Dear Father, I've come across several questions and concerns regarding the story of the old and young prophet. You gave the young prophet an instruction, saying, "Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest." But there was an old prophet in Bethel who came and misled the young prophet, saying, "I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water." But he lied unto him. This false prophecy eventually cost the young prophet his life, and sadly, it seemed as though there were no consequences for the old prophet. This scenario has given room to question Your judgment, but are we judging things rightly ourselves? Empathy has a way of blurring our interpretation, such that we become unable to trace the very same pattern in our own lives: the person who causes you to sin may not necessarily be punished when you are. The person who causes another man's downfall may not necessarily fall with him. A man who murders another may not be killed. I believe this story should serve as a cautionary mirror, reminding us to assume the utmost responsibility for our own decisions and their consequences, regardless of who influenced them. But sadly, we miss the point. In empathizing with the young prophet, we may have forgotten that it may not matter who influences our will; but it matters what decisions we make. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindu Slide 5: Urdu #LettertoGod #influence #decisions #consequences #biblestories