The Pathway To Success Pt. 11

you. This is part eleven of our series, The Pathway to Success and uh for those of you who knew, the shoe is what it is. That's a Ferragamo. But I promise you, the shoe means nothing. It ain't got nothing to do with the series. It's just a little conversation piece. Cuz it's a nice shoe but I'd rather have the word. Amen. Cuz the shoe can't make you successful. It's the word. And Now, some of you say, man, this is part eleven. Well, how, how, what? What am I supposed to do? I just got here. This is like a album. Okay. How many of you remember the thirty-three albums? You can have twelve songs in the album just cuz you ain't listen to the other ten don't mean the eleven one ain't good, right? All of them, all of them are different song but it's under the same album. That's how this works. You ain't gonna be lost in here just cuz we in part eleven,

alright? Let's go to the word of God. Tell somebody next to you, I hope you get something out of this. No, no, let me say it again. Cuz I didn't mean that to be condescending. You understand what I'm saying? I mean, I really want that for you. Can you do it that way? Like, you really care that the person near you get something out of this. I don't care if you don't even know him. Can you do it one more time? I hope you get something out of this. I want you to get some. Amen. Yeah, I hope you get something out of this. That's the love of God. Amen. Alright? And then you say to them, I hope you get something too. Cuz you need it. Now, you being petty, right? Joshua chapter one verse eight. That's our foundation verse of this series and this is how it reads. This book of the law. That's a reference to the word of God. Shall

not depart from your mouth. What that means is, is that it should govern your conversations. Your external dialogues don't need to be the quoting word for word of scripture but it needs to be scriptural. Like the scriptures influence the way I speak to people, the way I interact with people. It doesn't depart of you. I don't have to be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't have to be ashamed that I'm a follower of Christ. It shall not depart out of your mouth. I don't have to code switch. When I get around people, I didn't go on something, act like I ain't saved. Act like I don't know the Lord. No, it's always in my mouth cuz he's my source and he's my savior and he's my everything and then he said also meditate in it. Meditation is to think about it, to to repeat it to

yourself. So, one is an external conversation. The other one is an internal conversation which is just as important if not more important. What you say to yourself is more important many times than what you hear others saying or what you say in public because if you say in public, I'm more than a conqueror but you say in private to yourself, all I do is lose. This always happens to me. Here we go again. I probably got cancer. It's probably going to be, you just got a headache. Oh, I got a tumor. You ain't, you got it. You go to sleep. That woman with the issue of blood, it wasn't just the sermon she was hearing. It was what she was preaching to herself. She said, if I can, if I can touch the hem of his garment, this going to be straight. You got to know

what you're saying to yourself. That is so important. Amen. Listen to preaching because it feeds you. Listen to the word that feeds you but what are you regurgitating to yourself? He says, you meditate in it, not just in the morning, day and night. A lot of people who are Christians say, you know, I have my time in the word in the morning and that's good but that's not where it should stop. If you have your time in the word in the morning and in this evil world, by the time you get to bed at night, you done had a lot more than that word on you throughout the day, day and night, in good times and bad times and daylight and darkness day and night because sometimes God will give you a word in the

morning that you're going to need that afternoon. You don't even know you need it but if you leave it on the night stand and you don't meditate on it and take it with you, you might handle a situation that he told you how to handle it in the morning. Who knows what I'm talking about? That's just how he rolls, day and night, listening to the word, closing your day with the word. The way you go to sleep will affect your rest. What you have on your mind when you go to sleep matters. You wake up tired and depressed when you go to sleep with the wrong stuff on your mind. Amen. You can do something about that. Listen to the word before you go to sleep

day and night. Why? So that you may observe to do according to all that's written in it. You're not listening to the word and speaking the word so that you can be articulate or so that you can be brag about your Bible knowledge. You're working, you're studying it and reading it and speaking it so you can live it. We're supposed to practice our faith. We're supposed to practice the word. We're supposed to live it. So it's just not supposed to be in our mouth and our meditation. It's supposed to be in our movement, our lifestyle. Are y'all with me? Because this is where the rubber meets the road. This

is the pathway to success. Because he says, for then, everybody say then. Then. That's when you make your way prosperous. And then you have good success. When? When you keep the word in your mouth. When you meditate on it day and night. And when you observe to do according, when you obey it. You speak it. You read it. You rehearse it. You obey it. Then you have success. You can't just jump to the end of the verse, man, I'm gonna have good success. How? How you skip all that? You may be seated. Do you understand what I'm saying? How you just jump down to good? Yeah, by claim, good success. You cannot get here without the spiritual habits that are necessary to get to the end of the verse. The promise has prerequisites. Are y'all with me? That's why I subtitled this message, The Importance of Spiritual Habits.

