Bringing about a change of mind..

Often, people receive job offers but don’t necessarily accept the position. While some genuinely consider the offer and its terms, others may simply use it as a status symbol without any intention of starting the job. In these cases, the offer letter has no real impact on their life. This offer letter’s contents did not bring about change in their mind.

Similarly, many people profess their faith in Jesus and salvation publicly, yet their actions reveal a different reality. They haven’t truly accepted Jesus into their hearts and lives. This disconnect between words and deeds prevents them from experiencing God’s grace. As a result, they miss the grace of God and bitter roots grow up to cause trouble and defile them.

See that no-one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterwards, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessings with tears. Hebrews 12:16-17

As said in the verse, Esau was godless. He did not care much about anything and just wanted to live each day as it came. If he was hungry, all he cared about was filling his stomach, no matter what it cost. That is why he sold his birthright. It took him a great length of time to learn that his wives were displeasing to his father Isaac. He learned this because he came to know that they commanded Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman; otherwise, he would not have cared to notice what his wives were doing to displease his parents.

Sometimes we, too, may become godless in our lives. How does one become godless like Esau? When a person tends to despise their rights, they become godless. When they forget to care for their loved ones, they become godless. When they just run after blessings and fail to bring about any change of mind, they become godless.

Esau cried before Isaac when he learned that Jacob got all the blessings. Yes, he was blessed, but in the Bible, we see God hating Esau. “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Both of them had their own negative sides: one was deceitful, the other was godless. However, the deceitful one redeemed himself because he had a change of heart. From the start, Jacob desired the birthright and God’s blessing. Later on, we see God changing the name and nature of deceitful Jacob to Israel.

Yes, maybe you are blessed materialistically, but if you don’t bring about a change of mind, you would remain hated before God. Yes, maybe you have tears, and maybe you regret your actions, but if you don’t bring about a change of mind, there’s no value to those tears. Sometimes, even after being so blessed, people don’t bring about a change of mind.

Being blessed and receiving everything you ask from God is good, but if there’s no change of mind, what use are those blessings? These blessings will ultimately eat you away. The Israelites grumbled and cried to God for food, and God provided them with the choicest food. But their cravings for food angered God. Psalm 78:31 says, “But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths, God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.”

God put to death the healthiest and youngest among them. Who would have benefited from the food God gave? Young people would have benefited. But God’s anger erased them; then what was the use of the food God gave? In our lives, too, we may pray and ask for God’s choicest blessings, but when these prayers turn into grumbling, the blessings God gave us slowly eat us away. If there is no change of heart, we too may lose the healthiest among us.

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 1 Kings 19:1

Israel saw a great miracle when Elijah prayed and fire was brought down from heaven. The main purpose of Elijah doing this was to bring about a change of mind in the people of Israel. They had a dwindling mind, uncertain whether to believe in Baal or in the God of Israel. King Ahab saw everything; moreover, he was the one in command when Elijah gave orders to kill the prophets of Baal. Yes, the people fell prostrate and cried that the Lord is God, but King Ahab had no change of mind. He went and told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done.

King Ahab was a witness to all that Jezebel did. As a devotee of Baal, she must have done a great deal to please Baal and make it rain in Israel. But all these efforts had failed before Ahab, who witnessed a great miracle from the Lord. Yet, he could not bring about a change of mind, even after witnessing such a great miracle.

In our lives, too, we may see many miracles and wonders, but if there is no change of mind, what is the use of such miracles? Yes, maybe the miracles that happen to you become an inspiration and boost the faith of others, but what good do the miracles do for you if there is no change of mind in your life?

Another character from the Bible who had no change of mind was Balaam. He was warned by God not to go to Balak, but he proceeded anyway. He even saw the angel of the Lord with a drawn sword ready to strike him, yet he had no change of heart. He realized that it pleased God to bless Israel. However, he also saw that it would please Balak if he could find a way to defeat Israel. Hence, he advised Balak to make the Israelites sin to bring them far from God. In the end, we see how Balaam’s life ended. His greatest desire was to die the death of the righteous (Numbers 23:10), but he died when Israel’s swords were raised against their enemy, Moab. He died the death of the godless and unrighteous.

Sometimes when things happen contrary to our desires, it is the best time to introspect whether there was any change of mind in us when God warned us.

Many people are warned by God but still do not bring about a change of heart. Before Judas betrayed Jesus to others, Jesus had revealed the betrayer to his disciples, yet Judas did not change his heart. Solomon was warned by God twice that his heart would turn after other gods if he pursued other women, but in the end, he did not change his heart.

Regretting your past will do no good, blessings in your life will be in vain, and miracles in your life will be in vain if there is no change of heart. Are we ready to change our minds and accept the grace of God with reverence and awe? If we can do that, then surely, we will be God’s primary weapon in the QUIVER OF GOD.