Effective Money Management In The Home 3

Family Success 

 

It is my privilege to welcome you to this week's teaching on Effective Money Management at Home. I believe that the wisdom from above shall be imparted unto you via this teaching in Jesus' name.

Last week, I shed light on budgeting as an effective way of managing money in your home. This week, I shall be discussing the topic: Avoid Debt!

Indebtedness is disastrous! It destroys! But the good news is, it can be avoided. Steer clear of indebtedness for God hates it. "How do you know God hates indebtedness?" you may ask. The Bible says: Owe no man anything ... (Romans 1:8). Whatever God hates, you should hate, this is godliness in action. It is godly to flee indebtedness. How can you avoid debts.?

Prioritize Your Spending: To prioritize is to put things in order of importance, so that you can deal with the most important ones first. You can prioritize your spending and maximize your income. In handling money, learn to write down your needs and then draw a scale of preference.

The fact is, you can never exhaust your needs but there are those that must come before others. These are your priorities. You must make sure that you do not spend money on things that you can afford to leave till a later date. Ascertain the things that you need in order of importance, and buy them accordingly. This is priority spending!

Do not spend money carelessly. Spend money on what is expedient, not just what is lawful. The scripture says: All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (1 Corinthians 6:12). Prioritizing enables you to distinguish between right and wrong expenditure.

Covetousness: Covetousness is the desire for things that do not belong to you. It is the craving to get those things by all means. It is the excessive desire and greed for things. This is a major challenge for many today. The Bible says: And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth (Luke 12:15).

Covetousness subtly takes hold of many today because of adverts on television. Everyone is out to get the latest household item in the market. This crave has made many homes to run into debts. You cannot effectively manage money in your home if you are covetous. Covetousness is idolatry, but you can be free from it! The cure for covetousness is contentment. Apostle Paul said: But godliness with contentment is great gain. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. (1Timothy 6:6, 8)

Be satisfied with the step-by-step lifting of God in your life and your home. Patience is required. Just as a child does not walk the day it is born, you should not expect to assume a millionaire status overnight. Covetousness will destroy your financial progress and future. So, you need to walk in total contentment and godly wisdom to sustain your wealth.

Life is in phases and men are in sizes. Live your size, eat your size and wear your size per time. Running after clothes, possessions, money, cars etc, more than necessary, will put you in deep financial troubles. The Bible says: The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. (Deut 28:12). Do not frustrate the blessings of God over your life.

You need grace from God in order to be a faithful steward in money management. The right place to begin from is a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. If you want to start this relationship right now, you can say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today as a sinner. I believe You died for my sins and rose on the third day. Forgive me my sins. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God!

Effective Money Management In The Home 2

Family Success 
 
I welcome you again this week to another time of learning at the feet of Jesus Christ. This week, I shall be shedding light on Budgeting as one of the effective ways of managing money in your home.

One major thing that will help you in your home is to budget for your spending. Budgeting is not a gift, rather, it is an art that has to be learnt. Moreover, budgeting is Biblical! Jesus said: For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it (Luke 14:28)

This implies that you have to sit down and reasonably plan your spending. Proper planning will give you financial rest. Planning and budgeting is necessary for proper financial management. How will you know how much you need per month, if you have not sat down to write out what your expenditure for the month is? You need to budget for both domestic needs and essential commodities. To waste what you have is an offence to the Lord. So, budgeting is very important.

A good budget is a spending plan that includes virtually everything you intend to spend money on, over a specified period of time, based on the expected income. Expenditures in a wise budget include savings for a 'rainy day', for large purchases, giving and for future career, while you still stay within your income.

Why Budgeting?
A good budgeting plan will guide your path financially. It will help you to set up guidelines for reaching your goals, which in turn enables you to measure your progress. You will then be able to control your money instead of money controlling you!