See, see, what God is telling Joshua is, I really, and he's telling us too, your success is really on you. Our success is not on God. God says, I got success available for you. You cannot out-success me. I got stuff that's exceedingly, abundantly, above all you could ask or think that's available to you. The question is, can you bring your spiritual habits up to the level to get to them? Because if you increase the level of your spiritual habits, your life will increase and improve. I'm gonna say that again. If you increase the habits of your spiritual life, your life will improve. I promise you it will. We are living at the level of our habits, and you can't get to good success without the habits that require it. Let me give you an example. Let's do it like this. How many of you can look in your life, and you can honestly say, you know what, when I look around my life, there are various aspects of my life, there are parts of my life, or there's a part of my life that's not really where I want it to be? How many would say, it just ain't where I want it to be? Maybe it's here, and I want it to be here,

or it's here, and it should be here. And you would also have to say that the reason why it's here and not here is not because of the devil. How many of you are okay with not blaming the devil for everything? You gotta say, you know what, it's my habits that got it right here. It's here because of what I do. If I was doing what I was supposed to do, it would be here. You got what I'm saying? How many understand that? The same is true with the word. The same is true with biblical success. Your habits, the things you do impact your success, and the things you don't do impact your success. That's how it works. So in Joshua's case, Joshua said, God says this, if you do these things, if you have these spiritual habits around the word, you keep it in your mouth, you meditate on it day and night, you obey the word, here's what God told Joshua, I will give you unlimited geographical blessing. How do we know that? Go back to verse three. Verse three, God told Joshua, every place the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given you. Now is that unlimited geographical,

if we know what he's telling Joshua, if you can get to it, it's yours. If you can step on it, it's yours. If you can walk, if you go through Joshua chapter one, he said, everywhere you walk, I'm giving it to you. Just walk on it, I'll give it to you. I've been trying to tell you, that's when he says, I'm gonna make your way prosperous. I've been trying to teach this, and I've been trying to teach it because some of us are so small-minded that we only see a Prince George's County blessing, we only see a DMV blessing. But God says, I can bless you so that your whole way is prosperous. Anywhere you go, the blessing is on you. You can go to Los Angeles, the blessing is on you. You can go to Texas, the blessing is on you. When you go to Oklahoma, people gotta treat you right. The doors gotta open and no man can close. If God sends you to New York, the blessing's still gonna be on you because he will make your way, he makes your way prosperous. Some of you have far more opportunities than you can imagine if you would see beyond your limitations to what God owns. He says, I own the whole world. He says, I will make your way prosperous. And I believe God is using Joshua

to encourage us to have that mindset, just like Jabez had, that God says, I'm gonna enlarge your territory. I'm gonna do that for you, but it comes with you believing that. It's sort of like, I thought about Monopoly. I play Monopoly and I'm very good at it. Very good, that's a challenge. Anybody want it, you can get it. And I don't play with groups. I play alone, just me and you. That's it, I can't have four people at the table and y'all doing deals trying to set me up and working deals around the table because I, no, no, you got to do deals with me. You see what I'm saying? That's why I don't play spades. People don't understand why I don't play spades with partners. I don't play spades with partners because my partner might mess up and that'll mess our relationship up forever. I won't even talk to you in heaven if you renege and you might. Partner you get us bump. We done. We can't even go to church together. I won't even pastor you I would just say I'm only serious but When it when it comes to Monopoly if you ever played Monopoly the way to work game works You got a roll of dice and we roll the dice. You don't know what's coming out When you roll the dice you move according to the number of the dice you move your piece And here's the thing some things on the board are good. Some things are not

