Are You Prepared for Your Destination?

How many times have we become lost while taking a trip with relatives, friends, neighbors, or co-workers? Or, we discover along the way that we are unprepared and failed to bring the proper tools that would have assisted us in making sure we arrive at our destination on time and with few interruptions and detours? These concerns are very important and must be addressed appropriately. More importantly, they are also part of our spiritual journey that will determine whether we will reach our eternal destination of Heaven or Hell.

Although there are many different types of trips that one can make in a lifetime, they share common characteristics. For example, we have to make sure we have a map that has the correct route and directions to the destination. These routes are given in steps that tell how long it will take to get there as well as our return trip home. In addition, the maps show what we will be encountering on our journey.

On our spiritual journey, the Bible is our road map to Heaven. It contains all that we need (2 Peter 1:3) for an entire life of holiness, and therefore, it is impossible to go to Heaven without it. The Bible, which is God's inspired and inerrant word, guides us in the way that we should go so we will not stray off the path and wander into the wilderness of sin.

The Bible also tells us about the types of things that we will encounter on our journey. Although each person may face different trials, everyone will face the temptation to sin. As we are living our life, we must make sure what we say and do will help in our goal of reaching Heaven at the end of this life. This is counting the cost of the decision we are about to make. God gave man a conscience to use to search and understand the Scriptures in order to make the right decisions. He also provided man with the ability to decide which direction he desires to take, whether to live a godly life or one that is sinful. If we choose to do things that are pleasing to God until we pass away, we will reap many blessings every day. At the end of that journey is Heaven. If we choose to live in a sinful way until we breathe our last breath, we will reach the destination of Hell. In other words, we must do everything we can to keep our sight, touch, hearing, thoughts, smells, and feet pure every day. When we do this consistently and in accordance with the teachings of the word of God, we will be able to easily avoid temptation and prevent it from becoming a distraction that will delay and hinder our journey to Heaven.

If we truly want to go to Heaven, and give into the wiles of the devil, then we must repent of all our transgressions and strive to live like Christ and avoid those traps that Satan puts in our way. Jesus said that unless we repent, we will die in our sins (John 8:24).

We must also take the time to count the cost of the trip. Many of us have experienced, at one time or another, the embarrassing situation of being stranded after running out of gas and realizing that we should have made sure our tanks were completely full before we left. This circumstance lengthens our journey and makes it more challenging.

Before we make any decision, we have to carefully think about the choice(s) that have been placed before us. In other words, it is very necessary that we examine them fully to find out whether these choices violate the teachings of God's word. Paul says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," (2 Timothy 2:15).

We have examined a few of the many ways in which we can be prepared for the time of our passing and to enter Heaven and live eternally. If we are unprepared, our life journey will take us to Hell, a place that is eternal and where the soul is continually burning by a fire that will never be put out (Mark 9:46). Furthermore, after this life is over, there is no turning back and there will be no time left to make sure we are prepared (Ephesians 5:15-16).