What Veils Your Decision Making?

The name Lot in Hebrew means “covering, veil”.

Lack of vision can be a veil.

Shortsightedness or better still, lack of foresight can be a veil.

Discomfort can be a veil.

Lack of desire can be a veil.

What else? What are those things that when you think about them, you immediately perceive their influence or lack thereof over your decision making?

Poverty?

Riches?

Lack of people skills?

What is it that when you think about, you immediately become hesitant to place one foot in front of the other.

When Lot refused to go to the mountains and preferred the comfort of a small place, even though his family was with him, I perceive beyond discomfort. I see selfishness.

Selfishness is the underlying factor for most decisions of convenience that eventually lead to failure (s) and destruction (s).

Genesis 19:17-20 (NLT)

When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

“Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged.  “You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die.  See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.”

Emphasis Mine

Notice how the angel was concerned about the safety of the entire family but Lot was concerned about himself and no one else. Which eventually was a costly decision for him and His family.

Separate yourself from selfishness. Like we have seen, it is a veil. It will cover your view from seeing even what will benefit you as a person. You may think you are trying to isolate yourself and satisfy “you” when you undermine the presence of others. But because you are so blinded, you end up making decisions that will eventually hurt you, just because of selfishness.

Every Decision Made Is Significant

We are talking about Destiny Defining Decisions; how it affects us and the people associated with us. Amen!

When the angels finally decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, this is what happened

Genesis 19:15-17 (NLT)

At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!” When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful. When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

The angels insisted that they live Sodom and Gomorrah before the destruction and specifically told them to escape to the mountains. But listen to what Lot said;

Genesis 19:18-20 (NIV)

But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please!  Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die.  Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”

 The goal of the angels was not to destroy Lot and his family. That is why they asked him to flee to the mountains before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, Lot insisted on fleeing to a small place (Zoar). Which he did and this decision which in his opinion was a “small” decision eventually became costly to him and his family.

When we introduced this study of Destiny Defining Decisions, we stated that there is no insignificant decision. Neither are there small nor big decisions. Many wheels turn when “a” decision is made, regardless of how significant, insignificant, big or small the decision is. The outcome of a decision is what determines whether or not in your opinion the decision was big, small, significant or insignificant.

On that note, I want to re-emphasize that, every decision made is significant. When advised to go to the mountains, Lot preferred the “small place (Zoar)” over the “mountains”.

Here’s our point;

-personal comfort will cause us to settle for mediocrity over excellence (Zoar over the mountains). This was the same for Elimelech, who, for the sake of food, he left Judah and settled in Moab.

-lack of foresight and vision will cause us to shortchange ourselves by not seeing beyond our immediate needs. The mountain was too high to climb at that time but Zoar was close enough to settle in. Same with Elimelech, not knowing how long the famine will last, instead of waiting for the season to pass, he preferred going to Moab with his family.

-our inability to implement instructions as received and implement them immediately will cost us. The instruction given to Lot was clear enough “flee to the mountains” – he negotiated, in order words, he disobeyed.