The True Christian Family by Gisela Yohannan

Continuing where we left off in the last podcast, characteristics of the woman in Proverbs 31 like a godly work ethic, quality of work, prioritising her work are focused on this week. In addition, her compassion, generosity, wisdom, good testimony and humility are also brought out beautifully. But the big question remains - how can I become like the Proverbs 31 woman? How can my character also change to become like the woman God’s wants me to be? Yes, the answer is also given by the Proverbs 31 woman. Listen and be encouraged as we build up a godly Christian family.

How can our character become ’transformed’ and become ‘conformed’ to God’s image? Surely it does not happen overnight! But then what’s the road map towards ’transformation?’ In this podcast, we take a look at two of the characteristics - faithfulness and loyaly which the Proverbs 31 woman had. As always, using simple day to day examples like washing dishes and being on time for church to being loyal in words and actions to her husband, we are made to understand what it takes for our character to be transformed. Listen and be encouraged. Now also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, JioSaavn, Podcast Addict, Castbox and Spreaker

Sometimes when Christian women read Proverbs 31, rather than get encouraged they can often get discouraged. This is because it paints a picture of a woman who’s got it all together, appears perfect and lacks nothing. You wonder if she was a super woman. 'How can I even get to becoming even half of what woman was', she thinks to herself? But as you listen to this podcast, your spiritual eyes will be opened to see Proverbs 31 and the woman which it portrays in a fresh and encouraging way. Listen and be encouraged.

One minute you are having a lovely conversation with your spouse and the next minutue you are aiming for the others jugular! What happened? The tongue, a weapon mightier than the sharpest sword, brought about destruction. With practical guidelines like - do not generalise the mistakes of your spouse, avoid making negative comparision of your wife or husband, refrain from making statements of rejection etc. this podcast is filled with practical wisdom. WIth the same tongue that can be used to destroy, we can also built up. Let us learn and be blessed as we build up a Christian family.

Men are extremely logical, while women approach things emotionally. Women talk through details to find solutions, while men withdraw and tend to think in isolation. Taken by themselves, these God given differences, can be a source of conflict and endless frustration. But as we listen to this podcast, we will see how a wise husband will give heed to the intuitions of his wife, however illogical they might seem and the smart wife will know not to let her emotions overwhelm her, but to trust her husabnds rational and logical way of finding a solution to a difficult situation. Let us be grateful to God for the way he has made each one of us and learn as we build up a Christian family.

My wife talks too much, the husband complaints. My husband says nothing, the wife complaints! Different communication patterns and needs can lead to endless frustrations and unfortunately a breakdown in communication between spouses. But it does not need to be so! As you listen to this podcast, you will realize that the Creator has created each one with different communication skills. And with a little patience and understanding, the husband and wife will realise that they can fulfill mutually complimentary roles as they build up a Christian family.

Words once said can only be forgiven, not forgotten. This is especially so within marriage relationships. How much of heartache could have been avoided if only we had learned to listen. As the Holy Scripture points out, what the heart overflows the mouth speaks. Using everyday examples, this podcast helps us to learn the 3 principles of communication which are - communicate clearly, share from your heart and learn to listen.Let us learn and be blessed as we build up a Christian family.

Communication is an art; one which needs to be learned. Each partner in marriage wishes to be understood by the other, but without effective communication between the husband and the wife, that is impossible. In this podcast, the 3 golden rules for effective communication is clearly explained. With examples from every day life, the role of non-verbal communication, what it means to properly commune with each other and how to avoid mis-communication can be understood in a way that is easy to apply to our daily lives. Listen and be blessed as we build up a Christian family.

Christ and the church is our model for our marriage relationship and this applies to the area of communication too. Christ communicated to His Bride the Church, in a clear manner (ex: parables) Christ told what He did, why He did it, what He felt, what He was thinking, what He was going to do and even where He was going!But to reach this depth of communication, it takes time and more importantly - trust. As each spouse encourages even a small efforts of the other spouse to communicate, the level of communication will get better. Eventually by God’s grace, the couple can become one in purpose, carry each others burdens, raise children together and be a model Christian family. Listen and be blessed as we build up a Christian family.

The majority of marital conflicts can be traced back to the lack of communication between the spouses. But, rather than attempting to find answers for the problem, this week's podcast episode challenges us to take a look at the enormous length that God our creator went to, to communicate His love for us, His creations. The question finally asked to each one of us is, if God - an infinite, eternal and a spirit being, takes upon the nature of communication with us (His creations) - who are finite, mortal and soul-ish beings, so seriously, shouldn’t we, His creation also take the act of communication to our spouses, earnestly? Listen and be blessed as we build up a Christian family.

'It’s very easy to break something; but very hard to fix it again.’ This saying holds true for any relationship, but more so for the institution of marriage. Broken hearts, broken trust, broken people - the effects of a broken marriage relationship can be devastating. What does it actually take to rebuild a broken marriage? Can simple forgiveness restore it? What about the hurt caused by the offending spouse? Although it might look impossible, this podcast encourages us to believe that 'with God nothing is impossible’, even mending a broken marriage relationship.Listen and be blessed as we build up a Christian.

