Help! My Home Is In Trouble!
The family institution is in trouble. A lot of the problems we face today in our nation can be traced back to a lost of faith and family values. We are a generation at risk if we don’t do something about it. The number of single-parent homes has skyrocketed, displacing many children in this country. Many families are being headed by a single parent, and in 80% of those families, the mother is the sole parent. The United States is becoming the world's leader in fatherless families. Father absence contributes to a great deal of lawlessness in our world. The marriage unit is in jeopardy because of perverted government policies. It doesn’t take much to see the devastating effects happening around us.
The good news is that you don’t have to be part of the status quo. Your home can be the exception, even if you’ve made mistakes in the past. God’s mercy is extended to you today for a radical change to take place in your family, whether married or single raising children. God loves you and wants His best for your home. What does the word of God have to say about the home?
“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25; Luke 11:17; Mark 3:24-25). The word divided comes from the Greek word meridzo, which means to separate into parts, cut into pieces, or split into factions. It also means having a barrier; to separate lanes of traffic going in opposite directions; divided loyalties.
The Bible says he that causes trouble in your home will inherit the wind - Proverbs 11:29-30. In other words, someone is responsible for bringing confusion in your home, and that person, whether Satan or some vessel used by him, must be dealt with by God.
You’ll find God’s original plan for the home in Genesis 2:4-17.
Your home is the garden of life and the garden of love. God is the Creator and Designer, of the Garden – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). The garden was the first place for divine fellowship. You cannot be who you were designed to be outside of fellowship with God. You are the gardener of your home. You are either growing a beautiful green garden, or you are growing a field of weeds. Many homes have turned into a wilderness because someone is rebelling against God’s word. Take responsibility for what’s happening in your home.
Basic laws of agriculture say that the following elements are important to produce a healthy garden: Rich soil, seeds, plenty of sunlight, sufficient water, and comfortable temperature zones. God created man from the dust of the ground to remind him that he is the soil from which good or evil grows - Mark 4: 3-9; 14-20. Before you plant any good seeds you must first uproot the old seeds planted in your life. The scripture says there is a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted. Some seeds have to be plucked up before some new seeds can be sown. Old trees have to be uprooted (Matthew 3:10). If you don’t like the trees you see in your garden, uproot it, and plant some new seeds.
The following seeds are important for your garden:
- 1.) The Word of God “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…” Col 3:16
- 2.) Love Seeds – Eph. 3:17 “…be rooted and grounded in love.” 1 Cor. 13
- 3.) Word Seeds – Prov. 6:2 “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth; thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.” Prov. 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
- 4.) Time Seeds – Many relationships are starving for attention and affection. “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor to them as the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). It takes time to grow and develop a healthy garden.
- 5.) Seeds of forgiveness – Learn to release your spouse, children, or loved ones from past failures. Luke 6:27-45; Ephesians 4:32; Col. 3:13
- 6.) Seeds of wisdom and understanding – Pray for wisdom in areas of misunderstanding. Prov. 4:7; Prov. 9:1;
It’s a shocking fact that many people are not willing to invest the time and energy to maintain their home garden. Much time is wasted on the internet researching for superficial things that won’t matter in the long run. When you don’t invest family values and principles in yourself, it will show up in your home. Maintain a comfortable home climate for your spouse and your children. Avoid harmful pollutants such as criticism, unforgiveness, profanity, lust, greed, selfishness, and insecurity. Remove complaining, fault-finding, and nagging from your lips. Don’t allow the cares of this life, the corruption of media, the stress of work, or the sins of the past to destroy your garden of love. Treat your home as your greatest asset, and the return will literally astound you and bring you many days of heaven on earth.
- Pastor John Barton