Budgeting enhances your ability to live within your means. The reason why many people are in debt and financial stress today is because they are not living within their means. If you spend beyond your means, you will end up in debt. Indebtedness is disastrous! It destroys! Debt has led to many homes hitting the rocks! Your home will not shatter in Jesus' name.

My husband says that whatever God cannot give him, may he never have it! Apostle Paul said in one of his epistles to the Philippians that: Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (Philippians 4:11).

Include any and all expenses for each month within the budget, and remember to include the not-so-obvious ones such as groceries, gas, medical expenses, restaurants, and even entertainment. Most of your bills or expenses which are not flexible such as house rent occur at the same time each month. These expenses are predictable and easy to plan for. Other expenses such as groceries and entertainment are flexible. If a cut-back is needed, these flexible expenses are the ones to be cut. Once you have a budget, stick to it.
Use your budget to determine the amount you can spare to place in a savings account at the end of each month. Do this regularly. Everyone should have an emergency fund and feeding a savings account is the easiest way to do so.

You need grace from God in order to be a faithful steward in money management. The right place to begin from is a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. If you want to start this relationship right now, you can say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today as a sinner. I believe You died for my sins and rose on the third day. Forgive me my sins. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God!

Effective Money Management In The Home

Family Success 

 

I welcome you to this glorious month in the name of Jesus. This month shall be a month of delivery of all your expectation in Jesus' name. This month, I shall be dwelling on the theme: Effective Money Management In the Home. My prayer is that every form of financial stagnation shall end by the end of this teaching.
This week, I shall be laying the foundation for an effective money management. The Bible says: if the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Psalm 11:3. I shall be teaching on the topic:

Accountability
Accountability is responsibility. To be accountable is to be responsible for a thing that is done. The reason why many default on matters affecting their finances is because they spend money without bearing in mind that they shall give an account of whatever resources they have.

God will require a proper account of all the things that He has given to you including your time, gift, talent and finances. The Bible says in Romans 14:12: So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God
You need to be accountable, not just to yourself, but primarily to God, who is the Supplier of all your provisions. People around you, as well as your family members, should be able to see your example of accountability, so they can learn prudent spending and wise financial transactions through you.

Financial rest does not come when you are a millionaire; it comes by being a good money manager. You must have a financial plan or else you are creating room for financial pain. Pain is a sign of disorder; therefore to experience financial pain is a sign of disorder in your spending pattern. What is the first step you must take?

Keep Records!
Record keeping is a requirement for accountability. Have a proper documentation of your financial transactions. Learn to keep record of all your incomes as well as expenditures. List out your incomes, your expenditures and review them from time to time, so as to assess whether your financial transactions are prudent or whether you need to adjust your spending pattern.

Periodically, make a list of the items you spend money on, and how much money you spend on each item. You may choose to do this monthly, weekly and or daily. Keep accurate records. There is a small diary that I usually carry around with me, where record of any money spent is kept. That way, at the end of the month, I can easily recollect whatever I spent money on during the month.

With that, it becomes easy to compile a financial report. I usually submit a copy of this periodically to my husband as well. This helps me a great deal in being accountable to God who is my Source, to my husband who is my head, as well as myself, so I can live in good conscience. It also enables to me set a worthy example for those around me to follow. That gives me fulfillment!

Accountability pays off. The Lord says: ...thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
(Matthew 25:21)

Financial faithfulness qualifies you for financial fruitfulness. You receive more money from the Lord and from men too. More money cannot be committed into your hands, except you are accountable for the one you have at present.

You need grace from God in order to be a faithful steward in money management. The right place to begin from is a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. If you want to start this relationship right now, you can say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today as a sinner. I believe You died for my sins and rose on the third day. Forgive me my sins. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God!

THE HOME BREAKERS 3

Family Life 

 

I am sure that you have been enjoying peace and God's blessings, after letting go of every impatience, as taught last week. This week, I will be teaching on Covetousness.