Some places your land will cost you something some places will reward you You can land on card says community chest one day you get some money the next day you're going to jail You don't know it's based. It's based on fate. It's the luck of the dice, right? Now if you land on a property that's owned by somebody else you got to pay up If you land on a property and it's unowned if you got the money you can own it Ain't that cool, but it's so many different factors that could happen with the roll of the dice Here's what God told Joshua I got a better deal this ain't Monopoly. This is favor First of all, you only had to roll the dice That's luck. Just walk with me and I'll lead you and wherever you go If you land on something and somebody else own it, you not only got her don't have to pay it I'm gonna transfer the deed for you. You're if the Canaanites are on it. It's still yours If the if the if the Jebusites are on it is still yours. I wish y'all read the Bible It doesn't matter wherever your foot tread I'm gonna give you stuff that belongs to other people and some of y'all don't understand that God as you walk with him is about To give you houses You didn't build and give you vineyards you didn't plan because you're walking with him because here's here's why here's one of reasons Why God wants to give blessings to his children because he knows how we'll steward it He knows there won't be any brothels in our house. He knows there won't be a gambling casino He knows it won't be a place where people in there cutting up He wants the kingdom of God to rule in different places for us to take dominion over places He just needs to keep it had to counterfeit to say I'll do that I'll do that. Amen. I'll do that So Joshua has this opportunity but it's connected to his spiritual habits. So I'm gonna say this to you then we're done I'm gonna give you an example of two men who had the same opportunity same blessing It's an unlimited geographical blessing, but I want to show you the responsibility Spiritual habits the two men are Abram and and lot Genesis chapter 13 is where I want you to turn if you got your own Bible And I want you to see that one man has spiritual habits and one man didn't and what happened as a result of it And Genesis chapter 13 verse 1, let me start reading there. Are y'all still good? It says so Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev

Along with his wife and lot lot was his nephew and all that they owned Abram was very rich in livestock silver and gold and verse 3 says from the Negev they continue traveling by stages toward Bethel and They pitched their tents between Bethel or Bethel and AI or I or AI chat GBT But I want you to pay attention to Bethel and I Bethel and I is an important place where they had camped before So this means when we get to Genesis 13 and 3 they have been at this place before This was the same place verse 4 says where Abram had built the altar and there he worshiped the Lord again now to connect you to where this all started go back to chapter 12 in verse 1 and It says the Lord said to Abram. Here's the thing The Lord said to Abram leave your native country your relatives and your family and go to a land that I will show you Some of you can't reach everything God's trying to give you because you won't leave Like When all you know is all you've known and all you willing to do is all you've done and The only place you're willing to go is where you've always been There's a whole lot of things you will miss on And God says don't just leave your native country. Sometimes you gotta leave your relatives I'm sorry y'all. Mm. Let me go to verse 2 because I feel like I'm offending somebody I Will make you into a great nation I will bless you and make you famous and I will be you will be a blessing others I will bless you bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt all Families of the earth will be blessed for you. So verse 4 says so Abram departed as the Lord had instructed him He departed God says leave he departed and lot went with him Abram was 75 years old when he left heron 75 years old say to somebody near you you still got time Now what I love about Abram is that 75 years old? He was still pliable still flexible 75 not stuck in his ways 75 saying don't move me. I'm gonna been here for 50 years. This is what we gonna do don't put me in the nursing home, let me stay right here. 75, we can make a move. 75, if God says move, it ain't over yet. He took his wife, verse 5 says, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth, his livestock, and all the people he had taken into his household. I'm in verse 5 at Haram, and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, verse 6 says, Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the Oak of Moreh. At that time,

the area was inhabited by the Canaanites. It's inhabited by the Canaanites, but what God has for you, don't get confused about who's in it. Doesn't matter who's occupying it. If God says, you're going to own it. Verse 7, then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, I will give this land to your descendants. And watch what Abram does. Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord who had appeared to him. Now let me stop right there and explain what an altar is. When it says Abraham built an altar there, or Abram, this is his name right here, built an altar there, that is the construction of a worship site. He built this thing, this altar made of stones. It was a place where animals could be sacrificed because it was always sacrificial offerings that were given. It was a place where he could worship God and pray and honor God. It was a place because unlike Joshua, he didn't have the Bible at that time. He didn't have the book of the law. He came before that was written. So Abram couldn't read the word or meditate on the word. Abram had to hear directly from God and obey that. His spiritual habit was, you're going to see a pattern in his life. Everywhere he would go, he would set up an altar. He would make these spiritual spaces where he would worship God. Are y'all with me? And it would include offerings because worship always included offering. It would include prayer and it would include worshiping God. So verse eight says, after that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. This is the place that was talking about in chapter 13. There he built another altar. So this is the second altar he built and dedicated it to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. So now he's built two churches basically, got two locations because with Abram, what matters to him, wherever he goes, he sets up a place to meet with God. When Abram decided where he was going to go, he didn't first look at what the school system like here and where they got, where can I get my hair done and do they got good grocery stores here? And is the community diverse and all? No, he says, where do I meet with God? See, some of y'all make all of your moves and transitions based on what's the salary, what's the package, what's the, what's the salary, what's the school system like? And you don't even, then you think about church last. No, where am I going to meet with God? Cause there is no blessing, no promotion worthy of me not staying connected to God. Are you understanding me? That matters. And it, watch this, watch this. You can think it doesn't matter and make God secondary, but if you go up and your spiritual life go down, it's going to expose you one day. You got to make that important. Even at a time where we have virtual church.

