The Blessed Home 

Our homes are our haven, the place we run to when we want to be safe from the world. The home is meant to be the place of rest, where we get refueled to go back out into the world. Therefore, the condition of our homes is of utmost importance. We all want a blessed home; not an average home, and certainly not a cursed home. How does blessing, abundance, joy and prosperity come about – by chance, by fate? Not at all! Blessing is the direct result of our homes being aligned with the will and ways of God. Just like a garden that is well tended will be abundant, so our homes will be blessed if they are well cared for. In this article, I would like to briefly sketch out what a blessed home looks like and how we can position our homes for great blessing.  

The Bible is very clear that blessing is the result of righteousness, whereas a curse is the result of sin. Therefore, a house that has deep, fresh currents of joy and prosperity are ones that underlying everything else, holiness, righteousness and purity are preeminent. The blessed house is above all things a solid, godly, Christian Home. Psalm 127 Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. This means that no matter how hard we try on our own to have a successful home, if God is not pleased, then it’s not going to happen. Is your home a Christian Home? How much of a priority does purity and righteousness hold in your household? 

1 Chronicles 13:14 And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had. The ark of God represents the presence of God, specifically a sensitivity to the holiness of God. When a home is sensitive to God, being careful to please Him, the house and everyone and everything in it will be blessed. Is God welcome in your house? Is he at rest there?  

We must be able to say with no reservation, “This is not my house. This is God’s house.” We are simply stewards or managers of God’s house, which he has graciously allowed us to dwell in. We should ask ourselves, “What does he want to do with this house? What does he want to happen in this house? What does he not want in this house?” God must be spoken of often and honored by those who live within. The blessed home is ruled by the authority of the Bible. Bible reading and discussion of how life relates to the Word of God should be frequent. The name of Jesus will be spoken of with sweetness and songs to him will be sung. The blessed home is unashamedly a Christian Home. We should view our homes as little temples, with the man of the house being the chief priest and the woman his assistant. 

Great care should be taken to rid the home of idolatry in every way possible. Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21). Obviously anything that is related to the occult or vestiges from other gods should be avoided: such as statues, icons or materials that are used in the worship of other gods. As Christians we are not superstitious: there is only one god that is living. However, we are not ignorant of the fact that demons are associated with the worship of certain things. So if we have materials used in our homes that are used in worship of other gods we are inviting demons and evil unclean spirits to our house.       

A blessed house is also a happy house. The people who live in it are inviting to one another, sweet, patient and have a servant’s heart. A blessed home is where the Holy Spirit is working out in the hearts and lives of the people who live inside. Conflicts are inevitable, but they are discussed and resolved swiftly and with fairness.  

A blessed house is a healthy house: spiritually, emotionally, physically, etc. It is a place that encourages growth and flourishing in every way. A place that desires the best for each and every person who resides there and only comes for a visit. 

The home is like a garden. A garden that is well maintained is beautiful, pleasant and yields an abundance of healthy fruits and herbs that bring life and healing to people – the home is the same way. A blessed garden needs to be well planned out, watered daily and fed when it needs it, positioned to get the right amount of sun, guarded from predators, and in the end patience for God to give the increase. We can apply these same principles to our home life. As gardeners of our homes we must make sure that our home is well maintained. It must be a stable home – a good garden is settled and rooted. There must be a settledness in the people that this is where they belong. There must be regular watering and feeding: the people inside must be fed with love, relationship and communication. We must guard our homes from allowing any predators to enter in – any voices from people or media who will be negative voices encouraging sin or fostering distrust or rebellion. We must watch over our homes vigilantly. Yes, blessing ultimately comes from God, but we must do our part to keep out of it anything that will ruin it.  

For the home to be blessed like a well tended garden, it must be saturated in the Word of God: Psalm 1 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” The Word of God is powerful. It gives us the instruction we need for how to run a thriving home, but it also carries with it the power to enable us to do so.  

Deuteronomy 6 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and upon thy gates. 

God wanted his people so identified with his Word that it would be as though it was written on their hands and on their foreheads. Think about how obvious a tattoo on someone’s forehead is. This is how obvious it should be to others that we love the Word of God and identify with it. 

The Word of God is the root of a blessed house, and the Spirit of God is the fruit. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. Galatians 5. Each member of the family carries the responsibility to yield themselves to the prompting of the Spirit instead of to the flesh. Our hearts are like spiritual weed producing factories. We must daily root out those temptations to be selfish, and tend to those mindsets and attitudes that produce the kinds of fruits mentioned here. 
Matthew 6. A Prayer for our homes. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name (make your Name to be hallowed, set apart in this place). Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven (as people come into this home, may they feel as though they stepped into heaven). Give us this day our daily bread (provide all that this household needs to survive and thrive. Give contentment). And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (grant that a spirit of peacemaking happen in this place. Swift and willing reconciliation). And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (make this a house of purity and holiness. Guard this place from unclean spirits and surround it with your holy angels). For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, amen (may this house bring much glory to the name of Jesus Christ, through everything done here and everyone that lives here). Amen.