When Egypt Comes Home With You

We were a little over a month ago. We were at men's retreat and uh I was speaking on one of the fri I think it was Friday morning's devotion and I had been dealing with this thought for several weeks leading up to it and put it together for the that morning's devotion and it went so well with what uh pastor Jeremy White had brought to us for the men's retreat and delivered it and felt good about it and just you know put it in the file folder and left it there.

And then while I was on vacation, I felt like the Lord began to deal with me. And I was thinking, honestly, it was going to be me going back to this thought and expanding on it for Father's Day. But as I was working on mowing my yard on Saturday or on Friday evening, it was it was Friday evening, the guy brought it back to me and said, "No, it's not a Father's Day message. It's this Sunday's message." So, I'm going to preach When Egypt Comes Home with You.

Genesis 12. Very familiar passage of scripture. The book of Genesis is just a great read always. Every time I read it, I always discover and find something new that's in there. And uh so many nuggets and treasures. And I think it's true for anyone who's studied the word of God. If you spend enough time in there, uh you allow God's spirit to lead and guide you. And he has a way of drawing things out. It'd be the same words you've read countless times, but in a moment when it's right for you.

And I believe in that. I I believe in divine interruptions. I don't believe in coincidences. Because I believe there's divine interruptions in our life when when the timing is right, it's like the words leap off the page. Anybody know what I'm talking about? This happened to me again as I was preparing it originally for our men's retreat. I want to read this to you. Genesis chapter 12, verse number. I'm going to read 10 verses of scripture. Now, there was a famine in the land. Everybody say, "Famine." >> Anybody get hungry already?

>> Yeah. And Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass when he was close to entering Egypt that he said to his wife, to Sarah, his wife, indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Now, I don't know about you, but that's a good way to have a conversation with your wife. Hey, babe, you're gorgeous. That's what he's saying. Therefore, it will happen when the Egyptians see you that they will say, "This is his wife, and they will kill me, but they will let you live.

Please say that you are my sister." This is interesting. Sounds like something written in Kentucky. That may be well with me for your sake that I may live because of you. Verse 14. So it was when Abram came into Egypt that the Egyptians saw the woman and she was very beautiful. She must have been a looker, guys. I mean something something stood out about her right here. And and they were not young. These were not spring chickens. I mean I think he was about 75 at this point.

So she's probably in her 60s. She still got it going on. The princes of Pharaoh also saw and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. He treated Abram well for her sake. And he had sheep and oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys and camels. But the Lord plagued Pharaoh in his house with great plagues because of Sarah, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

Why did you say that she is my sister? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife. Take her and go your way. So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. Now, what I want to do in just a minute is to walk you through this story and maybe give you and I opportunity to reflect on some true nuggets that are there that I feel like you and I face in our life every day.

What I w what I hope to do with this message is to make you understand that we don't live in a vacuum that our actions have consequences not just with oursel but for those that are around us especially for those that are in our household and the people that we have influence over. Have you realized that yet? I think the overwhelming majority of us in this room understand that principle that that when I make choices and I do things and and and I make decisions that it it affects more often than not it affects more than just me.

Anybody anybody believe that >> realize that? So just what was going on here? You know there are some places that you can go that that do not leave even when you leave them. Now my my wife and I were just down with my family. We went down for uh Andrew and Lauren's wedding this past weekend down in Dest and it was my first. There aren't a lot of first in ministries that I have anymore, but I did have a first first time to do a beach wedding.

Now, I don't know about you, but I enjoyed the beach for a few hours. But the thing I don't like about the beach, anybody want to guess what my what my least favorite thing about the beach is? >> Sand. Because even though you leave the beach, the beach never leaves you. And here's a true statement. There is sand in my Yukon that will be there until the day it dies. I don't care how much you vacuum it. I don't care how much you try and earnest.

There's sand is there. So if you could just go and see the water. In fact, I was telling Sister Nancy this she asked. Did you have a good time? I was like, you know, I enjoy looking at the water. I just don't like the sandy part because there are some places you go even though you leave, you carry that with you where you go. >> That's what I want to talk about today. What happens when Egypt come home? when it comes home with you. In Genesis 12, Abram is walking in obedience.

For those of you who don't know, this is Abram who ends up becoming Abraham, the father of the faithful. Genesis 12 is a is a powerful chapter because it's our introduction into God's calling him from where he was at. Abram is walking in obedience. God has called him from everything that was familiar to him, everything that was a part of his life, his home life, his country, his family system, and his past. And God gives him a promise in in verse number two of chapter 12.

He says this, "I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing." Now, I don't know about you, but how awesome would that be for God to speak that over? It's not like the song we just sang that he is for you. This is the beginning of a of a covenant relationship that God is starting with the man Abram here. So, Abram is willing to hear and not just listen to the words, but be obedient and follow after what God has asked of him.

