The Unfaithful You

Meditation is considered as a powerful form of self-realization and self-healing. There are various methods by which you can meditate, but perhaps, the most potent of all is the Chakra Meditation.

Introduction to Chakra Meditation

The meditation whose basic aim is to align the movement of all the seven primary Chakras in the body is termed as Chakra Meditation. Our body consists of 7 primary and over 20,000 secondary Chakras. For a better understanding of Chakra Meditation, its important to know what and where are the primary Chakras in the body:

1. Root or Base Chakra located at the base of the spine and related to the element Earth. It governs our general health, prosperity, and security.

2. Brow Chakra, also called The Third Eye Chakra, is situated between the brows on the forehead. It is related to the Light element, which governs our perception, interpretation, and visualization.

3. Solar Plexus or Power Chakra located just above the naval region and related to the element Fire. It governs our will power, autonomy, and metabolism.

4. Heart Chakra located at the center of the chest and related to the element Air. It governs love, compassion, and relationships in our lives.

5. Throat Chakra governing your sense of creativity, resonance and communication skills is located at the base of the throat and related to the element Sound.

6. Brow Chakra governing your power of imagination, visualization, and interpretation is located between the brows on the forehead and related to the element Light.

7. Crown Chakra governing your wisdom and knowledge is located at the top of the head and related to the element thought.

A concentrated mind working towards the achievement of synchronized movements of these seven Chakras in the body can truly bring incalculable rewards in ones life. The body, mind, and soul would become stress-free and youll emerge as a better-informed human being who can easily see the spiritual side to every materialistic possession in this world. One can also achieve natural healing for bodily and mental ailments just by bringing the seven energy centers in consonance with each other.

Chakra Meditation Unleashed

Chakra Meditation, essentially, involves three steps or techniques:

1. Grounding Technique refers to the process whereby, your body feels connected with Earth. The visualization involves assuming a root growing from your body and entering into the Earth, thus, transfixing your body to the ground. With some intense focus and determination, you can achieve this state of Chakra Meditation.

2. Centering Technique. This technique is vital as it prepares your body to receive the benefits of Chakra Meditation. Again, the application of this technique is not too difficult. Just take 4-5 deep breaths and feel every body part from head to toe getting relaxed. This process involves tightening and relaxing each body part from toe, and then visualizing the act of a potter who centers a pot on the pottery wheel.

3. Relaxation Technique, which is the final step in Chakra Meditation. There is no hard and fast rule to relax your body. Everyone has his or her own method of relaxation.

One of the popular methods of Chakra Meditation is detailed below:

a) Sit or lie down in a position that is most comfortable for your body.

b) Loosen all your clothing so that there is no tension on any part of the body, and close your eyes.

c) Take relaxing breaths ” neither too fast nor too slow. Just give up your control on the breath, and let it flow naturally.

d) Start feeling every part of your body from toe to the head in that direction. While your eyes are closed, feel the earth you are lying or sitting on, or the bed you are lying or sitting on, feel the aura around you, feel the clothes you are wearing. Feel everything youd have had your eyes been open. Visualize life in darkness!

e) All the negative thoughts and emotions should not be avoided. Let them be! With time and regular practice, these thoughts will disappear automatically. Rather, when no such negative emotion disturbs you, that is the time when you should consider that you have perfected the art of Chakra Meditation.

f) Feel every subtle inner detail and let your awareness travel freely from one body part to the other.

Chakra Meditation can be performed by anyone at convenient hours. There is no rule for the duration of time to perform Chakra Meditation. Suit your comfort levels!

Jonathan Benjem is a writer for the popular chakra-balance.com site. To understand how chakra balancing can transform your whole life and to get 29 Free chakra meditation Audios visit here.

For most people, dreams are mysterious ‘mini movies’ that play in their minds while they’re sound asleep, seemingly without their control, with some being rather pleasant, and others, not so much. However, we now know that it is actually possible to make dream control a complete reality, bringing about what is known as lucid dreaming.

