**Woe to you, pastors leading the Lord's sheep into the pit**

In Luke 12, Jesus tells the parable of a rich man whose land produced abundantly. And what did he do? He only thought about accumulating: *"I will bestow all my fruits and my goods... soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry"* (Luke 12:18-19). But God interrupted that plan with a sentence that chills the blood: *"Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?"* (v. 20). A man full of material blessings, and completely empty of soul. Rich before men, and destitute before God.

Jesus made the right path clear: *"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"* (Matthew 6:33). Blessings come as a consequence of seeking God — never as the goal itself. When that order gets reversed, when ministry becomes a means to easy living, something has already gone deeply wrong.

And today, pastor, this word is for you — the one who traded the calling for convenience. You who built your wealth on the tithe of people who barely had enough to eat. You who promised healing, promised deliverance, promised miracles — and charged for it. You who saw the sheep suffering and, instead of caring for it, saw an opportunity for profit. Be careful. Because the same God who told the rich fool "this night thy soul shall be required of thee" will say the same to you, and on that day your imported car, your big house, your well-known name — none of it will defend you.

Remember: you can accumulate wealth, you can steal from the Lord's sheep, you can deceive for years without anyone confronting you here on earth. But no pastor escapes the final sentence. Every sheep lost because of you, every one who gave up on faith because you exploited her instead of shepherding her — her blood cries out, and God has already warned: *"his blood will I require at the watchman's hand"* (Ezekiel 33:6). You won't answer only for your own soul — you'll answer for every life that trusted you and was betrayed.

And the consequence doesn't stop with you. It follows your generation. Your family carries the weight of what you did with what was sacred, because there is no true blessing built on theft, lies, and the exploitation of God's people. What is sown is reaped — and sometimes the one who reaps it is the one you love most.

If you recognized yourself in this message, there's still time. Drop the scheme, drop the offering disguised as faith, drop the pulpit that became a business. Go back to being what God called you to be: a watchman, not a salesman. A shepherd, not a wolf in a robe.

*Remember that the Word of God is a statute.*
Annabel Allu