Imagine God telling you to go to the White House and tell the president, "Because you are evil and refuse to follow His commandments, you will serve the president of Russia. And America will be destroyed." That is exactly what God told Jeremiah to do in chapter 26. As you can imagine, the people did not like the message Jeremiah delivered to them. In verses 8–9, they threatened, saying, "Thou shalt surely die. Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh?" (see Psalm 78:58-64) Jeremiah didn't falter; he knew he had to obey the Lord because he feared the Lord more than these men.

Matthew 10:28 says: "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

We, too, have been commanded by the Lord to deliver a message.

Mark 16:15: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

A lot of people don't want to hear this message, knowing they will be held accountable and refuse to change their lives; because of this, they could respond with hostility—they might mock us and laugh at us. The people in the temple didn't want to hear God's message, but they needed to hear it. Just like people today need to hear the gospel. So let's be brave and bold just as Jeremiah was, fearing the Lord instead of people.