Amen, Amen!!! I have felt led for years to pray that God remove from my heart anything that I was raised with that is not true. It has been amazing what He has shown me. Much of what we were taught as Christians is not Biblical.
Friday, May 6, 2022
Fearing Man Brings Downfall, Obeying God Brings Great Strength
I notice in this story the rich man in hell was worried about his family coming there and wanted someone to warn them before they died. It is the first time I realized the regret of someone in hell and they still cared about family.
Luke 16:19-31
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, enjoying himself in splendor every day.
20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
21 and longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table; not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores.
22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s arms; and the rich man also died and was buried.
23 And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set, so that those who want to go over from here to you will not be able, nor will any people cross over from there to us.’
27 And he said, ‘Then I request of you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—
28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as well.’
29 But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’
31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
We must remember we have no power to change someone's mind, we can only speak the truth and it must be their desire to hear from God that will bring them to a place of repentance.
When we have no expectations of others, only desiring ourselves to obey God, that we have total freedom to obey Him without fear of man.
Proverbs 29:25
"25 The fear of man [a]brings a snare,
But one who trusts in the Lord will be protected."
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