Message: “Who is Writing Your Story?” from Levi Matteson

Pastor Levi Matteson talks about how the most dangerous compromises don’t make you blatantly wicked, rather they make you quietly dependent, including:
1 REVIEW: SODOM-ADJACENT (THE SLOW DRIFT) (Genesis 13:10–13; 14:12),
2 WHEN YOU LIVE IN A PLACE, YOU START TO LIVE OFF IT (Genesis 14:11–12),
3 GRACE DOESN’T NEGOTIATE WITH YOUR CAPTIVITY—IT GOES AFTER YOU (Genesis 14:13–16),
4 THE REAL BATTLE IS AFTER THE BATTLE (Genesis 14:17–21),
5 MELCHIZEDEK: GOD REORIENTS ABRAM BEFORE THE WORLD RECRUITS HIM (Genesis 14:18–20),
6 SODOM’S KING: “TAKE THE GOODS” (Genesis 14:21), and
7 ABRAM’S REFUSAL: FREEDOM IS WHEN NO ONE CAN SAY, “I MADE YOU” (Genesis 14:22–23).
This episode of the Evangel Houghton podcast is a Sunday message from Evangel Community Church, Houghton, Michigan, January 25, 2026.

Scripture References: Genesis 13:1-18, Genesis 14:1-24

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From Series: "Don’t Look Back"

We all know what it’s like to look back — back at old habits that feel familiar, ack at patterns we thought we left behind, back at a version of life that feels easier — even when we know it isn’t better. This series walks through the story of Lot and Sodom to show how no one drifts away from God overnight. It happens slowly, through small compromises that quietly shape the direction of our lives. Along the way, we’ll encounter a God who listens before He judges, a warning about living between two worlds, and a mercy that reaches for us even when we’re tempted to turn back. If you’ve ever felt torn between where God is leading and what you’re leaving behind, you’re not alone. The direction you choose today shapes the life you live tomorrow.

Notes and Study Guide