This is the audio from the July 29, 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
Freedom. It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not. When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything. Over the next 7 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.
Here is day twenty-six with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, have a way to be free from the snare of your words.
“My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another, if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor! Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.”
Proverbs 6:1-5 (NIV)
Have you ever felt trapped by something you said? What was it, and what did you do about it? How difficult is it for you to admit that your words were not accurate, were harmful, were misleading, or were simply not beneficial? How does humility help to free you from the snare of your words? What would you give to be able to take back certain words you have spoken? Can it really be done?
As much as we would sometimes like it to be so, we cannot “un-speak” a spoken word. But God does give instruction on how we can live free from the snare our words become. The best freedom should be obvious — practice self-control and not speak words which would ensnare us. But since that doesn’t always happen, we can be free through a humility that admits our words were not appropriate and seeks to make them right with the people that were impacted by them. As you pray, ask God to set a guard on your lips so you can avoid the snare of your words. Pray that you would live with humility to free you from words that shouldn’t have been spoken, either to you or by you.
In prayer,
Tom
This is the audio from the July 28, 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
Freedom. It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not. When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything. Over the next 8 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.
Here is day twenty-five with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, have been set free from sin and death.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
How often do you consider the effects of sin when you think about death? Does death cause you to think about sin in your own life? Have you ever felt powerless when it came to overcoming a particular sin in your life? Why? If sin has any power in your life, who gives it that power? Explain. What do you think gives even the thought of death the power that it seems to have over many people? How should God setting a person free from sin break the power that death holds over them?
I don’t like the unknown. My brain wiring seems to make surprises a frightening thing. For many, I think death is somewhat frightening because of the many unknown aspects surrounding it. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Christian can be set free from the power of sin and death. Not that our physical body never dies, but the freedom comes in knowing that sin has lost its power to result in our real death — separation from God. As you pray, ask God to help you believe He has set you free from the power of sin and death. Pray that you would view physical death differently as you live with confidence in God’s freedom.
In prayer,
Tom
This is the audio from the July 27, 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
Freedom. It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not. When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything. Over the next 9 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.
Here is day twenty-four with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, have been set free to serve others.
“Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.”
Mark 1:45 (NIV)
Have you ever been asked to keep a secret that was such happy news that you simply couldn’t keep it to yourself? What did you do? Why? Are there things that happen in your life that you “just can’t wait” to tell others about? Why? What are some reasons why you might not share about the good things that happen to you? Does knowing someone else could experience the same joy that you have, influence your willingness to share good news with them? Why?
Several times Jesus asked people not to tell others who He was or what He had done for them, but it seems they could not help themselves — they had to share the good news. Christ has set us free with the instructions for those who follow Him today to share the good news everywhere we go, yet many of us struggle with doing that. Sometimes I think we make sharing about Jesus way too complicated. We are set free to simply share the good news of what Jesus has done in our life. As you pray, ask God to give you excitement over opportunities to share what He has done in your life. Pray that you would want to share good news with people.
In prayer,
Tom
This is the audio from the July 26, 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
Freedom. It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not. When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything. Over the next 10 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.
Here is day twenty-three with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, have been set free to serve others.
“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”
Galatians 5:13 (NIV)
How is serving others related to serving God? Is it possible to serve God without serving others? Why? Are there people you enjoy serving? Are there people you would rather not serve? What makes the difference? Do you find more enjoyment in having to serve people or in serving them out of love? Why? What things keep you from wanting to serve someone? How does gazing into God’s perfect law set you free to serve others? Does the “one another” part in God’s instructions to serve make it easier or more difficult? Why?
Many people have nothing against the idea of serving, as long as they are the one being served. Just as God has set us free in order to serve Him, He also calls us to use that freedom to serve one another. While this means we have the responsibility to serve others, the “one another” part also means there are times we have the privilege of being served. God’s desire is that we not take the practice of serving for granted, but that we serve because we love. As you pray, ask God to help you notice opportunities to serve. Pray that you would be filled with His love, and a love for people, as you serve one another.
In prayer,
Tom
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