Build Your Own War Room (aka Prayer Closet)
The
movie, War Room, was just released and after seeing it 2x…I must say it was
AMAZING! And this movie is all about learning how to fight better and letting
God do your fighting for you. Yup – and prayer is the key ingredient! I LOVE
movies about how to forgive, how to show unconditional love, and how to grow
closer to God. These movies always make me cry but they also always make me a
better person. Inside and Out.
So, if you’re interested, follow me and
let’s learn how to build our own War Room (aka prayer
closet) and start softening our hearts today!
The
key to creating a war room prayer closet is this…find a place with zero
interruptions. Sounds easy…but it’s not. That’s how and why the ‘closet’ has
been identified as one of the best spots in our homes. An empty closet, that
is. And if an empty closet (or closet-like space) is not available in your
home, keep reading. We have a few tips in creating a space that will have the
same incredible, heart-warming, God-loving, soul-searching result.
But
let’s start with the basics.
WHY have a war room?
1.
Because prayer matters to God and it’s
powerful! James
5:16 says
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you
may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
2.
In
today’s super-electronically connected world, it’s what we need to
really be able to quiet our hearts, to hear God’s voice.
3.
It is eye-opening, the things that God
wants to reveal to you through a dedicated prayer time—insights into your
life, your relationships, your motivations, and understanding God’s
purposes. Jeremiah 33:2-3 “This is what the Lord says, he
who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his
name: ‘Call to me and
I will answer you and tell you great and
unsearchable things you do not know.’”
4.
We are commanded to devote ourselves to prayer. Colossians
4:2 “Devote yourselves to
prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”
5.
For the future of us, our children, and our
land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “Then if
my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my
face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive
their sins and restore their land.”
6.
We are told to pray continually (1
Thessalonians 5:7), and be faithful in prayer. How often do
we actually, currently pray, though? Probably not as much as we
would like or should. Romans
12:12 “Be
hopeful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in
prayer.”
7.
Following Jesus’ example of withdrawing to a
solitary place to pray. Luke
22:39-46,
we see that Jesus withdrew and knelt to pray. And Mark
1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark,
Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary
place, where he prayed.”
8.
We are told to pray in secret (not just to be
seen by others). Matthew
6:5-6 “And when you
pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you,
they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray
to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what
is done in secret, will reward you.”
How to find/build/create your War Room – 10
Easy Steps!
1) Consider if there is an actual extra little
closet or space in your house where you can comfortably sit and kneel to pray. It may
currently be used as storage and filled with things, but consider emptying it
by selling or giving away excess that you don’t really need. If a little
space like this does not exist in your home, try to be creative with an
alternative– is there a space on the floor of your bedroom (not your bed!)
where you could be alone, leave a Bible, prayer photo album (see description
below), etc.? It just needs to be an electronics free zone (no I Pads,
IPhones, Laptops, etc.)
2) Equip your little space with a lamp, if it doesn’t have
lighting. Also, I find it helpful to keep a throw pillow in there, to be a little more
comfortable.
3) Print off photos of people in your life
that you want to be regularly praying for, and either put them up on a tack
board or in a little prayer photo album, that you keep in your prayer
closet. Looking at people’s faces seems to help me remember to pray for
them, and then to pray more specifically for what they are going through in
their lives.
4) Pray using the “ACTS” acronym. Spend time on
each “letter”
§
Adoration: Spend some time adoring and
worshipping God by declaring things about who He is. (ie- Altogether
good, loving, just, faithful, truth, etc.) Psalm
145:3 “Great
is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”
§
Confession: Spend time confessing your own
sins to God. 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.”
§
Thanksgiving: Spend time listing out things
you are thankful for—finding things to be thankful for will help you understand
God’s purposes in hardship. Ephesians
5:20,
“And give thanks for everything to
God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Psalm
50:23,
“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my
path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”
§
Supplication: This is the part where you
bring your different requests to God—for yourself, for fellow Christians, for
people who don’t know Jesus, for our country, for different situations around
you and around the world, etc. 1
Timothy 2:1 “I
urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede
on their behalf, and give thanks for them.
5) Pray with an open Bible. God uses His
Word (the Bible) to speak into our lives and reveal Himself. I would
suggest that this should be an actual hard-copy of the Bible (not electronic),
to guard against potential distraction.
6) Keep a journal in your prayer closet. You will want
to be writing down (to remember) the things that God will start revealing to
you. Also, if you journal the things you are praying for, you will be
encouraged and praise God when God answers your prayers, in His timing.
Otherwise, you might not even notice when God has moved in response to your
prayer.
7) Consider getting devotional
guide to keep in your prayer closet, which daily will help you
focus in prayer on a specific people group or country, and their spiritual
needs/spiritual state.
8) Spend some time praying in a
kneeling position. Something about kneeling to pray really
seems to help humble my heart before God and helps me naturally tend towards
worshipping Him. (This does not have to be all your time in your
prayer closet—just try it to see if it helps you focus on our glorious
God.) Psalms 95:6 “Come, let us bow down in
worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
9) If the idea of spending more extended time
in prayer seems overwhelming, set a kitchen timer (to have in the
prayer closet) or a watch (not your smartphone, for distraction
reasons). Then set the alarm to go off in a set amount of minutes (maybe
start with 10 minutes and then add from there). I think you’ll be
surprised how fast time flies, once you really start praying through different
people and situations in your life.
10) Just get yourself into your prayer closet. If you can
make it that far, I think that actually praying will be the easier part.
Tearing ourselves away from the endless house work, TV, Facebook, e-mail,
etc., is the hard part. That is often what keeps us from hearing from God–
being distracted. Don’t be discouraged if this feels unnatural and hard. Prayer
is a spiritual discipline, so that infers it will take time, effort and energy.
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but
painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and
peace for those who have been trained by it.” –Hebrews
12:11
The
real beauty of having a prayer closet is forcing out all the distractions that
keep us from having the kind of prayer life that God desires.
When you feel weak against
Satan and his arrows, take on the Full Armor of God for spiritual protection
and peace. God’s words carry great strength and power. The Warrior’s Prayer
will give you words to recall in troubling times and will carry you
through the toughest times. AMEN.
The
Warrior’s Prayer
- Heavenly
Father, Your warrior prepares for battle. Today I claim victory over Satan by
putting on the Full Armor of God!
- I
put on the Girdle of Truth! May I stand firm in the church of Your Word so I
will not be a victim of Satan’s lies.
- I
put on the Breastplate of Righteousness! May it guard my heart from evil so I
will remain pure and holy, protected under the blood of Jesus Christ.
- I
put on the Shoes of Peace! May I stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel so
Your peace will shine through me and be a light to all I encounter.
- I
take the Shield of Faith! May I be ready for Satan’s fiery darts of doubt,
denial and deceit so I will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat.
- I
put on the Helmet of Salvation! May I keep my mind focused on You so Satan will
not have a stronghold on my thoughts.
- I
take the Sword of the Spirit! May the two-edged sword of Your Word be ready in
my hands so I can expose the tempting words of Satan.
- By
faith your warrior has put on the Full Armor of God! I am prepared to live THIS day in spiritual victory!
AMEN.
God gives us instructions on the type of intercession that helps precipitate a Great Awakening: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