So go back to chapter 13, verse three, and we'll see this connection from the Negev. They continue traveling by stages toward Bethel, pitch their tents between Bethel and I, that's where they were, where they had camped before. Verse four says, this was the same place where Abram had built the altar. We just read about it. And there he worshiped the Lord again. This is his spiritual habit. Are y'all with me? Lot, on the other hand, we'll see in verse five, watch how Lot wrote. Now let me tell you something about Lot. Every time you read, you can read Genesis 12 all the way through chapter 19 about the story of Lot. You will never see him at the altar. You will never see him help build an altar. You'll never see him worshiping. You never see him giving sacrificial offerings. He didn't go to church. He's a businessman. He is, he is Abram's nephew. So some of his spiritual deficiencies are covered because he lives in the shadow of his uncle. And some of y'all are getting blessed because of who's covering you. So you're in a spiritual house and because the whole house is blessed, you blessed. But if that cover ever came off for you, you, oh, y'all ain't, y'all don't like that. You better get your own relationship with God and make sure you write because you never know, because it happened a lot when the cover got off of him, all hell broke loose. That's better. That's some good stuff right there. So watch a lot. Let's look at his resume. Lot who was traveling with Abraham had also become very wealthy. He had flocks of sheep, goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. So, so one thing that Lot did that was different to Abraham, Lot operated in tents. Tents were homes then. He was dealing in real estate, had many. tense, but the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. So disputes broke out between herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot at the time the Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land. So finally, so they had gotten so powerful and so wealthy that the land couldn't hold both of them. Like they literally had to say, we too big for this town. We got too much. Now our staffs are fighting. So here's how Abram handled it.

Finally, Abram said to Lot, verse eight, let's not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives. That sounds like a godly response. He says, the whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of land you want and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I'll take the land to the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I'll go to the left. Now watch his deference. This is Abraham, he's the uncle. He's saying to his nephew, Lot, you pick. Let's not beef with each other and our staff beef with each other. Whatever you want, you take it and I'll go the other way. You choose first. That's deference. You would think that if Lot had any respect, he would say to his superior, the elder in his family, nah, uncle, you should go first. That man said, bet. Why? He was never at the altar. He didn't go to church. He wasn't governed by the word or by the word of God or by integrity. He walked by sight, not by faith.

How do I know that? Look at verse 10. When he had an opportunity to pick which way he's going, the Bible says he took a long look, never prayed once, never went to the altar, never sought God. He looked at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zohar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord of the beautiful land of Egypt. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. That gives you a hint. That's where he's trying to live. If you ever heard of Sodom and Gomorrah, that's how spiritually ignorant he is. He don't even know where he's headed. Do you know God, you know you can see something in your flesh and say, that's beautiful. Look at this place. And the Holy Spirit say, nope, don't do that. He don't have that kind of check. He's operating on flesh and on business. So Lot chose for himself, verse 11, the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram. So Abram settled in the land of Canaan. Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom. Everybody say near Sodom. See, you don't have to be in Sodom

to be affected by Sodom. Proximity to evil will get on you. So he settled among the cities of the plain, but check this out, verse 13. The people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinning against the Lord. Now why would he put his family in an environment like this knowing how wicked this place was and these people were all because of business? He only sees business opportunity and compromise will always lead to consequences. I said compromise will always lead to consequences. He's being motivated by the wrong thing. Meanwhile, when he left Abram, because that's what the Bible says, watch what happens next to Abram. Verse 14, it says, after Lot had gone, after Lot had gone, after Lot had gone, when? After Lot had gone. After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, because he can talk to him about something now, look as far as you can see in every direction. North and south, east and west. Go to the next verse. He says, I am giving all this land as far as you can see to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. That's an upgrade from what Joshua got. Joshua could only get what he stepped on. If you can step on it, it's yours.

