One of the biggest responsibilities God has given us as believers – and especially as women – is the responsibility to build a Christ-centered home. In both Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 we see God’s desire for us to not only manage our homes well, but to glorify God while doing so.

I believe our homes are so important to God because family is important to Him and home is the grounding place for the family. Home is where we connect, reset, train, and share our most intimate moments with our loved ones. Creating a Christ-centered home is so important, because when we center Christ in our homes, we are ultimately centering Him in the hearts of everyone in the home.

No one creates a home where God is glorified on accident. We are naturally prone to go astray and lean towards our flesh. Thankfully, creating a Christ-centered home isn’t complicated; it just takes a willing heart and some intentionality. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

1 | Pray over your home.

Praying over your home every day is one of the most powerful ways to invite God’s presence in. When we commune with God, we usher in His will for ourselves and our family members. Prayer brings peace, healing, clarity, protection and so much more!

2 | Anoint your home.

In the Bible anointing someone with oil was a practice used to symbolize that the person was set apart for God’s use. Being anointed meant that a person or object was considered holy and covered by God’s favor and protection. Anointing your home with oil is a way to spiritually dedicate your home (and everyone in it) to the Lord for His glory.

I like to anoint my home whenever I move in and any time I feel that things are off spiritually with my family. In times of spiritual warfare or spiritual laziness, I pull out my olive oil, pray over it to dedicate it to the Lord, then go around the house smearing the oil over every door and window (similar to how the blood was smeared on the doorposts during Passover in the Old Testament).

I know it may seem weird, but it works! In times past, I have seen and felt a tangible shift in the atmosphere of my home after I go around anointing and praying over every room.

3 | Guard what you allow into your home.

I touched on this in my previous post about “How to Spiritually Cleanse Your Home”, but it bears repeating here. Guarding your home is all about being selective in what you allow to infiltrate and influence the atmosphere, especially as it pertains to music, television, and reading materials. One of the main ways we center Christ in our homes is by not entertaining things that He disapproves of.

Things that promote sin – lust, fear, sexual immorality, rage, greed, idolatry, etc – repel the presence of God. Jesus doesn’t hang out in spaces that dishonor Him! We must be intentional about what (or who) we allow to influence the atmosphere in our homes. Ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable playing this song, or watching this movie, or reading this magazine if Jesus was physically standing right next to me?”, then move accordingly.

4 | Worship in your home

It’s not enough to guard your home against the wrong things; you also want to fill it up with the right things. Worship is a way of life – everything we do when it’s done for God’s glory is worship; but in this case I am specifically speaking of worshiping through praise. Playing and singing worship music or just opening your mouth to exalt God is a POWERFUL way to create a Christ-centered home.

Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people. That means when we open our mouths and worship Him, His spirit takes up residence (dwells) in our praise. How amazing is that?! We can actually usher the Lord’s presence into our home simply by lifting up our voice or playing music that exalts Him.

5 | Create an atmosphere of order.

I Corinthians 14:33 says that God is not a God of disorder and in I Corinthians 14:40 we are instructed to do all things “decently and in order”. Keeping our spaces clean and organized is an act of worship – showing God we can be good stewards over what He has blessed us with. When we prioritize stewarding our homes well in this way, we create an environment that is attractive to God – an atmosphere that honors and glorifies Him.

6 | Amplify God’s word in your home.

In Deuteronomy 11:18 – 20 the Lord instructs Israel to make His word a priority in their homes. He instructs them to talk about the word with their children at home and write the word on their doorposts. One practical way I like to do this is by displaying God’s word prominently in our home. We hang sings throughout our home that display Bible verses (Hobby Lobby is a good place to find these). In our daughter’s room, I’ve hung up my printout of 52 Easy Bible Verses for Kids to Memorize.

Furthermore, we regularly read the word to our children before bed and listen to the preached word via YouTube on TV. As believers, the word of God should be paramount in our lives – especially in our homes; and since Jesus is the word of God in the flesh, it makes sense that we must prioritize His word to create a Christ-centered home.

7 | Strive for unity, respect, and service among your family.

How we treat others – especially the people in our own household – matters immensely to God. In Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus says that He counts the way we treat others as the way we treat Him. The love and respect we show to the Lord should be extended to those around us if we call ourselves His disciples. When we intentionally strive to love, respect, and serve the people in our home, we honor God and truly create a Christ-centered home.