Remember Lot

[background noise] [Speaker 1] Churches and fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home from every heart. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] We appreciate the Lord again for His preservation, His help, and His support. And today again, we are on another episode of our Singles Club. And we trust the Lord that it is going to be a blessed time for us all in the name of Jesus Christ. Let us have a word of prayer. Precious Father, we are grateful unto You. We thank You for Your mercies. We thank You for Your goodness. We thank You for Your grace. We are particularly grateful for preservation. We thank You as we come into Your presence again. We bless Your holy name. We trust You that as singles across the nation, across the globe, link with us online this morning to hear Your word. Lord, we pray, Lord we are persuaded that You will grant us inspiration, You will grant us understanding, You will grant unto us utterance. You will cause that Your word will quicken our situation and help us, giving light to us in all our darkness in the name of Jesus Christ. Precious Father, our eyes are on You. We pray again for all our singles, for all our hearers this morning, for every listener. Lord, we pray prophetically that nothing will destroy, nothing will hinder, nothing will hamper, nothing will frustrate, nothing will waste the purpose and plan, Your purpose and plan for their lives in the name of Jesus. Thank You, Eternal Father. Blessed be Your holy name, our God. In Jesus’ name we pray. For the month of February, March, and April, we took a series: Understanding the Will of God in Making Marital Choice. And in concluding, which was during the first Saturday for the month of April, we were looking at, we considered how the process of hearing God—what is that process? What is that process of hearing God? That process, what is the process? And we looked at the book of Proverbs chapter 3 where we saw that the Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he would direct your path" [Proverbs 3:5-6]. That was what we considered in the last month. And in looking at that, some very vital things came to the fore. We saw that when we try to become wise in our own eyes—that is the verse 7, it says, "Do not be wise in your own eyes, but fear the Lord and depart from evil" [Proverbs 3:7]. We saw that when we try to be wise in our own eyes, then what eventually happens is that God frustrates our wisdom. When we try to be wise before God, we end up in frustration. That was mentioned last month. And what we want to do today, this first Saturday for the month of May, is to consider another very, very important thing still around this whole issue of choice, marital choice, but choice generally. Particularly, the need for us to understand consequences. What are the possible consequences of deciding outside God? What are the possible consequences of not making a choice being led by the Lord? What are the possible consequences of involvement in any matter or a venture, venturing into anything or running a race or laying our hands, putting our hands to do anything without this matter of the Lord leading us into it, this matter of divine direction? Particularly when we are taking decisions out of lust, out of selfish desire. What are the possible consequences? What are the likely things that a young man, a young woman is likely to face? What are the things that are likely to happen if a young man or a young woman decide to enter into relationship or marriage without being led of God or into any venture whatsoever? Into any venture whatsoever. And our topic today is "Consider Lot." Consider Lot. Another way to put it is: Remember Lot. In Luke, Jesus warned the generation then and of course, warning us today, that we should remember Lot’s wife [Luke 17:32]. Today, we are considering a subject matter with the topic: Remember Lot. Remember Lot. Why must we remember Lot? We want to use the life of Lot to illustrate, to demonstrate, to bring to the fore, to make clear what are the possible consequences that a young man, a young woman, or anybody at all could face that decides to take a decision out of lust or out of selfishness instead of taking his or her bearing from the Lord. We want to look at that life. And this time around, as I said, it is not only in marital choice that these things happen. Even in career choice—your career, business venture—just think of everything beyond the matter of marriage, beyond marital choice. Anything that a young man want to involve his life in, want to get involved with, any venture at all. And marital venture is just one of them. What are the possible consequences? What are the things a life is likely to face if that life does not learn or does not take time to allow the Lord to direct his or her path? What are the consequences? And we want to look at that with the life of Lot. And in doing that, don’t forget I said, "Remember Lot." That’s our topic. Remember Lot. What are we to remember about Lot as a lesson for us today? Particularly when we look at the background of 1 Corinthians chapter 10 where the Bible says whatsoever things were written at former time, whatever thing were written aforetime, they were written for our learning [1 Corinthians 10:11]. Again in Romans chapter 15, the Bible says these things, they were written down for our admonition [Romans 15:4]. So the things that are written down here, they were written for our learning so that we don’t go the way our fathers went, the wrong way they went. And they were written for our admonition, our warning, so that we can learn from them. Personally, I have observed, I have this personal observation that one greatest lesson to learn from history is that men don’t learn from history. For example, if you notice today, look at the widespread of fornication, immorality among young people today. It only tells you that they are not learning from the life of Samson. Samson was a life that was wasted by immorality. And today you still find Christian young men and women involved in all kinds of immorality. You find young men, young women still not learning from the life of Samson. So one thing I have come to see in my own personal observation about history is that one great lesson to learn from history is that men don’t learn from history. And so as we start to remember Lot this morning, my prayer is that you will learn from the life of Lot. You will glean important things from his life to use to pivot or direct your own life so that you don’t suffer the same thing that someone suffered years back, so that your life don't repeat a negative history. So we are looking at Lot. Remember Lot. So who is Lot? We’ll just take a little background about who Lot was and then from there we proceed gradually into important lessons we can learn from that life. Lot, who is Lot? If you look at most of our text will be coming from the book of Genesis this morning. Moving between Genesis chapter 11 to Genesis chapter 19, we’ll be picking important references there for us to learn this morning, the life of Lot. Remember Lot. And I pray that at every junction where you will need to decide, may you remember Lot. May you remember what happened to Lot so that you don’t take your decision based on lust or selfishness. Lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, pride of life, selfish ambition. When you take any marital decision out of that, when you take career decision, business decision out of all of these things, I pray you will remember Lot so that you don’t go that same way in the name of Jesus Christ. And I prophesy concerning your life, you will not be wasted in Jesus’ name. You will not come into frustration. You will not be frustrated. And I pray for you as a young man, the sun of your life will not set at noon. Rather, you will fulfill your days and you will fulfill your purpose in life in the name of Jesus Christ. But I beg you and I warn you: Remember Lot. Let’s look at what are the things we are supposed to learn. Genesis chapter 11, if you look at verse 27—I’ll just be picking on important verses just to save time. There are so many references there, but please you can take time to read the