But, what does the term truly mean and how does it work, and what, if any, are the benefits, and is it really possible for anyone to achieve this means of making our nightly journeys into the world of dreaming our own continual series of fascinating adventures? Read on for the answers to these common questions about the art of dream control.

What Is Dream Control?

Dream control, or lucid dreaming is when you are completely aware that you are dreaming while you are doing so; and in control of the events which take place within your dream. Even while your body is sound asleep, your mind knows that you are dreaming and you are in the directors chair for the proceedings.

For those suffering from frequent nightmares, this simple but powerful method may serve to be just the thing they need to finally enjoy a restful night’s sleep.

Common Techniques For Inducing Lucid Dreaming

A rather effective method known for achieving lucid dreaming involves the use of binaural audio, which entails listening to two different frequencies at the same time in order to synchronize the brain waves, bringing about a deep sense of relaxation, as well as a state in which lucid dreaming is possible known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Prior to the advent of binaural audio technology, now available on CDs and DVDS, meditation and self hypnosis were used to bring about dream control. While these methods are indeed effective, it can take a considerable amount of time to become expert at these techniques.

Besides these methods, there are many other techniques which have been employed by experts in the field. Regardless of how one trains their mind to start using dream control, the idea in every case is to let the dreamer come to the awareness that they are dreaming and start to take control of their dreams.

To do this, we must, of course, begin while we are wide awake, with the key being to remember to do or say something in a dream, which will trigger the recognition necessary within the mind and allow us to then control what happens next.

It’s often a simple matter of telling yourself, just before going to sleep, that you will be dreaming soon and in that dream you will remember to do or say something specific, and when that happens, you will instantly realize that it is a dream.

This form of dream control is called mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (or MILD for short), a technique developed by researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge. Once reminded, you are then in control of your dream. You can then decide what happens in your dream, with your imagination being the only limiting factor.

A dream diary can also help you to get started with lucid dreaming. Immediately after you wake up, write down each and every detail that you remember from your dreams. After doing this for a while, you’ll train your mind to remember your dreams; this is the first step to dream control and soon you’ll start having lucid dreams!

When you know how to use dream control, you can dismiss your nightmares and have incredible experiences which would never be possible in the physical world; you can go anywhere and do anything that your imagination can conceive!

However, there can be too much of the good thing which is lucid dreaming. Dreams can tell us important things, according to psychologists. So while you should unlock your full potential to have lucid dreaming experiences, make sure to give yourself some time off now and then to have natural dreams.

David Heoung is a writer for the http://www.luciddreaminginfo.com website. Discover the amazing experience of dream control for yourself and get twenty nine Free lucid dreaming Binaural and hypnosis mp3 audios when you visit here.

Since our chakras are directly influenced by everything around us such as the technique to regular cleansing of our chakras logically follows that we should take our environment into consideration as well. To achieve balance and harmony, the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspects of our being also needs cleansing in order to heal our energy systems. This is necessary since all aspects of our existence are interconnected and are necessary to function harmoniously for healthy and vibrant living.

Following are some of the highly effective chakra cleansing practices man has used for thousands of years in the past:

1. Smudging is an effective method of removing harmful energy obstacles that affect our chakras. White sage is proven to be a highly effective smudging agent.

2. Auric brushing with the hands or the aid of gemstones and crystals is one of the highly effective chakra cleansing technique. Caution must be taken however that the practice should only be performed by a well-practiced individual since there is the possibility of serious damage rather than successful healing due to the inherent powers of the gemstones and crystals employed in the process.

3. A healthy lifestyle, drinking plenty of clean water, tea and fruit juices, plus enough sleep and relaxation are highly recommended in order to maintain strong energy systems.

4. Regular physical workouts and breathing exercises are very important to the maintenance of healthy and strong chakras. Aside from making the heart healthier, regular physical activity and proper breathing also ensures unrestricted blood flow to all parts of the body.