Abram obeys. He goes to Canaa. He builds an altar. He calls him the name of the Lord. And then comes a surprising change in verse number 10. Now there was a famine. I don't know about you, but Sister Freeman, I don't always like it when I go immediately from being obedient to God to a famine. I don't think that's fair. Does anybody else want to argue with God? Anybody else besides me want to say, "God, why when I took my first step of obedience was I met with a famine?" I feel like that shouldn't have been the first thing to come around the corner.

I feel like there should have been, you know, a little bit more of an encouragement to continue to follow along that path. But we see here in this story that there's a calling, there's a blessing, there's obedience, there's a willing willingness in Abram to say, "God, I'm going to follow after what it is you're asking of me to do." And then we we run smack dab into a famine. Verse number 10, Abram was in the will of God, but there was still a famine. And even though we may think that shouldn't be the way it is, sometimes God doesn't always listen to the things that we want in our life.

He was not out of the will of God when the famine came. He was not being punished. He had not missed God's voice. The famine arrived while he was still standing in the very place that God had called him to. I'm speaking to somebody today. Sometimes we interpret hardship as evidence that we've taken the wrong turn. When in reality, hardship may simply be a part of the journey that God has ordained for you in your life. And you're starting to pray away the very thing that God has purposely placed in your life.

>> Oh my. You can be in the center of God's will and still face financial pressure. Anybody felt that one before? You can be obeying God and still encounter disappointment. I still got my hands up. You can be pursuing God's purpose and still walk through seasons of uncertainty. >> Anybody a witness to what I'm talking about? It's important for you not to remember. The presence of a famine does not mean the absence of God. >> I'm going to say that again. The presence of a famine does not indicate there's an absence of God.

But sometimes it's amazing what we tend to focus our attention to. Not to the God who was calling you out, but all of a sudden to the famine, to the opposition that you seem to be facing in your life. In fact, some of God's greatest lessons are learned in famine seasons. >> That's right. >> Some of my some of my best lessons I've learned in times of hardship. >> I didn't like the hardship. >> I didn't sure didn't sign up for the hardship. >> I like the blessing stuff.

I want to go back to how Hey God, when you were calling me out, how I was going to be a blessing. How you were going to bless me and I was going to be a blessing. God, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how I'm being blessed right now when there's no provision. >> Well, maybe this is just for me. >> What famine does is reveal what a man truly trusts in. >> Where you go to when things don't work out according to your plan.

Where do you turn? That's what a famine reveals. So, the question becomes, will I trust God's promise or will I only trust what I can see? >> Did God promise you something in your life? Are those promises still true? >> Even when you're facing a famine, did it negate God's word? Has it somehow nullified what God spoke over you? I don't think so. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's still not going to come to pass in your life. >> Often times, the greatest challenge is not receiving a promise from God.

Is continuing to believe that the promise is going to come to pass even when the circumstances I'm in seem to contradict it. All right. >> Obedience does not exempt me from a famine. >> But a famine will reveal what I trust in the most. >> Now, >> this is what I've learned to realize in my 50 years of life. Famine can pressure a man into fear-based decisions. We got to be careful when we start getting afraid if our fear doesn't drive us to God. Now, let's be honest.

Many of us in this room have made decisions because we were feeling overwhelmed in a moment. Many of us had have had have made decisions that we we we realized post decision that it wasn't the best decision to make. Now, here's what I know is God called Abram. Undeniable. And I'm I'm never going to read more than what the scripture gives. Okay? So, let's let the Bible be the Bible. Let's let the word of God be the word of God. This is what I get when I read chapter 12 is that he was being obedient, following after what God had asked him to do.

I want you to leave. I want you to leave Earl the Caldes. I want you to go to a place that I'm going to give you. you're going to be a blessing and I'm going to bless you. That's what we have. That that's what we have. Somewhere along the lines, a famine comes into play. Now, what we do not have in the word of God is that Abram asked counsel for what to do in the famine. That's not there. You don't read that. What you read is he made a decision to go to Egypt.

You don't get out of the reading that out of the chapter 12 that he was following where God was leading him. God told him to leave to go to a land he had for him. But somewhere along the way when he was facing some opposition, somewhere along the way when he's like, I don't know how to provide for my family, somewhere along the way when he's like, I'm a little bit nervous about what's going to take place. The famine was severe. That's what we've been given in the word of God.

It tells us it was a bad famine. And somewhere along the way, he did he made a family decision to go to Egypt. What do you do when Egypt comes home with you? Because sometimes the decisions we make because we're afraid without going to God, we have nothing in their sister brain. We have nothing that says he he sought counsel from God over that. It just says he went to Egypt. But on the way there, it begins to feel the fear. We know this because we read into what he's saying to his wife in verse number 13.

