Make your life an open book. Establish a system of values against which all of life is judged. Walk with God; maintain your integrity at work and at home, and you will make the right choice every time. Lot failed to do this, and it cost him dearly. ‘Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law…and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking’ (v. 14 NKJV).

When you lose your integrity, you lose your credibility. If you’re a parent, guard your children physically when they’re young, and emotionally as they mature. Teach them to respect others and get to know the people they’re dating. Be sure to check what they and you watch on TV and do on the internet.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be fun to be around. Show your lighter side. Don’t be so preoccupied with work or church that you’re a prude or a bore. ‘A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance’ (Proverbs 15:13 KJV). The point is, if you ‘talk the talk’, be sure you ‘walk the walk’.

When Lot tried to warn his family, they ‘looked at him as though he had lost his senses’ (Genesis 19:14 TLB). Was he too busy making a living to teach them what mattered most in life? Did he say one thing and do another? We don’t know. But any way you cut it, his loss was tragic. The truth is that your integrity, or the lack of it, will have consequences not only in your own life but also in the lives of your loved ones.