Daily Devotional for Sunday July 20, 2008
A Prayer and Blessing on the Place You Live
(Deuteronomy 24:5; 1 Timothy 5:4; Titus 2:5)
A prayer and blessing on the place you live. At the end of the classic movie the "Wizard of Oz," Dorothy uttered those now famous words, "There is no place like home, there is no place like home." How right she was. Where we live serves as the basic foundation for our daily life. Home is where our day usually begins and ends. It is the place we can go to escape from the world and find peace and rest. The incredible importance of where a person calls home is the same in the United States as it is in Canada, in Europe, in Asia, in South America, in Africa, or anywhere else in the world. Our home is a major part of most people's journey through this life and why today I want to talk about the spiritual aspects of where you live, as well as pray for and bless your home!
Buying a home is one of the most important decisions you will ever make during your life. For most, it will be the largest purchase they will make. I find it amazing that the vast majority of people, even Christians, never even pray when looking for their home. Where we live is such an important part of our daily life, you should never go looking for a new place to live without spending time before the Lord, asking Him to guide you to the exact place He wants you to live. Like everything in life, we should only want to be where God wants us to be, and that most definitely includes the place we call home.
In addition to praying when you are looking for a new home, you should pray for the place you live every day. Your home is a physical structure. No matter how solid it is built, it is still only temporary. Since your home is so important to your daily life, you need pray every day for God to protect your home. There are so many things that can literally destroy the place you live. Fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other acts of nature can destroy your home. We see in the news often where cars, trucks and even planes crash into people's homes. You can also have problems with different materials used in building your home that causes problems, not to mention insects and animals that can damage your home. There is an endless list of things that can happen to physically destroy the place you live, so you should pray every day for God's protection on your home.
You should also pray over your home every day. Pray that it will be a place of safety for you and your family. With the incredible amount of evil in this world, you have people who will try to break in to steal your possessions as well as those who want to come to cause you or your family physical harm. Pray every day for God to not only protect your home from evil, but that your home will be a refuge, a place of safety and comfort and peace for you and your family to live
Your home should not only be a place of safety, of comfort, of peace, of rest, where you and your family live, but your home should also be a place where the Sprit of God resides! It should be a place where the Truth of the Bible is honored and where Jesus is King! I counsel people all the time to find a location in their home that literally becomes your altar, your sanctuary, that special place where you go to spend time with the Lord. It doesn't have to be elaborate, simply some location in your home that is set aside for prayer, family devotions, and just fellowshipping with the Lord. I promise you, that it will quickly become the most special place in your home.
Also, I am amused at how many people have elaborate, state-of-the-art security systems to protect their home and family from burglars and things that can destroy your home like fire, but those same people pollute their home with porn, witchcraft, and so many other things that are in complete rebellion to God. How can you ask God to bless your home while you have a stash of pornographic magazines and movies in your closet? How can you ask God to protect your home from danger when have a Ouiji Board and tarot cards in your dresser drawer? You need to take control over what comes into your home both through the doors as well as today thru your phone, internet, cable, and satellite connections.
*WHAT I JUST SHARED WITH YOU IS SO CRITICAL. IF YOU WANT GOD'S BLESSINGS ON YOUR HOME, IF YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR HOME A PLACE WHERE JESUS IS HONORED, YOU NEED TO INSURE YOUR HOME IS "CLEAN." CLEAN OF ANY PORN, WITCHCRAFT, AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS IN REBELLION TO GOD AND HIS WORD!
My friend, your home is the place you and your family live your lives. It is a very special place. A home is not a real home without the Lord's presence. Just like your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are instructed not to pollute our temples, the same is true with our home. If we want God's presence in our homes, we need to make our homes a holy place. That doesn't mean you can't live in your home. It simply means that you do all you can to keep your home free from sin and the things that are in rebellion to God. Where you live is the most special place in your life and it should be your desire to share that place with the Lord.
I love you and care about you so much. I want to encourage you today to realize how important, how special where you live is. That is why you should never even think about looking for a new home without first praying for the Lord to guide you and show you exactly where He wants you to live. Once you find that place, pray over it. Pray for God to bless your home and protect your home and to watch over your home. Pray that it becomes a place of safety, peace, and rest for you and your family. Set aside a special place in your home for prayer and devotions and to simply fellowship with the Lord. Let that be your "holy of holies" where you and your family come each day to spend time with Jesus.
I will be praying for you today. I know from our daily emails that many people today need a place to live. I will be praying for you as God opens the right doors and guides you to the exact place He wants you to live. I will pray for favor with landlords, mortgage companies, and anyone else involved in where you will live. I will also pray today for those who need to sell your home. I pray that God will send the right buyer, with the full asking price, even in the next 30 days. Buying and selling a home is a very stressful time in a person's life and I pray today that you will know His peace as He works out all of the details in His perfect timing.
In closing today, I want to pray for your home and bless your home. "Lord, I come to you today, praying for the home of my friend. Father, I ask that you place your angels around this home and protect it from all evil and anything that might destroy it. I pray today that you not only protect this home, but that you make this home a place of peace and rest for my friend and each family member who will abide in that home. Lord, I ask that you occupy this home with your presence and let the Spirit of the living God reside in this home. Let this home be a place where you and your Word is honored and revered. Right now Father, I ask that you BLESS my friend's home. Bless this home and may each person who goes in and comes out, feel your presence. In Jesus precious name I pray. AMEN!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller