The Battery Effect
By Rabbi Dani'el Rendelman
ravemet@comast.net
Emet Ministries
www.emetministries.com
The days in between the two holy days of Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) are called the "Yamim Noraim" or the "Ten Days of Awe."
We are told that through His foreknowledge, YHWH has "books" that He writes our names in, writing down who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written on Yom Teruah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter YHWH's decree. The actions that change the decree are "teshuvah, tefilah and tzedekah," repentance, prayer, good deeds. These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time is "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."
Among the customs of this time, it is common to seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged during the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and YHWH. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible.
Isaiah 55:6 states:
Seek YHWH when He is to be found, call out to Him when He is near.
Our Sages commented:
This teaches us that there are times when YHWH is to be found and rimes when YHWH is not to be found, times when He is near and times when He is not near. When is He to be found and near? In the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The Ten days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur may indeed affect then entire coming year. What we think and how we act during these ten days set patterns and habits for next 365 days. It is important that during this time we question our motives, search our hearts, purify our desires, and seek YHWH.
Our desire during these next 10 days should this prayer from Melech David / King David - in Psalm 51:7-12
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O YHWH,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Praying to YHWH is just the first step in our ten day makeover.
We should then learn what is called the "Battery Affect."
The Battery Effect is a powerful force that can not be argued. The Battery Affect has the power to change us into YHWH's image OR keep us bound up in selfishness. The choice is ours. What is the Battery Effect?
A battery is a device that converts chemical energy directly to electrical energy. The term battery was first coined by Benjamin Franklin who understood the concept of energy but wasn't knowledgeable of the cellular makeup.
Franklin originally used the terms "positive" and "negative" power as he tried to discern the direction in which electricity flowed by watching sparks. He discerned a consistent direction that sparks appeared to jump, and labeled the terminal that seemed to be the source as "positive" and the terminal to which they seemed to jump as "negative".
The battery stores the chemicals that are made into energy when the corresponding powers are paired. For example, if you are jump starting your car, you must connect the positive to the positive and the negative to the negative poles. If you mix up the order then you may fry your alternator!
From the simple function of a battery, we can learn a great spiritual principle.
The Battery Effect teaches us that for every action there is a corresponding positive or negative reaction. Small changes cause similar changes nearby. What we personally think and how we individually act affects ourselves and others. Our environment changes when power is released. This power can be either positive or negative. The Battery EAffect states that everything you do is either positive or negative. There is no middle ground! During the Ten Days of Awe we must be careful to monitor our actions to ensure that we are releasing positive energy OR we will reap negative results!
It is during this time that we must search our hearts to determine if we are a negative or positive person. Are you a negative thinker or a positive thinker? Do you tell yourself, yes I can do this? I can reach my goal. Or do you tell yourself, not to get to excited, that you probably will not get that promotion, loose those five pounds or sell that story? Could your thoughts be causing you to fail?
When you are around someone that is upbeat and in a good mood then you will be more upbeat yourself! Even though misery loves company, the truth is that sad and depressed people do not make good company. Attitude is contagious. Actions are contagious.
A positive mind will actually be expecting happiness, joy, health, a positive outcome and then since the mind is expecting it, it will actually happen. Is this really true?
Galatians 6:7-8
"Be not deceived; YHWH is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."
Revelation 2:23
I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Proverbs 17:18
Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Ezekiel 7:27According to their way I will do to them, and according to their own judgments I will judge them; and they shall know that I am YHWH.
The principle that positive thoughts and actions result in a positive outcome can not be denied. We must be more mindful of our attitude as what we do over the next 10 days creates the habits and life that we will have to deal with over the next year. The whole function of thought is to produce habits of action. Do people consider you to be positive or negative? What energy do you feed?
Matthew 7:12
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets
The first step to being positive is awareness. Recognize the negativity around you. Sometimes you can even feel your energy being drained by the words being spoken. If it feels bad or uncomfortable, then it's negative. These feelings are a form of intelligence similar to a tap on the shoulder letting you know something is not right. If you can identify what is happening, you can make good choices about handling it. Whatever you feed grows and has more power. Don't join with the negative.
Also consider in what ways are you contributing to the negativity. Are you diminishing or criticizing others? When a person is negative around you, simply ask them - "Do you realize that you are complaining?" Then be constructive and positive. Take a few minutes to say something good about a situation. You want people to feel good after being in your presence, don't you? You must acknowledge that you are not a victim of your circumstances. The Battery Affect proves that YOU are master of your own destiny. YOU determine the outcome of your life!
When you place a small battery in an electronic device you must match up the connections positive to positive or negative to negative. A positive connection produces positive energy. Negative brings negative.
Zig Ziglar once said that "Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will."
Also, if you mix up the order then the battery will not work! Don't be mistaken - you can't act negatively and expect the outcome to be positive!
· You can't feed yourself junkfood, fried food, or fast food and expect to be healthy!
· You can't fill your day with soap operas, network TV, Hollywood movies, and the news and call yourself a spiritual person.
· You can't be rude, crude, or uncaring and have a support group of friends.
· You can't break commandments, forsake worship, and ignore the Spirit and then hope for miracles, blessings, or rescue.
· You can't point out the faults of others, criticize, moan, and complain and hope for a good outcome.
· You can't belittle those who don't know the truth and then expect them to convert!
· You can't have unforgiveness and expect YHWH to forgive you!
However, you can react POSITIVELY to NEGATIVE situations and STOP the negative energy from having effect! Your actions can change your world.
1 Peter 4:17
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of YHWH: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of YHWH?
We should each be mindful of the Battery Effect during the next ten days and during our entire life. Positive actions produce positive energy which brings a positive outcome! Negative actions produce negative energy which brings a negative outcome!
It's time that we look on the inside and recharge our batteries with YHWH's power -
1 Corinthians 11:31
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged
How do we become positive people?
1. Smile more.
2. Replace your negative thoughts with positive ones.
3. Ignore others who laugh at the power of positive thinking.
4. Once a negative thought comes into your mind, try to replace it with a positive one. If you keep doing this, eventually that negative thought is suppose to vanish.
5. Expect positive results. When you send in that next article, expect not only to sell it but to get a higher selling price for it.
6. Don't say don't. For instance, getting rid of the word "don't" from your vocabulary and replacing it with the positive image of what you are suggesting, starts to make you far more positive in your outlook. Take a look at the following short statements and see what images you get when you read each one:
· Don't drop it.
· Don't walk on the grass.
· In case of fire do not use elevators.
What if you said:
· Hold on to the glass very carefully.
· Walk on the footpath.
· In case of fire use the fire exit described in the following diagram.
7. Laugh. Love. Live. Life is short. Spend your time with the people that matter. Make memories that will last a lifetime. Instead of dwelling on how life was in the past or how life could be in the future - make something of life NOW!
8. Don't allow others to bring you down. Take a stand when people around you become negative, start to complain or fall into sin. Encourage people to say something good about the situation.
9. Get control of your thoughts. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy-keep thinking about these things.
10. Keep a battery in your pocket at all times to remind you of this message. When you reach for change and pull out the battery, remember that you must be the change you want to see in this world. Don't feed the negativity in this world. Be positive when others are harsh and reap the benefits.
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