whole of chapter 11, chapter 12, chapter 13, and chapter 19. So I’ll just be picking verses out of these things so later you can read the whole of that chapter to get the fuller story. But I’ll be picking the verses that I need this morning for our discussion. In Genesis 11:27, the Bible says: "Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot" [Genesis 11:27]. So we can see that Lot was from the generation of Terah. Terah the grandfather gave birth to Abraham, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran, that is the brother of Abraham, a younger brother, gave birth to Lot. So in a way, Lot is a nephew to Abraham. If you look at that same chapter 11 verse 31, says: "And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there" [Genesis 11:31]. So we are having a clear understanding about the background of Abraham and Lot. So there’s a connection between Abraham and Lot, blood relationship. Lot is a nephew to Abraham. We move on to chapter 12 quickly. So Abraham, as at this time God has called Abraham. God called Abraham while he was dwelling there. Terah is no more alive. So God called Abraham and Abraham was to start his own journey. So in the verse 4, we saw that Abraham did something. Abraham was to depart according to the call of God for his life. When God told Abraham to depart from that land and go to the land that He will show him. So Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him. And Abraham was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran [Genesis 12:4]. Lot was not just journeying with Abraham. Abraham was in a way fathering Lot. So whatever you may want to say that accrued to Lot, that became part of Lot's inheritance and property, it was as a result of his journeying with Abraham. Abraham was the one that became the pathfinder for Lot. God spoke to Abraham and in that journey of divine direction, Lot said, "Ah, Daddy, I will go with you." And Abraham said, "Come, let’s journey together." That was how they started the journey. So Abraham was the pathfinder. Abraham was the road map for Lot. Please don’t forget the topic: Remember Lot. So Abraham took his journey and of course Lot went with him. It says: "And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came" [Genesis 12:5]. And Abraham—I’m moving on to chapter 13. When Abraham was in Canaan as at that time, there was famine in the land and as a result, Abraham was looking for a place of succor, a better place. And so Abraham, because of the pressure that was in Canaan as at that time, the famine was so severe, Abraham moved to Egypt. He moved to Egypt and of course Lot also went with him. All I’m just trying to make you see was to see the background of Lot, that Lot was somebody that consistently followed Abraham. Abraham leads the way and Lot follows. Abraham is the person who decides and then Lot enters into that decision. He takes him who is ahead to be the head. And because Abraham was ahead, he is the head. He was ahead of him in every way in hearing God, in understanding God, in following God. So in a way, Abraham was disciplining Lot. He was the one disciplining Lot. He was the one bringing Lot up. So in all his journey, even the journey to Egypt, that is in the chapter 13 verse 1, Abraham went with Lot into Egypt. And everywhere, even in that place too, when they got to Egypt, there were issues in Egypt. Abraham told a lie that Sarah was his wife—somewhat that Sarah was his sister, even though it was half-truth. Abraham was deceitful. Let me say Abraham was deceitful. Actually, he made the statement he made was not really a lie. It is actually true that Sarah was his sister [Genesis 20:12]. But the truth is that he made that statement to hide away the truth of the matter. The truth of the matter is that Sarah as at that time was his wife and so he shouldn't have been saying that she is my sister. So sometimes we may not be making a false statement, we may be making a true statement to hide away the truth. That's what we call deceit. Abraham was deceitful. But in that journey to Egypt, eventually God had to defend Abraham by God's providence and mercy. Abraham came out of Egypt and of course Lot again journeyed with Abraham out of Egypt. What I’m trying to make you see is I’m trying to make you see the journeying of Lot, how Lot was just somebody that followed Abraham. Abraham was the pathfinder, Lot was the follower. Now when we get to the chapter 13, some important things happened in chapter 13. And I would want us to look at that closely to glean some lesson from that point. So the Bible says: "Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South" [Genesis 13:1]. And Abraham was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai [Genesis 13:3]. So you can see that when Abraham left for Egypt, Abraham did not ask God as to whether he should leave the land or not. Of course, he went in a wrong direction. And of course, you see what happened in 13:1, Lot went with him in that direction. And again, when Abraham returned back again to where he started from, the beauty of going in a wrong direction is to return back to where you began from. So Abraham returned back to the point where he missed God. He returned back to the place of his beginning between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar that he had built at first. And there Abraham called on the name of the Lord [Genesis 13:4]. I just want to say that by way of mentioning, anytime you notice that you have missed your way, I want to beg you: don't continue in that journey. No matter how far you have traveled along a path, once you realize that you are wrong, don't try to stage-manage because you may get to some point where returning becomes almost impossible. I give you a good example for instance. Maybe somebody who went into a wrong relationship and then had journeyed and journeyed and journeyed, kept on journeying, he knew that he was wrong, the voice of God is warning him or her, he continued and continued and continued until he entered into marriage and they married and settled down. At that point, as far as anything is concerned, once he has entered and settled down in marriage, there is no trying to come out of it again. It becomes a permanent thing to stay inside. So what I’m saying is that the earlier you realize that you are wrong in your journey, the more you return back to the place of the beginning, the better for you. It's always good to return from a wrong direction. That's just by way of mentioning. Our focus is on Lot. But what I want you to see in that in all this journey, Lot was going with Abraham. Abraham was the pathfinder, Lot was the follower. Then we come to verse 5. The Bible says: "Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land" [Genesis 13:5-7]. So we are looking at this incident here. As they continued to journey, Abraham was increasing and you can see that by the reason of Lot journeying with Abraham, the life of Lot did not remain at the same spot. The life of Lot too was increasing. As he was joining with Abraham, his life was getting better. He was entering into fulfillment too. His life was increasing. His properties, everything around him too was increasing. They started very small. But as Abraham was increasing in his life, Lot too was increasing such that they got to a point that Lot had increased so much, Abraham had increased so much in this journey. And I just want to tell you something: Beware of association that don’t increase you. Beware of journey that don’t increase you. Beware of association that reduces your life. Beware of association that cut short the purpose of God for your life. Beware of association, beware of that man, that woman, that relationship, that ship that you are inside that as you are journeying, instead of increasing in life, you are reducing. Your spiritual capacity is reducing. Your relationship with God is reducing. Your career is reducing. Your marriage is reducing. Your focus on God is reducing. Your vision is reducing. Your purpose in life is reducing. Beware of such association. If anybody says, "I’m disciplining you, I’m leading you, we are going somewhere, I can see ahead of you, I can hear better, I can see better," and the