Covetousness is a strong urge or desire to possess something, especially something that belongs to someone else. You see something on someone and you immediately start scheming and planning to have it. Discontentment is what usually drives people into covetousness. Many people are "possession possessed". They are never satisfied with what they have per time; nothing is ever enough. They always want more. Life means much more than the abundance of your possession. Luke 12:15 warns: Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Covetousness is a sin that destroys and destabilizes many families and homes. It is a devil's trap which always leads to dissatisfaction, anxiety and unholy comparison. People who are covetous are always anxious. Covetousness is the root cause of many evils in our society today. It could lead to adultery, theft, fraud, fornication and other evils. The Bible says: ... But godliness with contentment is great gain... And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content (1Timothy 6:6-7).

Lusting after material things so much that it takes the place of God in you is covetousness that must be replaced with contentment. Anything that takes the place of God is idolatry. Be contented with what you have. Anything you do not have now, you do not need. My husband always says, "Life is phases and men are in sizes." This is true.

You must learn to live your level per time. As a family, eat, drink, sleep and wear your size per time. Be assured of the fact that where you are today is the least place you will ever be. Your path is destined to shine brighter and brighter every passing day, until you get to God's ultimate purpose for your life. The Bible says: But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18). If you are a child of God, your path will shine brighter.

Be excited about where you are now, your future is colourful and bright and you will get there. You don't have to steal or cheat to have more, just be contented and accept your present position. Some single persons base their choice of life partner on the abundance of things the man has. They want a man with a big car, a high-paying job, a house, etc. Any marriage that is founded on material possession is on a shaky foundation, and will soon fall apart. Don't be blinded by material things. My husband and I had to start from the first rung of the ladder in marriage and ministry, many times eating beans and garri for supper, so that we wouldn't need breakfast the next day. Some other times, we didn't know where and when the next meal was coming from! But God has always been very faithful.

As a woman, do not compare your husband with your friend's husband. Do not compare or nag your spouse for not possessing what your friend or your friend's spouse has. Don't push your spouse to do evil, just to please you! When the punishment for that evil comes upon your spouse, you will suffer it too since you are the one married to him. Covetousness walks with idolatry and pride. The ultimate end is destruction. God's Word says: ...but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days (Proverbs 28:16). This means that covetousness can rob you of long life!

Let go of covetousness and embrace God's Word in contentment; this is the cure for covetousness. To embrace God, you need to confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. If you would like to embrace God and be born again, please say this prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me form sin and satan to serve the living God. I believe You died for me and on the third day, You rose that I might be justified. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your kingdom. 

Congratulations! You are now a child of God!

THE HOME BREAKERS 2

Family Life 

 

You are welcome to another exciting time in God's presence. Last week, I started a series on home breakers and I taught on anger and bitterness as some of the things that can break homes. This week I shall be discussing: Impatience as one of the home breakers.

Impatience is the inability to deal calmly with a situation or wait for something. It can also mean a state of being in an unusual haste. Many families have been ruined because of impatience on the part of either the husband or the wife. Isaiah 28:16 says: ... he that believeth shall not make haste. Haste makes waste.

A clear example of what impatience can cause was seen in the life of Abraham in Genesis 16:1-6. Abraham, the father of faith, came to a point in life where he exhibited impatience. God had appeared to him several times, assuming him that he would have a son by his darling wife, Sarah. Having waited for what appeared to be too long a time, he readily gave in to Sarah's suggestion to go into her maid and raise an heir through her.

One would have thought that as great as Abraham was, he would be immune to impatience, but it was so natural for him to give in to it. He must have been complaining and tired of waiting, long before Sarah made that suggestion, such that the moment an opening came he quickly grabbed it. What an irony that the child born by Abraham out of impatience became an enemy of the child of faith! Ishmael and Isaac could not live together.

Many have killed the joy of their would-be miracle because of their impatience with the Word of God. God's ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts than ours. Even when He appears to be delaying, you must never lose hope, because He makes all things beautiful in His time (2 Peter 3:9). Don't let the enemy cheat you out of your blessings. God is never slow or late. He is always on time with whatever He promises. God's time is the right time!

