prayer

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Lifestyle of Prayer: God’s Indescribable Gift!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus:  God’s Indescribable Gift!

“And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
2 Corinthians 9:14-15 (NIV)

With the Christmas holiday behind us, it is good to reflect on gifts given and received.  Perhaps you have gifts that will be returned because they weren’t right for you.  I pray that there are gifts you will cherish because you know they represent the heart of the giver.  As Christians, God has given us what Paul calls an “indescribable gift”.  In context, he seems to connect this gift with the “surpassing grace” of God.  I believe Jesus is at the heart of this great gift.  This week our prayer focus will be on the indescribable gift we have through our relationship with Jesus.  As you pray, remember that His presence ought to be evident in your life at all times — not just when it is seasonally appropriate.  Pray that God’s grace in your life would overflow in such a way that the people around you would recognize it.  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 each day praying about who Jesus is according to scripture and about who He is in your life.  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:  JESUS.  Pray that you would recognize the indescribable gift of God in your life through the presence of Jesus.  Pray that God’s gift would cause you to seek Him for all that you need.  “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’”  John 4:10 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Joy.  Pray that you would experience and share true joy because of the gift of Jesus in your life.  Pray that the people around you would see the joy of Christ in you.  “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”  John 17:13 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Energy.  Pray that you would be faithful in doing the good works God has created for you to do as you use the energy of Jesus within you.  Pray that you would trust the power of God to work within you to accomplish what you cannot. “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”  Colossians 1:29 (NIV)

Thursday:  Salvation.  Pray that you would always value the salvation you receive through Jesus Christ.  Pray that the people around you would know God’s desire for them to be saved.  “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV)

Friday:  Uniqueness.  Pray that Jesus would always be the one you look to for your salvation.  Pray that the people around you would come to know Jesus as the only way to be saved.  “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12 (NIV)

Saturday:  Surrender.  Pray that you would surrender everything to the Lordship of Jesus.  Pray that you would have a greater understanding of both the cost and reward of being a disciple of Jesus.  “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”  Luke 14:33 (NIV)

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Unto Us!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus:  Unto Us!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

“’She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ — which means, ‘God with us.’” 
Matthew 1:21-22 (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 bring back a focus on some scriptures regarding the birth of Jesus and the names He was to be called.  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 each day praying about who Jesus is according to scripture and about who He is in your life.  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: Wonderful Counselor.  Pray that your relationship with Jesus reveals His presence, the Wonderful Counselor, living in you.  Pray that you would seek God’s counsel in everything you do.  “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  John 14:26 (NIV)

Tuesday: Mighty God.  Pray that your life submits fully to the authority and might of God.  Pray that your life would show to others that you believe in a mighty God.  “But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”  Luke 22:69 (NIV)

Wednesday: Everlasting Father.  Pray that your life shows a trust in an eternal Father and Savior.  Pray that the people around you would know true hope because of an everlasting Father.  “’I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’”  John 8:58 (NIV)

Thursday: Prince of Peace.  Pray that you would seek peace with God who desires to bring all people to peace with Him through Jesus.  Pray that the people around you would see God’s peace evident in your life.  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  Luke 2:14 (NIV)

Friday: Jesus.  Pray that you completely experience the cleansing power of the name of Jesus who came to save His people from their sins.  Pray that the people around you would call on the One who saves.  “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.”  I Timothy 1:15 (NIV)

Saturday:  Immanuel.  Pray that your life is a constant reminder to those around you that God is with us and has come to help His people.  “They were all filled with awe and praised God. ‘A great prophet has appeared among us,’ they said. ‘God has come to help his people.’”  Luke 7:16 (NIV)

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Not Afraid!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

 

This week’s prayer focus:  Not Afraid!

