fruit of the spirit

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Patience!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus:  Patience!

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”
Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

As we continue to grow in A Lifestyle of Prayer, it is important to remember prayer should be a lifestyle, not an event.  Last week’s prayer focus was on submission so while we are on topics people often like to avoid, this week we will focus on praying about Patience!  God’s Word has a lot to say about His patience and the patience that we ought to have.  As we pray this week, we will look at six verses dealing with some attributes of patience.  God says that it is wisdom that gives us patience, so as we seek to grow in the area of patience perhaps we should ask God for wisdom which He promises to give to us generously and without finding fault.  Pray that you would see patience from God’s point of view and how it is a practice we all should participate in as we seek to be more Christ-like.

“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 that you would have Christ-like patience in your interactions with everyone.  With that focus in mind, pray for yourself, your family, your friends, neighbors, and all those you know.  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: Patience as an Attribute of Love.  Pray that the love of God would abound in your life and overflow in the form of patience as you share God’s love with others.  “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”  1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

Tuesday: Patience as a Fruit of God’s Spirit.  Pray that you would experience continual growth of the Spirit’s fruit in your life as you exhibit patience in your interactions with others.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.”  Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

Wednesday: Patience with Everyone.  Pray that you would be filled with patience as speak with those who idle, timid, and weak.  “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”  1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NIV)

Thursday: Patience in Sharing the Word.  Pray that you would be a “preacher of the Word” by the way you live and speak and that your doing so would be done with great patience.  “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.”  2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV)

Friday: Patience in Standing Firm to the End.   Pray that you would  never lose sight of your eternal reward and that you would have the patience to stand firm until the end.  “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”  James 5:8 (NIV)

Saturday:  Patience with Purpose.   Pray that you would have an understanding of the purpose of God’s patience in wanting people to come to repentance.  Pray that you would adopt that purpose as you are patient with others.  “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) 

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Fruit of the Spirit (2)

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

 This week’s prayer focus: Fruit of the Spirit!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (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 finish our focus on the fruit of the Spirit with a day for each of the final three elements of the fruit of the Spirit and also  praying about the three hindrances to living by the Spirit that are listed at the end of the passage.   Remember, it is “The Fruit” of the Spirit — it is not a buffet where you pick and choose — you ought to have each of these elements present and growing in your life as a result of God’s Spirit living in you!    Continue to use the prayer guides/lists from the past weeks.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)

Please spend time praying each day for that element of the fruit of the Spirit to be growing in your life or the hindrance listed to be diminished in your life.  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 Tom Lemler and the work God is doing through Impact Prayer Ministry.

Monday: Faithfulness.  Pray that God would continue to reveal to you what true faithfulness looks like.  Pray that God’s Spirit would produce in you great faithfulness to God and to the people in your life.  As you pray for people today, pray that they would be drawn to God’s faithfulness so that they too would be found faithful.

Tuesday: Gentleness.  Pray that God would continue to sand the roughness out of your life and replace it with gentleness.  Pray that God’s Spirit would help you to be gentle with the broken and hurting people you meet today.  As you pray for people today, pray that they would experience the gentleness of God so that they too would know how to be gentle with others.

Wednesday: Self-control.  Pray that God would help you to identify areas of your life that are out of control.  Pray that God’s Spirit would empower you to bring each of those areas under control — self-control that comes from God being in control.  As you pray for people today, pray that they would see God’s Spirit at work through your self-control.

Thursday: Conceited.  Pray that God would help you to not think more highly of yourself than you ought.  Pray for a humility that allows God’s Spirit to produce fruit in your life that you may share it with others.

Friday: Provoking.  Pray that God would help you to not stir up dissension.  Pray that you would consider the welfare of others even as you “provoke them to love and good deeds”.

Saturday:  Envy.  Pray that God would help you to  genuinely rejoice with those who rejoice.  Pray that you would learn godly contentment so that envy would not hinder God’s Spirit working in your life.

 

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Fruit of the Spirit

i

“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

 This week’s prayer focus: Fruit of the Spirit!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (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.  Our category of prayer emphasis for the next two weeks will be the fruit of the Spirit.  In addition to  a day’s focus on each of the nine parts of the fruit of the Spirit, we will also spend a day focused on praying about the three hindrances to living by the Spirit that are listed at the end of the passage.  Remember, it is “The Fruit” of the Spirit — it is not a buffet where you pick and choose — you ought to have each of these elements present and growing in your life as a result of God’s Spirit living in you!    Continue to use the prayer guides/lists from the past weeks.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)

Please spend time praying each day for that element of the fruit of the Spirit to be growing in your life.  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 Tom Lemler and the work God is doing through Impact Prayer Ministry.

Monday: Love.  Read 1 Corinthians 13.  Pray that you would fully accept and experience the love of God.  Pray that the people you see today would experience God’s love from Him and through you.  Pray that God’s Spirit would produce in you an accurate reflection of His love.

Tuesday: Joy.  Pray that God would fill your heart and mind with a deep, abiding joy that can only come from His Spirit.  Pray that your joy would be evident to others today regardless of your circumstances.  Pray for those that you know who are struggling to find joy in their life.

Wednesday: Peace.  Pray that God’s Spirit would fill you with a peace that passes all understanding.  Pray that God’s peace in you would help others find peace with God.  Pray specifically today for people you know who have lost all sense of peace in their life.

Thursday: Patience.  Pray that God’s Spirit would help you faithfully endure no matter how long it takes.  Pray that godly patience would help you take a breath and see things more as God sees them.  Pray and act with the understanding that God’s patience, or long-suffering, is because He wants no one to perish.

Friday: Kindness.  Pray that God’s Spirit would help you  act with kindness even when you don’t think people deserve it.  Pray that your acts of godly kindness would help people see the value they have in God’s eyes.  Pray especially for those you know who seem to feel no kindness extended toward them — and then go be kind!

Saturday:  Goodness.  Pray that God’s Spirit would help you to do good to all people.  Pray that the goodness God is growing in you would help others see Him.  Pray for those who need something good in their life — then ask God to involve you in making it happen!