person is your leader and the person is leading you, beware. Be careful with such association. Be careful with such relationship. Be careful with such things. I’m showing you that when Abraham was the discipler, was the pastor, was the pathfinder for this person that he is fathering, you notice that the life of Lot was not reducing. The life of Lot was increasing. The life of Lot was increasing. And I’m telling you, the life of Lot increased in every area. Spiritually, materially, physically, think of everything. Maritally, Lot—even though we did not have his story, of course he got his wife, got married, had children, all of that we’ll be seeing that later as we move on. Abraham so disciplined Lot such that even the lifestyle of Abraham, hospitality, Lot too could, when he saw strangers, the angels that came to Sodom and Gomorrah, you see that Lot too had the same pattern with Abraham. Lot was to show hospitality towards them. So in every way, the journey with Abraham increased the life of Lot. And I’m telling you today, any association that you are inside, any church that you are a part of, any relationship that you are inside, any fellowship that you are inside, and your capacity in God is reducing, Jesus is not increasing in you, you are not turning away from the way of self to the way of God, you are not knowing God better, you are not increasing in God, your capacity to walk with God is not increasing, your capacity to know Jesus is not increasing, your capacity to live a holy life is not increasing, your capacity to live a godly and upright life is not increasing, your capacity to live a life that glorifies God is not increasing, other capacities in your life—career, academics—they are not increasing, beware of such relationship. Beware of them. Be careful with such association. Be careful with such relationship. Be careful with such things. I’m showing you that when Lot journeyed with Abraham, his life was for the better. And I pray for you as a young person wherever you are, God will grant you your own Abraham in the name of Jesus Christ. God will grant you men that when you connect your life to them, your life will increase. God will grant you association, God will grant you relationship that will increase you, that will enlarge you, that will expand you, that will establish you in your purpose. May God deliver you from every Delilah. May God deliver you from every Potiphar's wife. May God deliver you from every old prophet. You remember the old prophet? The old prophet that deceived the young prophet and said, "Look, I saw an angel of God that spoke to me, come." And that young prophet followed that old prophet [1 Kings 13]. What became of his life? Lion came out of the bush and killed the prophet. There are men that you will connect your life with and your life will not be for the better. Be careful of your association. Be careful of the church you attend. Be careful of the fellowship you belong to. Be careful of the group. Some sisters enter relationship with a brother, within two, three months they have been defiled. Some brothers enter relationship with a sister, within two, three months they have become immoral. Be careful your association. Be careful who you are associating with. Look for people that when you associate with them, your life will increase. I’m talking about increase in every area. Because you may be in an association and while the person is giving you money, he's taking away your virginity. You say, "Anyway, I’m increasing. In fact, I don’t normally have money but you see, he normally settles me with money." But I want to ask you: what about your virginity that is gone? What about your walk with God that is gone? There are some associations that increase one and take one. Be careful about such. I’m talking of association that increases your life in every area. First and foremost, your spiritual capacity, your ability to walk with God. And that is why I want to tell you this truth as a young person. Listen to this very well. Any fellowship or church that you say you are a part of, and your spiritual capacity—and please understand me, I’m not talking of mere commitment to church. You may grow in church commitment but you may not grow in grace. Please understand what I’m trying to say. I’m talking about your capacity to know Jesus, your capacity to have personal relationship with Jesus, your capacity to hear God and walk with God, your capacity to relate with God. Any association that you are in and Jesus is not steadily increasing in you, I’m warning you: run from that place. It's not a church. It's not a church to be in. It's not a fellowship to be in. What we are looking at is remember Lot. So there’s some positive things to learn in the life of Lot too before I go to the other side of the lesson I want you to see. Lot chose a life and that life he followed increased him in every area. And I pray for you, the Lord will open your eyes. If you are in a wrong place, the Lord will relocate you to the right place in the name of Jesus Christ. If you are in a wrong association, in a wrong fellowship, in a wrong relationship, if you are in a wrong place, I pray by the reason of hearing me this morning, the Lord will displace you from that place and put you where you ought to be. The Lord will connect you with that person, that man, that individual that will help you fulfill your purpose in life in the name of Jesus Christ. Remember Lot. Having said that about Lot, let’s look at another direction again in the life of Lot. And this is where we would focus on and eventually close the meeting, the other lesson. Why I have pointed the positive thing to pick from Lot, now I want to point you to what you must avoid. What anytime you see, you must run from: lust and self-centeredness. Lust for all that is in the world. The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. Thinking that a man’s life consists in the abundance of what he possesses. Jesus warned us, said, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of what he possesses" [Luke 12:15]. The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. When you think that what I have determine who I am. Selfish ambition. Concern only about yourself, not minding what happens to the other person. That is what I want to point to you in the life of Lot. And as we look at this lesson, I also pray you will remember Lot. Because anytime you see these things in your life and that becomes the basis of it, oh, it can be very, very dangerous because I want to show you the consequences in the life of Lot. And I pray that as we go together this morning, you will not only hear my voice, you will hear the voice of the Lord. So that if there are any, if there is anything like that in your life, you will quickly return back to where you missed God. Just like Abraham returned back from Egypt and came back to the first place where he began from. May you return and go back to where you began from before you go too far in the name of Jesus Christ. Let’s look at the life of Lot, the second lesson to learn from his life. It says the Bible says in this place that now the land was not able to support them, so they need to part. They need to look for expansion. There is a need to move, to take a decision. And many times it happens. A boy might be living with his father and then they get to a point where the boy must go. A man must leave father and mother and be joined to his own wife [Genesis 2:24]. A girl might be living with the father and then they get to a point where she must go. There might be two business partners and they are getting to a point where they must part. You might be attending a church before where you are doing well and you come to a point in life where maybe for career reason or for job reason, you are taking from that church to go elsewhere. Two people could have journeyed together for long. But a time may come in their life where they might need to part. There is a need again to take another decision at that point. There is a need again to decide. So it can happen to anybody and it can be in any direction in life. You might have journeyed with somebody so much for so long. There is nothing wrong about parting. There is