Life Lessons

Watch Your Mouth: Choose Words of Warning
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Watch Your Mouth: Choose Words of Warning

Every day you and I give people an impression of who Jesus is by the words we use.  Are they hearing, or reading, words from you which would draw them to Christ or push them away?  Are you using words which draw you into greater relationship with God or words which create distance?  Over the next 4 days I will be sharing from the devotional journal, “Watch Your Mouth”, with the prayer that it helps you discover some of what God has to say about choosing words which honor Him.

Here is day twenty-eight with an important reminder that watching your mouth should lead you to use words of warning.

Choose Words of Warning

“With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’  Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
Acts 2:40-41 (NIV)

Have you ever ignored a warning that you later wished you had heeded?  Have you ever been in a situation where someone could have warned you of potential trouble but chose not to and you wished that they would have?  When you anticipate trouble, how do you decide when to warn someone?  Does the refusal of people to heed your warnings influence your decision to choose warning words?  Does your response to warning words change the willingness of others to warn you in the future?

Throughout scripture, God warns that there are consequences for our actions yet many live as if this isn’t true.  Sometimes we fail to heed warnings because we don’t think they apply to us or we don’t want to submit to the person issuing the warning.  As you pray, ask God to help you understand that the warnings He gives are for your good and for the good of mankind.  Pray that you would have the courage to warn others of the consequences, according to God’s word, of a life apart from Jesus.

In prayer,

Tom  

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Encouragement and Prayer (10/8/20)

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This is the audio from the October 8, 2020 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

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

In prayer,
Tom

Watch Your Mouth: Choose Truthful Words
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Watch Your Mouth: Choose Truthful Words

Every day you and I give people an impression of who Jesus is by the words we use.  Are they hearing, or reading, words from you which would draw them to Christ or push them away?  Are you using words which draw you into greater relationship with God or words which create distance?  Over the next 5 days I will be sharing from the devotional journal, “Watch Your Mouth”, with the prayer that it helps you discover some of what God has to say about choosing words which honor Him.

Here is day twenty-seven with an important reminder that watching your mouth should lead you to words of truth.

Choose Truthful Words

“Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.  I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.  I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.”
Psalm 119:43-45 (NIV)

How do you feel when you discover someone has deliberately lied to you?  Can a person be deceptive even when the words used are technically true?  When you consider the truthfulness of something, what is the basis for your conclusion?  What is the most necessary companion to truthful words?  Where would you go to find examples of truthful words spoken in love?  How confident are you that you are speaking truthful words when you share the Word of God?

Truth spoken with the wrong attitude and motives can do great damage yet the same truth spoken with compassion and in love can bring healing and restoration.  It is important when you choose truthful words that you use them in line with the instructions God give us in His Word.  As a Christian, your words ought to build up and encourage without shaming and tearing down the listener.  As you pray, ask God to fill you with His love for people so that your truthful words would always be spoken with an attitude of concern for the listener.  Pray that the truthful words you choose would have their foundation in God’s Word.

In prayer,

Tom  

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Encouragement and Prayer (10/7/20)

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This is the audio from the October 7, 2020 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

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

In prayer,
Tom

Watch Your Mouth: Choose Timely Words
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Watch Your Mouth: Choose Timely Words

Every day you and I give people an impression of who Jesus is by the words we use.  Are they hearing, or reading, words from you which would draw them to Christ or push them away?  Are you using words which draw you into greater relationship with God or words which create distance?  Over the next 6 days I will be sharing from the devotional journal, “Watch Your Mouth”, with the prayer that it helps you discover some of what God has to say about choosing words which honor Him.

Here is day twenty-six with an important reminder that watching your mouth should lead you to words which are timely.

Choose Timely Words

“A man finds joy in giving an apt reply — and how good is a timely word!”
Proverbs 15:23 (NIV)

No pointing fingers, but have you ever known someone that seems to always say the right thing (or maybe the wrong thing) at the worst moment possible?  Have you ever been in a situation where you needed a word of encouragement or comfort that just never came?  Have you ever felt you needed to say something to a person but wrestled with the “when” so long that nothing was ever said?  When was the most memorable time that a person spoke a timely word into your life?

Some say that in communication, timing is everything and that just may be true.  We’ve probably all suffered through the ill-timed words of others and have enjoyed the receiving end of well-timed words.  And we’ve probably all been on the giving end of each of those as well.  As you pray, ask God to help you speak timely words that are good into the lives of the people around you.  Pray that you would allow His timely words to you give you the courage to listen for the promptings of His Spirit in knowing when to speak the right words to others.

In prayer,

Tom  

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Encouragement and Prayer (10/6/20)

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This is the audio from the October 6, 2020 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

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

In prayer,
Tom

Watch Your Mouth: Choose Tested Words
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Watch Your Mouth: Choose Tested Words

Every day you and I give people an impression of who Jesus is by the words we use.  Are they hearing, or reading, words from you which would draw them to Christ or push them away?  Are you using words which draw you into greater relationship with God or words which create distance?  Over the next 7 days I will be sharing from the devotional journal, “Watch Your Mouth”, with the prayer that it helps you discover some of what God has to say about choosing words which honor Him.

Here is day twenty-five with an important reminder that watching your mouth should lead you to words which have been tested and will stand up to being tested.

Choose Tested Words

“Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
Genesis 42:16 (NIV)

What do you do when you hear something that you are not sure is true?  Do you believe every promise that people make to you?  What things make you more likely to believe what someone says?  How do you feel when someone wants to test the accuracy of your words?  Are there people in your life of whom you would trust anything they said because their words have always stood the test of time?  What would it take for you to become one of those people?

Most of us have people we trust to do what they say and people we don’t.  A lot of factors may go into that, but one of the most common reasons for not believing what a person says is that their words have been tested in the past and found wanting.  If you find that you are often not believed, you may want to spend time with God examining if you speak trusted words.  As you pray, ask God to help you speak only words which can be trusted.  Pray that the words you speak about God would not simply be theory and Bible stories, but would be tested words that you have discovered through your relationship with Jesus.

In prayer,

Tom  

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Encouragement and Prayer (10/5/20)

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This is the audio from the October 5, 2020 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

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

In prayer,
Tom