5. Connect with the wonders and magic of nature. Learning to appreciate the nature has a wonderful influence in the function of our energy systems.

6. Since each individual colors have different vibrations that affect different elements of a person, you can effectively perform chakra cleansing by looking at real color or simply by visualizing them.

7. Listening to music also heals our energy system. Music is an effective chakra cleansing technique and can be used to activate our chakras, which in turn activate the entire endocrine system.

8. We should not tire of pursuing learning situations. In fact, it is highly recommended to continually pursue learning and intellectual challenges to keep us on our toes and keep our energy points active.

9. Allocating a few minutes daily for reflection on the days events is also a powerful chakra cleansing method. Spending some time alone and giving serious thought to our daily happenings and situation gives us a clearer perspective and awareness of everything that affects us and our environment.

10. Practicing love of self is also important as it teaches us survival and self preservation. It also makes us more able to love others.

11. An awareness of our feelings and emotions coupled with the ability to express them in a constructive manner to people around us is a very vital chakra cleansing and maintenance strategy. Restrained thoughts, feelings and emotions can invariably cause energy jams that can disturb our health and well being.

12. Be creative in everything that you do even if it is not related to the arts. Enjoy your tasks and perform them in a jovial manner and they would not be a drudgery.

13. Coming to terms with our past and having an appreciation of its meaning can provide us a deep understanding of our objective as a human being.

14. Honesty and truthfulness in all areas of our lives keeps us healthy and gives us vibrant energy. Values anchored on respect, trust, decency, honesty and truthfulness help make us a productive and responsible member of the society.

15. Prayer is also a central element of our health and energy systems. Prayer allows us to communicate with a Higher Being who can help us achieve emotional balance and stability. Prayer helps quiet down our minds to make us receptive to everything around us.

The above are all effective chakra cleansing techniques which we need to incorporate in our lives. Although chakra cleansing takes time, it should be done regularly and continuously for us to reap its benefits and advantages in living a healthy life.

The author Anne-Marie Laureaut is a writer for the popular chakra-balance.com site. To understand how chakra cleansing can drastically improve your life and how you can get free chakra meditation Audios visit here.

Also known as lucid dreaming, conscious dreaming is the state of being aware and in control while you are dreaming. That is to say, you know that you are dreaming while you are in the middle of a dream! When you are conscious that youre dreaming, you can control the events of your dreams.

While having the ability to control your dreams may sound farfetched, its actually something which is within your reach. Lucid dreaming isnt that hard to do and these dreams are a great place to express your true self and your desires. There are techniques which have proven effective at producing lucid dreams.

First, you have to know what your goal is; are you looking to be able to get more enjoyment from your dreams or would you like to use this ability to help you improve your life in other areas? Whatever the reason, decide what it is that makes you want to discover conscious dreaming.

With your goal in mind, the next thing to do is to start learning and practicing the methods which can help you to begin conscious dreaming. A lot of people find the best way to begin to be dream recall. Dream recall is just the process of practicing recalling the details of your dreams.

Learning to remember your dreams will help you to begin conscious dreaming. One thing which works for most is keeping a dream diary. Keep this beside your bed so that as soon as you awake (before your dreams can start melting away in the sun as they tend to do), you can write down all of the details you remember.

Before long, youll find yourself able to remember more of your dreams ” and your dream diary can help refresh your memory. Once your mind is trained to remember dreams, the ability to recognize them while they are happening will follow easily. You might, like many do, come to the awareness suddenly that you are dreaming!

Hypnosis also helps, whether in conjunction with a dream diary or on its own. This can get you into the right state of mind for conscious dreaming ” and in as few as a few sessions of hypnosis, most find that they can remember the minutest details of their dreams! Once you can do this, lucid dreaming follows quickly.