God told Abram, if you can see it, it's yours. You ain't even gotta move. Just live your, now I'm nearsighted. I can't see far. I would've put my glasses on and said, yeah, I want that too. Like as far as you can see, I got it for you. I'm gonna give you this. But when did he say it to him? After Lot had gone. Verse 16, verse 16, you'll get it in a minute. Verse 16, and I will give you so many descendants that like the dust of the earth, they can't be counted. Go and walk through the land in every direction for I am giving it to you. Everything you can see. And he told him that when? After Lot. After Lot. I don't know who your Lot is. But I'm telling you, there's a blessing that God's trying to get to you that won't come till after Lot is gone. And it's tricky because you feel loyal to Lot. Thought might be a person, it might be a disposition, it might be a stronghold, it might be an addiction, it might be a low self-worth, or low self-worth, I don't know what it is, but it's keeping you from God saying to you now, open up your eyes. There's some things you ain't gonna get till lot's gone.

And you gotta have the courage to say, God, I want what you want for my life more than I want what I've been living with. Come on, come on! Yeah! Mm. Yeah, let lot go. Just look at somebody and say, just let lot go, just let lot go, just let lot go. You know, God will create an environment where it makes sense, you know? This ain't gonna work. You understand? This ain't gonna work. That's what happened between Lot and Abram. It got to a point where it was clear, this can't work. It's too much tension, it's too much fighting. That's how you, y'all ain't getting this. This ain't gonna work. You understand what I'm saying? This ain't gonna work. I know I'm helping somebody here. I'm talking right to your situation. This ain't gonna work. And you gotta stop, watch this. The only way Abram, thank you, Lord. The only way Abram could have stayed with Lot was he had to shrink himself and make himself small enough to deal with Lot so that he can make enough room so me and Lot can stay together

in a place we've both outgrown. But you gotta understand that Lot was here for a season when it made sense for you to be here, but in order for me to go to the next level, we can't go in there together. Y'all, who am I talking, it's just time, it's just time. Let Lot go. You're gonna be better off. So this is what God says. Look at what God, I hope I'm not boring you. So God says, I'm gonna give you everything you can see, and then watch what Lot does in verse 18. Verse 18, so Abram moved his camp to Hebron, settled near the old grove belonging to Mamre, and guess what he did, y'all? He did what he does. I move with God. God is first wherever I go. We gonna do an altar. We gonna have worship. We gonna give our offerings. We gonna spend time in the Word. We gonna practice our spiritual habits. Watch this, watch this. My promotion is not gonna cause an erosion in my walk with God. And I came to preach to somebody today. If your elevation costs you your altar, it ain't worth it. I don't care what they pay you or how much power you got, anything that moves you further away from God.

See, some of y'all are real cute now because you got a little power, and you got a little authority, and you're making a little money, but if it took you away from God, it ain't worth it. It's a trap, and the devil is a liar. You can have this whole world, but give me Jesus. I said, you can have this whole world, but give me Jesus, because I want the blessing of the Lord, because the blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he has no sorrow with it. And if you allowed your promotion to erode your relationship with God, you better fix that fast. Amen. Yes, sir. Two, three. Amen. Amen. Abram got the same rhythm. Come on. I don't care where I am. I'm a GS 27, still having my quiet time. Come on. Yes, sir. If you too busy for time with God, you done got the wrong promotion. Because watch this, all success ain't good success. That's right. Now you got a lot, but you're broke.

Sound like a lot, don't it? You know you can have a lot and still be broke. What is it proper to man to gain the whole world? Let me keep going. So now, so watch the difference in their life. There's only two differences in their life. They are equals when it comes to finances. They have wealth, they're both successful. They got so much that they got services. Their staff mad at each other. The only difference is, Abraham consistently has spiritual habits, and Lot has none. But watch this, when he got exposed was when he was no longer rolling with Abram. Sometimes you just, watch this, your carnality is camouflaged under the covering of somebody who's really walking with God. So watch what happens next. I told y'all he moved near Sodom. Where did he move? Near Sodom. Well, when we get to chapter 14, he moved into Sodom. Now how do we know he moved into Sodom? Because some raiders, some intruders or invaders came into Sodom and Gomorrah and took over the whole people, the thing made all of them prisoners of war

and took all their stuff. And verse 12 says they got Lot too. They got Lot, took his stuff, carried everything off, now he's a prisoner of war. How is he a prisoner of war when they came to invade Sodom? Because he moved from being near Sodom, that man went to the house hunters of Sodom and Gomorrah and got him a real estate. and bought him a house in Sodom. Now, it's one thing to be living somewhere that's evil and you ain't had no choice. It's a whole different ball game when you choose to live in some evil. So now, he's a prisoner of war because he's living in a place, he never asked God if he's supposed to be in there. How in the world do you just make moves without checking with God? I'm 60 years old and I promise you, we ask not only God, but our pastors should we move in places. I tell you, these people different now. They have pastors who are basically preachers. Y'all don't want no pastor. You don't want no authority in your life. You do whatever you wanna do. You're like the baby, I do what I want. I go where I want.

