Proverbs 26verse2: ‘As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.’

There are certain indicators or signs of bad communication in a relationship, and I will share them with you in today’s lesson. From our text, it is clear that there is always a cause for a curse. Or to put it in another way. There is a cause for any effect that you see. Nothing just happens. If we are going to gain the upper hand in our marriage and also win the warfare with regard to communication, we need to be aware of the signs of bad communication in marriage. We must avoid these pitfalls if we want to be successful in our marriages and in case you discover that you have some of these issues in your life, it’s important for you to start dealing with them so as to make your marriage heaven on earth experience. So, I will be mentioning some of the indicators without much explanation. May Jehovah grant us understanding and deliverance from any of these vices.

INDICATORS OF BAD COMMUNICATION:

1. Not listening.

2. Invalidating the feelings of your partner.

3. Use of aggressive language. Eph4v29.

4. Stonewalling i.e., refusal to communicate with your partner and withdrawing from conversation to create distance between you and them.

5. Being defensive.

6. Lack of empathy.

7. Poor emotional intelligence.

8. Not managing your tone and inflection.

9. Interrupting in conversation.

10. Yelling and screaming.

11. Walking away.

12. Sarcasm and put-downs (inappropriate or contempt forms of disrespect include cynicism, name-calling, mockery, eye-rolling etc.)

13. The silent treatment (i.e., shutting down)

14. Disrespectful nonverbal behaviour i.e., checking your phone instead of facing your partner and making eye contact)

15. Bringing up past mistakes.

My dear friends, how would you rate yourself with regard to the above-mentioned challenges when it comes to communicating with your spouse? Your sincere assessment of your state will help you chart a new course in your communication with your spouse. I pray that this will be your testimony in Jesus name amen.

Other Scriptural References: Pro22v28; Jn8v32; SOS1v6; Pro25v4; Deut23v5.

Prayer for Today: Holy Spirit, help me overcome the challenges in my communication with my spouse; in Jesus name amen.

 CONFESSION: Lord, I receive your help and grace in dealing with the areas of concern in my communication with my spouse! I receive grace to act accordingly on these truths. I take action from today and help me in making my home to be a better place of comfort and bliss in Jesus name amen.