Please say that you're my sister. Why? Because I'm afraid they're going to kill me. You can pick up already that he's making fear-based decisions. Things are not going according to plan. I'm a little nervous. I'm a little apprehensive about going here. This is what I feel like is best for my family. It may not be a perfect plan, but it's a plan. But where's God in the equation? You got to be very, very careful when you leave God out of your equation. Cuz more often than not, you don't always make the best choice.

And remember when I told you just a few minutes ago, we don't live in vacuums. Every decision we make has an impact to those that are in my home and those that I have influence over. You're going to see that there was a decision that was made that set some things in motion that was there. Abram was a man of promise. But in Egypt, he started acting and talking like a man who's just trying to survive. That's what pressure can do. Pressure can make a good man start negotiating with fear.

You're never in a good position when you start negotiating with fear. You're always best going to Jesus. >> Take your problems to him. Even when you don't know what what what what right decision you need to make, go to God and stay there until you get an answer from him. Stay there until you get an answer from him. Stay there until God answers you. >> Pressure can make you make some bad decisions. A man can start saying things like, "I don't know what exactly is the right decision, but I have to protect myself.

I don't know that this is completely honest, but it's complicated. I don't I don't know that this is wise, but I'm under a lot of stress and pressure. I don't know this is who I want to be, but this is just a hard, difficult season. And long before fear starts making decisions, faith should have made you go to God. Again, a famine will reveal where you rely, where is your trust, where is your hope, what do you do when things don't go the way you want them to go.

What do you do when you start becoming afraid? Who do you turn to in these situations? This is not just Abram's story, but it's our story, ladies and gentlemen. If you haven't yet, I promise you if you live long enough in this room, you're going to face some difficult times. There's going to be a famine coming your way. There's going to be a financial famine. There's going to be an emotional famine. There's going to be a spiritual famine, a relational famine, a purpose famine, or whatever you can fill in the blank.

You're going to face a famine. An identity crisis is going to happen to you and you're going to find yourself living with fear. And God doesn't give you the spirit of fear. >> So, what do you do when you face fear? Who do you run to? Where do you go? Where do you find your hope? Where do you find your strength? In those seasons, the enemy loves to offer up Egypt as a solution. Egypt in the Bible is always representative as a type of sin, a type of the world, a type of offerings and options that the world gives.

You know, isn't it amazing that the world always has an option for you? Always has something that seems to appeal, some some way to handle whatever problem you're going through. But the problem with Egypt is that it may feed you for a moment while forming in you ways that you don't recognize until much later. >> It sets often times things in motion you had no idea in the moment that you were set in motion until it's far too late. You may leave Egypt, but Egypt may not leave you.

>> Wow. >> Genesis 13, verse number one. Now, I want you here's here's the part where it gets interesting to me. This is this is the part as I was studying the scriptures that something jumped out. I've read it, I don't know how many countless hundreds of times I've read this passage of scripture and it never jumped out at me like it did a couple of months ago. Says this verse, "When Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all he had and Lot with him." Abram left Egypt, but Lot had seen Egypt, too.

Now, here's what I know, and for those of you who study the scripture, I would love to see if you you find this different in reason than I do, because I spent quite a bit of time in this. We were not told that he had a whole lot of stuff when he went into Egypt. We were not given an account of list of all the wealth that he had when he went into Egypt. But what we do have an account is that when he leaves, he had been lavished with a lot of gifts.

So he leaves Egypt a much better man financially than he did when he went into the Egypt. Now remember, he went into Egypt for what reason? Why did he go? Why did he go? It's not a trick question. There was a famine, right? There was a need. There was a want. He needed provision. He needed food. That's why he goes to Egypt out out of fear. What I feel like he was afraid. He's making a choice of what's going to be best for his family. So, he finds himself in Egypt.

But as he leaves Egypt, and we don't know how much time he was there, we just know he was there for a period of time. But in that period of time, however long it was, whether it was a few weeks, a few months, or for years, we don't know. We're not given that information. What we are given is that when he leaves, he leaves a wealthy man. So some things have been set in motion, right? If you go to Egypt, you can be blessed. If you go to Egypt, you can leave in a better way than he was when he went into materially.

Who else noticed this? Who else was with him? Who else is mentioned by name in the story? Lot. Abraham left Egypt, but Lot has seen Egypt, too. Lot saw the wealth. Lot saw the ease. Lot saw the abundance. Lot saw the culture. Lot saw Abram come out with more possessions than when he went in. And later when Lot had to choose, right? Because we get a few more verses into chapter 13 and all of a sudden they're quarreling amongst the herdsmen. There's a fight brewing and Abram comes up to Lot and says, "Hey, look, we're we're kin.

