I want to draw your attention the prophetic nature of the Hebrew language. In English, the word LOVE is an abstract word until you provide some explanation and definition, but in Hebrew as you see below, the word is pictorial. You see what the word means in Hebrew. Love means- “God watches over His house and family” The language paints pictures. Can you see God watching over your life, house and family if you are a member of His household? For instance in Jeremiah 17:7-8: “Blessed is the man that trusted in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that spreads out her roots by the river….neither shall cease yielding fruit”. A blessed person is seen prophetically here in a picture. The person is PLANTED by the waters and spreads her roots by the river! A New Testament prophet was praying for someone who was not doing his quiet time and sees him standing by a river and drinking. The prophet is not aware that the person is not doing his quiet time/meditating in the word. So the prophet knows exactly why this person is not been blessed and bearing fruit. By seeing the pictures, you can prophesy. Such is the Hebrew language when you see the letters and what they represent you can prophesy for that SEASON of time- the day, the week, the month or the year.
“The Hebrew mindset operating principle is trust in God. When you understand that God has chosen you and is watching over you; you are led into a totally different way of thinking and living, which may seem foolish to the world. Here are some interesting comparisons of these three mindsets:
Basic approach to life:
The Barbarian Mindset believes that force is supreme. Power comes by creating fear.
The Greek Mindset believes the mind is supreme. Power comes through knowledge.
The Hebrew Mindset believes that God is supreme. Power comes from knowing Him”
“How do you get ahead in life?
The Barbarian oppresses others and “wins by intimidation.” The Greeks seek more education because knowledge is power. The Hebrew learns to walk in God’s favor, which is the true key to success.
How do you deal with a thief?
The Barbarian will chop the thief’s hand off. That creates fear and cuts down on repeat offenses.
The Greek will try to re-educate the thief and teach him job skills so he won’t have to steal. Of course, he may use his job skills to steal more effectively.
The Hebrew requires the thief to make restitution for what has been stolen and tries to get him saved.” If you study these mindsets, you will recognize why certain things happened in world history.
The Roman Empire began as a barbarian society. They were fierce warriors and expanded their territory throughout what is now the Middle East and Europe. When they conquered Greece, something interesting happened. The Romans conquered Greece militarily, but Greece conquered Rome culturally. The Roman rulers adopted a Greek mindset. They ruled with an iron fist, but everyone benefited by it.
Then during the Dark Ages, Europe fell back into a Barbarian mindset, which resulted in the feudal system. Civilization fell apart. The Dark Ages ended with the Renaissance, also known as the Enlightenment; when Europe again embraced the Greek mindset. Thus, modern Western Civilization is built on a Greek mindset.
Today we hear about the clash of cultures between those in the Islamic world and the Western world, but that clash of cultures is really a clash of mindsets. Europe and America both embrace a thoroughly Greek mindset. But Islamic groups, like the Taliban Boko Haram, and others, are ancient cultures built on a Barbarian mindset. They look at things from a totally different perspective.
The Greek mindset assumes the answer to everything is education and democracy. So the West sends educators to change the world. The Barbarian mindset thinks democracy is weak and the Western culture is immoral. So they send out terrorists to produce fear, seeking to instill their mindset on the rest of the world. You can imagine arguing with such mindsets about who is a first, second or third class citizen in a country!
How Mindsets Operate in the Church
During the Dark Ages, the Catholic Church embraced the Barbarian mindset that was operating in the society around them. Church leaders attempted to keep people in line through fear of the inquisition. Their attitude was, “Agree with us or we’ll torture you or kill you.” The reformation, initiated by Martin Luther, happened at the same time as the Renaissance, when Europe was changing from barbarian back to Greek thinking.
So at the time of the Reformation, the Church embraced the Greek mindset. There were some good things that occurred. The Bible was put into the hands of the people and great emphasis was placed on knowing the Bible.
Unfortunately, the Greek mindset’s overemphasis on logic and reason ensnared the church in endless theological debates as they attempted to logically “figure out” God!
“The Church since the Reformation has fully embraced a Greek mindset. (At the time of the Protestant Reformation, the leaders did not choose a biblical apostolic form of church government. Instead, they chose a democratic form of church government.) A Greek mindset cuts us off from the power of God.” If you can only flow in what you understand, there are no miracles.
The early Christian church, raised up by the apostles who walked with Jesus, followed the apostolic pattern Jesus demonstrated while He was on earth. The church grew and flourished with great power and signs and wonders operating in even greater measure than in Jesus’ days on earth. In 300 AD the Roman Emperor, Constantine, embraced Christianity superficially; but he mixed in the pagan practices of Roman society. The power of the Holy Spirit was quenched and the operation of spiritual gifts and miracles ceased. Eventually, this is what led to the Dark Ages.
God is restoring a Hebrew mindset to the Church today. That means our minds must be transformed. God doesn’t want us to walk in fear or pride but rather to trust Him. We must break off our faith in human intellect, so we can draw close to Him and learn to hear His voice and walk in His ways.
Here are two keys to developing a biblical mindset:
- Meditate on God’s Word.
The word, meditate means “to chew on, like sheep chewing its cud.” The shepherd takes the sheep early in the morning when the grass is wet and the sheep eats grass but sends it to the upper stomach. About early noon the sheep and the shepherd lay down to rest. Then the sheep begins to regurgitate the grass to chew on it so it would go to the lower stomach. After memorizing the word, you speak it loud back to yourself until God speaks it to you again. You consider how God’s Word applies to this situation or how His Word shows you to respond to that issue.
Psalm 1 and Joshua 1 tell us that if we meditate on the Word day and night, continually delight in the truths and promises, are strong and courageous, and do what the Word says to do; we will prosper and be successful in everything we do. Meditating on the Word fills your mind with the thoughts of God. The result is that your mind is transformed.
- Take every thought captive.
As you meditate on the Word, you then must take every thought captive. That means when a thought comes floating across your mind, you grab onto the thought and ask yourself: What is this thought and where did it come from? What is this thought telling me? You stop and consider what you are thinking.
Many people are held captive by a Barbarian mindset, and they don’t even know why. If you think you have to dominate and intimidate someone else to get ahead, that’s a Barbarian mindset. God doesn’t want you to live in a mindset of fear. He wants you to talk in faith. David expressed faith in Psalm 23 when he said, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” If you have been living in a Barbarian mindset, I have good news for you. You can repent. You don’t have to walk in fear. You can trust and not be afraid. You don’t have to stay the way you are. Simply repent and walk in freedom and faith.
Some people have a Greek mindset. Again, catch your thoughts and consider how you are thinking. If you think you are smart enough to get where you need to be, or that your intellect is strong enough to overcome any obstacle to bring you into your destiny, you have a Greek mindset. If you think you must figure out God and get every point of doctrine right, you are sadly deceived. That is a Greek mindset as well.
I used to be that way myself. I knew the Scriptures and had spent many hours studying theology.
So ask yourself: Am I leaning on my own understanding, or am I willing to follow God even if I don’t understand what He is doing? Can I receive what God is doing even if my mind is confounded? God will confound your mind to test your spirit. If you have been walking in a Greek mindset, you can repent and change. You can learn to walk in the Spirit. God wants you to have the mind of Christ.
God is raising up a prophetic people who know His voice and walk in His ways! He is seeking a people who will not be pressed into the mold of the world but rather who walk by the Spirit and who do the works of Jesus in the world. So learn to think like the Lord, meditate on the Word, take your thoughts captive, and when you need to repent, just do it. Let God give you His mindset.