It is often far more easier to feel sorry for what happened, than to say ‘I am sorry’. And it’s almost unthinkable in some cultures, for the husband, no matter how wrong he is, to tend an apology to his wife! And so we come up with excuses, explanations or even better, never bring up the incident anymore - until the next time that is!But do we realise that many of us, without even realizing, could be following an unbiblical pattern of obtaining forgiveness from each other? In this podcast, learn about the ‘God-model’ of obtaining forgiveness from each other as taught by St. Paul in Ephesians 4:32.Listen and be blessed as we build up a Christian family.

Do you still keep count of the number of times your spouse has offended you in the past? What he or she did to you was too painful to forgive? You hold on to them like hostages in your heart, and not forgiving your spouse ‘as God forgave us'.Last week we learned about being kind to one another; and it's definitely more applicable, when you have to forgive your spouse. Listen to this podcast, as we are led step by step into what it means to forgive like God does.

The fruit of the Spirit includes gentleness, kindness and goodness. But how can we practice this - especially at home? It is not so hard, to be kind to someone we only see once in a while. But to be kind, gentle, tender hearted to your spouse - with whom you live daily is not so easy! It is easier for us to find fault and vent our feelings rather than, be compassionate to our spouse. No wonder it is said that kindness starts at home! But how can we become gentle and kind? Listen to the podcast as you are led to the source of all kindness and gentleness - which is a closer relationship with Jesus.

Not long after marriage, the wife realizes that her dashing prince does indeed have some chinks in his armour. The husband too soon realizes that his angelic bride, is not an angel after all! How can we then live with the each other’s shortcomings, big or small, even daily? Is love for each other enough? Find out the answer in this podcast. Find out also how to effectively solve conflicts which will arise as two self-centered, imperfect individuals try and build up a perfect, Christ centered marriage.

Why did St. Peter select Sarah, the wife of Father Abraham as a role model for Christian wive’s to follow (I Peter 3: 6 )? What made her so special and is there anything we learn from someone who lived 4000 years ago? In this podcast, join with Sarah in her long journey - one which was fraught with danger and deception, innumerable twists and turns as we recollect the challenging, disappointing and sometimes frightening experiences she went through. I am sure you will be encouraged, enlightened and edified as we build up a true Christian Family.

In the last podcast, we saw what true beauty ‘looks’ like. While not abandoning external appearances, we saw that God’s standards went beyond just being ‘skin deep.’ I Peter 3:4,5No one is born with an inner beauty, quiet and gentle spirit! Rather like the holy women of the Bible, they are to ‘adorn’ themselves with it. How can you do it? In today’s podcast, the 3 steps to develop this "Inner Beauty”, is based on I Peter 3: 5 &6 and are clearly delineated. Listen and be blessed!

How can a woman make herself beautiful? Is beauty ‘merely’ to do with jewellery, hair style, make up or the clothes she wears? Talking about clothes, are there any guidelines to follow with regards to what to wear and what not to? Living in the midst of a convergence culture, the concept of beauty is often mis-understood resulting in a mis-placed focus on the external, as opposed to the beauty of a 'quiet and gentle spirit.’ In this podcast, the picture of a godly woman, based on 1st Peter chapter 3 verses 3 & 5, is portrayed lucidly. Let us listen as we learn what God looks for in a woman.

Why can’t you be like my mother? I need to ask my mother to teach you how to cook! Devastating statements which are often made by the husband to his wife who is longing for his love. Similarly, the wife by belittling her husband, ordering him around and constantly telling others about his shortcomings, is dealing a crippling blow to their marriage by not giving her husband the respect he deserves. Based on Ephesians 5:33 and with practical examples and real life incidents, Gisela Yohannan teaches us how the husband can love his wife and how she can in turn respect him in this podcast. Listen and be blessed.

The secret to experiencing a deep and fulfilling marriage is to become one with each other – the 3rd step in God’s design for a Christian marriage. But many mistakenly limit their understanding of oneness to physical intimacy and not God’s standard - being one at heart with each other. What are the things which can potentially destroy this oneness? How can a couple successfully build up oneness in heart? Listen as we look to live a true christian marriage.

All marriages have times of conflicts. But sometimes, especially in the Asian context, these are caused, stimulated and aggravated by parents – especially the in-laws. In the battle for their daughter’s allegiance and affection, they often hold on to their daughter, use money and other material benefits to exercise control and even encourage their daughter to come home when any small problems surface in their marriage. Little do they know that they are sabotaging God’s design for marriage.How can this be resolved and build a strong foundation for a Christian marriage?You will be blessed as you listen to this podcast.

We have already seen that if we follow God’s 3 step instructions found in Ephesians 5:31, we can experience a fulfilling Christian marriage. But for someone who’s not married yet, step one of leaving (physically & emotionally) her parents is terrifying. Added to it, after marriage her new authority is to be her husband and her commitment and allegiance must be to him. How can she do it? For those already married, what should the wife do if the husband is not interested, or learns about these instructions much later in their married life? Should she preach at him or pray for her husband? Listen and learn as we live to please the Lord.