The cure for impatience is simple patience backed by faith in the Word of God. James 1:4 says: ... but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. perfection will only come, when your patience is in place. Your patience must be backed by a strong faith in God and His Word. If you are experiencing turbulence in your home, for instance, you must discover what God's Word says is the solution, and then step out in obedience. It may not look like the solution, but God is a marriage expert; He instituted the union and knows how best to make it work.

When you are filled with the Word concerning your home, it will not run short of miracles. To keep enjoying God's blessings for your family, you must keep doing whatever He tells you to do. Not just doing it, but doing it fully, going to the extremes in your obedience. God has not changed, and He will not compromise His standard. God's Word in Hebrews 10:36 says: For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Patience is a must! Instead of looking at the problem, challenge or situation, look into God's Word, confess it to yourself and remind Him of it in prayers.

In case you are given to impatience, the first step to take is to confess Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. This is what being born again is all about. If you would like to accept Jesus Christ into your life, please say this prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your blood. Deliver me form sin and satan to serve the living God. I believe You died for me and on the third day, You rose that I might be justified. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your kingdom. 

Congratulations! You are now a child of God!

THE HOME BREAKERS

Family Life

I welcome you to this wonderful month. This month shall deliver to you the blessing, promotion, good health, and other things that you have been waiting for. This month, I shall be exposing the Home Breakers. The word "home breaker" might have caused you to be thinking of a lady or a man that you feel is the threat to your home. This might not be totally true. Most home breakers are just attitudinal problems that have not been worked on.

While Jesus was talking about marriage and family in Matthew 19:6 He said: Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. There are things that break homes, these are things that cause family stress, pain, arguments, quarrel, lack of peace, separation and sometimes, even divorce. Most of them, are caused by man himself. A good knowledge of some of them will help to keep your family free from such things.

This week, I shall be pointing to two of these home breakers - ANGER and BITTERNESS.

ANGER: It is defined as a strong feeling of annoyance and hostility. It is human to get angry at one time or the other, but it becomes inhuman when you allow the feeling to take you over. God's Word in Ephesians 4:26 says: Be angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. This means that if you are angry, do not let it lead you into sin by nursing your grudge. Don't let the day end with the anger still in you; get over it quickly. When you hold on to anger, you open the door to sin.

If you are not pleased about the way your spouse does certain things at certain times, instead of exploding and speaking cruel words which can cause irreparable damage, control your emotions. Take a walk or go to the prayer closet, until your anger simmers down. Anger is like a kettle of boiling water and as long as the fire is on, the water will boil faster. To cool the water, you need to turn off the source of fire, place the kettle on a cool surface and give it time to cool down. When this is done, the water that was formerly boiling will become cool enough even to drink.

You can let off steam by discussing the issue at a right time or better still, pray to God about it. Tell God exactly how you feel, and allow Him to speak peace to you. Anger kills. A good example of this is found in Genesis 49:5, 7 which says: Simeon and Levi are brethren... cursed by their anger, for it was fierce and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Anger is a display of higher level of foolishness as stated in Ecclesiastes 7:9 which says: ... Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools! It has the same consequences as murder (Matthew 5:22). If you are the type that gets angry unnecessarily and uncontrollably, you need to deal with it before it deals with you. Anger breaks home faster than fornication. Learn to control yourself!

BITTERNESS: This starts from very little things that might have caused you hurt by any member of your family, and you refuse to forgive and forget. Every time you remember the incidence, you are hurt all over again. Watch it! That is a root of bitterness springing up gradually. It will eventually lead to trouble, if it is not nipped in the bud. Hebrews 12:15 says: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up, trouble you and thereby many be defiled. Once bitterness gains access into your heart, it will magnify itself and begin to dominate you. You lose your rest to troubles, malice and disagreements. If you are bitter against your spouse for instance, you will not even want to be seen with him/her.

