“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)

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.  In the fourth chapter of Genesis, Cain asks God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”.  It seems that the implied answer from God is, “Yes, you should have been!”.  The Bible is full of encouragement and commands to apply in our relationships with one another.  So, we will spend a second week of our “Lifestyle of Prayer” focused again on some important characteristics to pray for “one another”.  Pray for the people in your life.  Pray for your family, your neighbors, your church family, your co-workers, and anyone else God brings to your mind.  Pray also that these qualities would be ever-increasing in your life as well.  Continue to use the prayer guides/lists from the past weeks.

“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)

Extra Prayer Focus:  Pray each day this week that the bureaucratic red-tape surrounding a new drug, GM604, would be dissolved so that individuals with ALS, such as my friend Anita, would be allowed the chance to see if it would help them.

Please spend time praying each day for the “one another” characteristic listed.  With that focus in mind, pray for yourself, your family, your friends, neighbors, and all the other “one anothers” in your life.  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: Submit to one another.  Pray that God would help you to consider the needs of others above your own.  Pray that your relationship with Jesus would help you to submit to others.  “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”  Ephesians 5:21 (NIV)

Tuesday: Teach and Admonish one another.  Pray that you would both give and receive teaching and admonishment.  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”  Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

Wednesday: Forgive one another.  Pray that the forgiveness you have received from God would help you to forgive others.  “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

Thursday: Encourage one another.  Pray that you would gather with fellow believers for the purpose of encouraging one another.  Pray that your heart would not be hardened by sin.  “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 (NIV)

Friday: Spur one another on.   Pray that your faith would challenge others to love and good deeds as their faith challenges you to be more Christ-like.  “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”  Hebrews 10:23-24 (NIV)

Saturday:  Fellowship with one another.   Pray that you would seek out fellowship with others who are walking in the light of Jesus.  “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”  1 John 1:6-7 (NIV)