I think that's what he said. Is that the baby? I don't know. She said, why do you know that? Because I heard it coming out your radio. That's my family right there. So this is serious. Because these decisions are gonna catch up with him. So here's he, he didn't lost everything because he's carnal. Here's the miracle y'all. God loved this man so much. Word got to Abram. Woo, y'all should read the Bible. It's really a beautiful, because if you read the Bible, you're like, I know where this is going. I know where this is going. I know where we're going next. But you just have to wait. So that's okay though. Because what's gonna happen is you're gonna have a greater hunger for what you're gonna get to. So Genesis chapter 14, Abram heard what happened to his nephew. And the man had, Abram had 318 servants who lived in his house. Now you try to figure out the size of that house. He had 318 servants. Not fighters, servants.

He turned them into army. He says, we got one mission. We're going to save Sodom and Gomorrah. We're gonna take on all them kings that took over them. He defeated all the kings, got everybody back and their stuff back. So now Lot got all his stuff back. What a miracle. You're talking about the God of a second chance. That's a miracle right there. See, I need to preach some real people because this is all I got left. This is my last service. I've been waiting on some real people all day to show up for church. I just want to ask you, have you ever cut up so bad that it cost you something? It may be a relationship. Maybe a promotion. Maybe an opportunity. Maybe it cost you a job. Maybe it cost you something in your life. I'm talking to the people who know you did wrong and messed up. And then God in his goodness gave you another chance. And he gave you something else. And he rebuilt something in your life. And he restored something in your life. Ain't that good right there? And isn't it true that when that happens in your life,

don't you think to yourself, you know what? Since God gave me another chance, one thing I'm not going to do is end up back in, how many of you say, I ain't going back there? I will not do, I am not going back to that. So you know Lot about to build an altar. Lot's about to be a deacon in Abram's church, one of his campuses. Lot's going to build an altar. He's going to get it right. He's going to get out of Sodom. None of that happened. He built an enterprise. And he actually not only went back to Sodom, chapter 19, verse one says, he was a political leader in Sodom. Most scholars believe that the reason why he was seated at the gate, when God sends angels to warn him that the city's about to be destroyed, was because he was a political authority. And that man went back to Sodom and ran for office. How? How? This behavior costs you everything. God sends angels to get Lot out of there. You know Lot was special if God says, get him out of there. I haven't said this all day. Let me tell you what happened. God told Abram, I'm going to destroy Sodom, Angelmore, I'm going to destroy him.

And Abram said, oh God, because he knew Lot was there. Woo, I wish I was there. He said, hold up, God, what if 50, what if we got 50, you know what I'm saying? What if we got 50 righteous people, would you do it? He said, nope. If we got 50, we wouldn't do it. He said, he thought about it, because he knew how wild Sodom was. He knew how wild life was. What if it's 45? What if we got 45? He said, I'll let them slide 45. You let the whole city slide 45? Yeah, 45. Well, Lord, if we don't have 40, what if it's 40 righteous people there? He took that thing all the way down to like five or 10 people. And God said, if I can find five, 10 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, I'll save the city. God couldn't find five to 10 righteous people in the whole city. So this is what he did. He said, I'm going to destroy the whole city, but I'm going in there to get a lot. Chapter 19. Boy, you should read the Bible. It's better than anything on TV. God goes in there sends the angels say go get light out of there. I'm burning this thing down

They are that bad He goes the angels show up lots at the gate because he and you got authority He sees the angels now this tells you something about his spiritual. He has a spiritual life Because he recognizes something that the other men in the city don't recognize he can tell that they are God beings These are these are these are angelic beings the other men in the city thought it was just some fresh Brethren that came through so they wanted to have sex with him Lot bow before them knew that they were divine He's different You can be different but like the people you're around because you don't have any habits that distinguish you. Ah Ah Does anybody know what it's like to be really safe, but be really carnal at the same time so nobody can really tell But you know in your spirit, you know better So he's He's in he says the angels y'all come come to my house. He wanted to hurry up and get them in there So no, no, no We here to get you out of here and your family because God's gonna burn this whole place down And he says no no come to my house for tonight He says come to my house tonight spend a night then leave in the morning Cuz he doesn't want to leave and he doesn't want them to see how wicked this place is that y'all get off these streets man Please come to my house and he's hoping that they're getting in a night because you know, the freaks come out at night In the morning they can be gone so I can stay cuz watch this even though it's terrible here. I'm married to the money I'm married to the opportunity. So so they said no So they good they go before they go to sleep verse 4 give me verse 4 cuz y'all don't think I'm making this out Before they laid down the men of the city of Sodom and both old and young all the people from every quarter Surrounded the house. I know lots like oh, no, they didn't come to my house and they say in verse 5 I'm gonna read this here. They say verse they caught a lot and said where the men who came to you tonight Bring them out here so that we may know them carnally That's I like new King James cuz it saved me in case there's some kids in here We want to know them carnally. You understand what they saying? Where the men at?

