“A Lifestyle of Prayer” 

 This week’s prayer focus: Encouragement!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
 Hebrews 3:13

As we continue to grow in A Lifestyle of Prayer, it is important to remember prayer should be a lifestyle, not an event.  View prayer as your first priority, not as the last resort.  This week our prayer focus will be the first of two weeks praying about encouragement.  We will pray about some ways that God says we can be encouraged — not just for our own encouragement, but so we will be better equipped to encourage others.  Pray each day for the individuals of the church congregation you attend as well as for the body of believers that meet together. 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

Please spend time praying about each day’s specific focus on Encouragement.  With that focus in mind, pray for yourself, your family, your friends, neighbors, and all the “one anothers” we’ve been praying for over the past year.  Thank you!

Sunday:  Pray for your church, its staff and leadership, and for all of the preaching and teaching that takes place.  Pray for me (Tom Lemler) and the work of Impact Prayer Ministry.

Monday: Encouraged by the Lord.  Pray that you, and the people around you, would be encouraged by a God that listens to your cries.  “You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.”  Psalm 10:17

Tuesday: Encouraged by the Holy Spirit.  Pray that the encouragement received from the Holy Spirit would bring godly strength and spiritual growth into your life.  “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”  Acts 9:31

Wednesday: Encouraged to Remain True.  Pray that God’s grace would be an encouragement to remain true to the Lord.  “When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.”  Acts 11:23

Thursday: Encouraged by Words.  Pray that the words you speak would be an encouragement to those who hear.  “He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece.”  Acts 20:2

Friday: Encouraged by Faith of Others.  Pray that  your faith in God would be an encouragement to others as their faith is an encouragement to you.  “That you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”  Romans 1:12

Saturday:  Encouraged by Scripture.  Pray that the Word would be an encouragement to the hope that is within you.  “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”  Romans 15:4