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell.  Yes, I tell you, fear him.”
Luke 12:4-5 (NIV)

As a follow-up to last week’s prayer focus of fear, this week’s prayer focus is Not Afraid!  While we need to have a “reverent fear” or “holy fear” of God, He also repeatedly tells us to not be afraid.  Often it seems as if we are afraid of people and have no fear of God.  As we pray about not being afraid, we will look at some of the reasons that God tells us to have no fear of the people of this world.  God has promised to fill us with His peace through the power of His Word and His Spirit as we learn to trust Him and not be afraid.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you to have a greater trust of Him when He calls you to not be afraid.  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 each day praying about, writing down, and doing how God would have you live out that day’s aspect of prayer.  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: Trust in God makes me Not Afraid.  Pray that your trust in God would grow so that you can praise Him and His Word when you are tempted to be afraid.  “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can mortal man do to me?”  Psalm 56:3-4 (NIV)

Tuesday: God’s Presence makes me Not Afraid.  Pray that you would learn to recognize God’s presence in your life as a reason to not be afraid.  Pray that the people around you would recognize God’s presence living in you so they could learn to not be afraid.  “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”  Psalm 118:6 (NIV)

Wednesday: Salvation from God makes me Not Afraid.  Pray that you would live with a confidence of salvation from God that keeps you from being afraid.  “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”  Isaiah 12:2 (NIV)

Thursday: God’s Rescue makes me Not Afraid.  Pray that your remembrance of the ways God has rescued you will help you to not be afraid in times of trouble.  Pray that you would help others to know of God’s rescue from being afraid.  “‘Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.”  Jeremiah 1:8 (NIV)

Friday: God’s Good News makes me Not Afraid.  Pray that you would live out the joy of the good news of Jesus and share it in ways that others would know they need not be afraid.  “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”  Luke 2:10 (NIV)

Saturday:  God’s Peace makes me Not Afraid.  Pray that the presence of God’s Spirit within you would fill you with a peace that helps you to not be afraid.  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27 (NIV)

 

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Godly Fear!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

 

This week’s prayer focus:  Godly Fear!

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell.  Yes, I tell you, fear him.”
Luke 12:4-5 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus is on Fear!  There are times that an unhealthy fear dominates our life and we need to hear the repeated message that God gives throughout the Bible of “do not be afraid!”  The other side of the pendulum is when we don’t have the fear of God that we ought to have.  While the Bible contains many calls to not be afraid, it also contains a consistent message of our need to have a “reverent fear” or “holy fear” of God.  As a Christian, this is not an “afraid” fear but rather an expression of utmost respect and honor.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you see healthy fear from His perspective.  Pray that your fear of God would lead you to be the best representative of Jesus that He would have you to be.  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 each day praying about, writing down, and doing how God would have you live out that day’s aspect of prayer.  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: Fear of God that Leads Us to Do Right.  Pray that you would reject favoritism and prejudice as you understand God’s acceptance of all who fear Him and make the choice to do what is right.  “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.’”  Acts 10:34-35 (NIV)

Tuesday: Fear that Causes the Lord’s Name to be Honored.  Pray that God’s victory over evil would cause a fear that causes His name to be held in highest honor.  “When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.”  Acts 19:17 (NIV)

Wednesday: Fear that Leads to Persuading Others.  Pray that your personal knowledge of a fear of the Lord would compel you to make every attempt to persuade others to see their need for Christ.  “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.”  2 Corinthians 5:11 (NIV)

Thursday: Fear as a Holy Expression of Faith.  Pray that you would have a complete obedience to God as you express your faith in holy fear.  “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”  Hebrews 11:7 (NIV)

Friday: Fear as Proper Respect of God.  Pray that your life would show a proper respect to all of those around you.  Pray that your respect of others would come from a respect that has a proper fear of God.  “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”  1 Peter 2:17 (NIV)

Saturday:  Fear that Leads to Praise.  Pray that constant praise would flow from your lips and life as your fear of God reveals to you His great love.  “Then a voice came from the throne, saying: ‘Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!’”  Revelation 19:5 (NIV)

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Feasting!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

 

This week’s prayer focus:  Feasting!