Bitterness stems out of unforgiveness, which is a great blocker to God in your home. Anywhere God is not, there will always be chaos. It seeks to steal and frustrate the grace of God from you. The Bible says: Let all bitterness... be put away from you, with all malice (Ephesians 4:3). To do this, you must forgive and forget completely past hurts, so that you can live a peaceful and burden-free life. The principle of instant forgiveness has helped me a great deal. My husband and I practise it and it has paid off for us. It pays to forgive!

If you have challenge in the area of anger and bitterness, you need the grace and help from God. Help from God will come faster for you when you are born again. If you would like to be born again, please, say this prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me form sin and satan to serve the living God. I believe You died for me and on the third day, You rose that I might be justified. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your kingdom. 

Congratulations! You are now a child of God!

 

How to Avoid Communication Breakdown 3

Family Matters 

 

Welcome to your week of blessing in Jesus' name. I have been examining the issue of communication in the home. Also, I have established the fact that communication is vital factor in improving your relationship, not only with your spouse, but with other members of your household as well.

This week, I shall be discussing what I titled, Communication Blocks. While defining what communication is, I said it is the passing across of information between two persons. Communication blocks are the things that you do, through your words and actions that prevent you from connecting at a deep level with someone else.

When you want to have a telephone line connected to your house, the first thing you do is to go to the Agency responsible and apply for the same. The moment you are connected, you can freely pick up your receiver and dial any number of your choice. However, you can only call someone who is also connected.

In our relationship with God, He expectes us to keep our communication lines open in form of relating to Him in prayer. He said in Jer. 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. But if the line is blocked there will be no response and it can be frustrating.

If you block your communication line with your spouse and you make it impossible to access you, then you are digging a big grave. Your home and marriage will not end up in the grave.

There are some things that you can do to block your spouse from talking to you -you must avoid these:

• If you roll your eyes and look exasperated or resigned when your husband or wife talks, all you are trying to say is "I have heard enough."
  
• When you sigh loudly and deeply when your mate is sharing an opinion then, it means, "Am not in agreement."
  
• When you look at a clock or at your watch repeatedly it implies: "You are wasting my time with your conversation."
  
• When you don't stop whatever you're doing when your partner wants to have a serious conversation with you, all you want to pass across is:" What I am doing is much more important than you."
  
• When you don't make eye contact and give your spouse your complete attention, then you want him/her to know that, "You are just forcing me to be here I have other things to do."
  
• When you use the time while your spouse is speaking, to think about things unrelated to what your partner is saying, all you simply want is for him/her to leave you to your own world."
  

These are great communication blocks that have shattered homes and marriages. You could probably develop these attitudes because you are reacting to what might have happened in the past but I want you to understand that this will further cause your home to disintegrate.

These attitudes are common among women. The Bible says: Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands (Prov 14:1). Do not block your spouse. It shall be well with you.

If you desire effective communication in your home, the right place to begin from is a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. If you want to start this relationship right now, you can say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today as a sinner. I believe You died for my sins and rose on the third day. Forgive me my sins. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God!

How to Avoid Communication Breakdown 2

Family Matters

 

Welcome to this exciting time in God's presence. Last week, I started teaching on Understanding Communication as a foundation to be laid, if you do not want your relationship to crumble. This week, I shall be looking at Kinds of Communication.

Communication can either be verbal or non-verbal. In verbal communication we are simply talking about passing across a piece of information using words. Non-verbal involves the use of actions, facial expressions etc. The Bible says: Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed (1Sam 2:3). Beyond what comes out of your mouth, your action speaks louder.

Mastering the art of verbal communication is a major secret of success in family life. In verbal communication, it is wise to mention at this juncture that in a bid to air their minds, some people can say just anything and at anytime. This shows a lack of discretion. Weigh your words because words are as fragile as raw eggs, once broken they cannot be re-gathered.

