Latest / PAMOJA PODCAST | PAMOJA MINISTRY, A LIFE OF CHRIST INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES / The House in the Middle of the Forest – Conversation 13 | Part IV: The Sealed Windows – Guarding the Windows & the Atmosphere of the House

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The House in the Middle of the Forest – Conversation 13 | Part IV: The Sealed Windows – Guarding the Windows & the Atmosphere of the House · PAMOJA PODCAST | PAMOJA MINISTRY, A LIFE OF CHRIST INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES

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  Welcome to Pomoja Podcast, a ministry of Life
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  of Christ International Ministries, the place
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  where stronger lives are built, faith is strengthened,
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  hearts are encouraged, and Christ -centered homes
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  are shaped through ordinary conversations that
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  become extraordinary encounters with God's truth.
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  One conversation, one story, one revelation at
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  a time. As I have reflected on my father's story
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  over the years, I have come to appreciate something
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  I completely overlooked when I first heard it.
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  He didn't simply tell me there were windows.
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  He told me they were sealed. At first I thought
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  the windows were simply there to keep the cold
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  air out. But now I realize they were there to
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  protect something far more valuable. The atmosphere.
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  Everything inside that house depended on the
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  atmosphere remaining the same. Warmth, peace,
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  rest, safety, joy. The fire could continue burning,
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  but if enough cold air entered, the entire atmosphere
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  would change. And isn't that exactly what happens
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  in many marriages? The love may still be there.
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  The covenant may still exist. The family may
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  still live under the same roof. Yet somehow,
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  the atmosphere changes. The laughter becomes
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  silence. Patience becomes irritation. Kindness
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  becomes criticism. Conversation becomes obligation.
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  The house is still standing, but it no longer
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  feels like home. So today, I want us to walk
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  slowly around that house again, not to inspect
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  the walls, not to inspect the roof, but to inspect
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  the windows. because every window represents
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  something we allow to enter our lives, and every
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  window deserves to be guarded. The first window
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  is the window of words. If I were to ask you
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  today, what creates the atmosphere inside your
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  home? Many people would answer, our finances,
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  our schedules, our children, our responsibilities.
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  Those things certainly influence a home, but
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  scripture points us somewhere much deeper. It
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  points us to our words. Listen to what Solomon
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  says in Proverbs 18 -21. Death and life are in
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  the power of the tongue, and those who love it
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  will eat its fruit. Think about that for a moment.
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  Death and life are carried by the same instrument,
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  the tongue. The words spoken inside your house
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  are never neutral. They are constantly planting
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  something. Every conversation plants a seed.
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  Every compliment plants a seed. Every criticism
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  plants a seed. Every encouragement plants a seed.
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  Every insult plants a seed. And every seed will
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  eventually produce a harvest. Perhaps this is
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  why James devoted an entire chapter to the tongue.
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  He compares it to the rudder of a ship. A tiny
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  spark that sets an entire forest on fire. A small
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  bit placed in the mouth of a horse. Something
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  very small. With enormous consequences. James
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  isn't exaggerating. He's describing what every
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  married couple eventually experiences. Sometimes.
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  One sentence spoken in anger remains in the heart
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  for years. Not because it was loud. but because
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  words have remarkable power. Words shape identity.
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  Words shape memory. Words shape atmosphere. I
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  have learned that people rarely remember every
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  conversation they have with their spouse, but
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  they almost always remember the words that deeply
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  wounded them or deeply encouraged them. How many
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  husbands still remember hearing, I'm proud of
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  you. How many wives still remember hearing, I
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  appreciate everything you do. And sadly, how
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  many still carry words that should never have
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  been spoken. Words like, you'll never change.
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  You always fail. I regret marrying you. I don't
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  respect you. Those words don't disappear when
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  the conversation ends. They remain inside the
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  house, like our traveler from the previous conversation.
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  The voice stays. Paul understood this. That's
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  why he writes in Ephesians 4 .29. Do not let
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  any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
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  but only what is helpful for building others
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  up according to their needs, that it may benefit
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  those who listen. Notice what Paul is teaching.
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  Before a word leaves your mouth, it should pass
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  through a question. Will this build or will it
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  destroy? Will this heal or will it wound? Will
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  this strengthen my home or weaken its atmosphere?
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  Imagine how many marriages would change if every
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  husband and every wife asked that question before
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  speaking. One of my favorite examples in scripture
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  is Barnabas. His name literally means son of
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  encouragement. Think about that. His identity
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  became connected to the words he consistently
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  spoke. When everyone doubted Saul, Barnabas believed
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  in him. When John Mark failed, Barnabas gave
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  him another opportunity. He became known not
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  for criticism, but for encouragement. Imagine
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  if every husband decided, I will become the Barnabas
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  of my wife. Imagine if every wife decided I will
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  become the Barnabas of my husband. Homes would
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  begin changing immediately because encouragement
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  changes atmosphere. But the house still has more
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  windows. As we continue walking through this
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  house in the middle of the forest, we leave the
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  window of words behind and we arrive at another
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  window. A quieter one. A more subtle one. One
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  that rarely announces its arrival. We've guarded
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  our words. Yet another window quietly waits for
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  us. One that has stolen the joy of countless
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  marriages, broken families, and even faithful
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  believers. It is a window that existed long before
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  social media, long before television, long before
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  the world we know today. Unlike the first window.