We don't need to be fighting. There's enough land here." So Abram says to Lot, "Look, you pick. We need to separate. You pick. If you choose the right, I'll go to the left. If you choose left, I'll go to the right." And this is where the little nugget comes in. I want you to pay attention to verse number 10. And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan that it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Like the garden of the Lord, like the land of I never seen that.

How did he know what the land of Egypt was like? because Abram took him there. There was no point of reference ever before that. But all of a sudden, he had been exposed to something. What do you do when Egypt comes home with you? Abram was simply trying to find provision for his family and made a fear-based decision to go to Egypt because the family was severe. While he was in there, he thought it was best to be less than truthful. We see him compromising and exposing his family to a culture that was not a culture that God honored.

And because of that, Abram was able to leave. But Lot was forever changed. Listen to me. Sometimes we make decisions and when we don't run it by God, when we don't ask God's guidance for what we're trying to do, we can oftenimes end up doing things and set things in motion we have no idea what it's going to do. not just for ourselves, but to those of our home and our influence. Can you let me teach you for a little bit today? I know I'm going a little bit slow.

Can I teach you some things today? There's some truths and some nuggets in here that I feel like needs to be a strong warning for us today. When Lot evaluated his future, the writer specifically tells us that what attracted to him looked like Egypt. It reminded him of what he had seen when he was in Egypt. It reminded him of of the prosperity that was there and the opportunities are there. And Lot moved towards that. Now, in the Bible, it never directly said that Lot chose Sodom.

So, I'm not going to read into the scriptures what the scriptures doesn't say because it doesn't say that. We we can't we can't say that with with a with a definite answer. But what we can say is that he intentionally gives us the information that Egypt obviously had an impact on him because it states directly it reminded him of Egypt. Did Egypt shape his definition of success? I believe so. Did Lot see something there that later influenced what looked attractive to him? I think so. Did Egypt become the lens through which he evaluated opportunity?

I think so. I think it's safe to say that there was something about his time in Egypt that changed that man. Abram may have visited Egypt temporarily, but Lot may have carried Egypt internally because there are environments that you can survive that will still shape your appetite. And Lot's appetite had been shaped by his exposure. There are places that God brings you out of that can continue to influence your desires long after you leave that place. like the sand is still in my car. Egypt was still hanging around, especially in the back of Lot's mind.

There was something about what he seen. There was something about the influence. There was something about the culture. There was something about the opportunity. There was something about the prosperity. There was something that was there that stuck with him. When he was time for him to pick a place where he was going to take his family and live, he he drifted towards what looked like Egypt. I'm speaking to a mom. I'm speaking to a dad. I'm speaking to some grandparents. I'm speaking to some aunts and uncles.

I'm speaking to some friends right now. I'm telling you, you don't live in a vacuum. Your choices have consequences. And you may think it's not a big deal to you, but it may not. And it may not be a big deal to you. You may be able to be like Abram. You may be able to walk out of Egypt and dust the sand off your feet. But those who were with you, >> it may be a different story. You may not think it's a big deal.

You may think, "My kids aren't paying attention to what's going on." But I'm telling you, they're watching everything that you do. Moms and dads, listen to me. what you allow to come in THE HOUSE. WHAT KIND of an impact and what kind of an influence is it being? What voices are you allowing in? What spirits are you allowing into your house? YOU MAY BE OKAY, BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR KIDS? WHAT ABOUT YOUR GRANDKIDS? What about your friends? What about your aunts? What about your What about your cousins AND NIECES AND WHAT'S GOING ON?

WHAT ARE YOU allowing >> because you're not willing to be obedient to God? >> The greatest bondage is not always what holds your feet. Sometimes it's what captures your affection. I'm going to say that again. It's pretty powerful. You're a notetaker, you should write this one down. The greatest bondage is not always what holds your feet. Sometimes it's what captures your affection. This is why God is constantly dealing with Israel after he brought them out of Egypt. He brought him out of Egypt in one night, but it took him 40 years to get Egypt out of them.

And if I'm be honest with it, it took a lot longer than 40 because I don't know if he ever fully got it out of him. He was still working on them, still making decisions. Did do you need anybody besides me when you read through Exodus find it interesting how they long to go back to Egypt at the first sign of inconvenience the first time they're like well you brought us out here we're starving to death you did you were were there no graves in Egypt for us what I want to say is yeah there was a whole lot of whips too >> there was a whole lot of hard labor too but they don't remember that what do they remember all that we had onions Oh, then we had garlic.

I'm like, garlic and onions? What about the whip? >> Isn't it interesting how when things don't go the way we want them to go, how we have fond memories of what God has already brought us out of. >> I know I'm going slow, but I'm speaking to somebody right now. How how it is that you can romanticize the very thing you God prayed he would deliver you out of. how you have fond memories of the way it used to be. Listen to me. I want to tell you right now, if the world didn't make you happy then, it's not going to make you happy now.

