WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.759 Welcome to Pamoja Podcast, a ministry of Life 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:06.639 of Christ International Ministries, the place 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:10.119 where stronger lives are built, faith is strengthened, 00:00:10.599 --> 00:00:13.419 hearts are encouraged, and Christ -centered homes 00:00:13.419 --> 00:00:16.519 are shaped through ordinary conversations that 00:00:16.519 --> 00:00:19.920 become extraordinary encounters with God's truth. 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:25.500 One conversation, one story, one revelation at 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:31.179 a time. In our previous conversations, we discovered 00:00:31.179 --> 00:00:34.299 that every house has windows. We learned that 00:00:34.299 --> 00:00:37.119 houses rarely collapse because of the storms 00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:40.700 outside. They collapse because of what is allowed 00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:43.759 to enter. Then we met the traveler. He never 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:47.200 forced the door open. He was welcomed. He left, 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:50.880 but his voice remained. Today, I want to ask 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:54.079 a different question, one that may be uncomfortable, 00:00:54.460 --> 00:00:57.750 one that every husband and wife Every believer 00:00:57.750 --> 00:01:01.750 and every family should honestly answer Why do 00:01:01.750 --> 00:01:04.849 we open the windows because if we never answer 00:01:04.849 --> 00:01:08.090 that question? We'll spend our lives repairing 00:01:08.090 --> 00:01:11.909 broken glass Without ever understanding why it 00:01:11.909 --> 00:01:15.790 keeps breaking I've never met a couple who stood 00:01:15.790 --> 00:01:19.150 before the altar saying one day will destroy 00:01:19.150 --> 00:01:22.609 this marriage I've never met a believer who woke 00:01:22.609 --> 00:01:26.310 up saying today. I want to drift away from God 00:01:26.359 --> 00:01:29.239 It doesn't happen that way. People don't usually 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:32.579 choose destruction. They choose relief. They 00:01:32.579 --> 00:01:35.780 choose comfort. They choose understanding. They 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:39.079 choose attention. They choose escape. And somewhere 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:43.959 along the way, the window opens. Think about 00:01:43.959 --> 00:01:48.019 it. A person doesn't usually begin an inappropriate 00:01:48.019 --> 00:01:52.000 relationship because they wanted adultery. Many 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:54.500 begin because they wanted someone to listen. 00:01:54.810 --> 00:01:58.689 Someone to understand. Someone to notice them. 00:01:59.329 --> 00:02:02.230 The relationship wasn't the first step. The unmet 00:02:02.230 --> 00:02:05.969 need was. The enemy simply found an open window. 00:02:07.989 --> 00:02:11.550 Sometimes, the window opens because of disappointment. 00:02:12.509 --> 00:02:15.110 Something happened inside the house. A promise 00:02:15.110 --> 00:02:19.050 was broken. Words were spoken. Trust was damaged. 00:02:19.509 --> 00:02:21.750 Instead of bringing the pain into the light, 00:02:22.090 --> 00:02:25.639 we quietly carry it. Then someone else notices. 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:29.780 Someone asks, are you okay? And because our heart 00:02:29.780 --> 00:02:33.740 has been waiting to be heard, we begin speaking, 00:02:34.659 --> 00:02:38.120 not realizing that every conversation is opening 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:43.199 the window a little wider. Sometimes the window 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:46.240 opens through comparison. You look at another 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:50.479 marriage, another family, another ministry, another 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:54.409 life. Social media becomes a gallery of everyone's 00:02:54.409 --> 00:02:57.349 highlights while you're living through your ordinary 00:02:57.349 --> 00:03:01.629 Tuesday Comparison whispers you deserve better 00:03:01.629 --> 00:03:05.949 You settled you're missing out. It doesn't shout 00:03:05.949 --> 00:03:09.729 it suggests and Suggestions have started many 00:03:09.729 --> 00:03:14.590 storms Sometimes we open the window because we're 00:03:14.590 --> 00:03:19.370 tired spiritually tired emotionally tired physically 00:03:19.370 --> 00:03:22.979 tired This is why Jesus invited the weary to 00:03:22.979 --> 00:03:27.319 come to him. Not because weariness is sin, but 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:31.080 because weariness makes us vulnerable. A tired 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:34.539 guard is more likely to leave the gate unattended. 