Help! My Family Life is a Mess!

Everyone sees other families and thinks either what a mess or what a great family. Social media posts and television ads portray the perfect family or life with no problems and financial prosperity. The truth is we all have messy families both in the church family and our natural families.

In Genesis, chapter eleven, it tells the story of the Tower of Babel. People were scattered over the whole earth after the flood. The world, at that time, had one language and a common background. They decided to build a city, a tower, and a name for themselves that they might not be scattered. This story reveals the power of communication and agreement that releases faith even when it was built for the wrong reason. Some of the reasons the tower was built was to show their independence and ability to take care of themselves. They wanted to create a name for themselves and to keep their group together.

You see this in families with the “us four and no more” mentality. You see this in politics, clubs, and even in religious organizations. This “us only” mentality is used because of a spirit of fear and/or pride. They don’t want change or deal with other people’s mess. We fear the future, so we build our own towers to protect ourselves and our lifestyle. They trust in themselves because they have not learned to trust God.

How do we defeat the Tower of Babel in our lives?

How do we defeat the Tower of Babel in our lives? First, we need to repent for trusting in our ability to protect ourselves. Then we need to ask God to reveal if there is any pride in our lives and have, we created anything that is outside of God’s will. What happens when you pray for the removal of self-protection and pride? It causes a ripple effect on your life. Holy Spirit will start to reveal your attitudes or bring insight into why you do what you do. He will bring people into your life that will rub you the wrong way and cause hidden attitudes to surface. When this happens, ask God to change you. He never reveals a problem to shame us. He always provides the power to change. Once these things are done, we can begin to remove the confusion that has overtaken us.

The key to overcoming the faulty communication in our lives is entering into God’s kingdom. You see Jesus accomplishing this in his ministry. Even Jesus’s brothers didn’t believe in His ministry at first. Later, James, Jesus’s half-brother, authored the book of James teaching all about Jesus’s ministry. Jesus never let the religious laws compromise what God wanted done on earth. It is the “your kingdom come; your will be done” walk that releases the power of God to untangle our messy lives. God’s kingdom (not worldly religion) speaks one language, one faith, and one God. The sacrifice of Jesus opens the door to unite people. It operated through the love of God and the power of Holy Spirit, who is our Enabler.

When you walk through these processes, then insight will come on how to pray for those in your circle of influence. When you start seeing people through God’s view, it releases the power of God’s kingdom to change those around you. This is when you will see a harvest. This is where the living water flows out of us into the world to release God’s kingdom.

Prayer

Father God,

Help! My family is a mess, but I know You can change the path we are on. Remove all the self-protection that I have built outside of Your provision. Forgive me for trying to protect myself and my family instead of trusting You. Deliver me from all the things I have built in my own ability and knowledge. Help me to see what needs to be changed. I ask for Your grace to change. Allow me to see the best plans You have for me. I am choosing to trust that Your way is better than anything I can plan or build. I ask for Your protection and guidance as I walk this new path. I want the rivers of living water that not only changes me but can change those around me. Because of Jesus and empowered by Holy Spirit, amen.

Scriptures

Genesis 11:1-11 The Tower of Babel; Matthew 6:10, 4:17, 12:28, 1 Corinthians 13:13, John 7:4 & 38