God

Encouragement and Prayer: Talk Submissively To God! (10/05/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Talk Submissively To God! (10/05/23)

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This is the audio from the October 5, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”
Luke 11:1 (NIV)

This week our prayer emphasis will focus on the teaching of Jesus about how we ought to pray.  I believe the disciples had noticed something different about the prayer life of Jesus, something that went beyond the teaching John had done about prayer.  Jesus was consistently making time to talk with His Father in a way that gave that conversation priority.  When you need someone to talk to, who do you go to first?  Why?  Is it easy or difficult for you to think about talking first to God about everything?  Why?  Our prayer emphasis this week will have us praying about the application points from Jesus teaching His disciples to pray.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10 (NIV)

As you pray, ask God to help you make your conversations with Him a priority in your life.  Pray that you would seek God’s will, and submit to it, in all of your requests and petitions.  Pray that you would repent of the pride that keeps you from submitting to God in everything.  Ask God to help the submissiveness in your prayer life reflect His will on earth so that the people around you would seek Him.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Talk Respectfully To God! (10/04/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Talk Respectfully To God! (10/04/23)

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This is the audio from the October 4, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”
Luke 11:1 (NIV)

This week our prayer emphasis will focus on the teaching of Jesus about how we ought to pray.  I believe the disciples had noticed something different about the prayer life of Jesus, something that went beyond the teaching John had done about prayer.  Jesus was consistently making time to talk with His Father in a way that gave that conversation priority.  When you need someone to talk to, who do you go to first?  Why?  Is it easy or difficult for you to think about talking first to God about everything?  Why?  Our prayer emphasis this week will have us praying about the application points from Jesus teaching His disciples to pray.

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’”
Matthew 6:9 (NIV)

As you pray, ask God to help you make your conversations with Him a priority in your life.  Pray that genuine worship of God would always be evident in your conversations with Him.  Pray that you would always view God as holy.  Pray that your reverence of God would be seen by others in a way that helps His name to be honored among believers and unbelievers alike.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Talk Intentionally To God! (10/03/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Talk Intentionally To God! (10/03/23)

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This is the audio from the October 3, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”
Luke 11:1 (NIV)

This week our prayer emphasis will focus on the teaching of Jesus about how we ought to pray.  I believe the disciples had noticed something different about the prayer life of Jesus, something that went beyond the teaching John had done about prayer.  Jesus was consistently making time to talk with His Father in a way that gave that conversation priority.  When you need someone to talk to, who do you go to first?  Why?  Is it easy or difficult for you to think about talking first to God about everything?  Why?  Our prayer emphasis this week will have us praying about the application points from Jesus teaching His disciples to pray.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:13 (NIV)

As you pray, ask God to help you make your conversations with Him a priority in your life.  Pray that you would talk to God specifically about the things that tempt you.  Pray that you would be more intentional in seeking God’s help to overcome temptation.  Pray that this intentionality would help others know of God’s help in avoiding temptation and being delivered from the evil one.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Good News: Talking With HIM! (Sermon Audio)
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Good News: Talking With HIM! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the October 1, 2023 sermon, “Good News: Talking With HIM”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 11

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”
Luke 11:1 (NIV)

Today I continued a series from the gospel of Luke as we gaze deeply into God’s Word to find the good news of Jesus shared with us by Luke the physician.  Of all the things Jesus did as He lived on earth, prayer is the one thing the disciples wanted Jesus to teach them.  I believe they had noticed the prayer life of Jesus was dramatically different than that of anyone else and they wanted in on what made it different.  As Jesus responded to their request, He revealed that prayer can simply be a matter of just talking with . . .

  • Humility: (Luke 11:1-4)

    • When it comes to our prayer life, talking with humility is all about acknowledging who God is and who we are in relationship to Him.  In response to being asked to teach how to pray, Jesus instructs us to honor God and His name as holy.  In doing so, we also acknowledge our need in every area of our life as we ask for daily bread, forgiveness, and the strength to overcome temptation.  We not only have this instruction from Jesus, we can see it in the way He talked with His Father in the humility of submission.  As you learn and practice the good news of prayer, be sure to talk with humility.