>> Yeah. That that same thing that entangled you and and and kept you chained down, that thing, that same thing that was fun for a moment. Let's be honest, there's a lot of stuff that in the world is fun for a moment, for a season, but it ends up entrapping you and entangling you. Isn't it crazy that God can bring you out of that stuff and then after a few moments of inconvenience, you're willing to go right back to it because it wasn't quite that bad?

Are you crazy? >> A heart that continually looks back will eventually drift back. >> A heart that continually looks back will drift back. Before Lot ever pitched his tent towards Sodom, he first lifted his eyes to look. The direction of his life was determined by the desires of his heart. Listen to me. I'm going slow on purpose because I don't want you to miss this. What you continually admire, you will eventually move towards. So if you give place for the things of the world, I promise you, you'll make space inside your life for those things.

That's why we must allow God not only to bring us out of Egypt, but also to remove Egypt from within us. What one survives another may be seduced by. What I love about the story of Abram is Abram returns to Bethl. That's what we that's what we find in in in chapter 13 is he goes back to the place that ultimately became the house of God. We go he goes back to where he had last met God. That that there there there's a message right there.

There's a whole sermon. Go back to the place you last met God. Go back to the altar the last time that you called out on the name of the Lord. That's what Abram does. Abram comes out of Egypt, shakes himself off like a dog when he's wet, and just moves back to where he knew God was at. >> Praise God. >> But I have no record of Lot ever building an altar. No record of him ever calling on the name of the Lord. All I have accounts for is that he lifted his own eyes to look around for what he desired.

And when he found what looked like Egypt, that's where he went and that's where he took his family. Got to be careful about your desires. Not every well-watered plane is a blessing. Not every open door is an opportunity from God. >> Not every profitable move is a wise move. Not every every place is where you need to go. Not every opportunity feels right is the right decision. Because sometimes you can be walking right into Sodom. That's why we need discernment in our life. That's why you need to pray for direction in your life.

You you need to pray for God to lead and guide and direct and order your steps. That's what it says. The word of God will order your steps. >> Are you willing to be obedient? Are you willing to follow after those things? It's only going to happen if you are purposely intentional with what you ask from God. God, I'm not willing to move because I'm afraid to make a choice without knowing which way you want me to go. Lot did not move into Sodom. in one day.

First, listen to me. Listen to again. Go. I want you, if you have your Bible, open up Genesis 13. I want you to follow along with what it is exactly Lot did. First, he looked, then he chose, and then he moved his family there. Eventually, he ended up moving to Sodom. It wasn't his direction right off the bat, but that was where he ended up being eventually. That's how drift works. Most men don't wreck their lives in one big decision. Usually, it's small compromises over time because it's a big decision.

If he would have just said, "I'm going to move to Sodom." His friends and his relatives, Abram would have been like, "You can't go to Sodom, man. Not Sodom. You hear what's going on in Sodom. You hear the rumors. You can't go to Sodom." But he didn't say, "I was going to go to Sodom." He lifted up his eyes and said, "You know what? This looks like the Garden of Eden. This looks like This looks like something. What? What? It looks like Egypt. That's what I want.

Egypt was good. Egypt had opportunity. Egypt brought prosperity. Egypt had provision. I want to take my family towards Egypt. What you need to know is how to get back to an altar. Because there's the hope that was in the story. Abram failed in Egypt, but Egypt was not the end of Abram. Verse number three says that Abram went back to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. I love that term at first. Abram went back to the place that he had first built an altar.

He returned to surrender and to prayer and to worship God. >> There there's another sermon for you. If you if you have went off the tracks and let's be honest with you, there's not a one of us in this room that haven't ran off the rails at some point or another in our life. But if you've run off the rails, go back to the first place you met God. Go back to that that time that you met him in prayer when he changed off. back to that time of worship when you were just overwhelmed by being in the presence of God.

Do you remember that? Do you remember your encounter with God that changed your life? When you said, "God, whatever it is you want from me, I give to you." He went back. He went back to a commitment. We went back to an understanding of who he was >> at first. He returned to the place where the promise was louder than the panic. You need to go back to where the promise is louder than the pain. That's what a man has to learn how to do. It's what a That's what individual has to learn how to do.

A godly person is not someone who's never had a famine. No, a godly person is not someone who's never felt fear. And a godly person is not someone who's never made a poor decision under pressure. We've all been there. But a godly person is someone who knows how to get back to the altar. >> Rejoice not against me, oh enemy. When I fall, I shall arise. I'm not going to stay down. I may fall. I may trip. I may stumble. I still make mistakes. I'm not perfect.

