In our society , we have different rights; some are human and some are constitutional, while others are religious. Folks believe they have rights to make choices and to learn from experi-ences. Young people want to be allowed to make their decisions and to learn from their mistake on their own. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes. However, the bad news is that a single mistake could ruin one’s life permanently. Every mis-take is a learning experience and a deterrent to future calamity. Wise ones tap into the experiences of their seniors and learn from them; thereby averting some regrettable mistakes.
One source defines regret as “an intelligent and emotional dis-like for personal past acts and behaviors.” Another source de-scribes it as, “to feel sorry, disappointed or distress about; to remember with sense of loss or sorrow; mourn about someone or something….” It’s painful to look back at our choices through the lens of regret and feel the weight of our failures. The Psalmist experienced a personal episode of sin and failure after the king took his servant’s wife and manipulated the hus-band to be killed at war front. He cried, “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked but he who trusts in the Lord mercy shall sur-round him” (Psalm 32:10). Confronted by Prophet Nathan, the King cried out in regret. He confessed, “I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only have I committed this terrible sin, and have done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:3-4). He was forgiven.
A football team coach wore T-shirt that reads, “Each day you must choose: The pain of discipline or the pain of regrets.” He understood “discipline may be a tough option and something we may try to avoid. However in sports and life’s reality, short-term pain is often the only path to long term gain.” In the mid-dle of the battle of life, it’s either that you are ready for the challenges of life or be haunted by what ifs, “if only,” “I should’ve,” or “had I known,” whenever we face failure or the pain of regrets. Surprisingly, there’s a mistake you cannot af-ford to make. This single mistake wouldn’t only cost you inju-ries or pains but spiritual death or eternal torment landing one in the gate of hell. This is very regrettable and could be averted.
Many people even, amongst the Church going folk, do not be-lieve on the existence of heaven and hell. They think it’s fairly tales and not real. Against this thinking, the scriptures speak about heaven and hell as real and never full. Funny enough modern preachers preach on giving: tithe and offerings more than the issue of life. These groups of people are those which Apostle Paul referred to by saying: “The God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan is the god of this world and his best deceit is to keep mankind to believe that God does not exist; then he tries to manipulate us to believe in him and to downplay the importance of believing in God. As if that wasn’t enough, he will try to deceive us into not believing or adhering to the truth. These lies he told Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and as a result stole the world God originally assigned to mankind from them. By doing that, he became the god of this world. Satan went ahead to blind all people on earth and make us subject to him and believe in his lies. Every human being born since Adam failed is spiritually blind and dead in trespass-es, sin and subject to Satan’s power (Ephesians 2:1-2).
WHAT WOULD BE THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT CHOICE OR REGRET?
- i) If only we had turned to God, we would have averted or escaped Satan’s power that leads to eternal damnation or death – Hell. The same God who created heaven and earth, created hell. He created hell for the devil and his fallen angels (Matthew 25:41). Those who did not accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Lord and Savior of the world will varnish into eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46).
- ii) Mankind has the opportunity of choosing to accept God’s grace in Jesus Christ while they are alive here on earth. This single choice decides whether a person shall go to heaven or hell, when he/she dies.
In Luke 16:19-31: The rich man did not go to hell because God hates riches. He created riches and wealth and gave us the pow-er to get wealth (Due. 8:18). God is concerned on how we ob-tain our wealth and how we spend it. Mankind hoards and sees the outside while God gives and judges the heart (1 Sam 16:7). Also, bear in mind ‘the sacrifice or gifts of unrighteous person are abominations to God’ (Pro. 15:8). Remember that it is not God’s wish, desire or plan that we should perish or go to hell but to come to repentance and make it to heaven (2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 33:11; Rev. 21:8f). “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believe in Him shall not die /perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus died in our place so we could live with Him in eternity. Going to heaven or hell does not depend on whether one is rich or poor; going to Church or not; giving all our money to the Church or charity. It all depends on a choice we make while we are on earth as to making Jesus the son of God the Lord of our life.
Hell is a place of torment; dark, lonely miserable – a place of eternal separation from God. If you don’t choose God, you will go to eternal fire. We have to accept the sacrifice of His son Jesus and His death and resurrection; the forgiveness of sins. Hell is a place of agony of flame; its fire burns on – there is no water in hell. Once you are there, you stay there permanently (Rev. 20:10). The person in hell has eyes and can see; has ear and can hear and can feel the heat of the fire but not burnt up. He begged to send someone back to his father’s house to warn his brothers about the reality of hell and to persuade them to choose God’s son Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. Anyone whose name wasn’t written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20;15; 14:11). The worst part of being in hell is the regret of the choice that you needed to make to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior while on earth and you will be heaven bound.
The Imminent Decision: “while we are on this earth, we can choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and live eternally in heaven or reject what God did for us through His death and resurrection and live eternally in hell. What is completely amaz-ing is the fact that we can enjoy God’s peace, love and joy while here on earth, waiting to go to heaven. Once we accept Jesus as Lord and savior, even though we go through troubles on earth due to Satan and sin here we have the love and protec-tion of God to see us through. We no longer belong to Satan, the god of this age and world. We become the property of the God who created us once again (Col. 1:13-14). God allows each person only a specific amount of time to prepare and after then you got yourself to blame. Jesus says, “I am coming soon” (Rev. 22:20).
May I ask, “If you die today, where will you be? Judge your-self; will you go to heaven or hell? “No one knows the time or hour. Neither the angels nor the Son of Man knows. Only the Father knows. ….They didn’t know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That’s how it will be when the Son of Man appears….Always be ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come” (Matthew 24:36-44). Today, you’re charged, “Be yee reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20); be restored to the image and likeness of God and you avert the coming judgment. There’s joy in heaven over a sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). Nobody is good enough to make it to heaven on his own accord, for our righteousness is like filthy rags before God. Mankind needs salvation, which comes only through Christ Jesus. Jesus is the Way,…to the Father (John14:6). We have to repent and believe on Jesus Christ; “and you will perish too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God” (Luke 13:3). You can be accepted by God today, while you still breathe and live, as tomorrow is not promised. Now is the acceptable time (2 Cor. 6:2).
Reach: Evangelist/Elder Ogbonnaya, Godswill at email: weefreeministries@yahoo.com or P. O. Box 720035, Houston, Texas, 77272; Web: www.weefreeministries.org; Call: 8328813929 (Cell).
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