“On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine — the best of meats and the finest of wines.  On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.  The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth.  The LORD has spoken.” 
Isaiah 25:6-8 (NIV)

Yes, you read it correctly, this week’s prayer focus is on feasting!  Many of us have probably done quite a bit of that over the past few days, with more likely on the way as the Christmas and New Year’s Holidays approach.  When we think of our spiritual life and food, most often it is fasting that comes to mind so we prefer not to connect food with our prayer life.  While fasting should have great importance in the life of each Christian, feasting is also a tool given by God that can bring joy and benefit into the lives of believers and those around us if we pay attention to God’s instructions about feasting.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you feast with joy and purpose as you honor him with your feasts.  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 each day praying about, writing down, and doing how God would have you live out that day’s aspect of prayer.  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: Feast of Celebration.  Pray that you would understand, and have, the Father’s heart in celebrating the finding and restoration of those who are lost.  Celebrate the lost who return home.  “‘Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”  Luke 15:23-24 (NIV)

Tuesday: Feast of Contentment.  Pray that you would understand the feasting of contentment that comes from living with a cheerful heart.  “All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.  Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil.”  Proverbs 15:15-16 (NIV)

Wednesday: Feast of Joy.  Pray that your desire, and practice, of feasting would bring joy not only to yourself, but to those around you as well.  “Be joyful at your Feast — you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.”  Deuteronomy 16:14 (NIV)

Thursday: Feast of Remembrance.  Pray that you would always remember the purpose behind the various feasts that you celebrate.  Be sure to teach about the reminders God has given. “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.”  Exodus 12:17 (NIV)

Friday: Feast of Giving.  Pray that you would be filled with a heart of giving in the way you feast.  “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  Luke 14:13-14 (NIV)

Saturday:  Feast of the Kingdom.  Pray that you would always live a life surrendered fully to Christ in preparation for your place at the feast in the kingdom of God.  “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.  Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”  Luke 13:29-30 (NIV)

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Thankfulness!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus:  Thankfulness!

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 5:19-20

As we approach the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, it seems fitting to bring back a former prayer guide focused on being thankful.  It is  too easy to let the cares of the world steal our joy and thankfulness, so this week we will pray about a variety of reasons to be thankful as well as things to be thankful for.  God connects our attitudes and conversations with one another with our life of thankfulness to Him.  As you pray, ask God to help you live a life of thankfulness each day.  Pray that you would see His gifting in your life as reason to be thankful.  Pray that your sharing of God’s gifting in your life would cause others to give thanks to God.  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 each day praying about, writing down, and doing how God would have you live out that day’s aspect of prayer.  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: Thankful for Faithful Reputation.  Thank God for those people who inspire you because of their reputation of faith in Jesus.  Pray that you would be one whose faithful reputation inspires others.  “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.”  Romans 1:8 (NIV)

Tuesday: Thankful for Changed Lives.  Thank God for the desire and strength to turn from sin and live obediently to the truth.  Pray that the people around you would wholeheartedly obey the teaching of the gospel.  “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.”  Romans 6:17 (NIV)

Wednesday: Thankful for Received Grace.  Thank God for His amazing grace that He offers to all who would accept it.  As you pray, recognize it is that same grace extended to you that allows you to be thankful for the people around you.  Pray that the people around you would see God’s grace extended through you.  “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Corinthians 1:4 (NIV)

Thursday: Thankful for Real Victory.  Thank God for the victory over sin and death, as well as for the daily victories, through Jesus.  Pray that the people around you would experience true victory through a relationship with Jesus.  “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV)

Friday: Thankful for Shared Concern.  Thank God that He draws believers to a common concern for one another and pray that you would always remember it.  Pray that you would be filled with a concern for others.  “I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.”  2 Corinthians 8:16 (NIV)