nothing wrong about increase and expansion and the need to relocate or to change location. There is nothing about it. It's just part and parcel of life reality. What is important—just like the parable of the wedding garment in Matthew 22. When the master of the house came into the ceremony and he saw a man without the wedding garment, what he asked the man was, "How did you come here without this garment?" [Matthew 22:12]. It's not why. How? If you have passed through the door, the servant would have given you the wedding garment. Maybe the man went through the window or jumped over the fence to enter that compound. Said, "How did you get here without it?" So the question is how. What we want to look at this morning is the question of how. It's not why are you increasing. It's not why should you go. You can’t be asking a young man, for instance, why do you want to get married? You can’t be asking a young man, for instance, why do you want to get more certificate? You can’t be telling him, "Come on, why should you do that? It is wrong." But it is important to ask him how, how are you going about it? How? The "how" is so crucial. The "how." And I’m asking you now, where you are standing right now, what you have attained in life, how did you get that WAEC certificate? How did you get your first degree? How did you enter relationship that you are inside now? How? The "how" is the matter that we are treating. The matter, our focus this morning is this matter of "how." This matter of "how." And that is what I want you to see in this lesson that we are looking at in the life of Lot. There’s nothing wrong with expansion, but how are you going about it? Look at the matter here. The Bible says the land could no more contain them, so they need to part. They need to look for expansion. There was strife between the herdsmen of Abraham's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land. So Abraham said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brethren" [Genesis 13:8]. Are you seeing what Abraham is saying in this place? Are you seeing that Abraham is looking for a need for them to discuss together? Say, "Look, we are brethren. Let us think of what we will do about this thing. Let us look at possible way of doing it. We cannot, you know we are brothers, we are not supposed to be fighting. We should not part by fighting." We should not part—and I tell people, it is so important the way you part with people. The way you part is so important. How? For Abraham, they should not part with conflict. They should not part fighting. There should not be a breakdown in their relationship that will now lead to their parting. It should not get to a point where the herdsmen of Abraham suddenly take a machete and then kill the herdsmen of Lot. It should not get to that point. There should not be quarrel, there should not be malice. There should not be, you know, the basis for our parting should not be on a bad note. Let us discuss, let us look at how we do it so that we can part peacefully, so that I can visit you again and you can visit me again. It's so crucial. Let us look at how we do it. Something just come to my mind. Some of you will work in a place and after you leave the place, you are afraid to get back to the place because of the way you left. In fact, if the owner of that place sees you at any time, maybe he want to arrest you. Or maybe he sees you at any time, he just look at you and say, "Look at that wicked man." It's very important the way we part with people. It's so crucial. We must learn this from the life of Abraham as we are looking at the life of Lot. He said to Lot, "Look, let’s look at this matter. We don’t need to fight, we are brethren." I was thinking Abraham will say that we don’t—please let’s not have side between us, my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for you see, I am your father, you know I fathered you. You can see the selflessness in Abraham. Abraham fathered Lot. Abraham raised Lot. Lot journeyed with Abraham for his life to increase. And I was thinking Abraham will say, "Yes you, come here, come here, young boy. You know I fathered you. I’m having so much now so you will need to go. Listen, I knew when you got your first certificate and your second certificate. The day God called you I was there. Am I not the one that gave you the wife? So please listen to me now. Now you go that way." And Lot want to say something, but he say, "Shut up there! I’m talking, you are talking. Who are you? Will you get out of my sight?" I don't know the kind of person you are as a leader, as a pastor, as a father, as a discipler. I don't know the kind of spirit that you have. But I’m showing you the spirit of Abraham. I’m showing you Abraham, a father. He was a father, he was a discipler, he was a pastor, he was a friend. He could relate with Lot and say, "Come, we are brethren. Let’s look at the matter together. Let’s look at it. What do we do about it?" He was not coming as a taskmaster. He was not coming as a superior. He was not coming to say, "Look you, listen. I’ve been in ministry for the past 45 years. You know you just started day before yesterday. So when I speak, you don’t speak. Now turn right." That was not the attitude. It was not arrogance. It was not arrogance. You can see the life of Abraham, meek and lowly, the character of Jesus. Abraham was meek, he was lowly. He was not coming as a superior. I don't know the kind of person you are as a leader. I don't know the kind of spirit that you have. But I’m showing you the spirit of Abraham. I’m showing you Abraham, a father. He was a father, he was a discipler, he was a pastor, he was a friend. He could relate with Lot and say, "Come, we are brethren. Let’s look at the matter together. Let’s look at it. What do we do about it?" I wonder how many fathers and pastors and leaders can act like this. I wonder how many. If you are to make choice, if you come to the junction of making choice, if you are to divide two things and you are more elder than the other person, I wonder the kind of spirit that you will have. But I’m showing you Abraham in relating to Lot. He said, "Lot, the land is before us, it’s before you. If you go right, I will go left. If you go left, I will go right." You can see a man that is not self-centered. You can see a man that does not have a selfish ambition. You can see a man that is not trying to get the best for himself. He was just thinking about how it can be better for the two of them. His preoccupation was not to use his position and his power. He was not power-drunk. He was not position-drunk. He was concerned about the good, the common good for the two of them. "What do we do? The land is before us. If you go left, I will go right. If you go right, I will go left." What are you deciding on? What are you choosing? Look at this kind of a man. I’m showing you a man that does not have the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. He was not thinking that life consists the abundance of what he possesses. He was thinking of the common good. Now let’s go to Brother Lot. What was the response of Lot to this genuine offer, to this offer that is coming from a meek and a lowly spirit, that is coming from a heart that is not self-centered, that is coming from a life that is ready for them to continue to relate as brethren, a life that is concerned about the common good of the two of them? What was the response of Lot to it? How did Lot respond? The Bible says in the verse 10: "And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plains of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere" (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah). Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was a place that was well watered, a place flowing with milk and honey, a well watered land. The Bible added to it, it says "like the garden of the Lord." Do you get that at all? That land, that plain, it was like the Garden of Eden. Full of all kinds of trees that are good to the eyes. I hope you still remember mother Eve. It says "And Eve looked at the tree, that it was good to the eyes, a tree to make one wise" [Genesis 3:6]. That is when you look towards Sodom and Gomorrah, wow, it is tantalizing. It is something, oh, it is cool, it just chill. You understand me? When you look for that direction, oh, all is just well. It's just cozy. It's just something great making that choice. It was the best part of the land. Bible says Lot lifted up his eyes. Bible did not stop there. It says "and the land, like the land of Egypt as you go up to Zoar" [Genesis 13:10]. You remember that Abraham ran away from the land of Canaan to the land of Egypt because that place was well watered. So the Bible is comparing Sodom and Gomorrah again to the land of Egypt, well watered. Everything looks cool and chill. Bible says Lot lifted up his eyes to all the plain—I want you to note the word that the Bible used in this place, very important for you to look at. "And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all, all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah." So all the plains of Jordan was towards the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go up to Zoar. And what did the Bible say? "Then Lot chose"—you see how the Bible put it? The Bible says "And Lot"—I’m beginning the New KJV because there are emphasis of word here that I want to emphasize. The Bible says: "Then Lot chose for himself" [Genesis 13:11]. The Yorubas will say "Adanikajogbun, imotaraeni nikan." He chose for himself. He wasn’t thinking of Abraham. He wasn’t thinking of what happened to his mentor. He wasn’t thinking of his benefactor. He wasn’t thinking of the life that raised him. He wasn’t thinking of the life that was the road map for his own life. He wasn’t thinking of a man that brought him up. He wasn’t thinking of the man by whose life he increased. He chose for himself. He wasn’t even considering what will happen to all the cattle of Abraham, the herds of his flock, all everything that Abraham had as at that time. Lot was not minding what will happen to them. Lot chose everything that was well watered. That is terrible. This is wicked. This is callous. Being callous, being wicked. This is a heart that is not grateful. This is a heart that is desperately wicked. Selfishness is wickedness. Selfishness is darkness. Selfishness is anti-God because selfishness is anti-human. He was not even considering what will happen to all the cattle of Abraham, the herds of his flock, all everything that Abraham had as at that time. Lot was not minding what will happen to them. Lot chose everything that was well watered. And I’m telling you today, any decision you make based on selfishness, without consideration for all that are connected to you, selfish decision. One thing today that is causing serious marital instability for those in marriage: selfishness. The wife is so blind by selfishness, the other one is so blind by selfishness. What is wasting our nation today? Our leaders. Selfishness. And when I say leaders, I want you to get me right. I’m not only talking about political leaders, because I know that is where your mind will be going to. These politicians, yes, these wicked, callous politicians. Yes, they are wicked and they are callous. Self-centered people that instead of building the nation, they are wasting the nation. Yorubas say, "awon to n je ilu, ti won o se ilu." They don't work for the city, they only eat the city. Yes, but I’m speaking beyond just politicians. I’m speaking about all capacity of leadership. Religious leaders. I’m speaking about educational leaders, lecturers, pastors, clergymen, doctors, nurses, fathers, disciplers, mentors. I’m talking about leadership in all capacities. What is wasting our nation today is that people who are in different leadership position, they are not different from Lot. And what is ruining so many young people today is this spirit of selfishness. "I don’t care what happens to anybody as long as I make it in life." Is that not why people are doing Yahoo and Yahoo-Plus? "I don’t care who die as long as I have money." Is that not why you can go on internet and do some fraud and somebody is somewhere weeping and you are in another place laughing and smiling? "Hey, I made it." What did you make? You are destroying somebody's life, you say you are making it. Are you making it? You are not making it. You are wasting away yourself. You are not making anything. Any kind of making that is at the detriment of your fellow, you are not making anything. You are destroying. It only looks as if you are making, you are not making anything. When young people sometimes on campus forget their parents and begin to live anyhow, what they will not do before their parents, they are doing it on campus. They don’t mind how they live. What are they doing? They forgot their parents. They don’t mind their parents' feeling. They don’t mind how they are hurting their fathers and their mothers. It look as if they are enjoying life on campus. But go and check their life after. Go and check the life of such youth after. They will have been wasted. The best part of their life will have been used in immorality, in cultism, in alcoholism, in smoking, in whatever. Why? They forgot the home. They thought they were making it. Any kind of making that is at the detriment of those you are supposed to be committed to, those you are supposed to consider—your parents, authority over your life, people that are placed over you, people that are placed as watchmen, as fathers, as mentors—people that you are supposed to defer to. Is that not what I’m saying about our politicians? Before they go into the office, they are outside there calling for people, "Please vote for me, vote for me. I will work for you. I will make sure that everything go well with you. I will represent you well." After the political participation and then people will do the voting and whatever, and they get into the office. When it now comes to the representation, what do you see? Do they represent the people? They get there to represent themselves and their family and their company. So you see that it become a office of himself for himself. I’m talking about selfishness. I’m looking at the life of Lot. Lot did not consider what will happen to Abraham. It was not an issue before him. How can a man, both of you are in the same profession, the same career, rearing cattle or animal husbandry, and you alone, you alone took all the plain that was well watered. So what did you leave for the other person? Look at it again in the verse 10. It says Lot lifted up his eyes. Lot lifted up his eyes. He lifted up his eyes, the lust of the eye. He lifted up his eyes. Lot lifted up his eyes. He lifted up his eyes. His eyes, the lust of the eye. The lust of the eye. He lifted up his eyes. Yoruba version says, "Lot si gbe oju re soke." His eyes no longer look down. He lifted up his eyes. A proud look, proud eyes. He lifted up his eyes. I’m trying to display the matter of this "lifted up" to you figuratively. A eye that is lifted up. He can no more patiently look at things because it is now up. It is no more down. He's not considering people around. He's not considering the testimony. He could not remember how he started. He could not remember the association that he was inside. The eyes are now up. The eyes are now up. He open up their eyes to their benefactor. Some young people, they confront their parents, open up their eye and look, "What are you saying? I’ll do what I want to do. I don’t care what happens to you, Daddy. I don’t care what happens to you, Mommy." He lifted up his eyes with lustfulness. Sometimes you see a young woman say, "Ah, oh, you see when you see Sister Titi, she is 2 by 4 by 5 by 6. She is just everything." He lifted up his eyes. People who marry sisters because of the container, they forgot the content. That the real life of any person is the content and not the container. You look at the shape, the look, the dress, the skirt and all of that, and then you say you are marrying somebody. The lust of the eye. And I look at it today when people look around and say, "Ah, I think the best place to be is either Lagos or Abuja. Port Harcourt is it. Those are the mega-cities." You know some people decide things that way too. The lust of the eye. The lust of the eye. Sometimes they say, "Ah, what is happening now? Yeah, it is to online