When honor fills our home | Pr Raph | Oct. 05, 2025

When Honor Fills Up Our Home 

Intro:

There is a principle of heaven that the enemy resists more fiercely than any other — the principle of honor. Honor is the culture of heaven. 

When honor fills a home, it does more than bring peace — it brings restoration between generations. Honor is the bridge that connects hearts that time, pride, or pain have separated. It softens what rebellion hardened and rebuilds what silence tore down. 

In God’s design, honor is not only about respect; it is about reconciliation. Every generation carries both the scars and the promises of the one before it. When honor is lost, the flow of blessing is interrupted; when honor is restored, riches flow again. Where there is honor, forgiveness replaces accusation, gratitude replaces entitlement, and hearts are turned into testimonies of reconciliation.

Honor makes the culture of heaven invade your family, so let Your house be filled with honor today.

The Principle of Honor

There is a principle of heaven that is deeply resisted by the evil one. It is the principle of honor.

When we speak of honor, we speak of the very culture of heaven — the way the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit relate to one another in perfect love, submission, and mutual glorification.

Jesus Himself revealed this heavenly culture when He said that He did nothing on His own but only what He saw the Father doing.

John 5:19 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”

Even the Son of God walked in honor and dependence. Why do we try something else? 

Luke 4:1“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.”

That is the culture of the Trinity — a culture of honor.

However, hell operates by the opposite culture: dishonor, rebellion, and rivalry. It is a kingdom divided against itself, where pride and self-promotion are the norm.

In organized crime, each gang wants to dominate a certain neighborhood, a block, or one corner where they can sell their illegal drugs. They are driven by greed, pride, and a desire for power. If one group gains influence, the other immediately plots to take it back.

That is exactly how hell operates. Like a mafia war for control, demons fight for dominance, constantly competing and destroying one another. Tragically, that same culture can infiltrate a home when honor is absent.

Matthew 12:25-26 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

When comparison replaces contentment, when complaint replaces gratitude, and when criticism replaces recognition, that home begins to look like a spiritual battlefield. Such a culture has no future.

But it's time to change that. 

Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Where the culture of honor takes root, the gates of hell lose their claim.

Honor is most revealed when shown downward.

The principle of honor is truly tested not when we have someone stronger, wiser, or more intelligent above us, but when we choose to honor those who seem below us.

It is easy and even expected to honor someone greater; such honor is natural. Inspired by fear, maybe for the concern of losing privileges in a job position.

When Jesus was only twelve years old, He was left behind by His parents in Jerusalem. 

He, the Creator of the universe, the very finger of God who wrote the Law, was sitting in the temple, not teaching and lecturing the religious leaders, but asking questions.

Luke 2:46–47 “After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”

Even though He astonished the religious leaders with His insight, what is most astonishing is what He did next. Jesus — God made flesh — chose to honor His earthly parents, ordinary and simple people from Nazareth. The One to whom every knee would bow humbled Himself to obey them.

Luke 2:51 “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”

This is the highest expression of honor: when divinity bows before humanity out of love. 

Why? Because that is the heavenly culture. Jesus, who owed obedience to no one, submitted to authority so that we could learn heaven’s way.

Jesus was blessed in His ministry because He chose to submit to someone less than Him.

John the Baptist himself declared that he was not even worthy to untie the straps of Jesus’ sandals. Yet Jesus humbled Himself to be baptized by John — a man He created.

Matthew 3:13–15

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

Honor is submission. 

That honor’s culture brought divine confirmation over Jesus' ministry. The Father’s public affirmation came after the act of honor. Heaven’s voice always follows submission.

I often wonder how many of our LifeGroup leaders could experience greater blessing, growth, and prosperity if they walked in that same spirit of honor.

Sometimes, honor is tested not in grand acts but in small obediences — such as aligning with the message God is speaking to the church that week. When we honor the spiritual direction that God gives through the pastor — the “word of the week” or “newsletter of the week” — we come under the same anointing.

It is not about suppressing creativity; it is about channeling creativity through unity.

There is no favor in independence; God blesses agreement.

1 Peter 5:5–6

5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.

You cannot honor someone without recognizing their authority.

Etymology of Authority

The English word authority comes from the Latin auctoritas, derived from auctor, “originator,” “promoter,” or “one who causes to grow.” The Greek root verb is augēre, meaning “to increase, to make grow, to cause to prosper.”

So at its root, authority has nothing to do with control or domination. It literally means “the power to cause growth.”

Submission is not inferiority — it is the recognition of divine order.

A wife honors her husband when she recognizes his leadership, not because he is perfect, but because God placed him there.

A husband honors God by covering, not controlling, his wife.

Children honor their parents by obeying even when they disagree.

Parents honor their children by giving them space to grow without manipulation.

Honor and Family

You only truly Love What You truly honor

Honor magnifies love. To love someone deeply is to give them weight and value in your heart and words. Dishonor, however, diminishes affection; it turns praises into criticism and respect into resentment. 

If you do not feel privileged and deeply blessed to have your spouse, you are missing the favor of God. Marriage is not sustained by compatibility or convenience but by honor and gratitude.

Proverbs 18:22 22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

The moment you begin to compare your spouse with someone else or allow criticism to take root in your heart, you step out of grace and into the territory of self-righteousness. 

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Self-righteousness always says, “I deserve better.” It weighs the other’s faults against our own merits. But grace is the opposite. The favor of God rests only on those who remain in the posture of the undeserving—those who recognize, “I am far more blessed than I could ever earn.”