Gangster these are angels Lot watch a lot does y'all mister? No altar. No worship. No seeking God He walks out the door y'all shuts the door behind them verse 6 He says to the man watch what he calls him brethren What fellowship does light have with darkness? How can you call evil your brother? That's how that's how immersed in this messy is he said don't do so wickedly. That's what they are Guess what his option was he says I got verse 8. He says I got two daughters their virgins I'll bring them out here y'all can do whatever you want to Now you think that's impossible you'd be surprised how Wicked you can operate when you have no spiritual habits He's willing to sacrifice his own children to stay in a place he should have never been in The men refused that offer. They say we want the men in your house. They press up against his house press him up against the door They're basically banging on the door trying to get these two men out the house the angels reach out This is true read about they reach out snatch a lot in the house Shut the door and at the same time they blinded every man every man was struck with blindness outside the house now I'm thinking if I'm in that group and my behavior caused me to go blind. I mean, oh man We need to stop this man. We need to hey, let's go to Abrams Church Sunday. I'm done with this man These dudes were so wild that while blind all they was trying to do was still find the door You know, you are buckwild when your sin has caused you to lose your sight and you still trying to find the sin and When and when the angels saw that they said that's it. This is going down. We're burning it He said get your family out here. You got any more family members? He says I got two more daughters they're married they got husbands he goes They said go get him tell him they got to get out of here. They're gonna die. He goes to his two sons-in-law He tells them around verse 14 chapter 19. You check it He says we got to get out here. This city's gonna be burned down. The Bible says they thought he was joking You know why because they're not used to him talking spiritual We heard you talk business but not Bible You don't even go to church See it gets you when it gets you

So you want to be carnal all the time then when trouble comes now you won't be spiritual it get you when it gets you You understand what I'm saying? So now they all died his two oldest daughters and their husband died because they didn't get out The city's on fire They drew they drag him basically had to drag him his two daughters who he was about to give away and his wife out of The house they're leaving the city and the angel said to them do not look back Do y'all know this story they say do not look back they told lot where to go This is where God tells you to go. This joker said nah, I want to go here. How you even have an option at this point? They said okay go there just compromise after compromise after compromise Meanwhile, his wife is running behind him I'm how in the world is you behind him if he cares? She's got freedom in front of her, but her feelings are behind her Cuz he took her there Who you marry matters and Who he's following matters. I know he's fine, but who is he following? Because he might make you fall in love with something that's gonna kill you So now it's time for them to go but she still likes it where they were She oh, it is so good. She turns back turns his pillow saw she lose her life, but she's behind him. What kind of man? While the house is on fire and the city's on fire ain't gonna make sure his daughters and his wife get out first This Bama left her. I Get mad when I read his story Wife dead He said and ends up in a cave in Genesis 19 with his two daughters I Ain't gonna even say what happened after that. You just read it Just raunchy And watch this nations were born out of it It's generational consequences connected to him to his stuff Watch this they started equal At the same blessing you can have all this you can have all this one I'm had the only difference between them two

