running for four chapters and leaving him (and us) in no doubt regarding who is in charge. By the time it was all over, Job had changed his mind. He gained an entirely new attitude and a much humbler outlook:


Then Job replied to the The Most High: “I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:1- 6).


Job repented. He had a change of mindset that changed everything else. He began to see his life from a Kingdom perspective. We need to come to the same place and realize that we cannot fool around with The Most High Yah. He is the King, not the president. We did not vote Him in, and we cannot vote Him out. We need to lay aside our democratic mindset and start thinking like Kingdom citizens.