Are You About To Change Your Mind?

 

Have you recently made a decision while under pressure and then went back on it?

Are you aware that God may be leading you the long and hard route so that in the end you will not change your mind and turn back?

Have you promised Him that you would do something and then changed your mind?

This message deals with three instances from the Bible of people who changed their mind for the worst. May you glean much wisdom from it and become enlightened concerning your own walk with the Lord.

 

Exodus 14:5 tells us - "And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"

 

"Why have we done this?" Have you ever asked yourself that question? Perhaps - like Pharaoh - you were under the judgment or severe chastening of the Lord - where He was dealing with you concerning helping or blessing His people. He wanted them blessed and your pride, stubbornness, and rebellion was standing in the way of it happening. You bargained with God - here a little and there a little. But after awhile - when you could not stand the "heat" or "heap" of troubles any longer, you finally humbled yourself and gave in to His requests.  However, it wasn't very long afterwards, when your pride and envy started working - when you saw a people blessed that you didn't want to see blessed. You counted the cost and found that it was more than you wanted to give. Hence, you changed your mind and wished that you had never given in to such "coercion."

 

"The king of Egypt" finally gave in to the request of the children of Israel to leave Egypt and travel a three days' journey into the wilderness so that they could keep a festival in the district situated near Etham. While undergoing one painful experience after another and while in total shock and fear at what the God of Israel could do to a rebellious king and nation, he agreed to let the people go. But, after the fright was over and the people were gone, he and his servants began to reconsider what they thought was a "hasty concession." They reflected upon it with regret. It vexed them to think that a people who profited their state with their slave labor were now free. Now they had no one to "lord it over."

 

Surely Pharaoh and his servants could have - in some way - hindered such a decision. Why did they yield to the Divine Pressure? What would have happened if they simply lasted it out to the last extremity?

 

This is what happens to a people who are convinced by God's chastening judgments but not converted - who are overawed but not sanctified. As soon as the "heat" is off, they change their minds and go back to their proud, self-centered, and rebellious way of thinking.

 

Exodus 13:17 relates - "And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt."

 

Why would God choose to lead His people from Egypt through the wilderness when they could have very easily taken the short cut from the North of Egypt to the South of Canaan - an estimated four to five days' journey?

 

The main reason is because He knew that they weren't prepared to go the short cut and would surely - in the long run - end up changing their minds and returning back to Egypt.

 

He knew that their minds were somewhat degraded and their spirits broken because of their long slavery in Egypt. Hence, they were incapable of any great or noble feats. They were unarmed, totally unequipped, and physically and psychologically unprepared for battle. They were also encumbered with flocks and all of their belongings.   

 

The Philistines were formidable enemies who were too fierce for amateurs to face. They possessed the shortest and direct route from Egypt to Palestine and were prone to dispute with any passersby. Therefore, God, in His great wisdom, led His people another way and started them off with battling the Amalekites.

 

Even though it may have been the longest route through the wilderness, God's plan was the best way. Any other course of action would have caused the Israelites to change their minds, return to Egypt as slaves, and miss all the great blessings that He had in store for them as a people or nation.   

 

Lastly, Matthew 21:28-30 tells us - "But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not; but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir; and went not."

 

Here we have an example from the Scriptures of two "sons" who made a choice and then changed their minds - one for the better and the other for the worse.

 

The first "son" outrightly refused to do as his father commanded. He heard the order...understood what it required...and flatly answered - "I will not." Yet, after some time passed and much forethought, He changed his mind and "went."

 

The second "son" heard the command and readily consented to do his duty. However, something happened - perhaps he reflected on the cost involved - and he changed his mind and "went not."

 

So many today are like these two sons. They hear God's instruction to them. Some instantly reject it, but after feeling great conviction from the Holy Spirit, they change their mind and obey. On the other hand, there are those who zealously consent to do all that He asks, but after a period of time, they either lose interest or find that the price of obedience is simply too costly. 

 

Where do you find yourself in today's message?

 

Are you like Pharaoh in that - through God's chastening hand - you have been moved to bless or minister to God's people in a distinct way? But now that the "heat" is off of your life, you are changing your mind about the cost involved.  

 

Perhaps you can relate to the Israelites in that it seems as though God is leading you through the longest and hardest route to the "Promised Land." You are growing weary with it all. Be assured of this - His way is the best way. He knows you better than you know yourself. His timing is perfect. He knows that down the road you would change your mind and go back to your old ways - that is, if He didn't direct you in the way that He is at this point in time.

 

Then again, you may find yourself as the reluctant "son" who is "bucking against" God's requirements and restrictions. However, after realizing that you cannot fight Him and win, you are convinced that your best response is to simply comply with His wishes.

 

Or you may be the zealous one who readily agrees to sell out for Jesus. But after counting the cost, you are having second thoughts.

 

Are you about to change your mind?

 

Before you do - ask yourself one question -

Who is provoking your action -

The Lord Jesus or the Devil?