In part 14 of the series, Gisela Yohannan compares ‘cleaving’ - the 2nd of the 3 steps designed by God for developing an intimate relationship with you spouse, to super glue - a strong adhesive. Separating something super-glued is almost impossible. Just like nothing is able to separate us from His (Jesus’) love for us, nothing should separate the husband from ‘cleaving’ to his wife. Even if a relative sows discord, the mother in law accuses the daughter in law or the wife commits a mistake, the husband must defend, protect, listen, correct and forgive his wife. A tall task for any husband; but surely possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5: 31 is God’s 3 step instruction to that end - ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’Part 13 of this series focuses on the 1st among the 3 steps - which is to ‘leave.’What did God mean by that? Rising above culture and tradition and equally applicable to the poor and rich, literate and illiterate, those in villages and cities, this teaching clearly explains what the husband should leave and how he should do it. Let us listen and learn to deepen our relationship with our spouse.

‘Correction’, says Gisela Yohannan is ‘God’s grace and love towards us, because it opens our eyes to those things in our lives which are not pleasing to Him’.One of the God given responsibility of a husband is, like Christ, to bring correction to his wife. But any sort of correction is difficult to receive! So, what should be the wife’s right attitude and appropriate response be towards the correction she receives? Listen and learn how to let correction become a blessing, as we seek to build up a True Christian Marriage and Family.

It’s easy to say, ‘I want to have a good Christian marriage.’ But obeying the Biblical principles on which such a marriage is founded on, is not at all easy. For example, the Holy Scripture tells the husband to “cherish” or 'value' his wife. But what if doing that will go against the culture and make a husband look weak and ‘spineless?’ At the same time, neither can we ignore the Scriptures just because our culture practices something else! Firmly, but politely, Gisela Yohannan will ask the question - do you as a husband cherish your wife, just as Christ does the Church? Listen and be blessed!

Husband - is your wife starving - not physically of course, but emotionally? What are the signs of spiritual starvation in your wife? And more importantly, what is the solution? 

The solution is found in Ephesians 5: 29 - ‘husbands nourish your wife just as Christ also does the church.’ But how does one do it? As we listen, let us be encouraged to truly nourish our wives.

If a husband and wife would understand this principle, then most, if not all of the strife, mis-understandings, and selfishness would be replaced by and peace, joy and love in our homes. Using multiple scriptural references and simple illustrations, Gisela Yohannan points out that one foundational principle to live as a Christian Family.

Often husbands exclaim in exasperation- ‘Why can’t my wife act and think like me? She’s so complicated; who can understand her!?’ Husbands, remember that your wife has been created differently to fulfil her assignment!! But then what is her assignment? While the leadership responsibility of the family rests with the husband, what is the role of the wife in decision making in a household? Gisela Yohannan in her simple and lucid style, brings out real life and often humorous examples to show the beautiful balance God intended in marriage. Let us listen and learn, as we live together as a Christian Family.

A question to the Christian husband - ’have you taken deliberate steps to help the spiritual growth of your wife? As a husband get’s busy with his role of working, leading and providing for his family, he often forgets that he has a high calling in marriage - to be like Christ (is to the church). Using Scriptural principles and practical examples, Gisela Yohannan once again points the way to having a fulfilling and Christ centered family life.

The Bible says, ’wives be subject to your husbands in everything.’ 

But, does everything really mean ‘everything’? Is a Christian wife obligated to obey the husband even if he asks her to violate God’s direct command? Using examples from day to day life, Gisela Yohannan teaches on this extremely sensitive subject, in the most considerate, understanding and practical way, while pointing to Jesus, whom every wife is called to follow. This teaching will provoke, challenge and inspire us to be a family after God’s heart.

5 simple, yet probing questions to help every Christian husband answer the question - do I love my wife like God wants me to?In Part 5 of the series Gisela Yohannan gives a 'Love-Test' for all husbands to take. Listen together. Prayer together. Grow together. By His grace, together we can become a better family.

Submission - in this modern era? That is an archaic and repressive concept! Although statements like these are vociferously propagated by popular culture, do they accurately reflect the Biblical perspective?Maybe there are more practical questions in your mind like - what if the wife is more capable than the husband to lead? What if the husband is incapable, uninterested or ignorant of his responsibilities?In this part Gisela Yohannan addresses these questions and more importantly, points out the answer - in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.Listen together as a family and be blessed!

Do you want your marriage to be transformed? In this podcast, Gisela Yohannan emphasises why our marriage should be founded on the principles of the Word of God and gives us 5 steps to built a successful Christian marriage and family.

"We simply copy and continue what others are doing - especially in the area of family life. But what should be our example or model be?" As we listen to it, it will help us to think and identify the right 'instruction manual' to follow!

In our first episode, Gisela Yohannan talks about the foundation of marriage tracing from the beginning in the Bible to what it means today. She discusses what it means to be a husband and a wife in the light of God.