Spiritual detours do not just happen overnight. Spiritual detours don't often take you by surprise. Dr. Michael Youssef, with words to help you avoid the growing number of spiritual detours in life. Thank you for taking time to listen to Leading the Way. C.S.
Lewis said it best. Listen carefully. He said the safest road to hell is the gradual one, the gentle slope, the soft underfoot, without sudden turning, without milestones, and without signposts. This is Leading the Way with pastor and international evangelist, Dr. Michael Youssef, defeating the enemies of success. That's the title of his current series, revealing the tricks that Satan uses to try to stall you in your spiritual growth and development.
And up next, Dr. Youssef guides you into Genesis 13, looking at the small steps made by Lot during his life, leading to his big fall into destruction. Please do remember that Leading the Way is listener supported, made possible when you stand with Dr. Youssef in the Open Door Campaign. Learn more. Go to our website, ltw.org, or give us a call. A ministry representative would love to talk to you.
Call 866-626-4356. Listen now, as Dr. Youssef sets the stage in this encouraging episode. If you have heard me speak for any length of time, you would have somehow, sometime heard me talk about my poor sense of direction. And that's why wherever I go anywhere, one of my able colleagues give me, you know, piece of paper with clear direction, you know. On the third traffic light, you turn right, and then on the second stop sign, you go left, and they give me absolutely clear direction so I don't mess up. And that is why when I'm driving with these little directions in my hand, I dread a sign that says Detour. You're trying to follow the detour with no sign, and it has really become frustrating. But the problem with spiritual detours is that in most cases, there are no signs.
Before you know it, you're on a detour, and you're off the tracks, and you never realize you got there. Now those of us who have been on a spiritual detour understand the pain and the agony that is associated with finding yourself way, way, way away from your destination. About a year or so after I was saved and received Christ as my savior of my life, the devil succeeded in tempting me, and I'm saying tempting me.
He did not make me. He tempt me to get away into a dangerous spiritual detour. I remember clearly wondering in that maze for 18 months, perhaps the most painful 18 months of my Christian walk. In my case, I listened to the lie of the devil and ended up on a detour.
This is how it happened. Not long after I became saved, my mother died at the age of 52. I was almost 17 years old and a brand new Christian, maybe walking with the Lord several months. And for a while, I was comforted. I was encouraged because I was in company of mature believers, godly men who would minister to me.
And that gave me a great deal of comfort and understanding and peace in my heart. But then I did what many Christians do. That is, I got away from Christian fellowship. I wandered away from accountability and from being in communion with a group of men who were watching over me and ministering to me. And let me warn you, from painful experience, whenever you get away from Christian fellowship, Satan is going to try to have his way with you. And he longs to get you away from the warmth of fellowship in order to die down your passion for Christ. In my case, he began to whisper in my ear, how can the loving God take away your mother at such early age? And I fell for it. I fell for it.
You know what the insidious part about those 18 months? I never stopped going to church. I kept going to church. My body was going to the church, but my heart was filled with a cold love for the Lord. I was backsliding right in the church pew. Right in the church pew. You may be here today and you are on a detour. Secretly, privately, on a detour.
No one but you know about it. And God, of course. You may have numbed your conscience. You may have rationalized your detour. I pray that God will speak afresh to you today. We have been looking at the three deadly enemies of success God's way. And in the last message, we saw the first enemy, which is discouragement.
And today we're going to see the second enemy, which is a detour. One of the saddest examples of spiritual detours in the Bible is a man by the name of Lot. In fact, the Bible gives us exactly step by step of how he got off on a detour. But before I tell you about Lot, let me tell you that the most important thing you need to remember, if you don't already know it, is that spiritual detours don't happen suddenly. Spiritual detours do not just happen overnight. Spiritual detours don't often take you by surprise.
It may, but don't often take you by surprise. In my case, it was baby steps. And like swimming in the shallow end and then slowly but surely my body was going to the church, but my heart and my life was far away from the Lord. And for 18 months I was in the deep waters until I wake up one day crying to the Lord.
C.S. Lewis said it best. Listen carefully. He said, the safest road to hell is the gradual one, the gentle slope, the soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, and without signposts. And this was true in the life of Lot. He started with the gentle slope and ended up in the cesspool of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Question. How can a believer like Lot end up in the bosom of Sodom? The Bible gives us the B footage, the background footage to show us what happened, how it happened, how he ended up this way. The most important thing that you must never forget is that a little bit of sin does not stay as a little bit of sin. A little bit of sin is going to grow into being a big sin. Lot was a man who began with a little bit of sin and ended up in a cesspool of sin. Lot's sin started secretly in his heart, then it affected his whole family.
