“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus: God’s Spirit!

“Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”  1 John 3:24 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus is about the Spirit of God who has been given by God to all who are in Christ.  The Bible teaches that when we are baptized into Christ, He forgives our sins and gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit.  God choosing to dwell among mankind through the life of Jesus on earth was an incredible event.  As great as that was, it is through our choosing to be buried with Christ that God chooses to dwell within us through the Holy Spirit.  God’s desire is that we would walk in obedience to Him through the knowledge we have in the Spirit.  While people credit, and blame, the Spirit for a lot of things, the Bible teaches us to “test the spirits” as not every spirit comes from God.  Scripture teaches that the fruit of God’s Spirit is obvious — you probably know the list. As you pray this week, ask God to fill you with an awareness of His Spirit.  Pray that you would not be led astray by spirits which do not come from God.  Pray for the courage to walk in obedience because of God’s Spirit within you.  Pray each day for the individuals of your congregation and for the body of Christ as a whole.

“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 pray each day for God’s help in understanding the presence of God’s Spirit within you and how to live by the Spirit.

Sunday: Pray for your church staff, the preaching and teaching that takes place, the church leadership, the volunteers that are helping in so many areas, the spiritual and financial health of the congregation, and the work of the missions ministry of the church.  Pray for me (Tom Lemler) and the work of Impact Prayer Ministry.

Monday:  Be Born of the Spirit.  Pray that you would take God at His Word and be born of the Spirit in order to enter His kingdom.  Pray that being born of the Spirit would help you to speak truth to others.  “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.’”  John 3:5 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Be Taught By the Spirit.  Pray that you would be teachable as you allow God’s Spirit to remind you of the things said by Jesus.  Pray that you would allow God’s Spirit to lead in any teaching opportunities you have.  “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  John 14:26 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Be Guided By the Spirit.  Pray that you would live with humility as you allow God’s Spirit to guide  you each day.  Pray that God’s Word would always be the final authority of anything you believe the Spirit to be saying.  “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”  John 16:13 (NIV)

Thursday:  Be Filled With the Spirit.  Pray that God’s Spirit would fill you as you earnestly seek Him.  Pray that the Spirit would move you to speak truthfully and boldly.  “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”  Acts 4:31 (NIV)

Friday:  Live By the Spirit.  Pray that you would desire each day to live by the Spirit rather than the flesh.  Pray that your living by the Spirit would lead you away from your sinful desires.  “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”  Galatians 5:16 (NIV)

Saturday:  Pray In the Spirit.  Ask God to help you pray in ways that acknowledge and trust the role of the Spirit in your prayer life.  Pray that you would be build up in your faith, and build up others, as you pray with God’s Spirit interceding and interpreting on your behalf.  “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.”  Jude 1:20 (NIV)