At first, you may discover that you occasionally wake up suddenly during a lucid dream. That’s fairly normal. All you need to do is recall the events of your dream as you fall back to sleep. Try hard to remember them, and you’ll be able to get back into the dream, and even be able to make it do whatever you want it to.

One other method of inducing conscious dreaming is waking up a few hours earlier than you usually do, then trying to get back to sleep. During this period, the dreams you’ll have are a lot easier to stay aware in. You even be unsure about whether you were really asleep, or if you were merely thinking while lying in bed. Do this on a regular basis, and lucid dreaming is a lot more likely.

Try to keep track of your sleep schedule ” this will help you to figure out when the best times for conscious dreaming are. Be sure not to deprive yourself of too much sleep, as you are actually less likely to have lucid dreams when sleep deprived.

The good news is that lucid dreaming is actually effective against insomnia and other sleeping disorders. Using conscious dreaming you can teach your mind to shut down troublesome thoughts that are keeping you awake.

You may think that learning lucid dreaming takes years of practice, but in fact its not so hard at all to learn ” with just a little practice, you can be a conscious dreamer too!

Conscious dreaming is an ability which everyone has. By practicing these techniques, youll find yourself in control of your dreams in pretty short order; and enjoying all of the benefits of lucid dreams!

The author Allan Matacan writes for the http://www.luciddreaminginfo.com website. You can enjoy the incredible experience of lucid dreaming for yourself and get 29 Free conscious dreaming Audios when you visit here.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).

I don’t know about you, but I prefer encouraging words to discouraging ones, positives messages to negative warnings. And as we turn the corner from 2008 to 2009, the media is full of discouraging, negative reports. We hear them everywhere, and if we aren’t careful, we’ll begin to believe them-and to live accordingly.

Does that mean none of those negative messages are true? Of course not. Many of them may be-and worse. But bad tidings and doomsday warnings should not dictate the tenor of our hearts or the fulfillment of our calling.

There is a common saying among Christians that we have “read the end of the Book-and we win!” There is no greater ending to any book than that very positive truth, my friends. Howeverif you’ve read the entire Book (and I certainly hope you have, many times over!), you know that we are not promised a problem-free existence in this world as we await that victorious final chapter.

And that’s where the fear comes in. We let our focus drift from the final outcome to the temporal circumstances, and we forget that it’s not up to us grit our teeth, pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, and somehow overcome impossible trials and challenges. God is the One-the only One-who can carry us through, safely and victoriously, to the end. And He has given us all we need to hang on to during the ride: the blood of the Lamb, which paid our price for sin and restored us to relationship with the Father; the ability to proclaim the gospel to all who will listen; and the perfect love that flows from the throne of God and melts away the fear of death with the promise of eternal life with Him.

That’s all we will ever need, beloved. Regardless of what the world might throw at us in this New Year, we have the promise and the provision of God that enables us to look past the temporal and into the eternal, to keep our eyes fixed on the Prize and our hearts yearning for heaven. Nothing here can begin to compare for the things God has prepared for us once we pass from this life to the next. So rejoice in the New Year, my friends; don’t be discouraged by negative reports, and remember, the best is yet to be!

Have you ever faced a difficulty or challenge that just seemed immpossible? Have you ever felt like giving up because of an obstacle looming in front of you like a mountain? If you have, then I can assure that you are not alone, and that I along with most other people have felt the same way at times. In fact, Jesus Himself assured believers that there would be mountains in our lives that would need to be moved in order for us to possess Gods best for us. Since obstacles and challenges are going to arise, then clearly the question we need answered is, What is the key to overcoming lifes obstacles? The key to overcoming lifes challenges and problems in victory lies in seeing them from the proper perspective. If you can begin to see your problems from Gods perspective, then you can apply your faith effectively to overcome them.

