Do you have a war room?
Maybe it doesn’t look like Clara’s wall or Elizabeth’s closet. Maybe it’s a binder or journal, or maybe like me, you make your whole house a war room.
Maybe you haven’t created a war room yet. Today, we’re going to discover why every Christian needs to have one.
Jesus talked about the war room in Matthew 6.
Yes, I know, the term “war room” doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible, but the concept does. In fact, the concept of having a war room appears throughout the Bible.
Most notably we see Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 6:6. “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Jesus called it “the secret place.” Growing up, we called it “the prayer closet.” Today, we know it as “the war room.”
Honestly, the terminology doesn’t matter nearly as much as what takes place behind that closed door.
3 Reasons Every Christian Needs a War Room
In recent weeks, I have learned just how valuable my war room is to my family and me.
I have learned just how important it is to recognize the strategy of the enemy and how to turn his strategy against him with the holy determination to win the victory through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.
I have learned why it is vital that, as parents, we stand guard over our home and children.
John 10:10a says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
This is the enemy’s singular goal every day for our family. Each day, he begins with a checklist of things he will do to ensure that this goal is accomplished.
This is why, as God’s children and as warriors of the kingdom, we must be vigilant in our war room with a strategy for victory over the goal of the enemy.
1. Fellowship with God.
Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus often pulling away to be with the Father.
He set an example for us, because if Jesus—the Son of God, perfect, sinless and blameless—needed to seclude Himself to spend time with God, how much more do we—humans, flawed, broken and in need of a Savior—need to pull away from the noise of the world to spend time with Him?
This fellowship, though, wasn’t just sitting and chatting with God. In these times of secluded prayer and fellowship with His Father, He was listening to God’s voice speaking to Him what His will was for Him.
Jesus said that He came to do the will of the Father. He also said that He did those things that God told Him to do—He was obedient to God.
These times of fellowship with God in our war room are essential to our Christian growth, because during these times we learn obedience and submission to God’s will so that we aren’t living according to our own will, but the will of the Father.
2. Gaining spiritual perspective.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in my war room recently is that suffering isn’t always a negative thing.
Jesus promised that we’d have trouble. He said, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
He didn’t say, “I have overcome the world, so once you’re saved, you’ll never experience tribulation (another word for suffering or anguish).
Peter instructs us, “Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).
Suffering is as much a part of a Christian’s life as it is the life of someone who isn’t saved. The difference is, as Christians, we are able to go to God in prayer to gain wisdom and a godly perspective about our suffering.
God doesn’t allow suffering into our life for no reason: be it consequences for sin, pruning so that we’ll bear more fruit or testing of our faith.
No matter the reason, in times of suffering, we retreat to our war room and cry out to God for wisdom so we can gain His perspective about our problem.
3. Spiritual warfare.
This is likely the most well-understood reason for having a war room (though definitely not the only one).
Just as suffering is part of the Christian life, so is battle. This is why we’re told to be on guard, to clothe ourselves in the armor or God and take up spiritual weaponry.
Sometimes we battle for victory in our own lives, and sometimes we have to go to war on behalf of our family or friends.
For the child of God:
- Retreat is not an option.
- Passivity is not an option
- Surrender is certainly not an option
God has given us protective gear, defensive weapons and a clear path to victory! There is no reason why a child of God should live in defeat!
In our war room, God gives us a winning strategy to go against our enemy, Satan, to utterly defeat him and nullify his plans for destruction. {eoa}
Rosilind Jukic, a Pacific Northwest native, is a missionary living in Croatia and married to her hero. Together, they live with their two active boys in the country, where she enjoys fruity candles and a hot cup of herbal tea on a blustery fall evening. She holds an associate degree in practical theology and is passionate about discipling and encouraging women. Her passion for writing led her to author a number of books. She is the author of “A Little R & R,” where she encourages women to find contentment in what God created them to be. She can also be found at these other places on a regular basis. You may follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +.
This article originally appeared at rosilindjukic.com.
To learn more about prayer, listen to the podcasts included with this article.
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