business. That's what I’m going to do. That's what people are doing now." There’s nothing wrong with online business, but I’m only asking you: from whom are you taking your bearing? Who is leading you? Is it a matter of lust? The lust of the eye, the pride of life. Lot lifted up his eyes. Be careful about the lust of the eye. Be careful about a proud look. Be careful about those arrogant look when you want to do things and you just don't mind. Arrogant look that defies all kinds of authority. How could a boy like Lot—I’m looking at Abraham and Lot now—how could a boy like this look away from his father and will not even care what will happen to his father and then chose everything? I was thinking after Lot would have looked at the whole thing that Abraham said, I was thinking he would have said something like, "Sir, as I can see, this side they are well watered. This side are not. Can’t we, can’t we do it like this? Sir, do I choose these ones while you take this one or how do you see it, sir?" Abraham have always been the pathfinder for him. I thought he would defer to Abraham's authority again and say, "Ah, but how, how do you see it, sir? How do you see it, sir? I’m thinking that this side are well watered. Do we share it so that you can have some of this, so that your own sheep too, your own goats, whatever, so that we can do it." That is what Abraham was calling for: a discussion. We are brethren. If you go right, I will go left. Let us discuss it. How do we do it? But quickly, when he saw that open check, he was not ready to do anything. He wasn't ready to quickly discuss. Quickly, he just took a decision. Oh, you know what the Bible says? It says those that trust in the Lord, they don't make haste [Isaiah 28:16]. Proverbs says, "Have you seen a man who is hasty with his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him" [Proverbs 29:20]. When you see people who are hasty—hasty men. Particularly when it is coming from selfishness. When it is coming from self-centeredness. When it is coming from, "Ah, ah, if I say we should divide now, I may not get everything. No, no, let me quickly take everything. If I don't act fast now, he may say that, no, let me choose." He quickly want to quickly act. Let me quickly get everything before others will come so I can be the one that will take it. Let me quickly, let me quickly before others. Let me quickly, let me quickly. Those kind of spirit is what I’m talking about, that kind of haste. You see some young men on campus, "Ah, Sister Yemisi, hey, hey! If I don't quickly propose to her, if somebody go and propose and get her, let me quickly go and propose so that I will be the one to get Sister Yemisi." Those are the kind of things I’m talking about. Or you see some sisters, "Hey, this our Bible study secretary, hey, if I don't quickly corner him, hmm, I don't know, this one that sisters are flocking around him. Let me quickly act." And then you bring some—what I call the cooler ministry. You now begin to—"Ah, Brother John, I was just coming from the market and I saw this thing and I said I should bring it." And he say, "Ah, Sister John, no." Say, "Ah, no, no string attached, just for you." Many times there are chain attached. Chain, not even string, chain. It is to buy a way and buy a way so that perhaps Brother John will now say, "Sister Yemisi, you are all that a man desire in a woman." That is what I’m talking about: making haste. Some people, 500 level, "Hey, if I graduate now without a wife, ah, if I don't get one of these our sisters now, I may not get any other one in life. Let me quickly catch one." That's what I’m talking about. Who told you that you cannot get a wife once you go and serve? Who told you that after service and you are where God want you to be in life, you will not get a wife? How did you come about all this your theory? All these theory that you are carrying around. I pray for you, every thought and knowledge and imaginations in your life that exalt themselves against knowledge of God, this morning I cast them down in the name of Jesus Christ [2 Corinthians 10:5]. Foolish imaginations, foolish thoughts. Some young people, what they need today is a reformatting. We need to format them and delete every programming that they have programmed into their life because the drivers that run those programs, they are based on selfishness, lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, pride of life. Although we need to format you. And some of you, you will need upgrading from maybe Windows 7 to 10 or whatever. We need to upgrade your life from the level of selfishness to the level of selflessness. Upgrading. Upgrade your life. Get out of that place where you are. Arise and shine, for your light is come [Isaiah 60:1]. Arise out of darkness, let Christ give you light. Lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, pride of life, self-centeredness, they will take you down the pit. That was Brother Lot. And what are the things that happened to him? To point some things to you that happened to Lot. Things to consider for your own life and learn and get all of these things and avoid them. Learn, get these things and avoid them so that your life don't experience the same thing that the life of Lot experienced. If you quickly go to chapter 14. This is after they have departed. I’m showing you things that happens to life when you decide on selfishness and self-centeredness. Possible things that could happen. Number one, we’ll be taking them from the life of Lot. It came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, a lot of kings, so many things happened in that place [Genesis 14:1]. There was a battle among all of these kings. So when those king they gathered themselves together to fight, get to the verse 10 in the course of the fight. It says now the valley of Siddim was full of asphalt and the king of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. Some fell and the remainder fled to the mountain [Genesis 14:10]. So those other kings, what happened? Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions and went their way. Verse 12 of that chapter 14: "They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed" [Genesis 14:12]. Are you seeing what happened? Lot have decided he has departed to the best of the land. He has moved to where he has considered that everything will go well with my life. When you make decision based on these things, marital decision, career decision, location decision, job decision, this decision, what is the first thing that you saw here is that when you enter into those things, the first thing that you will meet with is war. There was war in the land. War, restlessness, anxieties. People will enter into different things today and when they get into the place they enter into contention. They enter into trouble. Many things troubling their life, troubling their spiritual life, troubling their marital life, troubling their home, troubling their finances, troubling their health. There was war. Restlessness. No peace, no rest. When that war was going on, Lot cannot be at rest. He will be praying that "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey," anxieties. Anxieties, restlessness. When things are based on selfishness, when things are based on the lust of the eye, the pride of life and all other those things, you meet with—first thing you will see in this place is war. Have you seen why so many marriages today are restless? How was the choice made? Lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, pride of life. "Ah, this person is a medical doctor. If I marry him, oh, financially it is settled." But today things are not settled because there are wars. "Oh, the father of this person is the richest man in Africa. If I marry him, I can be sure, oh, it's going to be cozy, it's going to be cool, it's going to be chill." But instead of all of all of those things, in fact, it is hotter than fire. War, contention. When you don't take your bearing from the Lord, when you take things out of the lust of the eye, the pride of life and all those things, you meet with—first thing you will see in this place is war. What was the next thing we saw in that place? They also took Lot. They took Lot. What can we learn from that? Bondage. Bondage. Bondage. That life went into bondage. May you not enter into bondage in the name of Jesus. May you not enter into bondage in any area of your life in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. So we saw the first two implications here. Restlessness and then we saw bondage. More things to come that we are to see about the life of Lot. Genesis chapter 19. Chapter 19. More things there, more consequences about wrong decisions. "And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself his face toward the ground. And he said, 'Now, here, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet, then you may arise early and go your way.' And they said, 'No, but we will spend the night in the open square'" [Genesis 19:1-2]. But he insisted strongly, so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread and they ate [Genesis 19:3]. Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out so that we may know them carnally" [Genesis 19:4-5]. They want to have sex with them. I’m showing you the kind of environment in which Lot find himself. Lot found himself in an environment where his heart was continually vexed. You will see that in the book of Peter. When it says that the Lord know how to deliver the righteous out of temptation, then godly, why the ungodly to leave them for the day of wrath. It talk about Lot, how his soul was vexed by the city of Sodom. Lot came into an association of men that are godless. Men that daily vex his heart. Where he was before, he was in an association where his spiritual life and everything was growing. Now he is where his spirit is continually vexed, troubled, where he could his spiritual antenna could not grow, he was not getting any better. The environment was not okay. And that you see that the same thing affected the wife. Affected the wife, affected the children. The environment was a bad environment. It was not a good environment at all. It affected Lot himself. Because if you look at the life of Lot later, the Bible says his children brought wine to their fathers and then they got their father drunk. If their father was not a man whose soul have been vexed, how will you get to the point where you get drunk? Uriah was drunk and yet he knew that he will sleep in David's house. But Lot was drunk and he slept with his daughters [Genesis 19:30-38]. It was because he was in an environment that the spiritual antenna, the consecration, the altar, those things, they have been affected. They have been affected. I want to remind you of Uriah. Didn't David bring all kinds of things to get Uriah drunk? I’m talking about being in the wrong association. The first one is war and contention. The second one is bondage. The third one is wrong association. You find yourself in an environment that does not help your life, an environment that will not help your spiritual life. When you decide things out of lust, when you decide out of selfishness, when you go into a venture, a marriage, a relationship, a career, anything, when you go into a location out of these things, you will find yourself in situation that will not help your life. Your ability to discern, your ability to do things rightly, your ability to do things very, very well, some of them will be affected. You will be in wrong association and that will be vexing your soul, not stirring you. The Bible says talking about us as believers, he say "don't forget the assembly of one another." Why? "So that we can stir one another to good works" [Hebrews 10:24-25]. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 3, the Bible says, "Exhorting one another daily so that none of you will be adding to the deceitfulness of sin" [Hebrews 3:13]. There is the place of iron sharpening iron. The place of good association is so important, so vital to our life. Lot came to an environment where he has lost that. He has lost it. He was in an environment where he was no more stimulated to good works. In an environment where his heart can be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. He was in that environment. Bible says he was daily vexed. Daily he was vexed. His soul was vexed by all that was happening around him. You will see that in 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 7. "And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked" [2 Peter 2:7]. He was vexed. That was where he find himself. He was a just man, but now look at where he find himself. There are many of you like that. You are a child of God. You know that God called you, God have brought you into something, God is taking you somewhere. But selfishness is what is destroying your life. Self-centeredness is destroying your life. The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life is what is wasting you today. Bible says "just Lot." Lot was a just man. But look at how everything ended for him. Look at how just one decision in his life can scatter everything God is doing with your life. Lot decided that Abraham, go this way, I go that way. But that decision was based on something that were wrong, lust of the eye, selfishness and all of that. It can waste you. Association that was vexing the spirit. "Bring them out, let us sleep with them." So he find himself among ungodly men. Ungodly men, men that are daily vexing his spirit. Anyway, we move on again. Say we want to have carnal knowledge of them. So Lot went out to the men through the doorway, shut the door behind him and said, "Please my brethren, do not do so wickedly. See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man. Please let them, let me bring them out to you that we may do as you, as you may do as you wish to them. Only do nothing to these men, since it is the reason they have come under the roof, under the shadow of my roof." And they said, "Stand back." Then they said, "This one came to stay here" [Genesis 19:6-9]. Are you seeing how they are describing Lot? They are not seeing Lot as brethren. It is Lot that is calling them brethren. May you not call your enemy friend. May you not call your waster husband. May you not call the person who hate you your friend. You see who brother Lot is describing as friend? You see how they are describing him? Operating on different plane altogether. They are on different plane. You find this in marriage, you find this in relationship, you find this in job, you find this in business. People operating at different levels, operating at different, different, different levels. Operating in different means and different ways. "This one came and he kept acting as a judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them." So they pressed hard against the man Lot and came near to break the door. But the men reached out their hand and pulled Lot into the house and shut the door and they struck the men who were at the doorway with blindness, both great and small, so they were weary, they wearied themselves finding the door [Genesis 19:6-11]. Then the men said to Lot, "Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your son, your daughter, whosoever you have in the city, take them out of this place for we will destroy this place because the outcry against them had grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it." So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law. Are you seeing why he's calling them brethren now? His sons-in-law. Look at the kind of men that his children are to marry. He missed the right place. Once you miss your location, you miss your allocation. You miss the place of oil, the place of power. So many things will start wasting away. Who had married his daughter and said, "Get up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this city." But his sons-in-law, to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking [Genesis 19:12-14]. Do you see the kind of men that are to become husbands for his daughter? Men who cannot sense any spiritual thing. Men who don't have any spiritual inclination or spiritual direction. He was declaring and saying very serious things to them, he was looking at somebody that is joking. The person you call your business mate today, the person you call your husband today or your wife today, the person