00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:39.060 I've also learned that loneliness is dangerous, 00:03:39.580 --> 00:03:43.500 not because being alone is sinful. Jesus often 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:47.139 withdrew to lonely places to pray, but there 00:03:47.139 --> 00:03:50.900 is a difference between solitude with God and 00:03:50.900 --> 00:03:55.419 isolation without him. Isolation begins convincing 00:03:55.419 --> 00:03:59.039 us that no one understands us. Then the first 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:03.120 person who seems to understand us becomes unusually 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:07.039 important. Again, the enemy didn't create the 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:10.000 loneliness. He simply stood near the window, 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:14.699 waiting. This reminds me of King David. Many 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:17.720 people say David fell because of Bathsheba. I 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:20.149 don't think that's where it began. The Bible 00:04:20.149 --> 00:04:23.589 says, in the spring, at the time when kings go 00:04:23.589 --> 00:04:27.029 off to war, David remained in Jerusalem. The 00:04:27.029 --> 00:04:30.129 first window opened before he ever saw Bathsheba. 00:04:30.410 --> 00:04:33.490 He was somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. One 00:04:33.490 --> 00:04:38.470 decision. One evening. One rooftop. One glance. 00:04:38.910 --> 00:04:42.589 One conversation. One family forever changed. 00:04:43.250 --> 00:04:46.509 Windows are rarely opened all at once. They are 00:04:46.509 --> 00:04:50.810 opened inch by inch. Perhaps you're listening 00:04:50.810 --> 00:04:54.089 today and you recognize yourself somewhere in 00:04:54.089 --> 00:04:58.589 this conversation. Maybe your window is an immorality. 00:04:59.089 --> 00:05:02.269 Maybe it's resentment. Maybe you've been replaying 00:05:02.269 --> 00:05:05.810 the same offense for years. Maybe you've quietly 00:05:05.810 --> 00:05:09.350 withdrawn from your spouse. Maybe comparison 00:05:09.350 --> 00:05:12.670 has stolen your gratitude. Maybe disappointment 00:05:12.670 --> 00:05:15.949 has convinced you that no one cares. If that's 00:05:15.949 --> 00:05:21.420 you, don't feel condemned. Feel invited. Because 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:23.920 Jesus doesn't merely point out the open window. 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:27.160 He walks into the room to help you close it. 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:31.800 One of the most beautiful truths in scripture 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:35.759 is this. God never asks us to pretend the window 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:38.980 isn't broken. He asks us to bring it to Him. 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:42.540 The grace of God doesn't ignore broken glass. 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:47.740 It restores it. So before we talk about which 00:05:47.740 --> 00:05:50.939 windows need guarding, we must first understand 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:54.300 why we walk toward them. Because healing doesn't 00:05:54.300 --> 00:05:58.399 begin with behavior. Healing begins in the heart. 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:03.259 Next time, we'll identify the specific windows 00:06:03.259 --> 00:06:06.720 that most often threaten a covenant. The window 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:10.560 of words, the window of comparison, the window 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:14.279 of influence, the window of offense, the window 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:17.899 of secrecy, the window of entertainment. And 00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:20.920 we'll discover that every window has one question 00:06:20.920 --> 00:06:23.620 attached to it. What are you allowing to enter 00:06:23.620 --> 00:06:28.060 your house? Until next time, remember this. People 00:06:28.060 --> 00:06:31.360 rarely open windows because they hate their house. 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:34.540 They open them because something inside the house 00:06:34.540 --> 00:06:38.459 is longing for relief. And when Christ becomes 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:41.699 the one who meets that deepest need, the windows 00:06:41.699 --> 00:06:45.329 no longer become an escape. They become something 00:06:45.329 --> 00:06:46.589 we gladly guard.