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  This one doesn't usually enter through the mouth.
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  It enters through the eyes. It begins with what
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  we see, then grows into what we desire. It whispers.
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  What God has given you isn't enough. It whispers.
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  Someone else's life is better. Someone else's
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  marriage is happier. Someone else's children
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  are doing better. Someone else's ministry is
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  growing faster. someone else's calling is greater.
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  Little by little, comparison replaces gratitude.
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  Contentment gives way to dissatisfaction. And
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  before long, the atmosphere inside the house
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  begins to change. So let's continue our walk
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  around the house. Let's open the scriptures together
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  and examine the second window, the window of
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  comparison. Because the first comparison did
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  not begin on Facebook, or Instagram, or YouTube.
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  It began in a garden, the Garden of Eden, and
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  the strategy of the serpent hasn't changed since.
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  And that is exactly where the serpent began.
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  Not with force, not with temptation, not even
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  with the forbidden fruit. He began with comparison.
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  Listen carefully to the conversation recorded
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  in Genesis chapter 3. Did God really say? Then,
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  only a few moments later, for God knows that
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  when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened
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  and you will be like God. Do you hear what the
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  serpent is really saying? What God has already
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  given you isn't enough. There is something better.
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  There is another life waiting for you. God is
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  withholding something from you. In other words,
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  he opened a window. Not in the garden, in Eve's
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  heart. Before Eve ever reached for the fruit,
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  she first reached for an idea. The fall did not
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  begin with eating, it began with believing. That
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  is how the enemy still works today. He rarely
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  begins with the visible sin, he begins with an
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  invisible thought. a comparison, a suggestion,
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  a dissatisfaction, because every visible fall
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  is first conceived in the invisible world of
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  the heart. James explains this with remarkable
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  clarity. Each person is tempted when they are
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  dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
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  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth
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  to sin, and sin, when it is full -grown, gives
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  birth to death. James 1, 14 to 15. Did you notice
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  the progression? Suggestion, desire, sin, death.
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  Satan understands something many believers overlook.
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  He knows he doesn't have to convince you to sin
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  today. He simply has to plant a thought today
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  that will produce a harvest tomorrow. That is
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  why comparison is so dangerous. Comparison is
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  rarely the destination. It is the doorway. It
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  opens the heart to desires that never existed
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  before. Think about Eve for a moment. She was
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  already walking with God. Already living in abundance.
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  Already surrounded by beauty. Already created
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  in God's image. Already entrusted with dominion.
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  She lacked nothing. Yet after one conversation
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  with the serpent, Abundance suddenly felt like
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  deprivation. One forbidden tree became more attractive
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  than every tree God had already given her. Isn't
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  that exactly what comparison still does? It has
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  an amazing ability to make us overlook 99 blessings
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  while becoming consumed by the one thing we don't
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  have. It quietly shifts our eyes from God's provision
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  to God's prohibition. from gratitude to entitlement,
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  from worship to dissatisfaction. And once gratitude
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  leaves the house, the atmosphere begins to change.
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  As we continue walking around this house, we
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  come to another window, one that many people
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  leave wide open without ever realizing it. Unlike
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  the window of words or the window of comparison,
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  This one doesn't always feel dangerous. Sometimes
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  it feels comforting. Sometimes it feels helpful.
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  Sometimes it even sounds wise. Because this window
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  doesn't usually open for strangers. It opens
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  for voices. The window of influence. Every house
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  has an atmosphere. But every atmosphere has influences.
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  No atmosphere remains unchanged. Someone or something
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  is always shaping it. The question is not whether
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  you are being influenced. The question is, who
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  are you allowing to influence you? Because every
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  voice carries a direction. Every conversation
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  leaves an impression. Every relationship plants
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  something. Every book, every movie, every podcast,
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  every social media account, every friendship,
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  every counselor. Every coworker, every mentor,
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  every family member leaves something behind.
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  The question is, what are they leaving behind?
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  Are they strengthening your covenant or slowly
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  pulling you away from it? The scriptures speak
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  often about influence because God understands
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  something we sometimes forget. No one walks alone.
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  We all become, little by little, like the voices
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  we repeatedly welcome into our lives. Listen
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  to the wisdom of Proverbs 13 -20. Walk with the
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  wise and become wise, for a companion of fools
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  suffers harm. Notice what Solomon doesn't say.
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  He doesn't say, try harder. He doesn't say, be
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  smarter. He says, walk with the wise, because
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  wisdom is contagious. But so is foolishness.
