Bad Environment

Lot, Abraham's nephew chose to live in a place with a bad environment. Not that it's rivers were polluted or didn't have clean air. It simply was infested with people with evil character.

When Lot was asked to choose where he wanted to live and raise his family and build his growing sheep and camel business, he choose what was good for his animals, not what was good for his family.

Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar.

Genesis 13:10

While the animals would enjoy good food and water, his family would suffer by living among the people of Sodom - a people bent on sexual perversion. Although Lot was righteous, his family would be stung by the immoral lifestyle and values of the city. Even Lot himself was infected with perverted thinking. When two angels from God came to investigate the city, all the men of the city came knocking on Lot's door to rape the men. Lot tried to negotiate with them and offered this compromise:

"No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."

Genesis 19:7-8

What was he thinking? Lot had become so infected with the warped values of the Sodomites that he offered the townsmen to have his virgin daughters and rape them instead of his two guests (the angels). Luckily for Lot and his virgin daughters, the angels intervened and everyone escaped intact. The angels led the family out of Sodom before the Lord began hailing fire and brimstone on the city.

Lot's wife died while fleeing the city for looking back (longing for the city she was leaving). His daughters were also infected with the warped values of Sodom. They got their dad drunk and had sex with him in order to get pregnant. Our environment (friendships and influences) matter. We better be choosing environments that help our spirit, and not just our wallets.

A note to parents. As parents, we are responsible for helping create a positive and healthy environment for our kids at home and know what types of environment they are in at school, the park, a friends house or wherever. Like Abraham, God calls all parents to train their kids in His ways:

For I have chosen him [Abraham], so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just...

Genesis 18:19

Angry?

If you are an angry person - getting angry easily or staying angry once you're there, then watch out. Sin is right at your doorstep.

Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Genesis 4:4-8

Cain got angry, and worse, he stayed angry. His anger led him to to take it out on his brother Abel, who hadn't done anything to him. God had warned Cain "sin is crouching at your door" - in other words "you are very close to sinning." Cain should have repented from his attitudes and actions that displeased God (not bringing the type of offering God had requested). He wanted to serve God his way and expected God to accept him. But God demands that we worship Him HIS WAY.

Yet instead of repenting, Cain let his anger get the better of his mind and heart. He blamed his brother for his poor relationship with God or envied him for having a better relationship with God. Either way Cain lashed out at Abel and killed him.

Unchecked anger twists our mind and leads to destructive and sinful actions. Which is why the Bible tells us that 26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. (Eph. 4:26-27) When we stay angry and don't deal with it quickly we allow the devil a beachhead within our hearts from which to launch attacks and get us to sin against God and others.