I used to travel a lot on business for the company that I worked for, and I frequently found myself flying on airplanes. For some reason, God has chosen to give me some amazing revelations on plane rides, and I am about to share one of them with you. One of my favorite parts of being on an airplane is the takeoff. The jet slings down the runway and all of a sudden youre hurling through the air. As the plane gains altitude your perspective on the world begins to change. Buildings such as schools and hospitals that look huge when you are on the ground all of a sudden begin to look very small as the plane rises higher and higher. What has changed? Not the buildings, they are the same size they were when you were standing on the ground. The change has been in your perspective. Now that you are viewing those same large buildings from several thousand feet in the air they look very small even though they have not actually changed in size at all.

The same principle of perspective holds true when you apply it to the obstacles, or mountains, in your life. According to Ephesians 2, believers have been seated with Christ in Heavenly places. What does this mean to us and our everyday lives? It means that from Gods perspective we are seated with Him in His Heavenly throne room right next to Jesus. Ephesians 1 tells us that all things are under Jesus feet, and that we are His body. Since we are the body of Christ, this means that all things are under our feet, as well. The Word also makes it clear that the earth is Gods footstool, and that His throne is high above the earth.

If we put all of this data together, we can clearly see that from Gods Heavenly perspective all of the challenges that we face in life are no bigger in His eyes than those tiny buildings we see from thousands of feet above the ground in an airplane. We are seated right next to Him in Heavenly places in Christ, and so all of lifes obstacles should also appear like those tiny buildings to us as well if we will simply adopt Gods proper perspective on them. If we try to face a mountain in our own strength then it will appear overwhelming, but if we will view it from our position in Christ then it will look minute indeed. I want to challenge you today to begin viewing the obstacles and mountains that face you from your Heavenly position in Christ. Once you have the right perspective on a mountain so that you see it as a small thing compared to Gods ability, you simply need to trust God to move it and watch Him go to work on your behalf.

The Pope, Billy Graham and Oral Roberts all died on the same day and arrived at the Pearly Gates at the same time. St. Peter said to them, “I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that we are full right now and I am going to have to send the three of you down to the devil. The good news is it should be temporary and I’ll have you back in six weeks or less”. St Peter made a quick call to Satan to arrange the necessary accommodations, and then the three went for a brief stay in hell.

A week later, St. Peter received an urgent call from Demon HQ. It’s the Devil himself. “You have to get these guys out of here and now! I mean NOW!” “What’s the problem?” St. Peter asked. “It’s like this,” the Infernal One explains, “The Pope is going around blessing everyone, Billy Graham is saving everyone, and Oral Roberts has raised almost enough money to put in air conditioning!”

On Oct. 29, 1999, the CBS Morning Show went to Hell. A headline in the Detroit News on Nov. 3, 1999 read, “Businessman Sees Hell as Tourist Site.” A headline in the Chicago Tribune on Oct. 29, 2000 read, “Saints and Sinners Can All Go to Hell”. On Jan. 27, 2001, a headline in the Detroit News read, “Almost Cold Enough to Freeze Hell Over”. The article read, “The deep freeze that hit the nation in recent weeks and buried several states in an unending wave of snow had one more odd effect: Hell almost froze over”.

What each of these stories was referring to is a small town between Detroit and Lansing, Michigan called Hell. A small town of just a few hundred residents, it has capitalized off its name. The Chamber of Commerce has a billboard visible to travelers traveling along a nearby highway suggesting they go to Hell. The town gets calls throughout the year from TV and newspaper weather reporters to find out if there town is truly hotter or colder than hell. Husbands send alimony cheques through the post office so that they are postmarked in Hell. Many citizens in the surrounding area come to this little town every April to mail their tax returns so that they bear the Hell postmark.

