“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

 This week’s prayer focus: Freedom!

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.   He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)

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 we will focus our prayer emphasis on the subject of freedom.  Jesus came to proclaim freedom, but not necessarily in the way we might think of freedom.  The freedom we have in Christ is complete freedom for sure, but not the complete freedom to do whatever we want that rebels against the Word of God.  Pray that you would experience, and share, the true freedom that is found in Christ.  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 each day praying about, and writing down, how God would have you live out that day’s aspect of prayer.    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: Freedom through God’s Precepts.  Pray that you would seek, and follow, God’s precepts.  Pray that the people around you would see you living in the freedom of God’s commands.  “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.  Psalm 119:45 (NIV)

Tuesday: Freedom through the Spirit of the Lord.  Pray that God’s Spirit in you would fill you with true freedom.  Pray that the people around you would encounter the freedom of God’s Spirit through you.  “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV)

Wednesday: Freedom from the Slavery of Sin.  Pray that you would walk as free and not return to the burden of sin.  Pray that the people around you would experience freedom from sin through Christ.  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Thursday: Freedom to Serve One Another.  Pray that you would  use your freedom to serve others.  Pray that the people around you would come to know of freedom in Christ because of the way you serve.  “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”  Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

Friday: Freedom to Approach God.  Pray that you would have the confidence to approach God because of the freedom He has given.  Pray that the people around you would have the confidence to approach God in complete freedom.  “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”  Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)

Saturday:  Freedom through the Perfect Law.  Pray that you would both look into God’s law and do it so that you would experience freedom.  Pray that the people around you would turn to God’s perfect law for freedom.  “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.”  James 1:25 (NIV)