faith

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Excel!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus:  Excel!

“But just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us — see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)

What are some things that you are good at doing?  Are there things that others say you excel in?  How much work, or effort, is usually required to excel in a given area?  This week’s prayer focus will use a list of things that Paul states the Corinthian Christians excel in, or need to excel in.  Paul’s letter was not only written to the Corinthians, but as scripture it is useful to us for training in all righteousness.  As you pray this week, ask God to give you His grace and the courage necessary to excel in the things that matter to Him.  Pray that you would be diligent applying each day’s topic to your life with the work necessary for you to become good at it.  Pray that your pursuit of excelling in these areas would come from the very source and foundation of all things excellent — Jesus Christ.   Pray for a unity of spirit among believers in general and among your church family in particular.  

“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 spend time praying about each day about the things that God wants you to excel in through the power of His Spirit within you.  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:  Excel in Faith.  As you pray for God to increase your faith, look for the situations He will give that requires your trust of Him to grow.  Pray that your trust of God would cause others to know you as one who excels in faith.  “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’”  Luke 17:5 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Excel in Speech.  Pray that God would put a guard over your mouth so that your speech is pleasing to Him.  Pray that your speech would bring about good days for you and for the people around you in this life and the life to come.  “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.”  1 Peter 3:10 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Excel in Knowledge.  Pray that your life would be lived in pursuit of a greater knowledge of Christ.  Pray that your excelling in knowledge would not puff you up but would help others know Jesus.  “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen.”  2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)

Thursday:  Excel in Complete Earnestness.   Pray that there would be nothing fake about your pursuit of God and relationship with Him through Jesus.  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Friday:  Excel in Love for One Another.  Pray that you would daily learn from the love that Jesus excelled at.  Pray that you would desire to excel in your love for Christ and for one another.  “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

Saturday:  Excel in the Grace of Giving.  Pray that a recognition of God’s ownership of everything would help you to excel in the gift of giving He has placed in your life.  “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Luke 6:38 (NIV)

 

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Faith

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

 This week’s prayer focus: Faith!

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
 Hebrews 11:6 (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.  This week we will pray about Faith! Each day our prayer time will focus on an aspect of our faith and how critical it is to our relationship with Jesus. God says that it is impossible to please Him without faith, so we probably ought to focus more attention on what it is, how to have it, and how to share it.  Pray each day for the individuals of the church congregation you attend as well as for the body of believers that meet together.

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 spend time praying each day focused around the various elements of faith that God calls us to — and has put within us.  With that focus in mind, pray for yourself, your family, your friends, neighbors, and all the other “one anothers” we’ve been praying for over the past weeks.    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: Growing Faith. Pray that your faith in God’s ability would be seen as great from His perspective. Pray that the people around you today would be impacted in a positive way because of your growing faith. “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!'” Luke 17:5

Tuesday: Saving Faith. Pray that you would have a greater practice of a faith that saves you. Pray that the people around you today would experience a faith in Christ that saves them. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)

Wednesday: Powerful Faith. Pray that you would see how your faith in God has equipped you to powerfully do His will. Pray that the people around you today would experience the power of God at work in their life. “Who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,  quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.” Hebrews 11:33-34 (NIV)

Thursday: Uniting Faith. Pray that your faith would be both the bridge and glue that unites you with other believers. Pray that the people around you today would see a greater unity among Christians because of their faith. “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13 (NIV)

Friday: Communicated Faith. Pray that you would grow in faith through the hearing of God’s Word. Pray that the people around you today would be open to hearing God’s Word so faith can grow in their life. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 (NIV)

Saturday: Active Faith. Pray that your faith would cause you to care for people as you should. Pray that the people around you today would not only hear of faith, but they would see your faith in action. “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17 (NIV)