Now let me tell you about Lot and the steps that led him away from the highway of Deloitte. In fact, Lot is really an example of a Christian who has one foot with God and one foot in the world. A Christian who uses the Christian lingo to rationalize sin and disobedience. A Christian who puts a spin on a crooked business deal. A Christian who privately is intoxicated with feeding their secret passions and yet try to do some public charity.
And get mixed up with the faithful who are serving God in that way. First let me tell you about Lot. He was Abraham's nephew like I told you. And he was with Abraham the whole time. He left the Ur of Chaldeas with Abraham. Abraham went to Egypt, he went with him. Abraham went to Canaan, he went with him.
In today's language we would say that he was discipled by Abraham, Uncle Abraham. Lot saw God's faithfulness to his uncle, Abraham. Lot watched how his uncle's deep faith and trust in God that even though the promise took 25 years to fulfill how God kept his word. Lot saw how God blessed his uncle's faithfulness and integrity. He saw how his uncle Abraham occasionally failed and repented and turned to the Lord. But above all he saw how his uncle experienced success God's way. One time they had a fight and Lot wanted the best part of the land. His uncle said that's all right.
Take what the best you want, take all that you want, I'll take the left over. And he did. He lost it all but God blessed the last that Abraham got. He saw all that. So I want you now to turn to Genesis 13. Verse 10, Lot looked towards Sodom. He just looked. Be careful, as the song said, be careful with that look. Now the Hebrew word here for look does not mean the casual glance. It does not mean the accidental look. It does not mean the inevitable look. That's not what it means. It means looking longingly. It means looking with discontentment of where you are. It means looking and wondering if there is not a good deal to be made.
There over there at Sodom. Never mind if it's a shady deal. Never mind if it gets you in bed with some evil people. Never mind if that look were going to lead you to a terrible condition.
Never mind if it's going to lead you to destruction from all that is good and true and wholesome and godly. He probably said to himself, like all Christians who get on a detour, a look just won't hurt. A look is not like participating. A look is not a sin, is it? Beloved, here's the problem about this look, this longing look from whatever you are, from whatever circumstances God has placed you.
That longing look, it does not stay just as a look unless you squelch it right away at the outset. Why? Because the next step most assuredly is very imminent and you're going to find it in verse 12. Only two verses go down two verses.
That might be a long time. We don't know how many years or how many days, how many weeks between verses 10 and verse 12. Verse 12, you get to the second step and he says he got closer to Sodom. In verse 10 it says he just looked longingly. And in verse 12, two verses down, he pitched his tent at the outskirts of Sodom. And if you've asked him, Lot, my buddy, where are the outskirts?
Won't he just go in? He probably sanctimoniously would have said to Michael, Sodom is a wicked city. Sodom is an evil city. Sodom is no place to bring up my family. Sodom is a place I just go to and do business and get out. Sodom is not a place for a good man like me. Beloved, the reason I know this is because those awful 18 months of my detour all began with a look.
Before long I was at the outskirts of Sodom. It's amazing, amazing to me how capable we are of rationalizing. We really are. And the worst part is when we start rationalizing it to ourselves. Here's the problem. When Lot pitched his tent towards Sodom, he was 99% of the way inside Sodom.
He really was. Beloved, let me warn you about spiritual detours. Wherever your detour might be, and let me assure you, there are probably as many detours as there are people here. My detours are different from yours, different from the one sitting next to you.
Because whatever the detours that detract you that is very different from another person, nonetheless they will get you out and away from the highway of God. Whether it is that business deal that stinks to high heaven. Whether it is that website that you keep going back to. Whether it is that sinful sexual encounter that you are flirting with and thinking that you'll be okay. Whether it is that addiction over which you're blaming everybody else.
Whether it is ungodly friendship that is dragging you down. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are just looking or you're just at the outskirts. You're at the border. No.
No. The only thing you need to do wherever you are is do what Joseph did. Put on your running shoes and run. Because success God's way is going to come your way if you stay away from detours. But success God's way will not come your way if you stay at the outskirts of Sodom. Why?
Because the third step is inevitable. Chapter 14 verse 12. There you find Lot at the very heart of Sodom.
Right in there. In the middle of it. Now the Bible does not tell us exact moment in which he moved into Sodom.
He probably was at the outskirts for a long time. The Bible does not tell us when the movers came and took the furniture and moved the family right in Sodom. The Bible does not tell us any of that. The Bible in fact does not tell us about the real estate bargain that he could not resist in Sodom. The Bible just said he was inside Sodom. Then comes the fourth step.
The fourth. He became part and parcel of Sodom culture. He became part and parcel of the Sodomites society. In fact I can't even get to tell you the dreadful things that he did to his family. Look at Genesis 19. It says he was sitting at the gateway of the city of Sodom.
He became a member of the city council. He became so mixed up with Sodom that people could not distinguish between him and all of the evil people who are living there. And all the evil things that are going on there.