Some men call their wives and children all types of terrible names - particularly out of anger. Some women in turn are experts at nagging. But that is an abuse of your tongue. God did not create the tongue to speak evil words, rathe,r it is an instrument of edification. The reason many people abuse their tongues is that its purpose is not known - and when purpose is not known abuse is inevitable! The Bible says: Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof (Proverbs 18:21). Also, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth (Proverbs 6:2)

There are homes today, which are badly damaged and in big trouble because the tongue is not being controlled. They are victims of corrupt communication. But Ephesians 4:29 places the responsibility on us. It says: Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth... So, it is your duty to control what proceeds out of your mouth.

In non-verbal communication, there is a way you express displeasure without uttering a word. There is an adage that says, "Action speak louder than words." Just by watching your spouse's body language, you can tell when he/she is angry, sad, excited, etc. The longer you live together with someone, the more you are able to read his or her body language. That is non-verbal communication.

Communication is not only vital for husbands and wives, but for all members of the family. Therefore, keep the communication lines open. Don't' allow the enemy to tamper with it.

If you desire effective communication in your home, the right place to begin from is a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. If you want to start this relationship right now, you can say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today as a sinner. I believe You died for my sins and rose on the third day. Forgive me my sins. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God!

How to Avoid Communication Breakdown

Family Matters 

I welcome you to this great month in which your great desires shall be fulfilled. This month, I shall be discussing one of the vital factors that could be a great help in your relationship with your spouse. A lot has been said about communication, but I shall be approaching this topic in a new way, and dwelling more on:

How to Avoid Communication Breakdown.
Having a good understanding of what communication means, will go a long way in helping you to avoid its breakdown. Therefore this week I shall be discussing: Understanding Communication. A man that seeks knowledge will increase in wisdom. The Bible says: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Prov 4:7).

What is Communication? Defined loosely, communication is the art of carrying on a meaningful conversation. But the dictionary defines it as, "the art of passing information across; the transference of thoughts." Someone also simply puts it as an act of transmitting information and ideas from one person to another; it involves a sender and a receiver.

Communication is in two ways. It is important to understand that effective communication must be two-ways. In the case of family communication, both husband and wife must participate in conversations, before it can be said to be communication. Once there is free access to each other, it becomes a time of sweet fellowship.

The basis for a fruitful and lasting relationship in the family is effective communication. Lack of communication is the reason behind so much tension within many homes. Communication can be said to be the mortar that cements the marital relationship together. Communication is the key to success in marriage. A wise man said, "If you talk together, you stay together," and I believe it very strongly.

Looking at the first family, the Adam family, you can appreciate the importance of effective communication. God commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam believed but failed to effectively communicate the seriousness of the instruction to Eve. She thought it was a minor issue. Lack of adequate communication brought about their fall. You shall not fall.

Communication in marriage is could be likened to a life giving river. When husband and wife cannot communicate, a huge dam is built stopping the flow of water. This causes everything around them to suffer and slowly dies, so seeds planted cannot grow. This way, the spouse develops a strong inward thirst for their unmet needs eventually causing multiple cracks throughout the relationship. Many promising marriages have fallen into ruin simply because of communication breakdown. Your marriage will not breakdown in Jesus' name.

To enjoy a free flow of communication with your spouse, you must develop a good communication with God. The scripture in Hebrews 3:4 helps us to understand that although every house is built by men, He that builds all things is God. God is the ultimate Builder of the family. That is why once a man or woman lacks effective communication with God, the communication between each other is affected.

Therefore, let the communication lines between you and God be open all the time. Learn to rob minds with Him; as you do, His great mind will rob off on your little mind, making it sharper. I have found that God helps us to communicate better with each other. I have never had difficulty expressing myself to my husband and he to me, because we give utmost priority to our relationship with God.

If you desire effective communication in your home, the right place to begin from is a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. If you want to start this relationship right now, you can say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today as a sinner. I believe You died for my sins and rose on the third day. Forgive me my sins. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God!