that will later become those things later in your life, you may say, "Ah, let’s go to evangelism." "What do you just say, evangelism? I beg leave all those things, there are better things to do with my time." This how these things happen. It begins with wrong decisions before you get into them. Those time people are only facing the consequence of their wrong decision, consequence of their wrong decision. What I’m trying to make you see is that you begin to miss so many other things in life. You begin to miss so many other things. When you in wrong association, wrong location, so many other things about your life will begin to work wrongly. Anyway we move on again. When the morning dawned, the angel urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city" [Genesis 19:15]. And while he lingered—the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, his two daughters, and being merciful to him, they brought them out of the city, they brought them and set them outside the city. So it came to pass when they brought them outside the city that they said, "Escape for your life. Do not look behind, do not stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountain, lest you be destroyed" [Genesis 19:16-17]. I’m trying to show you something. Why do you think Lot lingered? Why was he not acting very fast? Why couldn't he just decide and then start moving that God has to be merciful to him? I’m trying to show you something very, very important for your life, young man, young woman. Lot was lingering because he was confused. What will happen to all the cow? What will happen to all the camel? What will happen to all the he-goat and the she-goat? What will happen to all of those things that he brought when he was leaving Abraham? What will happen to all the herdsmen? What will happen to all of those things? If you are to take it to modern times, just imagine that you are inside your house and somebody say, "Run now, we are going to destroy this place in the next three minutes. Run, run, run!" You know at first you will first be wondering what is the best thing you are to take. Is it your laptop? Is it your ATM card? Is it your credit card? You gather your certificate? That was what was happening to Lot. He lingered because he was considering so many things. So many things. What he thought he had brought, what he thought will grow into mighty things, what he thought will become big and great. Now before his eyes, not even one of them, not one of all of these things will go with him. I’m showing you the consequences of decisions that are based on lust, that are based on lust and selfishness. Decision that are based on these things, they bring you to a point where you are wasted. Everything Lot had gathered in his life was to be wasted. Everything he had gathered. But you see something? The mercy of God was still with him. That is one thing you will still enjoy the mercy of God. God is always merciful. Lot enjoyed mercy because God is merciful. God is always merciful. God is always merciful. And so he was to escape. So he escaped from that place. So they brought them out and they run. Said, "Don't look back." We will not be looking at Lot's wife, that's another topic of itself, remember Lot's wife. But we are looking at Lot, brother Lot. And so Lot pleaded with them that he cannot run to the mountain, that they should allow him a small city around so that any evil don't befall him. That is in the verse 18 and 19. So they allowed him to run to a small city. So he ran to that city. The Bible says in verse 23: "The sun rose up upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of heaven, and he overthrew these cities, all the plain" [Genesis 19:23-25]. You see all the plain that he chose before. All what he was calling tantalizing. They are mere tantalizing mirage. It was just a mirage. I’m telling you, lust is a mirage. That thing you are dancing and dancing is a mirage. Lust is only presenting before you a mirage. What look thrilling and great, there’s nothing in it, it's emptiness. There’s nothing. There’s nothing that lust will give you. Lust will only waste you. Lust will only destroy you. All those plain, all the inhabitants of the city, and what grown on the land. "But his wife looked behind, he became a pillar of salt" [Genesis 19:26]. That's not our focus for today, we are looking at Lot, brother Lot. And look at what the Bible says about Abraham. Hallelujah. "And Abraham went up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain, and he saw and behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace" [Genesis 19:27-28]. Are you following me? That Abraham where he was, he was at peace. He was at rest. The Bible says a thousand will fall by your side, ten thousand at your right hand, it will not come near you [Psalm 91:7]. When you are a man that does not take things out of lust, out of selfishness. When you are a man that allow God, the principles of God to guide you. When you allow the Lord to lead you. Abraham was at rest. He slept well, he woke up well that morning. He was just looking at the destruction of everything. "And it came to pass when God destroyed the city of the plain, that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the city in which Lot dwelt" [Genesis 19:29]. It was even Abraham, it was for the sake of Abraham that Lot, that God delivered Lot. So even the mercy that Lot was enjoying, he enjoyed it based on Abraham. Are you following me at all? When He overthrew the city in which Lot dwelt. Look at what the Bible now says about Lot, the end of the story. Watch your ways, young person. "Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters were with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. He and his two daughters dwelt in the cave. Now the firstborn said to the younger, 'Our father is old and there is no man on earth to come in to us as the custom of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.' So they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with the father, and he did not know when he did that. The same thing too the secondborn did the same thing, and the father, so they had children of their father" [Genesis 19:30-36]. Look at the end of Lot. Look at the end of a man. The Bible says mark the perfect man, behold the upright, the end of that man is peace [Psalm 37:37]. What was the end of Lot? Look at how this man ended. Look at how he ended. "This thing happened because he was a old man." It's not true. His spiritual capacity have derailed. You remember that Ahijah too was an old man. In fact, Ahijah could not see again when the wife of Jeroboam camouflaged to go and meet him. But the spirit of the Lord was still there for Ahijah, and he said, "Wife of Jeroboam, why are you doing this?" [1 Kings 14]. What happened to Lot was not because of old age. Spiritual capacity have gone down. He was in the midst of men that vex him. Look at what happened to his daughters. What I’m trying to make you see is that decisions that are based on lust, self-centeredness—the end is not peace. The end is not always well. The end is not always well. I enjoin you today: Remember Lot. Remember Lot so that you can have peace, rest, quietness in whatsoever you are entering into in life. Remember Lot. Remember Lot. I pray for you, you will not be wasted. You will not be cut down. You will not be cut short in the name of Jesus Christ. At every junction of your decision, the spirit of the Lord will guide you. The principle of God will be your map in the name of Jesus Christ. As we close today, I encourage you: Remember Lot in all your decision. Let’s have a word of prayer. Our Father, we thank You again for this afternoon. We bless Your holy name. We lift You high. We give You praise for how You have helped us. And Lord I pray that for every hearer this morning, every hearer this morning, Oh Lord our God, at every junction of our life, help us by the power of Your spirit that we will remember this case of Lot and be properly guided. That we will be guided by Your spirit, guided by Your own principles in the name of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus. Thank You, Eternal Father. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.