Saturday:  Thankful for Generous Giving.  Thank God for the ability, and opportunity, to supply the needs of one another through His provision.  Pray that your giving would cause others to give thanks to God.  “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”  2 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV)

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Contentment!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

Special focus this week:  Making the Most of Every Opportunity

While much of the world’s attention is on the horrific events in Paris, it is not the only place or people in this world experiencing loss of life at the hands of terrorists.  As you pray for Paris and the recovery of the many who are wounded physically, as well as the many more who are wounded emotionally and spiritually, pray that you would be the light of the world wherever you are.  In doing so, the true message of the peace that can only be found in Christ will be seen and heard by those who need it.  Pray that you would make the most of every opportunity because the days that we live in are evil.

This week’s prayer focus:  Contentment!

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Deuteronomy 5:21 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer time on God’s command to not covet!  I believe that the very heart of this command is a need for each of us to learn contentment.  Contentment is a very godly character quality but one that is difficult to live — especially in a culture that is so focused on convincing people that they need what others have and they need more.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you rejoice in the happiness of others.  Pray that you would learn a spirit of contentment that comes from a complete trust in God.  Pray that the things of this world, and the things that others have, would not become a snare to you.  Ask God to teach you how to be content with what He has given and strive to make the most of it for His glory.  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 each day praying about, writing down, and doing how God would have you live out that day’s aspect of prayer.  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:  Contentment from a Fear of the Lord.  Pray that you would have contentment through a life lived with a fear of the Lord.  Pray that  your fear of the Lord would be such that you can rest contented.  “The fear of the LORD leads to life:  Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”  Proverbs 19:23 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Contentment with Your Income.  Pray that you would learn to live within your means and be content with the pay you have agreed to.  “Then some soldiers asked him, ‘And what should we do?’  He replied, ‘Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely — be content with your pay.’”  Luke 3:14 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Contentment in All Circumstances.  Pray that your relationship with Christ would teach you the secret of being content in all circumstances.  “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

Thursday:  Contentment with Godliness.  Pray that you would seek to live a life of godliness and experience great gain as you become content with godliness being the center of your life.  “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”  1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)

Friday:  Contentment with Basic Needs.  Pray that you would have God’s view of necessities and learn to be content even if that is all you have.  “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”  1 Timothy 6:8 (NIV)

Saturday:  Contentment with  God’s Presence.  Pray that knowing God is with you would bring you great contentment.  Pray that the allure of money would not distract you from finding contentment with God’s presence.  “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”  Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Truthful Testimony!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus:  Truthful Testimony!

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
Deuteronomy 5:20 (NIV)

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.'”
Zechariah 7:9 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer time on God’s command to not give false testimony!  I believe that at the heart of this command is God’s desire for us to be truthful with one another and truthful about one another.  We live in a time where it seems so many people and groups go to great lengths in attempts to expose “wrongdoing” by others with little concern for facts and how their accusations impact lives that may be innocent.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you examine how you use your testimony about others and about Him.  Pray that your words about others would be both truthful and loving and that your witness for Christ would give an honest representation of Him.  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 each day praying about, and writing down, how God would have you live out that day’s aspect of prayer.

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:  Devoted Interactions.  Pray that your devotion to one another would help you to always be truthful in your testimony about them and in your witness of Christ to them.  “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”  Romans 12:10 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Instructional Testimony.  Pray that you would allow God’s Spirit to fill you with knowledge and truth as you instruct others.  “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.”  Romans 15:14 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Unifying Testimony.  Pray that your testimony about others would lead to a greater unity and agreement among fellow believers.  “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”  1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)

Thursday:  Forgiving Testimony.  Pray that you would be filled with a forgiving spirit and attitude to help you not speak falsely about others.  “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

Friday:  Sympathetic and Harmonious Testimony.  Pray that you would seek a greater understanding of others in order to be sympathetic rather than condemning in your testimony about them with a goal of harmony among people.  “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”  1 Peter 3:8 (NIV)

Saturday:  Humble Testimony.   Pray that you would be filled with humility as you have opportunity to speak about others and about God.  “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'”  1 Peter 5:5 (NIV)

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Possessions!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus:  Possessions!