I'm gonna prove it to you. The only difference between Abram and lot was their habits. It wasn't even their relationship with God This is gonna shock you Second Peter chapter 2 Peter tells this story and he gives us further insight into who lot was go to verse 6 and I'm gonna be done First 2nd Peter chapter 2 verse 6 is later God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people verse 7 But God also rescued lot out of Sodom Why because he was a righteous man What Lot was a righteous man Who was sick of the shame shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. I know y'all believe it go to verse 8 Yes, lot was a righteous man. I know you didn't believe it. That's that's in the Bible because Peter knew you weren't gonna lead it He was tormented in soul by the wickedness. He saw in her day by day you say how How could he have been righteous? I had somebody in between services pastor. Please break that down to me. I said, that's the Bible The Bible says he's a righteous man, it's because we're we're we're we're missing up behavior from belief What made a lot of righteous man? That's his spiritual position His condition is sinful. His position is righteous Righteousness is a spiritual position that's made possible by the gift of God through Jesus Christ How do I know that he who knew no sin? Jesus became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him We are made righteous by God even when we don't behave righteous for God bars Your righteousness is not based on behavior. If it was you can behave yourself right in the heaven without Jesus It's the blood that makes you righteous without the shedding of blood. There is no remission of sins Don't you ever think you live holy enough to be righteous what you watch this godliness is based on behavior and habits Righteousness is based on what Jesus did that's why all of us should thank God for the blood Because you may not be as well as lot was but every single one of us is well enough to need the blood and somebody Need to thank God. I may not be like lot but I needed a blood for my nasty

contagious evil Sinful who knows I'm telling the truth Right here. Don't you look down your nose because you've been made right. That's why you got to be careful. We say about people Because you can't judge who's righteous and who's not just based on how they're acting now his habits took his life down But his relationship with God put him in position right? Otherwise God wouldn't have came and got him He said I'm only going in there to get the righteous None, but the righteous shall see God you'd be surprised who right be righteous because it's a matter of belief Your behavior has consequences. Trust me. His life was a mess, but his position was righteous He's exhibiting he you know But here's the difference and the difference was it's because he was more interested in stuff than he was in Relationship with God he reminds me of the prodigal son really the prodigal son everybody stand up because I've been standing So you should the prodigal son the prodigal son You know the Bible says he's man had two sons and one of his sons went to him say I want my stuff and He took his money and he went to a far country The problem is he got the bag, but he left the father And some of you are trying to get the bag in your life without the father and it's gonna catch up with you I Since lot kept the bag, but he left his covering And and you don't have to leave the father to get the bag. It is the father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom The blessing of the Lord makes rich and he has no sorrow with it. God can give you a lot without losing him Lot just wanted the stuff Abram was cool with the stuff as long as it didn't cost him the Lord Do you see the difference So I got two invitations, that's why I ask you to stand y'all leave it. All right, then I'll see y'all Drive safely and everything I got two invitations The first one is I want to invite you to receive the righteousness of God the same righteousness available to lot

to all of us God made his righteousness available to us. He righteousness is a gift It's a gift from God If you want that in your life you want to be made righteous by God Spiritual your spiritual condition your spiritual position change forever. I Invite you to come up to the front to say I want that in my life and I'm gonna tell you I'm not gonna wait all day I Ain't giving you four options and then five and then count down to ten and all that We ain't going through all that because I'm not gonna beg you to do something that Jesus bled to death To make possible for you. You ain't that important you it should be something you run to. Thank you. You didn't even wait Amen, I want that in my life. Amen We don't have time for that Coming to you coming because you must receive it Amen, I'm going out to everything. I need amen. You had to tell me twice on my need This ain't something that's optional I need the Lord I need his righteousness If you online raise your hand in the chat Now the second thing I'm gonna tell you the second group I'm gonna invite to the altar Because this is just as important If some of you know, I was talking to you God was talking to you through me and he was saying to you it's time for you to start your spiritual habits Your spiritual habits are not strong at all You don't have an altar. You don't have you don't spend time in the word. This is the only word you get if you come You got to make the word a priority you got to have habits in your life because the habits matter That's why God is with you. God is with some of y'all in leadership Some of y'all in leadership over kids and I want to say this to y'all It's a tragedy that all you have to offer them is your life experience You have no biblical truth to impart to them because you don't you don't spend time in the word and it matters Because the word God watches God's words are life and they are truth They are truth and they are life and you have no life to give them Because you keep telling them old stories of old school stuff

You better get your life right with God so that you can beat you can give life You can only give life when you got it. And so you need to start spiritual habits Or you need to restart them if that's you you come up and do it publicly why I got to do it publicly one word accountability I'm making myself accountable to the family of God. I need this y'all step up look I need this in my life Why because your prayers gonna keep you in your seat. I promise you, if you stay where you are physically, you're going to stay where you are spiritually. Because God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. What makes you think, don't nobody even care about, you think people, what they gonna think about me? That's your problem. Pride is a prison. Pride is a prison, and it will keep you in spiritual inertia. Because he only gives grace to the humble. He only gives help to the humble. I don't want to be, I don't want resistance from God. I got enough resistance in my life. I don't need God to be against me. Let me tell you who he's against. He's against proud people. God is against pride. Amen.