“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus: Pray Truthfully!

“Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’”  
John 18:37 (NIV)

As we continue to #PraySTRONG in 2020, it is important to remember prayer should be a lifestyle, not an event.  This week our prayer focus will be on truth.  Matthew and John each record 30 times when Jesus used the phrase, “I tell you the truth”.  Truth is important to God and therefore ought to be important to us as his children when we talk with Him.  If praying submissively lays the foundation for our conversations with God, praying truthfully may well set the walls that provide the boundaries for our prayers.  As  you pray this week, ask God to fill you with His truth in all that you do, but especially in your conversations with Him.  Pray that you would trust God enough to be fully honest with Him in all things.  Pray that your honesty with God would help you to be more truthful in every area of your life.  Pray about how you can live out a truthful prayer life in a way that shows God’s love to the world.  Pray that your truthfulness with God would help you to live in greater unity with others.  Pray for a spirit of unity among brothers and sisters in Christ as we grow in our love for one another.  Pray each day for the individuals of your congregation and for the body of Christ as a whole.

Missions Focus:  Pray for the work Tom Lemler is doing with Impact Prayer Ministry.  Pray for the effectiveness of the Impact Prayer Ministry resources as they are used around the world.  Pray for increased opportunities and support that will allow Impact Prayer Ministry to do all that is within God’s will.

“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 to help you grow in the truthfulness that leads to a stronger prayer life.

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:  Truthful Speech.  Ask God to help your words be truthful as you talk with Him and as you talk with others.  Pray that you would be one who always speaks truth because that is what resides within you.  “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?  He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.”  Psalm 15:1-2 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Truthful Learning.  Ask God to help your prayers contain the truth you have learned from His Word.  Pray that you would be a continual student of God’s Word as you learn truth from Him on a daily basis.  “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”  Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Truthful Walk.  Ask God to help you walk in with Him in such a way that your conversations with Him are always genuine.  Pray that you would be known by the people around you as one who walks in truth no matter what.  “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.”  Psalm 26:2-3 (NIV)

Thursday:  Truthful Protection.  Ask God to help you know His protection and to help you be honest about your need for His protection.  Pray that you would know the protection of having your life centered in the truth of God.  “Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me.”  Psalm 40:11 (NIV)

Friday:  Truthful Guidance.  Ask God to guide you in truthfulness in all things, especially in the way you talk with Him and talk about Him.   Pray that you would seek God’s truth for your source of guidance in all things.  “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.”  Psalm 43:3 (NIV)

Saturday:  Truthful Judgment.  Ask God to help you talk with Him truthfully about the judgment you deserve and about how His mercy triumphs over that judgment.  Pray that you are always prepared by the blood of Jesus to be judged by the truth of God and His Word.  “They will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.”  Psalm 96:13 (NIV)