*DOMINION MANDATE DEVOTIONAL*

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

*WHY BELIEVERS GO TO HELL (1)*

*BIBLE READING: MATTHEW 18:21-35*

*So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses. Matthew 18:35(KJV)*

The greatest reason Christians will find themselves in Hell is not necessarily as a result of some very grievous sin. Unfortunately, many Christians will end up in hell, not because they committed a big sin, but because they didn’t forgive a brother or sister who hurt them.

The sin of offence is one of the most subtle sins we can have in our lives. It is all the more dangerous because we feel justified to carry the anger and offence in our hearts and refuse to let the person go as a result of the pain they have caused us. But offence cuts us off from the Holy Spirit and over time, it wraps us in a bubble of self and isolates us from the touch of the Holy Spirit totally.

Worst of all, offence shields us away from the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus because we refuse to forgive, the sins we have committed that we might have even repented of will also not be forgiven. Offence insulates us from forgiveness from above and this is why many Christians will find themselves shocked to be in hell.

In this season of repentance and eternity, look inward and think about all the people who have hurt you and whom you are upset with. Take time to call them, talk about the issue you have against them, forgive them and let it go. Where you cannot reach them anymore, ask the Holy Spirit to help you forgive and to take the pain of the hurt and offence away. No offence is worth an eternity in hell that burns with fire and brimstone, where the worms do not die and the fire does not quench. The cure for offence is to choose to walk in love, irrespective of the actions of others and not paying attention to whether they deserve it or not.

*PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I repent of the sin of offence. I ask for mercy and confess the sin of unforgiveness. I forgive everyone who has hurt me and for whom I have carried offence in my heart. Help me forgive them and take the pain and anger away in Jesus name.