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