Spiritual Cleaning

Below are Jessica's thoughts on Chapter 18 of The Power of A Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. Please know that what we are learn from a study is usually different. Therefore, we encourage you to leave your comments, questions and/or scripture in the comment section below this post.

When I first saw the title of this chapter, "Praying Through A Child's Room", I thought of the many times I have prayed on my knees in my boys' rooms, often while they are sleeping. I am usually prompted to do this after we have had an extremely difficult day or I feel like something is troubling them that I wasn't able to help with. Doing this gives me the peace I need to put it in God's hands and call it a day.

It never occurred to me to actually pray about what is in their rooms. Just as we pray about the influences that they are exposed to outside of our homes, we need to make sure that we prayerfully consider what is already there. This chapter was a wake up call for me. There are a few things that I will now look into further to see if there are indeed evil undertones to the video games, toys and collectibles that my son has in his possession. I have a feeling there will be some things that we will be getting rid of as well. Stormie reminded me of how subtle and crafty the enemy can be, and how he seeks to strike at our children and build strongholds any way he can. By being persistent in prayer, we can receive insight from the Holy Spirit as to what changes need to be made and how to live in a way that is pleasing to God. We can also receive discernment to know if there are any evil influences that we are unaware of and can bless our child and his/her room, also our homes in general as an act of dedication to God and for our protection.

Blessing our homes and inviting the Holy Spirit to dwell in every area covers our family with protection and frees us from alot of fear. Several months ago I couldn't sleep one night and felt the urge to go through every doorway in my house with blessed salt, blessing it in Jesus' name, covering every area and room of our house by name with His precious blood in prayer. I especially felt like I had to open and pray over every doorway that led into the house from the outside. Around that time I learned that there were a string of robberies in the neighborhoods surrounding mine. I later noticed more police cars patrolling and reminding homeowners to keep their houses locked. I have to say that knowing that I had invoked God's blessing and protection gave me the peace I needed to sleep at night in spite of all of this. Thankfully, our home was not burglarized.

This chapter also reminded me to examine and pray through the room in my heart. As I raise my special needs child, there are certainly many ways the devil tries to discourage and derail me. There are also many obstacles that my child has to overcome, and God's discernment alone will show me what needs to be done in all of these areas.

Dear Lord,
I pray in agreement with every mother reading this for the protection, blessing and well-being of their children, families and homes. In Jesus' name I ask You to put a hedge of protection around each family member, home and surrounding community. I pray for the Holy Spirit to give discernment so that evil can be rooted out, wisdom so that right choices can be made and perseverance so that we can stay constant in prayer as You work in our lives. In Jesus' name I bind anything that is not of God and place it at the foot of the cross. Bless our children's rooms, that they may be special places that are occupied by You. Let them be places where Your healing, restoration and peace can work Your purposes for our children's lives. Fill them with the Holy Spirit and the overflowing love of the Father. Lord, search the rooms of our hearts and show us if there is anything there that is not of You. Cleanse us, strengthen us, fill us and give us your peace. I ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.