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.  But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’  In tithes and offerings.  You are under a curse — the whole nation of you — because you are robbing me.”
Malachi 3:8-9 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer time on God’s command to not steal!  As with all of God’s commands, our breaking this command is typically an issue of the heart as much as, or more than, a problem with our actions.  As we understand the source of our possessions and examine how we use them, we may discover times when we are guilty of stealing — from ourselves, from our family, from others, and/or from God!  As you pray this week, ask God to help you have His perspective on possessions and to fill you with a spirit of generosity.  Pray that you would not only not take things that belong to others but that you would not keep things that you are supposed to give.  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 each day praying about, and writing down, how God would have you live out that day’s aspect of prayer.

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:  Treasured Possessions.  Pray that you would see yourself as God’s treasured possession.  Pray that you would always see people as having greater value than things.  “They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.”  Malachi 3:17 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Abundant Possessions.  Pray that you would not measure your life, or the lives of others, by the quantity of possessions that are held.  “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)

Wednesday:  Give Possessions.  Pray that you would be willing to give of your possessions and use them to make right any wrongs you have done.  “But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’”  Luke 19:8 (NIV)

Thursday:  Received Possessions.  Pray that you would always recognize the true source of all possessions that you have.  “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”  1 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)

Friday:  Eternal Possessions.  Pray that the value you place on possessions would only be in reference to the good they do in proclaiming and sharing God’s kingdom.  “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”  Matthew 6:20 (NIV)

Saturday:  Shared Possessions.  Pray that God would give you a heart of compassion that learns to share possessions with those in need.  “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”  Acts 4:32 (NIV)

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Lifestyle of Prayer: Guard Your Heart!

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“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus:  Guard Your Heart!

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer time on our need to guard our heart!  Jesus taught that the command to not commit adultery was more about a heart problem than it was a physical problem.  God’s desire is that we would learn to guard our heart and mind from the temptations that want to take root and destroy us.  It is much easier to blame someone else when we give in to temptation than admit we have failed to guard our heart in Christ Jesus.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you to not only guard your heart and mind, but that you would not be a stumbling block in another person’s efforts to guard their heart.  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 each day praying about, and writing down, how God would have you live out that day’s aspect of prayer.

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:  Guard Your Heart With Truthfulness.  Pray that you would have a heart guarded by words of truth.  Pray that you would both seek truth and speak truth at all times.  “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.”  Psalm 15:2 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Guard Your Heart With God’s Counsel.  Pray that you would always heed the instructions of the Lord’s counsel.  Pray that your heart would be protected at all times by the counsel of God’s Word.  “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.”  Psalm 16:7 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Guard Your Heart With a Steadfast Spirit.  Pray that you would not become weary in doing good but that God would put a steadfast spirit within you.  Pray that your heart would be protected by an unrelenting commitment to pursue God.  “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

Thursday:  Guard Your Heart With Trust.  Pray that  you would learn to trust God completely even in the midst of bad news.  Pray that your trust of God would protect your heart from pursuing wrong actions.  “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.”  Psalm 112:7 (NIV)

Friday:  Guard Your Heart With Understanding.  Pray that  you would have an understanding of God’s laws and their purpose in protecting you from sin.  Pray that an understanding of consequences would protect your heart from wrongful pursuits.  “Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.”  Psalm 119:34 (NIV)

Saturday:  Guard Your Heart With Obedience.  Pray that your heart would be protected by a desire to obey God’s laws.  Pray that you would always have a steadfast determination to obey the commands of God through your entire life.  “My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.”  Psalm 119:112 (NIV)