attitude

From Powerless to Pentecost: When God Says WAIT (Sermon Audio)
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From Powerless to Pentecost: When God Says WAIT (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the May 23, 2021 sermon, “From Powerless to Pentecost: When God Says WAIT”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  John 20:19, Acts 2:38-41, Acts 1:4, Acts 1 & 2

How did the disciples move from John 20:19 to Acts 2?  I believe the secret is found in Acts 1:4 as God calls them to wait — wait for the outpouring of His Spirit.  Moving from powerless to Pentecost often means taking time to . . .

  • Worship.  Acts 1:14, John 3:29-30
    • At the heart, worship is about God becoming greater and us becoming less . . . in our own eyes.  Waiting is excellent for learning to worship God in every and all situation we face.  While we wait, we worship.
  • Act.  Acts 1:21-22, Jude 1:21-23
    • Being called to wait doesn’t necessarily mean we do nothing.  Often the season of waiting is needed to give us the time to finish work in progress that God has already begun in our life, or through our life.
  • Inspect.  Acts 1:24-26, Romans 8:24-27
    • The pause brought about by waiting should lead us to take a serious look at both our self and God’s Word.  Inspecting our life and our actions should always be done with the desire to gain God’s perspective.
  • Trust.  Acts 2:12-16, 1 Corinthians 1:7-9
    • Waiting not only helps us to learn to trust God in greater ways, we find that He provides what is needed both while we wait and when it is time for whatever is next.  Living with trust says that God’s plan is always better than our plan.

When life doesn’t move at your schedule, pause to see if God is calling you to wait in order to move you from powerless to Pentecost.  As you wait, learn to Worship, Act, Inspect, and Trust.

What will you do when God calls you to wait?

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Encouragement and Prayer: Watch, Walk, and Pray! (05/23/21)

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While I take a break from the live morning broadcasts I’ve done for the past 14 months, I will still leave some written encouragement for each day.  This week’s focus will be on prayer walking.

“For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”
Acts 17:23 (NIV)

Take some time this week to pray by either physically walking or visually walking through your neighborhood.

The purpose of a prayer walk is to allow God to use the things you see and hear in your home, school, church, community, or wherever you are, to speak to you about how you should pray.  A walk may reveal things for you to rejoice about as you recognize God’s creativity and goodness.  It may also give you things to pray about as you notice mankind’s mark that has been left on the world.  Either way, there is much we can learn about prayer as we walk, watch, listen, and respond.

Here are some steps to help you in your prayer walk.

  1.  Take a note pad or index cards to jot down things that God brings to your mind.
  2.  As you begin, spend time in prayer asking God to clear your mind and spirit of any distractions so that you may listen to Him
  3.  Pray as you walk. There may be times that you pray out loud and other times you may pray silently.  Use your senses and God’s spirit to know what to pray about.
  4.  As you pray, ask God to bring scriptures to your mind to pray for the area you’re in. Jot these down as you go.
  5.  Even though you are trying not to stand out, don’t avoid people. They may be someone you need to pray for.  Listen to God and listen to them if contact is made.  Jot down any follow-up that God may prompt you is necessary.
  6.  Relax. To quote Brennan Manning in Ragamuffin Gospel, “Just as a child can not do bad coloring, a Christian can not do bad praying.”

In prayer,
Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer: Rejoice With Peace! (05/22/21)

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This is the audio from the May 22, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus will be on God’s command that we rejoice always.  While we may not say it out loud, most of us have a problem with this command — we don’t always feel like rejoicing.  Right there in the middle of the command to rejoice always, the secret to being able to do that is revealed — “in the Lord”.  When we live each day and moment of our life “in the Lord”, we are able to rejoice because of His presence with us and His working in us.

Pray that you would live with the peace of God that helps you to rejoice.  Pray that your heart and mind would be guarded by God’s peace in such a way that nothing would be able to steal your joy.  Pray that you would rejoice in the mysteries of God’s peace.

Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

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

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Encouragement and Prayer: Rejoice Thankfully! (05/21/21)

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This is the audio from the May 20, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus will be on God’s command that we rejoice always.  While we may not say it out loud, most of us have a problem with this command — we don’t always feel like rejoicing.  Right there in the middle of the command to rejoice always, the secret to being able to do that is revealed — “in the Lord”.  When we live each day and moment of our life “in the Lord”, we are able to rejoice because of His presence with us and His working in us.

Ask God to help you rejoice with thankfulness as you talk with Him in prayer.  Pray that a life of rejoicing would help you to grow in thankfulness — even in thankfulness as you present your requests to God.  Pray about how your thankfulness is representing Jesus.

Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

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

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Encouragement and Prayer: Rejoice Prayerfully! (05/20/21)

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This is the audio from the May 20, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus will be on God’s command that we rejoice always.  While we may not say it out loud, most of us have a problem with this command — we don’t always feel like rejoicing.  Right there in the middle of the command to rejoice always, the secret to being able to do that is revealed — “in the Lord”.  When we live each day and moment of our life “in the Lord”, we are able to rejoice because of His presence with us and His working in us.

Ask God to help you be prayerful at all times.  Pray for a heart that desires to communicate with God about your needs and the needs of others.  Pray that you would be able to rejoice prayerfully as you watch God work through the many  requests that you take to Him.

Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

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

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Encouragement and Prayer: Rejoice Without Worry! (05/19/21)

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This is the audio from the May 19, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus will be on God’s command that we rejoice always.  While we may not say it out loud, most of us have a problem with this command — we don’t always feel like rejoicing.  Right there in the middle of the command to rejoice always, the secret to being able to do that is revealed — “in the Lord”.  When we live each day and moment of our life “in the Lord”, we are able to rejoice because of His presence with us and His working in us.

Pray that you would take all of your cares to God as you learn to rejoice without worry.  Pray for a growing trust in God that helps you to overcome the things of this world which give cause for great concern.  Pray that a life of rejoicing would help you to overcome all sources of worry.

Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

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

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Encouragement and Prayer: Rejoice With Gentleness! (05/18/21)

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This is the audio from the May 18, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
Philippians 4:5 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus will be on God’s command that we rejoice always.  While we may not say it out loud, most of us have a problem with this command — we don’t always feel like rejoicing.  Right there in the middle of the command to rejoice always, the secret to being able to do that is revealed — “in the Lord”.  When we live each day and moment of our life “in the Lord”, we are able to rejoice because of His presence with us and His working in us.

Pray that you would rejoice in ways that make your gentleness obvious to those around you.  Pray that you would be mindful of God’s presence as you put aside the pride and boasting that often accompanies the rejoicing of the world.  Pray that your rejoicing would represent Jesus well.

Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

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

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Encouragement and Prayer: Rejoice Always! (05/17/21)

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This is the audio from the May 17, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus will be on God’s command that we rejoice always.  While we may not say it out loud, most of us have a problem with this command — we don’t always feel like rejoicing.  Right there in the middle of the command to rejoice always, the secret to being able to do that is revealed — “in the Lord”.  When we live each day and moment of our life “in the Lord”, we are able to rejoice because of His presence with us and His working in us.

Pray for God’s help to live in the Lord each day so that you are able to rejoice always.  Pray that you would see beyond the temporary difficulties and distractions that the enemy uses to steal your joy.  Pray that you would pay attention to God’s reminders which call you to rejoice always.

Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

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