I'm still fighting my flesh just like he fights your flesh. But I've learned a lesson that when I get knocked down, I get back up again because my God is faithful and true. And if I can get back TO THE ALTAR, HE'LL MEET ME THERE. HE'LL GIVE ME MY provision that I need. He'll give me my direction. He'll give me my hope. >> He'll remind me of my promise >> and MY PURPOSE. >> WHAT A GOD WE SERVE that doesn't leave us in our calamity. >> Don't let the enemy convince you that one Egypt season has to define your whole life.

That's not true. I know that there's plenty of mistakes in this room. I know there's plenty plenty of labels that we all have had an opportunity to have placed in our life. But stop believing that you're a child of the king. You're bloodbought. You've been purchased by the precious blood of Calvary. And though you may have made a mistake, I want you to know just ask God to forgive you. And he will. He's faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse you from all unrighteous. And stand in the freedom that God has afforded you.

>> Come back to the altar because the altar still works. Genesis 13 gives us a powerful contrast. Lot lifted his eyes and chose what looked good. But after Lot separated from Abram, here's another nugget for you. If you're in, I want you to look at verse number 14. God says to Abram, "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are." Leave that verse up there for just a second. Did you see the difference here? I never never never thought about it. Never thought about it, Lindsay.

But Abram didn't lift his eyes up until God said, "Look, he he he learned enough like I'm not going to get captivated because if I look long enough, I'll find something that that scratches my itch. I'll find something that's appealing to me." But he went back to the altar. Brother Span, he went back to the altar. He didn't lift his eyes off of God until God said it was time. And when God said it was time, he lifted up and looked there. Lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward, and westward.

And he began to tell him, "I'm going to give all that to you. I want you to go and I want you to walk. And everywhere your foot goes, I'm giving it to you." It's a whole lot better to get what God has for you than try to go claim something that was never intended to be yours to start with. >> Because I promise you, you will be possessed by your possessions then. Lot lifted his eyes on his own, but Abram lifted his eyes on God, told him to.

There's a difference between grabbing what looks good and receiving what God gives. Please not build your life on only what looks successful. This world has a has a definition of success that does not fit into God's vocabulary. >> Build your life on what God has promised you. Do not choose merely by money or by comfort or by attraction or by convenience. Things that often times entrap us especially in our North American culture. It is rocking us to sleep. And what's going on is we are becoming intoxicated with Babylon.

We are finding ourselves where it's not such a bad life to live here. Let's be honest. It's real easy to get rocked to sleep. My wife and I were just talking about this a few weeks ago. We don't know what hardships is. We don't we don't we don't we we we have had some inconveniences. And there are some of you in this room that have some some some some incredible stories about things that have happened to you. But we don't live with things like they lived with a hundred years ago.

Just a hundred years ago, man's primary timeconsuming activity was acquiring food. 100 years ago, it wasn't until we got into the to the industrial revolution to where there happened to be a an abundance of food. was able before that. If you go back, just go back in our history, they didn't have a Kroger on every corner. >> They didn't have Connor's Merkantile. They didn't have those things. Now we we we get frustrated when we go and they don't have our brand of almond milk at Kroger.

What kind of life am I living right now? I don't even know how you milk an almond anyway. It's a whole another message for another day. I'm confused on some things. But don't we check out cuz we can't get what we want when we want it. And what has happened is because look look I'm I'm I'm not going I'm not going to lie to you. There's some of these modern conveniences I like a whole lot. Yesterday was a new one for me. Now, some of you going to say I'm late to the game on this, but yesterday I got on my Sims Club app and and I put in a pack of toilet paper and a pack of paper towels and a pack of Lacroys and they delivered that to my house 4 hours later on a Saturday.

I did not have to go into Sam's Club. Not only am I better spiritually today for that, so I like some modern conveniences, but what we have to be very careful of is that we don't fall in love with Egypt >> to where because there's never any adversity in my life, I'm being rocked to sleep and I never find myself being dependent on God. See, we don't like famines, but as I told you earlier, famines have a way of revealing where your real allegiance is at.

>> Are you only upset because you've been inconvenience? Or do you really realize and understand that every good and perfect gift comes from above? And that God, as we sang, there's never been a day, there's never been a minute, there's never been a moment that you weren't in it. Do you really mean that >> when you sing that song? Do you really mean that? Or have you grown so accustomed to the ways of Egypt? See, here's what happens. And and there's there's so much more to this story.

There's so much more to this story than I have time. So So here we go to we go to Genesis. Y'all okay with history? >> I don't know. Some My wife gets nervous when I get away from the notes. Let's just have a history lesson. Genesis 14, Lot's separated. All of a sudden, there's a fight breaks out and Lot and his family because of his decision should have been an indicator, right? I didn't make a good choice and all of a sudden I I'm being held captive.