Honor grows when there is gratitude. Thanking one another regularly — for food, for service, for presence — breaks the curse of dishonor.

Romans 12:10 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

We can only love what we bless and honor. When one decides to honor, problems end.

1 Corinthians 13:4–5 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.

Every relationship has specific protocols. The family has procedures. Couples have inner rules. One protocol that you can’t miss in your family is honor. Honor is the protocol of Heaven.

Honor is shown in small gestures — tone of voice, listening, serving, and preferring the other.

A husband walking with his wife instead of ahead of her.

A wife who does not interrupt when the other speaks.

Remembering to give the best seat or best portion as an act of preference.

It is a simple daily custom of heaven’s culture.

Philippians 2:3–4

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Honor prevents disagreement from becoming a fight.”

Disagreement is inevitable, but dishonor turns difference into division.

What is the use of winning arguments but losing the marriage?”

Honor allows two people to differ without destroying the atmosphere of peace.

In parenting, it means you explain the reason for the correction rather than reacting with anger.

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Before Smith Wigglesworth became one of the most famous healing evangelists in modern history, he was just a simple plumber from England.

He’s remembered today as a man of incredible faith — someone through whom God worked mighty miracles. Thousands were healed under his ministry; the blind saw, the lame walked, and even the dead were reportedly raised.

Smith’s wife, Polly Wigglesworth, was the real believer first. While Smith was a rude, hardworking. One night, Polly told him she was going to a church meeting.

Smith said sharply, “You’re not going tonight. I’m the head of this house.”

Polly looked at him with calmness and said, “You are my husband, and I honor you — but you’re not my Lord. Jesus is my Lord.”

Then she quietly put on her coat and went to church.

When she came home later that night, Smith had locked the door. He meant to teach her a lesson.

So Polly spent the night sleeping on the freezing night outside on the doorstep. Early the next morning, when Smith opened the door, she stood up, smiled, and said warmly, “Good morning, dear.” Then she walked inside and made him breakfast, just as she always did. That moment changed Smith Wigglesworth forever. Honor broke through his pride. He later said that her kindness and submission revealed Jesus more powerfully than any sermon he’d ever heard.

It all began with a wife who chose to honor instead of fight, serve instead of argue, and love instead of control.

Honor is the first step to Restitution

Where dishonor and disagreement rule, there can be no prosperity or blessing.

Amos 3:3 “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?”

Imagine a couple who choose to pursue their individual dreams. One moves in one direction, the other in another. Instead of progressing, they remain stagnant—frozen and halted by their own opinions and preferences.

Without agreement, there is no progress. Without honor, there is no prosperity.

The enemy knows this and therefore works to divide families' hearts.

Our generation dishonors authority, parents, and leaders, and thus fails to prosper. Dishonor blocks blessing; honor opens heaven’s provision.

The word honor is related to glory and means ‘weight.’ To honor is to give weight, importance, attention, listening, and consideration.

Dishonor treats others as light, disposable, and unimportant.

Ephesians 5:25-27 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

A husband honors his wife when he listens to her opinion before making decisions.

We need to present our wives with honor and the weight of glory before everyone.

Public honor strengthens intimacy and love.

To belittle your spouse or family in front of others is to destroy their dignity.

Learn to speak highly of each other at church, before your children, and among your friends.

Honor spoken in front of people becomes a shield over your home.

So many husbands miss this point on Proverbs 31. But all the qualities of the successful and godly women of Proverbs 31 come from on key source. 

Proverbs 31:28–29 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”

A wife honors her husband when she speaks with respect, even in disagreement. Parents honor children by taking their concerns seriously.

A husband who honors his wife’s intuition will prosper and find opportunities opening up. The one who supposes His wife’s perception will end up defeated. 

A wife who honors her husband’s leadership, “the home becomes a garden that prospers.”

Different from Eve, the serpent will not have any ground in your house. Allow and encourage your husband to be the man, the priest of your home.

Wisdom is only for those who honor

There is only learning where there is honor. Think about the people you admire; whether consciously or unconsciously, they are the ones you ultimately emulate. 

So, here is a key of wisdom. If you want your children to learn anything from you, first teach them the principle of honor.

In a home, correction only works when honor is established. Many times, in our parenting experience, my wife and I have exhausted our “Because “ answers from all the “But Why?” questions until we start to teach the matter of honor.

Children who disregard their parents’ counsel end up frustrated.

That is why it is so serious when a child mocks or argues with their parents.

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Likewise, a parent who humiliates or dishonors a child will lose the child’s heart. We must discipline without breaking the dignity of our children. 

Never shame a child publicly.

Honor preserves a relationship while bringing correction.

Ephesians 6:1-3 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

The final prophecy of the Old Testament. It announces that before the “great and awesome day of the Lord,” God would raise a prophetic voice — in the spirit of Elijah — to restore family relationships: reconciliation and generational blessings.

Malachi 4:5–6 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.

This prophecy is quoted by the angel Gabriel concerning John the Baptist (Luke 1:16–17). It pointed to John’s ministry. However, by extension, the ministry of the church carries the same calling: to prepare a people for the Lord.

Honor releases and generational prosperity—a generational blessing.

Honor reconciles the hearts of fathers and children.”

Where there is honor, there is reconciliation.

Where there is rebellion, there is destruction.

When fathers humble themselves to bless their children, and children turn their hearts back in gratitude and submission, heaven’s revival begins.