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  Character is formed in company. Atmosphere is
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  created by association. The people you consistently
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  listen to will eventually shape the person you
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  become. Paul says the very same thing in 1 Corinthians
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  15 33. Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts
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  good character. That verse has often been used
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  to warn young people about choosing friends wisely,
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  and it certainly applies. But I believe the principle
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  is much broader. Paul is teaching us that influence
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  is never neutral. Character is either being built
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  or slowly eroded. Think about that. He doesn't
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  say, bad company destroys character overnight.
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  He says, it corrupts. That word describes something
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  gradual, almost unnoticed, like rust slowly covering
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  steel, like termites quietly weakening a house,
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  like a window left open, allowing cold air to
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  enter one gentle breeze at a time. The Bible
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  gives us remarkable examples. Consider Rehoboam.
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  When Solomon died, The kingdom stood at a crossroads.
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  The elders gave wise counsel. They urged the
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  young king to serve the people with humility.
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  Then Rahoboam did something that changed history.
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  He walked away from the elders and sought advice
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  from the young men who had grown up with him.
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  They told him, be harsher, be stronger. Show
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  them who's in charge. He listened. The result.
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  The kingdom was divided. One decision. One influence.
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  One voice. An entire nation changed. Never underestimate
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  the power of the voices you choose to trust.
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  We see the same pattern much earlier in the garden.
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  The serpent didn't force Eve to eat. He simply
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  offered another voice. Until that moment, God's
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  voice had been enough. Then another voice entered
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  the conversation. Every temptation begins with
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  competing voices. One voice says, trust God.
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  The other says, you deserve more. One says, wait.
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  The other says, take it now. One says, forgive.
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  The other says, protect your pride. One says,
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  honor your covenant. The other says, you'd be
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  happier somewhere else. Every day, those voices
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  compete for the atmosphere of our homes. The
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  question is, which voice have we been listening
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  to? Jesus said something that has always captured
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  my heart. My sheep hear my voice. I know them
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  and they follow me. John 1027. Notice what he
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  did not say. My sheep hear every voice. He said,
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  they know my voice. There is a difference. Spiritual
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  maturity is not learning to hear more voices.
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  It is learning to recognize the shepherd's voice
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  above every other voice. The closer you walk
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  with Christ, the easier it becomes to recognize
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  what does not sound like Him. Because not every
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  good idea is God's idea. Not every popular opinion
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  is biblical truth. Not every encouraging voice
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  is leading you toward Christ. Discernment is
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  one of the greatest gifts God gives to those
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  who walk closely with Him. as we leave this window
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  behind. I want you to ask yourself one simple
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  question. Who has access to the atmosphere of
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  my house? Who has permission to shape the way
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  I think about my spouse, my children, my calling,
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  my future, and even my relationship with God?
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  Because whatever voice repeatedly enters through
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  this window will eventually echo inside your
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  own heart. But the house still has another window.
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  This one may be the most dangerous of them all.
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  Because unlike the others, it doesn't invite
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  something into the house. It hides something
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  inside the house. Let's continue our walk together.
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  As we close today's conversation, our walk around
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  the house is far from over. There are still windows
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  we have yet to examine. Windows that have quietly
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  threatened not only marriages, but families,
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  ministries, callings, and entire generations.
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  In our next conversation, we will continue exploring
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  these subtle, yet incredibly dangerous windows
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  that have silently destroyed homes and marriages
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  for centuries. But let me leave you with one
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  final thought. The consequences of an open window
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  extend far beyond the walls of your own house.
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  They reach your children. They shape your grandchildren.
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  They influence generations that have not yet
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  been born. They affect your church, your community,
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  your ministry, your witness, your legacy. Because
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  every marriage is preaching a message. Every
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  family is leaving an inheritance, and every life
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  is influencing someone, whether we realize it
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  or not. That is why the enemy fights so relentlessly
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  against God's design for marriage and the family.
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  He understands something many people fail to
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  see. It has never been only about you. If he
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  can weaken a husband, he may discourage a wife.
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  If he can discourage a wife, He may confuse the
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  children. If he can confuse the children, he
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  may alter the course of generations. If he can
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  destroy one home, he may silence a testimony
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  that God intended to reach hundreds, perhaps
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  thousands. One broken covenant can echo through
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  generations, but one faithful covenant can bless
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  generations as well. Scripture reminds us that
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  God shows steadfast love to thousands of generations
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  of those who love Him and keep His commandments.
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  Never underestimate the power of a home surrendered
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  to God. Your obedience today may become someone
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  else's inheritance tomorrow. Your faithfulness
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  may become your children's foundation. Your prayers
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  may become your grandchildren's testimony. And
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  your marriage may become the example that gives
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  another couple the courage to keep fighting for
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  theirs. So don't guard your house only for yourselves.
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  Guard it for those who are watching. Guard it
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  for those who are following. Guard it for those
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  who will one day bear your name. And above all,
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  guard it for the glory of Christ. Because from
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  the very beginning, It has never been only about
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  you. It has always been about God's kingdom being
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  revealed through your home. Until next time,
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  may the Lord bless your home, strengthen your
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  covenant, protect every window, and fill your
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  house with His presence.