He gets he gets held captive and then Abram has to come and rescue him. You'd think he would change his mind. You'd think he would change his mind. You think he'd be upset but and feel like, "Hey, maybe maybe I didn't make the best choice. Maybe going towards Egypt isn't a good decision. >> Yeah, >> cuz it I'm already I'm being held against my will. But it doesn't change his tune. He keeps going until we eventually find him several chapters later where God goes by Abram's house and says, "You know what?

I'm so sick of Sodom and Gomorrah. I'm going to destroy it. But before I do, I'm going to go by and see Abram." And I wonder for just a minute. This is just me, okay? I'm not again, I'm not going to put anything in the scriptures. This is not there. This is kind of it leans this direction. Okay, it leans. Go lean with me for just a minute. I'm going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Well, if there were 50 righteous, Abram says, right? If there were 50.

Well, what's in his mind, Sister Sue? I think he's thinking, "My nephew's there and I'm the one that took him to Egypt. I'm the one that influenced that boy and I've been trying to get it out of him, but he keeps making bad choices. But, but God, what if there were 50 righteous there?" Well, if there are 50 righteous, I wonder, what about 45? What about 40? What about 30? What about 20? What about 10 for 10? 10 was where he was trying to get to.

You know why? Because there was 10 of his family there. There was 10 of them. I think Abram's wrestling with guilt. Cuz even though he didn't have a problem with Egypt, Lot did. They go. Now, here's here's where I struggle. And Bishop and I were talking about this. Here's where I struggle. Because if you read in the New Testament, the New Testament is interesting, Tommy. It's interesting because it says this about Lot. What is it? What What does it What does it call Lot in the New Testament?

It calls him righteous Lot. I struggle with that. Let's be honest. I don't think he's doing so much righteous things. But could it be he's still a good dude? Cuz sometimes righteous people don't always make the best choices. Now, before you get on your high horse, you going to tell me every decision you've made has been perfect? Now, sometimes we have good intentions, but they we don't always do the right thing. Sometimes we realize in the post. Now, we learn from mistakes. And I wonder if if maybe maybe Lot really was a good guy.

Maybe he was influenced by Egypt, but but again, he's he's kind of drawn by it. It got into it. It affected him a little bit. But we have no reason to believe that Lot was a immoral man. We want to draw that conclusion. But again, we can't say what the scripture doesn't say. It doesn't say he was an immoral man. It just said he drifted towards Egypt. He was drawn by it. He's there. So when the angels show up to destroy the city, there's got to be something in Lot that was still good because he recognized them.

That's what the scripture says. He he he know that that's not normal. So maybe it's right. Again, it's right. It's the word of God, right? It's the word of God. The word of God calls him righteous because righteous lot recognized righteousness when he seen it. But here's the problem. because he never removed his family from the influence. When the opportunity arose, he hesitated because they didn't believe him. What do you do when Egypt comes home with you? What do you do? Because if you leave it there too long, you end up losing your influence over your own family.

When it come time for him to say, "Look, we got to get out of here." Listen to that. Listen, listen, listen, listen to that. Sometimes I have family meetings with my family. Listen, girls. Listen to me. But he tried to have a family meeting and they laughed at him. How heartbreaking is that passage? Then in the middle of him trying to write the ship, he stayed too long. I'm reaching for somebody today. You've been playing with things you're not supposed to be playing with. If you let it stay too long in your house, there's going to be things set in motion.

There's going to be a far higher price than you're willing to pay. When it come time to leave, thank goodness that Abram's negotiated, right? He he he he reached out to the mercy of God and God said, "I'll extend my mercy." But even in the mercy being extended, even when the angels intervene and grabbed his daughters and his wife and ushered them out of town, even in the midst of this, because a heart that drifts will always cause you to look back. Even in the midst of Lot's wife's salvation, she's standing in freedom.

Do you hear me? She's standing in salvation and she looks back. Even when it was told, "Whatever you do, get out of here. Get go to Zor. Go to that little place of insignificance. Lot there was so much more planned for you in your life, but you ended up making some bad decisions. Whatever you do, don't look back. Do you hear me? It's possible in the middle of your salvation to drift back if that's where your heart desires to be. And she looked back and she turned into a pillar of salt.

She was forever immortalized in her heart's desire. All because Egypt got in the house. What do you do? What do you do when Egypt comes home? I'm getting ready to close. I knew today would be more of a treat you kind of message. It's a heavy message. It's it's one you got to process. You can't just listen to this message and walk away. You can't you can't in good conscience just walk away. This is the kind of message you have to you have to internalize yourself and ask yourself some questions.

Have I allowed Egypt to come home with me? And if I have, then what influence has it had in those that I have influence over, those of my household, what am I doing about it? I'm going tell you, between the two options, I would be following Abram. Abram left Egypt and went to an altar. Abram went back to where he first met the Lord. He went back to where he called on the name of the Lord, back to where the promise was. So today you got a couple options.

