LOT VEXED HIS RIGHTEOUS SOUL
“And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.)” II Peter 2:7, 8
This testimony concerning Lot reveals the potentially negative influence of the sinful world on the child of God. Every true Christian who has worked in a typical secular environment can relate to the challenge it can present. We know that secular employment is part of God’s plan for the majority of us. It is the means whereby the needs of the family can be met; we gain the ability to support the Lord’s work by tithes and offerings; and we are able to give to the needs of others as well. Another purpose we find in the work place is the opportunities it provides for witnessing and sharing our faith in Christ. These are all positive and productive benefits of our job.
Although it really is a ministry, it can have a negative effect on the spiritual life. The Bible says that Lot was “just” and a “righteous man.” Lot was a believer, one of God’s children. As we know, he lived in a notoriously wicked environment, Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible says that “his righteous soul” was vexed “from day to day.” The filthy lifestyle of his neighbors, the language he heard, the things he saw, took its toll on the spiritual health of Lot.
The same can happen to believers today. As our world increases in its ungodliness, the language becomes more wicked and blasphemous, styles of dress are more revealing, and the respect for God and Christians declines. In this environment, we find excellent opportunities to stand for Christ, but the potential is also there for spiritual problems to arise. In such a setting, will Christians influence those without Christ or will the unsaved have a damaging impact on the believers?
How can we keep our souls from being vexed in the wicked world where we reside? We must learn to daily feed on God’s Word and receive strength from Him. We should also see ourselves as missionaries in a hostile environment. Remain faithful in church attendance, including the very important mid-week service. We must keep our minds and hearts pure, confessing our sins daily to Christ, and learning to walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. With God as our helper, we can have victory in this world.