  • Insight:  (Luke 11:5-8)

    • When teaching about prayer, Jesus gave more than just the model prayer that we find in Matthew and in the beginning of this chapter of Luke.  He goes on to give insight into what prayer looks like if we were to bring it into the realm of human interaction.  I always find it fascinating that in today’s text we often focus on the second man going to the third man at midnight to ask for bread, when in fact there was a first man who showed up seemingly unexpected that caused the need.  One of the things our prayer life ought to do is to talk with an insight that can see beyond the surface and recognize how God uses different people and different circumstances to accomplish His will in meeting the needs of people.

  • Motivation: — (Luke 11:9-13)

    • As Jesus continues teaching, He makes it clear that it is those who ask, seek, and knock who will receive, find, and have doors opened.  God wants our conversations with Him to be motivated by a desire to receive from Him that which is good and helpful.  Jesus makes it clear that God is a Father that far exceeds the goodness of any earthly father and His gift of the Holy Spirit gives us the help we need even in our prayer life.  As we spend time talking with Him, we do so as one motivated by an awareness of His willingness to respond and help.

Today, how will you choose to talk with HIM?

Encouragement and Prayer: Talk Faithfully To God! (10/02/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Talk Faithfully To God! (10/02/23)

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This is the audio from the October 2, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”
Luke 11:1 (NIV)

This week our prayer emphasis will focus on the teaching of Jesus about how we ought to pray.  I believe the disciples had noticed something different about the prayer life of Jesus, something that went beyond the teaching John had done about prayer.  Jesus was consistently making time to talk with His Father in a way that gave that conversation priority.  When you need someone to talk to, who do you go to first?  Why?  Is it easy or difficult for you to think about talking first to God about everything?  Why?  Our prayer emphasis this week will have us praying about the application points from Jesus teaching His disciples to pray.  As you pray, ask God to help you make your conversations with Him a priority in your life.  Pray that you would have a desire to grow in a lifestyle of prayer.  Pray that God would help you to have a relationship with Him that is so special that your desire would always be to go to Him first about everything.

“Give us today our daily bread.”
Matthew 6:11 (NIV)

Pray that you would not let a day go by without talking to God about your needs for that day.  Pray that you would recognize, and avoid, the distractions that attempt to keep you from praying.  Ask God to help your faithfulness in prayer to be a positive influence that would cause others to have a desire to grow in prayer.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Teach Faithfully! (9/29/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Teach Faithfully! (9/29/23)

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This is the audio from the September 29, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

This week our prayer emphasis will focus on the work God has called us to do as we go about life.  It can be easy and convenient to think about discipleship being a task for someone else, but God calls each one of us to be a disciple and to make disciples wherever we go in life.  The good news is that God not only tells us what we ought to be doing, He gives us the ability to do it through His Spirit.

“‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are.’”
Matthew 22:16 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you grow in being a disciple at all times and places.  Pray that your teaching remains impartial and true to the Word of God.  Pray that your growth as a disciple of Jesus would help you to teach His Word accurately.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Immerse Into Christ! (9/28/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Immerse Into Christ! (9/28/23)

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This is the audio from the September 28, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

This week our prayer emphasis will focus on the work God has called us to do as we go about life.  It can be easy and convenient to think about discipleship being a task for someone else, but God calls each one of us to be a disciple and to make disciples wherever we go in life.  The good news is that God not only tells us what we ought to be doing, He gives us the ability to do it through His Spirit.

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”
Romans 6:3 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you grow in being a disciple at all times and places.  Pray that you would recognize, and help others recognize, the importance of dying with Christ in order to be raised with Christ.  Pray that you would view and teach baptism with the same level of importance as Jesus did.  Praise God for the work He accomplishes in us when we are buried and risen with Christ.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Make Disciples! (9/27/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Make Disciples! (9/27/23)

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This is the audio from the September 27, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

This week our prayer emphasis will focus on the work God has called us to do as we go about life.  It can be easy and convenient to think about discipleship being a task for someone else, but God calls each one of us to be a disciple and to make disciples wherever we go in life.  The good news is that God not only tells us what we ought to be doing, He gives us the ability to do it through His Spirit.

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:33 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you grow in being a disciple at all times and places.  Pray that everything about you is surrendered to Jesus and that you would not “cheapen” the cost of discipleship.  Pray that you would always be learning from the example of Jesus and then teaching out of that relationship.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom