When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. Exodus 13:17
Our lives on this side of eternity will always be marked by a series of transitions from one season into another and, as children of God, we need to trust the Lord to know that every new season carries with it a new blessing. One of the greatest transitions recorded in the Bible is when God was moving the people of Israel from Egypt into the promised land and, according to His promise, He was taking them into a good land: “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills” (Deuteronomy 8:7). As the Israelites embarked on this journey that would transition them from a place of bondage into a “good land” there was only one thing that stood in the way of their God-given inheritance; it was their minds. If you read Exodus 13:17, as Israel began their journey, the only concern in the heart of God was that the people would “change their minds”.
As believers in Jesus Christ there is good news for us. God, seeing that our minds have the ability to hinder our progress to possessing our promised land, made a way for us. God’s promise to us as new covenant believers is not only a new heart but also a transformed mind: “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). The blessing of a transformed mind is a blessing that God highlights in the New Testament because the Lord knows that a transformed mind is going to play a key role in our inheriting His promises for us; read Hebrews 8:7-10. This week as we spend time in the word and fellowshipping with Him the Lord will be faithful to His promise to transform our lives by placing His thoughts and His ways in our minds. As our minds are renewed daily there is no stopping our progress in the Lord and our inheriting every one of His good promises over our lives.
Declaration: This week I will make room for the Lord to put His ways in my mind and as my mind is renewed daily by His word and by His Spirit my progress in the Lord will be sure and evident.
Scripture: For, “Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ ( Corinthians 2:16, NLT).