We can laugh about hell all we want, but in Luke 16:19-31, Jesus reveals that hell is a real place that is no laughing matter. Where we end up after we die depends on where our heart is in this life. God calls us to celebrate the riches of life, not a life of riches. Where our treasure is, so is our heart. A good example of this is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Both wanted to enjoy the good things in life, but the rich man wanted everything for himself. This is typical of the “me first” world we live in today. No one in his right mind who is right with God would refuse to help a neighbour in times of trouble, but that’s what the rich man did when he refused to help Lazarus. The rich man chose to live according to the chasm his god-money-created in life. He couldn’t cross the great chasm in death. The price we pay for our love of money is a deep chasm that divides us from each other. The rich man enjoyed a life of plenty on earth, while Lazarus enjoyed a life of material poverty. When they died, they went in opposite directions-the rich man to hell, and Lazarus to heaven.

The rich man’s thirst in hell is the same thirst we have-a thirst to know God. For the rich man, it was too late. For us who are living, it is never too late to know God. Knowing God won’t save us from times of trouble, but faith in Jesus will give us an anchor to hold on to during life’s storms-just like the words of the hymn “Will Your Anchor Hold” say. God wants us to know Him because He loves us and wants to provide for our needs. He wants to provide for us because of the special covenant He has with us. He wants us to be as close to Him as His shadow. God wants us to be dependent on him so we can experience our greatest happiness and freedom. God never stops giving. Coveting feeds a lack of contentment, encourages roving, restless eyes and causes us to look for satisfaction in the things we don’t have instead of the riches God has given us to enjoy. God uses money to steer our lives into the areas in which He wants us involved. He does this by giving or withholding money.

God is the constant companion of the poor. If we develop a relationship with the poor, we also develop a relationship with the God who continually relates to them. Just as the rich man ignored Lazarus, we often ignore anyone who can’t help us achieve our goals. The way to life involves keeping the Ten Commandments, especially as Jesus taught in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke’s message to the rich calls on them to share their wealth. They are not more valuable because they have more valuables. They are not owed a privileged status. Social status and material possessions are no guarantee of our standing with God. The rich man’s tragic flaw is that he suffers from a deep spiritual deafness, an inability to hear and listen to the call for mercy and justice, or even the practical plea for just plain bread and some salve for the sores the dogs lick.

God does not condone poverty or condemn plenty. The difference between Lazarus and the rich man wan not what they owned, but what owned them. The rich man was rich materially but poor spiritually. On the other hand, Lazarus was poor materially but rich spiritually. He was a good example of the 2nd Beatitude mentioned in Luke 6:20-“Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God”. The Pharisees loved material things more than they loved God, so Jesus used this parable to teach them what was really important. Just as the neglect of physical health leads to physical death, the neglect of spiritual health leads to spiritual death.

Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal”. The rich man’s experience warns us of the possibility of being rich enough in this world to live luxuriously, yet so poverty-stricken in the next that we have to beg for a drop of water. The best type of collection to have is one that is given away. That’s why Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:18, “Be rich in good works…” Remember Dorcas, the woman who made garments for the poor in Acts 9:36-43. She is the same woman Peter later raised from the dead. We are urged in Psalm 91:16 to use ourselves to glorify God and share the Good News of our salvation with everyone we meet.

If you were to die suddenly, where do you think you would go? Sudden death in particular should be a warning to all of us, for we do not know when our time is up. A good example is what happened to my brother-in-law’s mother recently. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer, but she passed away very suddenly after being rushed to the hospital one evening after she started coughing up blood. We need to be prepared (as the Boy Scout motto says) for the unexpected. It will be too late after we die. Hell is a permanent place from which there is no escape. There is no love in hell, only hate. It is a dark place where there is no freedom. The lost in hell will remember all the chances they had in life to repent. They will have no second chances in hell.

Jesus loved to talk about hell because that was part of His mission. He loved to talk about the Valley of Hinnom, which was Jerusalem’s garbage dump and most hated place. It was also the place where the bodies of the poor were buried, so it was likely the place where Lazarus was buried. Jesus did something in this parable that He didn’t do in any other parable-He mentioned specific names. This leads scholars to conclude that this is a true story. The rich man went to hell not because he was rich, but because He rejected Christ. The choices we make today will determine our eternal state.

