“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

A Vision of Ruin!

“For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the LORD. “I will hand everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will oppress the land, and I will not rescue them from their hands.”
Zechariah 11:6 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer emphasis on a vision of ruin so that we would avoid it.  While there are numerous things which can cause sudden ruin, more common for most things which fall apart is the gradual lack of care and maintenance.  Anyone that has ever been in a battle understands the need for constant vigilance — to always be on guard.  But the truth is, we are all in a daily battle that is taking place over the eternal destination of our souls.  Paul writes of our need to wage war, not with the weapons of the world, but with the spiritual armor of God.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you be aware of the attempts of the enemy to destroy you.  Pray that your relationship with Jesus would fill you with His presence in a way that gives you the strength, wisdom, and courage to always be on guard.  Pray that your desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection would be greater than any other desire which would lead you to ruin.

“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 avoid ruin.

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:  Avoid Ruin From Betrayers.  Pray that God would protect your heart and mind from the ruin caused by betrayers.  Pray that your trust of God would fill you with peace when people seek to harm you.  Pray that you would not be one who betrays others by your words or actions.  “Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.”  Matthew 10:17 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Avoid Ruin From False Teaching.  Pray that God would help you to be devoted to His teachings so that false teaching would not deceive you.  Pray that nothing false would have room to dwell in your life.  “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect — if that were possible.  So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.”  Mark 13:22-23 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Avoid Ruin From Hypocrisy.  Pray that God would surround you with people whose lives match their words.  Pray that you would always be on guard against the temptation to be someone different than who God says you are.  “Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.’”  Luke 12:1 (NIV)

Thursday:  Avoid Ruin From Greed.  Pray that you would always be on guard against the desire to measure yourself, and others, by the things that are owned.  Pray that you would see clearly the many ways that greed can ruin a life.  “Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”  Luke 12:15 (NIV)

Friday:  Avoid Ruin From Opposition.  Pray that God would help you to see the source of any opposition you face.  Pray that you would be on guard against those who would oppose the message of the gospel.  “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.  You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.”  2 Timothy 4:14-15 (NIV)

Saturday:  Avoid Ruin From Error.  Pray that the confidence you have in Christ would not make you blind to the temptation of error others may entice you with.  Pray that God would help you notice the errors that would lead you to ruin.  “Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.”  2 Peter 3:17 (NIV)