“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

Unwrapped Languages!

“What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.  Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 10:27-28 (NIV)

This week we will be unwrapping the gift of languages and discovering it is really all about allowing God to speak through us as we live for Him.  In the New Testament, this gift is generally about God gifting people to speak in a language they have not learned so that His message can be understood in the native language of the listener.  I believe God continues to gift His people with the ability to speak in ways which are helpful to the understanding of the listener.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you speak the right things in the right way at the right time.  Pray that you would always look for, and make the most of, every opportunity to speak words of truth and life.  Pray that God would help your words about Jesus to be clearly communicated to those who listen.  Pray that the people around you would know of your relationship with Jesus and seek that for themselves as they hear you speak.

“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 unwrap His gift of languages so we can speak clearly.

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:  Speak Plainly.  Pray that your ears would be opened to God’s Word and that your tongue would be set free to speak plainly.  Pray that God would help you to communicate the gospel message in a way that is both plainly spoken and plainly understood.  Pray that you would not complicate the gospel message.  “At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.”  Mark 7:35 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Speak Praise.  Pray that your mouth would be filled with praise of God every time you speak.  Pray that praise of God would continually flow from who you are.  Ask God to fill your mind with thoughts that are praiseworthy so that words of praise would naturally flow from your lips.   “Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.”  Luke 1:64 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Speak Boldly.  Pray that God would enable and empower you to speak boldly on His behalf even in the face of opposition.  Pray that you would not allow anything to keep you from speaking God’s Word with boldness.  Ask God to give you courage when fear tries to keep you from speaking.  “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”  Acts 4:29 (NIV)

Thursday:  Speak Encouragement.  Pray that God’s Word would fill you with words of encouragement for others.  Ask God to help you make the most of every opportunity to encourage others with the Word of God.  “After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.’”  Acts 13:15 (NIV)

Friday:  Speak Wisdom.  Pray that you would have the maturity to see through the deceit of the wisdom of this age in order to speak true wisdom.  Ask God to help you speak with discernment as you share the wisdom of His Word.  “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.”  1 Corinthians 2:6 (NIV)

Saturday:  Speak Truthfully.  Pray that you would actively put off all falsehood so that you would be free to speak truthfully to the people around you.  Ask God to purify the thoughts  in your mind which lead to the words you speak.  Pray that compassion and  honesty would guide your conversations with those closest to you.  “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”  Ephesians 4:25 (NIV)