Please hear me right on this one. Reaching people for Christ. And sharing their lifestyle to different planets. I'm sure some of those false teachers and preachers that I have heard through the years said isn't that great.
Isn't that wonderful. Lot has become part and parcel of Sodom. Now he can have influence on that godless culture. Lot has become relevant to his culture. Lot no doubt would become a witness to that evil society. He has become a missionary to a corrupt culture. I have no doubt in my mind God calls his servants to witness to people who might be evil or situations and places that are wicked places.
No doubt. But God does not call us to participate in their sin. God does not call us to approve of their sin so that we can reach them for Christ.
God does not call us to accept their sin or rationalize their sin. Hear me right please. I don't know how long those four steps have taken to be achieved. But that's really not the issue. It doesn't matter if it's days or months or years.
Really that's not the issue. The question is what step are you in right now? Where are you?
Where are you? And whatever place you are, you can run now. Never too late. Are you at the first step of looking longingly? Stop. Run back to the Lord. Are you in the second step of flirting with sin and thinking that's not going to hurt you? Run back to the Lord. Are you inside Sodom? Get out while they're getting out is good.
Here's the problem with Lot's detour. Sodom was inside of him before he was inside of Sodom. And you need to destroy that Sodom that's inside of you by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Before it destroys you. Listen, I've heard enough rationalizing among Christians. I've heard enough rationalizing of sin.
Especially those who find themselves inside Sodom. And that's why I'm saying don't rationalize. The bottom line is there is no discussion. There's no debate. There's no rationalizing.
There's no argument. Get out. Get out.
Run before your bitter tears will drown you. I'm sure someone said, well, you know, look at the Apostle Paul. He said, I became all things to all men. So I'm going to win people to Christ.
Listen to me. Paul did not become an adulterer so that he may reach adulterers. He did not rationalize immorality and said that's all right.
They just can't help it so he can reach him for Christ. That is not what being all things to all men means. Paul never blessed immorality or become part of it. Paul did not become a gambler so he can reach the gamblers. He did not become a thief so he can reach a thief.
No. That's rationalizing of sin. What Paul is saying is that I have sacrificed everything for the sake of the gospel. In Lot's case, God intervened and he yanked him and his family.
Well, most of them anyway. His wife turned into a pill of salt because she looked back. That longing look could not stop and lost her life. But God had to yank them out.
Why? Because Uncle Abraham was standing there on the mountain interceding for them. Praying for them. And wherever you are, somebody's praying for you.
Somebody's interceding for you. I know that in my case it was my sister's intercession before God that woke me up. Believers, if you are not winning Sodom, chances are Sodom is winning you.
If you are not possessing your possessions, chances are your possessions are possessing you. Do you want to experience success God's way? Get out of your spiritual detour and God is going to do the rest. We have a marvelous God, a wonderful God, a faithful God.
You get out and he will do the rest. Father God, you know the secret of every heart, you know every thought before we think them. You know our motives, you know exactly where everyone is. And therefore I am confident in the work of your Holy Spirit. Because he and he alone can do his work in every life. But I plead with you Lord. Don't let anyone who's listening to me would allow those words to serve as witness against them in that great day. For Father, I love and trust your mercy.
In Jesus' name. Thank you for making time today to listen to Leading the Way with pastor and Bible teacher Dr. Michael Youssef. We know there are many things that demand your time and we really appreciate your making space for Leading the Way.
Now maybe today's message has touched your heart. Well you can speak with Leading the Way's pastoral or counseling staff today. They're ready to guide you closer to Jesus.
Begin your conversation at ltw.org slash jesus. What would Jesus say to the church today? As darkness rises and faith is tested, his words to the seven churches in Revelation echo through time, calling us back to him.
Earthly dictators and rulers may want to persecute the church. But don't ever ever ever forget that Jesus is the King of all kings. He and he alone is the holder of the title deeds of the universe, that he and he alone has a name that's above every name. In his new book, God's Final Call, Dr. Michael Youssef unveils the urgent message of Revelation, a call to reclaim our first love. Learn how to stand firm for Christ against opposition, compromise and cultural pressure. With God's Final Call, discover how to confidently walk through the open doors God places before you. Get your copy of God's Final Call for your gift of any amount today. Speak personally with a ministry representative when you order your copy of God's Final Call today. The number 866-626-4356. The ministry representative will be so happy to efficiently process your order and get your copy on the way. 866-626-4356. And the website, ltw.org. ltw.org. And we love getting your postcards and your letters as well. Write to us at Leading the Way, Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia, 30325.
That's Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia, 30325. Well, that's it for this episode. Do make it a point to join Dr. Michael Youssef right here next time when he passionately proclaims uncompromising truth on Leading the Way. This program is brought to you by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org or through your favorite social media platform, including YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, and more.
