Genesis 12:13-17 “Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.”

Genesis 13:1 “And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.”

Genesis 13:10-13 “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.”

Text Romans 14:6 “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”

While it is something that we seldom think about, every one of us has an influence. Every time our life comes into contact with another person, we influence them for good or for evil. This truth can be seen in the life of Abraham in Genesis 12&13. When he disobediently relocated in Egypt, Abraham’s sin would adversely influence the lives all those around him. Abraham would encourage Sarai to lie, “Say . . . thou art my sister” (vs.13). If Abraham was to deceive the Egyptians, Sarai must stoop to be part of the deception. His deception would encourage the Egyptians to lust, “and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house” (vs.15). Unaware that she was someone’s wife, the Egyptians sought to satisfy their physical appetites; an appetite they may have set aside if they had known Sarai was Abraham’s wife. Caught in his sin, Abraham was forced to return to Canaan with Sarai and Lot, his nephew. Because of the magnitude of their company, Abraham and Lot were forced to separate. Abraham’s sin in Egypt would have an influence on the longings of Lot, “And Lot . . . beheld all the plain of Jordan . . . like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar” (Genesis 13:10). Lot picked up an appetite for the world in Egypt that he never got over. Abraham’s influence had corrupted the heart of Sarai, the habits of the Egyptians, and the habitation of Lot! Like Abraham, you too, have an influence! Will others be helped or hurt by knowing you?