Many Christians struggle with their personal prayer life more than with any other area of their lives.
By Larry Kreider
Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” Many Christians struggle with their personal prayer life more than with any other area of their lives. Jesus told His disciples, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17). Paul preached, “Our God does not dwell in temples made with hands.” We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 3:16). Christ lives within us, and our Heavenly Father’s call on each of our lives is to be a house of prayer.
As believers in Christ, we sometimes experience frustration as we try to establish prayer in our lives. We find ourselves praying lopsided prayers as we focus on one or two pet prayer areas. To experience an entire home, we must walk from one room to another. As we pray from one spiritual room to another in our personal prayer lives, the Lord grants us the privilege of establishing our lives as “houses of prayer.”
Jesus taught His disciples to pray with six major focal points, or spiritual rooms, so they could experience a balanced prayer life (Luke 11:1-4; Matthew 6:9-13). This prayer known as The Lord’s Prayer can guide us as we pray by the leading of His Holy Spirit. I invite you to join me and allow Jesus to walk you into the following six spiritual rooms:
The Adoration Room
Our Father in heaven, May your name be honored (Matthew 6:9b). He is our Daddy who loves when we come to Him. When I build my daily house of prayer, I worship and adore Him as my God and spend time honoring His holy name. I declare His Lordship over my life and over my family and the region I live in. I declare that His name is above every name.
The Declaration Room
May your kingdom come [soon]. May your will be done here on earth just as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Take time to declare His kingdom to come to your life, your family, your church, your city, your region, and your nation. Pray for the unreached that are without Christ.
God’s will is God’s Word. Read the Word and pray the Word of God! His Word is filled with living power (Hebrews 4:12). Declare His kingdom to come. Within the past few years, crime has dropped by 28% in the county in which I live. I am convinced it is a direct answer to the prayers of God’s people in our region.
The Provision Room
Give us our food for today (Give us this day our daily bread). (Matthew 6:11). Our God is the God who is more than enough. He is El Shaddai. Be specific when you ask for provision. God wants to provide for you. He does not mind you asking, but wants you to ask in faith and thanksgiving out of a deep relationship with Him.
I took my three daughters out to eat recently. Afterwards we went shopping and I told them they could each pick out a piece of jewelry. It was so much fun! I am their Daddy! That’s how our heavenly Father feels about you asking Him for your needs to be met, with abundance left over to give to others!
The Freedom Room
And forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us (Matthew 6:12). God has called us to keep short accounts with others. We forgive those who hurt us so no bitterness can take root in our hearts. If someone has hurt us, we must forgive that person, ask God to forgive that person, and ask God to forgive us for any wrong attitudes. We need to forgive others and confess our sins in order to experience personal freedom (Matthew 6:14-15).
The Warfare Room
And don’t let us yield to temptation, But deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13a). We are instructed to resist the devil in prayer. We are called to spiritual warfare as soldiers of Christ! Regardless of the temptation that comes your way, God always provides a way of escape. (I Corinthians 10:13). You can trust Him! Resist the devil, and He will flee from you (James 4:7-8). I ask the Lord daily to keep me from temptation.
The Exaltation Room
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen (Matthew 6:13b). Building a personal house of prayer begins and ends with honoring and exalting the Lord and gazing on Him. He is our source and our life. Let’s give our God the worship only He only deserves! He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think according to the power that is at work within us. Christ in us is the hope of glory!
More on this topic in the book Building Your Personal House of Prayer by Larry Kreider.
