truth

by

Lifestyle of Prayer: Truthful Testimony!

i

“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)

by

Lifestyle of Prayer: Truth!

i

“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus:  Truth!

“Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king.
In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'”
John 18:37 (NIV)   

As we continue to grow in A Lifestyle of Prayer, it is important to remember prayer should be a lifestyle, not an event.  This week, our prayer focus will be on truth.  Matthew and John each record 30 times when Jesus used the phrase, “I tell you the truth”.  Truth is important to God and therefore ought to be important to us as his children.  Pray that you would not sacrifice truth to the gods of convenience, expediency, favor, or political correctness.  In living and speaking truth, pray that you would always do so in love.  Continue to pray for one another each day.  Continue to pray for the work of our supported missions.  Continue to pray for the family.  View prayer as your first priority, not as the last resort.

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’  Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.'”  
John 14:5-7 (NIV)

Please spend time praying each day for the elements of truth to be present in abundance in your life.  Pray that your life of truth would always be lived in the context of God’s love for all. 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:  Speak Truth.  Pray that you would be one who always speaks truth because that is what resides within you.  “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?  He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.”  Psalm 15:1-2 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Learn Truth.  Pray that you would be a continual student of God’s Word as you learn truth from Him on a daily basis.  “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”  Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Walk in Truth.  Pray that you would be known by the people around you as one who walks in truth no matter what.  “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.”  Psalm 26:2-3 (NIV)

Thursday:  Protected by Truth.  Pray that you would know the protection of having your life centered in the truth of God.  “Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me.”  Psalm 40:11 (NIV)

Friday:  Guided by Truth.  Pray that you would seek God’s truth for your source of guidance in all things.  “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.”  Psalm 43:3 (NIV)

Saturday:  Judged in Truth.  Pray that you are always prepared by the blood of Jesus to be judged in truth by God.  “They will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.”  Psalm 96:13 (NIV)