Ministry

Serving God: Guard Your Heart With Understanding
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Serving God: Guard Your Heart With Understanding

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day six in the eighth week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Guard Your Heart With Understanding

“Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.“
Psalm 119:34 (NIV)

How well do you understand the purposes behind the rules and policies where you serve?  How well do you understand God’s purpose for giving us His instructions for living?  Do you find it easier to do something when you understand the reason behind doing so?  Have you ever said, or done, something in response to a person that you later regretted when you more fully understood what they were going through?  How will guarding your heart with an understanding of God’s Word help you serve more effectively today?

Years ago I served as a cabin dad and team leader at MCSC for the very first time and had a group of boys that were, well, less than cooperative.  Before the very first night was over, my heart had become angry with one boy in particular and I was ready to call it quits and go home.  The leader of the camp week could see that I was frustrated with the boy, and with him, so he pulled me aside and provided information that increased my understanding about what was going on.  That bit of understanding guarded my heart throughout the week and helped me to serve this boy, and the entire team, well. 

Pray that God would guard your heart with understanding.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer: Guard Your Heart With Trust (03/04/21)

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This is the audio from the March 4, 2021 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

Serving God: Guard Your Heart With Trust
by

Serving God: Guard Your Heart With Trust

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day five in the eighth week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Guard Your Heart With Trust

“Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.  He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.“
Psalm 112:6-7 (NIV)

Who do you trust?  Why?  How does trust, or a lack of it, influence the way you serve?  How likely is bad news to keep you from serving as you should?  Has fear ever made you hesitant to serve — or even kept you from serving — when you knew God wanted you to serve?  Did the real problem lie with your level of trust of those you were supposed to serve or with your trust of God?  How does guarding your heart with trust help you to overcome the fear that keeps you from serving?  How will trust in God help you serve more effectively today.

Sometimes we learn things as we serve that are difficult to understand.  It is during those times that our trust in God is often tested.  Most of us want to erase bad news, or at least change it to something that doesn’t negatively impact our life.  It is our trust in God that guards our heart as we serve so that fear doesn’t have to lead us into wrong actions.  When your heart is guarded by trust, you are able to serve without fear.

As you pray, ask God to help your trust in Him to grow daily.  Pray that you would turn to God for wisdom in serving through the midst of any bad news that comes your way.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer: Guard Your Heart With a Steadfast Spirit (03/03/21)

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This is the audio from the March 3, 2021 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

Serving God: Guard Your Heart With a Steadfast Spirit
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Serving God: Guard Your Heart With a Steadfast Spirit

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day four in the eighth week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Guard Your Heart With a Steadfast Spirit

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.“
Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

How steady would you describe your spirit?  How easily are you driven up and down, back and forth by ever-changing emotions?  How often do the circumstances of serving make you feel like giving up?  How would a focus on purity be related to having a steadfast spirit.  Do you ever become weary in serving?  How often do you turn to God to renew your spirit when you become weary?  How does having a steadfast spirit guard your heart while you serve?

Serving people can be a messy business.  Without a guarded heart it can be far too easy to let our spirit be tossed to and fro.  Yet it is a spirit that is steadfast on the things of God that helps to guard our heart.  Serving with a steadfast spirit keeps us from allowing an unguarded heart to lead us into unproductive actions and relationships.  When God is the source of our steadfast spirit, we are able to say no to temptation and yes to serving with purity.

As you pray, ask God to keep your spirit focused on Him.  Pray that He would guard your heart by the power of His steadfast Spirit within you.  Pray that you would serve with pure motives and actions through a steadfast spirit.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer: Guard Your Heart With God’s Counsel (03/02/21)

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This is the audio from the March 2, 2021 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

Serving God: Guard Your Heart With God’s Counsel
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Serving God: Guard Your Heart With God’s Counsel

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day three in the eighth week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Guard Your Heart With God’s Counsel

“I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.  I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.“
Psalm 16:7-8 (NIV)

How often do you seek advice?  Who do you usually seek it from?  Why?  Have you ever found yourself in difficulty or trouble because you listened to bad advice?  Have you had times when it was obvious that you avoided trouble because you followed good advice?  How do you determine what counsel to listen to?  Do you live daily with an awareness of Jesus being called “Wonderful Counselor”?  How would your serving change if the counsel you share was always given from a heart that was guarded by God’s counsel?

It seems like advice is always plentiful but it can easily lead us astray if we don’t guard our heart with God’s counsel.  When we listen to, and for, God’s counsel through His Word and in our prayer time, we are able to serve with a guarded heart.  It is through God’s counsel that our heart is protected from inappropriate relationships that our serving may lead us toward. 

As you pray, ask God to help you keep His counsel fresh in your mind as you serve.  Pray that you would always evaluate the advice you hear from others in light of the counsel you receive from God’s Word.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer: Guard Your Heart With Truth (03/01/21)

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This is the audio from the March 1, 2021 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