Encouragement and Prayer: Fleeting Life! (11/17/23)

Encouragement and Prayer: Fleeting Life! (11/17/23)

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This is the audio from the November 17, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer time on living a not so ordinary life!  Our relationship with God, and our view of His creation of us, greatly influences the value we place on life and how we live the life we have been given.  Life has inherent value because it is a part of God’s creative handiwork.  We can see the result of a society that rejects God — life quickly loses value because we have nothing left to base that value on.

“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.”
Psalm 39:4 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the fullness of life which Jesus came to give.  Pray that your understanding of a fleeting life would cause you to value each opportunity God gives you.  Pray that you would know the importance of today as the time to honor God. In all things.  Pray that the people around you would know how fleeting life is and not put off the important decision of pursuing God.

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: Fountain of Life! (11/16/23)

Encouragement and Prayer: Fountain of Life! (11/16/23)

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This is the audio from the November 16, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer time on living a not so ordinary life!  Our relationship with God, and our view of His creation of us, greatly influences the value we place on life and how we live the life we have been given.  Life has inherent value because it is a part of God’s creative handiwork.  We can see the result of a society that rejects God — life quickly loses value because we have nothing left to base that value on.

“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”
Psalm 36:9 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the fullness of life which Jesus came to give.  Pray that God’s presence would spring up within you as your fountain of life.  Pray that you would live with clarity as God’s light illuminates your way.  Pray that God would be the source of light and life within you.  Pray that the people around you would see the light of God through you.

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: Blameless Life! (11/15/23)

Encouragement and Prayer: Blameless Life! (11/15/23)

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This is the audio from the November 15, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer time on living a not so ordinary life!  Our relationship with God, and our view of His creation of us, greatly influences the value we place on life and how we live the life we have been given.  Life has inherent value because it is a part of God’s creative handiwork.  We can see the result of a society that rejects God — life quickly loses value because we have nothing left to base that value on.

“Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless life; have trusted in the LORD without wavering.”
Psalm 26:1 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the fullness of life which Jesus came to give.  Pray that your trust of God would lead you in a blameless life.  Pray that you would trust God to vindicate you when enemy uses people to attack you.  Pray that the people around you would see your faithfulness to God and have no valid accusations against you.

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: Path of Life! (11/14/23)

Encouragement and Prayer: Path of Life! (11/14/23)

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This is the audio from the November 14, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer time on living a not so ordinary life!  Our relationship with God, and our view of His creation of us, greatly influences the value we place on life and how we live the life we have been given.  Life has inherent value because it is a part of God’s creative handiwork.  We can see the result of a society that rejects God — life quickly loses value because we have nothing left to base that value on.

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the fullness of life which Jesus came to give.  Pray that you would seek God as the path that leads to life.  Pray that the people around you would see God’s joy in you as you follow His path.  Pray that your life would set an example to help others walk this path of life.

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: Choose Life! (11/13/23)

Encouragement and Prayer: Choose Life! (11/13/23)

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This is the audio from the November 13, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

This week we will focus our prayer time on living a not so ordinary life!  Our relationship with God, and our view of His creation of us, greatly influences the value we place on life and how we live the life we have been given.  Life has inherent value because it is a part of God’s creative handiwork.  We can see the result of a society that rejects God — life quickly loses value because we have nothing left to base that value on.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the fullness of life which Jesus came to give.  Pray that your relationship with Jesus would help you see your life as more than ordinary.  Pray that you would see yourself, and all people, as part of the creative nature of God.  Pray that you would value life and speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves.

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV)

Pray that your value of life would be seen in the choices you make.  Pray that the people around you would choose life for the benefit of future generations.

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: A Not So Ordinary LIFE! (Sermon Audio)

Good News: A Not So Ordinary LIFE! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the November 12, 2023 sermon, “Good News: A Not So Ordinary LIFE”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 17

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7 (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.  As Jesus walked this earth, much of what we know about His activities took place in the ordinary circumstances of life.  Ordinary people going about the ordinary tasks of life, at least until they met Jesus.  Whether you think your life is ordinary, extraordinary, or less than ordinary, God’s desire is that you would have a not so ordinary . . .

  • Love: — (Luke 17:1-4)

    • The ordinary love of this world tends to focus on self more than sacrifice.  As Jesus teaches in the context of temptation and sin, He points us to the importance of forgiveness.  With sin being inevitable, His desire is that we not be the cause of the sin others find themselves involved in.  The Bible teaches us that love covers a multitude of sin and we experience that when we find God’s forgiveness of our sin and then reflect that same nature in the way we forgive others.  When we live with a not so ordinary love, we learn and practice forgiveness not based on what is deserved but based on what is needed.
  • Involvement: — (Luke 17:5-10)

    • The ordinary involvement of this world generally revolves around us doing what we want to do.  Even when we do what is required, we do so with a constant awareness of how we benefit.  Sometimes our involvement in the work of God reflects more of what we want than what He wants.  Jesus taught that we must always keep in mind the difference between God and us in relationship to responsibility and authority.  When we live with a not so ordinary involvement, our service to God is based on Him being in charge and us being His servant.
  • Faith: — (Luke 17:11-19)

    • The ordinary faith of this world isn’t really faith at all but rather a human attempt to believe in what we create in our own mind.  When Jesus heals ten men who had leprosy, He says it is their faith that made them well.  We often focus, with good reason, on the one who returned to give thanks, but it appears that all of them were healed as they went off in obedience to the command of Jesus.  As lepers, their actions of going to show themselves to the priest would be completely unacceptable if they had arrived with visible signs of leprosy.  When we live with a not so ordinary faith, we take God at his Word in more than a mental acknowledgement but in a life of obedient action.
  • Example: — (Luke 17:20-37)

    • The ordinary examples of this world are often people who accomplish great things and claim to do so on their own.  As Jesus taught about the coming of God’s kingdom, He did so with examples of faithful obedience in the midst of a disbelieving culture.  The Bible then tells us that all of the events recorded for us in God’s Word are there as examples for us in either how to live or how not to live.  When we live with a not so ordinary example, our life becomes a shining light of Jesus that we choose to make visible everywhere we go.

Today, how will you live a not so ordinary LIFE?

Encouragement and Prayer: Act Prepared! (11/10/23)

Encouragement and Prayer: Act Prepared! (11/10/23)

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This is the audio from the November 10, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Luke 16:13 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus will have us praying about how God would have us to act.  While it can be relatively easy to claim devotion to God, our actions reveal who we really serve.  Proverbs tells us that “even a child is known by their actions”.  As God’s child, our actions ought to reflect His nature more than our own flesh.

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
1 Peter 1:13 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you accurately evaluate your actions.  Pray that you would be mentally prepared to act in ways that represent Jesus well.  Pray for a spirit of self-control to guide you in all your preparations of life.  Pray for a steadfast hope that is based on the grace of God.

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: Act Faithfully! (11/09/23)

Encouragement and Prayer: Act Faithfully! (11/09/23)

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This is the audio from the November 9, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Luke 16:13 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus will have us praying about how God would have us to act.  While it can be relatively easy to claim devotion to God, our actions reveal who we really serve.  Proverbs tells us that “even a child is known by their actions”.  As God’s child, our actions ought to reflect His nature more than our own flesh.

“You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”
James 2:22 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you accurately evaluate your actions.  Pray for actions that would be produced by your faith in God.  Pray that the profession of your faith with your words would be backed up by the way you live.  Pray that you would grow in a faith that is made complete by what you do in response to what Jesus has done.

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

In prayer,
Tom