You can take option one, what Abram did. Abram, the father of the faithful, Abram, who became Abraham, who the blessing continued on down through. See, here's here's the other part of that, right? Lot escaped. And you may be saying to yourself, well, I mean, it wasn't ideal and he lost his wife. That could have been a blessing in his life. Who am I to judge? That was a joke. He still got his daughters, but they had been so infected with the culture of Sodom that they decided to get dad drunk because they determined in their own mind there's no future for us.

There's no future. So we need to make sure that we continue to line on. So for the sake of little ones being in the room today, they had relations with their dad and they birthed the Ammonites and the Moabites. Two of the biggest enemies against God's people were birthed out of an incestuous relationship. I mean, Moab literally means in interpretation, my father is my my mother is my father. My father is my mother. My father. Yeah, I said it right. Two, because of the influence that Lot allowed in his family.

Now, you can dismiss me today if you want to. You can you walk around and say, "Pastor Kevin, you're just you're just old-fashioned. You're just, you know, I I I know who God is, and I can still feel him." Yeah. I I think Lot could still feel him, too. He recognized when his presence walked up. But because of some compromises in his life, he lost the influence over the most precious commodity that he had, those of his household and under his influence. So I'm reaching for reaching for somebody today.

I'm asking for you to be honest with yourself. Do you have Egypt in your house? And if you do, what are you going to do about it? >> >> I know for those who've been raised in Apostolic Pentecostal church, you know, we have our lifestyle convictions that sometimes gets dismissed as old-fashioned. Uh it's just you don't have to do all that. God's a good God. He's a God of love and he's going to be good. You know, I think you got to be very very careful about what you dismiss is and is not important to God.

You who made you God, you need to be very careful about it. If I'm going to air on the side of caution, I think I'd rather lean on the side of the fence that's going to land me closer to him, not further away. You know, I used this story before, but it just got brought up to me the past couple days. My wife and I were talking about we were we went up to BA, Canada a couple years ago. Highly recommend it. It's beautiful.

One of the most beautiful places I' ever been in my life. I don't I don't I would my vocabulary fails me at describing the beauty that I seen. The only time in nature I've ever been moved to tears just by looking at something literally like I was just blown away by I mean God God showed off up there. He just said, "Let me let me let me show you a little what I can do." But we went up to this waterfall and there was a fence up and then then there's there's little memorial things where all the people had fallen off the fence into the water and died.

It tells you on the fence like if you fall in the water, you will die. Not you may die. Not there's a chance you'll die. It says if you fall in the water, you will die. Period. And yet there's memorials of people who fall in the water. And here's the deal. While we were there, people did it. There's the fence. Like there's a fence. We walked up to the fence and there literally there's flowers on the other side of, you know, there there lies so and so's last steps.

So, you're looking at this and then I look up and I'll be if there wasn't knuckleheads on the other side of the fence. It's like, man, this is really cool. Like, look at that. Woohoo. And I'm over going, "What is wrong with you?" Like, you're you're standing beside flowers of somebody who fell in to death and you act like you're the exception to the rule. It's not worth it. It's not worth it for you. It's not worth it for those of your household and those that you have influence over.

Maybe, just maybe, you get back on the other side of the fence. Maybe, just maybe, you walk out of Egypt and it's not such a big deal to you. But what about the lots in your house? What about them? You don't live in a vacuum. You're not an island to yourself. Every decision you make has powerful influence. So, where are you at today? As I bring this to a close, if you'll stand with me, what part of Egypt have you brought home with you?

Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's compromise. Maybe it's a hidden appetite, a secret habit, a pattern of dishonesty, or tendency to choose for what looks good instead of what God has for you. I don't know. You got to answer that question for you. But God's calling you back to an altar. an altar where you can get your courage back, your identity back, your vision back, your purpose back. Abram went down to Egypt, but he came back to Bethl. God, I love you. I'm so thankful for this moment that we have here, for the truth that we have seen that is in your word.

I pray, God, we would awaken and allow you to search our hearts today. Show us where famine has pressured us into fear. Reveal that inside ourselves, God. Help us to see and know the changes we need to make. Help us, God, to not be influenced by Egypt and our desires. Cleanse us from the hidden compromises and the secret appetites that are there and the dangers of just going into survival thinking. Bring us back, God, to an altar. Make us people of faith and courage and purity and obedience and clarity.

Help us to choose promise over appearance. Help us always, God, to desire to be in your presence. Let us be honest with ourselves today. Put us back on the right path in Jesus name. Church, this altar is open. We're going to spend some time in prayer. I I pray that everyone would take an opportunity to evaluate where they are. Evaluate where you are. Be honest with yourself today. If there's some in influence from Egypt there, then ask God to help you get rid to take care of that.

Let's spend some time in prayer.