If you want to know if hell is a place of literal fire, just ask someone who has been there-the rich man. It’s no wonder he wanted Abraham to send someone to warn his brothers. It’s no wonder he himself wanted to go back and warn them. There is no escape from hell. Hell enlarges itself daily. It is occupied by the multitudes who did not have to go there. It is occupied not only by some of the worst criminals and dictators in history, it is also occupied by those who chose to reject Christ. We need to hear hell’s solid conviction. Hell is a bottomless pit, a prison or dungeon where there is intense darkness. The meanest, cruelest, filthiest people in history will be there along with the unsaved church members and the people who trust in their own righteousness for salvation.

Some of us get too busy for God. We can’t belong to His church. We don’t want to be part of the folks that are going to heaven. We’re too busy doing everything else, and then we die, and that’s it. Some who are lost appear to be saved because they live good, moral lives. There are people who are saved who may, at times, appear to be lost. The real test of whether or not a person is saved comes at the time of death. Everyone lives forever-some in heaven, the rest in hell. Everyone who refuses to accept Christ has chosen to live their eternal lives in hell. They will not lose their memory or identity. They will remember everything they did, said or thought while on earth, and they will remember it for eternity. Judgment is a very real fact in this world and the world to come.

We do not need to be deliberately evil to miss the gate of Heaven. All we have to do is be indifferent to the needs of those around us. We need to have a missions conscience. The church must also listen carefully to the world’s concerns as it determines its programs and direction. We need to help the hungry, the thirsty, the lonely, the dying. The way we treat other people in this life is the way we will be treated in the next life. In other words, what goes around comes around. We will have to deal with our decision to help or ignore them when we stand before God’s throne on Judgment Day. Our mistakes will come back to haunt us for eternity.

When the rich man died, he found out ten things:

1. Death does not end it all.
2. God had a record of his sins.
3. Satan lied to him.
4. Hell is the kind of place Jesus said it was.
5. He missed the greatest thing in life.
6. He still had his memory.
7. Hell was a mad house.
8. All opportunity to be saved was gone.
9. There is only one way of salvation.
10. The redeemed received the opposite 5 minutes after death.

One of the most fascinating works of poetry I have ever read or heard is a poem entitled “Five Minutes After I Die”, and I would like to conclude my sermon by reading it to you, because it sums up the points of my message very clearly.

Loved ones will weep o’er my silent face
Dear ones will clasp me in sad embrace
Shadows and darkness will fill this place
Five minutes after I die.

Faces that sorrow I will not see,
Voices that murmur will not reach me,
But where, oh where, will my soul be,
Five minutes after I die?

Never to repair the good I lack,
Fixed to the goal of my chosen track,
No room to repent, no turning back,
Five minutes after I die.

Marked forever with my chosen prong,
Long is eternity, o so long,
Then woe is me, if my soul is wrong,
Five minutes after I die.

Oh what a fool—hard word, but true,
Passing the Saviour with death in view,
Doing a deed I can never undo,
Five minutes after I die.

If I am flinging a fortune away,
If I am wasting salvation’s day,
“Just is my sentence,” my soul shall say,
Five minutes after I die.

Thanks be to Jesus for pardon free,
He paid my debt on Calvary’s tree
Heaven’s gates will open for me,
Five minutes after I die.

Oh marvelous grace that has rescued me,
Oh joyous moment when Jesus I see,
Oh happy day when like Him I’ll be,
Five minutes after I die.

God help you to choose! Your eternal state
Depends on your choice; you dare not wait.
You must choose now; it will be too late
Five minutes after you die.

God has given us gifts to share. When He empties his coffers and becomes poor, we become rich spiritually. This Parable is about values, not money. The rich man’s sin was not his wealth, but his hard heart. Those who are rich have an obligation to help the poor. How we use what we have leads to God’s judgment.