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Encouragement and Prayer: Help Those Who Are Weak! (11/01/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Help Those Who Are Weak! (11/01/22)

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This is the audio from the November 1, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“’Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’  Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’”
Mathew 14:15-16 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus is about loving others enough to help them.  Helping others is not just a good idea, it is a God idea!  When Jesus saw the crowds, He was often moved to compassion and chose to help in ways that were consistent with the actual need.  God continually sets the example by helping us in our times of need, and did so in the ultimate way by sending His Son, Jesus, to redeem us from our greatest need.

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”
Acts 20:35 (NIV)

As  you pray, ask God to fill you with a compassion that leads to a desire to help others. Pray that you would be mindful of the many ways in which a person might be weak.  Pray that you would have the courage to do the hard things that help those who are weak.

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: Provide Help According to Your Ability! (10/31/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Provide Help According to Your Ability! (10/31/22)

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This is the audio from the October 31, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“’Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’  Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’”
Mathew 14:15-16 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus is about loving others enough to help them.  Helping others is not just a good idea, it is a God idea!  When Jesus saw the crowds, He was often moved to compassion and chose to help in ways that were consistent with the actual need.  God continually sets the example by helping us in our times of need, and did so in the ultimate way by sending His Son, Jesus, to redeem us from our greatest need.  As  you pray, ask God to fill you with a compassion that leads to a desire to help others.  Pray that this desire would take root and grow into an action that produces fruit.  Pray that you would notice not just those in the crowd who need help, but that God would help you see clearly what help is really needed.  Pray that God would be honored in the way you help others.

“The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.”
Acts 11:29 (NIV)

Pray that God would help you to accurately evaluate your ability to help others.  Pray that you would free yourself from the trap of comparison as you help others according to the ability God has given you.

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

In prayer,
Tom

Loving the Helpless: Provide HELP! (Sermon Audio)
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Loving the Helpless: Provide HELP! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the October 30, 2022 sermon, “Loving the Helpless: Provide HELP!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  Matthew 9:36; 14:13-21

While it never appears that Jesus pursued popularity and the crowds, at least early in His ministry it seems that the crowds would gather around Him wherever He went.  The most common reaction of Jesus to the crowds was one of compassion.  He saw them as “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”.  As we continue our sermon series examining how Jesus loved people so we can love like Jesus, today we look at the feeding of the five thousand to see how Jesus loved those He saw as helpless.  As is common in these encounters Jesus had with people, He not only knew what they needed but He also was able to provide it.  In this case, if you love the helpless then you become more like Jesus when you provide . . .

  • Hope.  Matthew 14:13-14
    • Even in the midst of His own grief and sorrow, Jesus would look into the eyes of the helpless and find ways to provide hope.  People sought out Jesus because He was unlike anyone they had ever known and could do what no one else had ever done.  We love the helpless like Jesus does when we choose to provide hope in the midst of the struggles and hopelessness of life.
  • Eats.  Matthew 14:15-16
    • At a time when doing so seemed impossible to those around Him, Jesus looked at the crowd around Him and decided to provide the food that they needed.  While providing “eats” seems to be the central part of the story, it really is just a supporting part in the bigger picture.  The “eats” we provide others will vary from person to person and situation to situation.  Sometimes it will be actual food and sometimes it will be something more substantial, but when we love like Jesus we will provide eats that meet the need of the moment.
  • Lessons.  Matthew 14:17-19
    • While Matthew’s account doesn’t specifically say so, the other gospel writers refer to Jesus teaching the crowds even as He healed their sick.  Jesus was not one to waste a single opportunity to help people learn what it meant to be a follower of His.  Perhaps one of the greatest lessons taught in this story is the lesson taught to the disciples as He gave instructions to do an impossible task.  We would do well to learn and accept the truth of God’s Word when He says that with Him all things are possible.  We love people like Jesus loves people when we seem them in their need and provide lessons that are useful.
  • Plenty.  Matthew 14:20-21
    • One of the most known verses in the Bible speaks of God’s nature of generosity when it says that “God so loved the world that He gave”.  When Jesus saw the crowds and understood their need, He didn’t simply provide enough to get by for now . . . He provided plenty.  I always suspect that the twelve baskets full of leftover was intentionally designed so that each disciple had a basket of their own to serve as a reminder of the generous nature of God in meeting a need.  We love people like Jesus loves people when we choose to provide plenty in response to their need.

Today, how will you provide HELP to those who are helpless?

Encouragement and Prayer: The Path of Light! (10/28/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: The Path of Light! (10/28/22)

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This is the audio from the October 28, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”
Proverbs 4:18 (NIV)

Our prayer emphasis this week will be to pray about the path you travel in life.  The Bible makes it clear that there is a way, a path, that leads to life eternal and one that leads to destruction.  The path we choose to travel each day reflects where we are headed and helps others to see the goodness of God as we follow His path.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the path that grows brighter each day.  Pray that you would use God’s Word to illuminate the path you walk each day.  Pray that you would shine the light of God’s Word on the path that those around you walk.  Pray for the wisdom and desire to shine the light of God’s Word upon the path you travel so that your way would be clear.

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: The Path of Freedom! (10/27/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: The Path of Freedom! (10/27/22)

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This is the audio from the October 27, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”
Proverbs 4:18 (NIV)

Our prayer emphasis this week will be to pray about the path you travel in life.  The Bible makes it clear that there is a way, a path, that leads to life eternal and one that leads to destruction.  The path we choose to travel each day reflects where we are headed and helps others to see the goodness of God as we follow His path.

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”
Psalm 119:32 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the path that grows brighter each day.  Pray that you would daily experience the freedom of walking in the path of God’s commands.  Pray that the people around you would see a heart set free in Christ.  Pray that you would learn to run free from bondage as you travel in the path of God’s commands.

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: The Path of God’s Way! (10/26/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: The Path of God’s Way! (10/26/22)

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This is the audio from the October 26, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”
Proverbs 4:18 (NIV)

Our prayer emphasis this week will be to pray about the path you travel in life.  The Bible makes it clear that there is a way, a path, that leads to life eternal and one that leads to destruction.  The path we choose to travel each day reflects where we are headed and helps others to see the goodness of God as we follow His path.

“Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.”
Psalm 27:11 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the path that grows brighter each day.  Pray that you would be a student of God’s way so that your path would not be disrupted by the enemy.  Pray that you would teach others the way of God.  Pray that those who stand against you would actually help you travel in a way that pleases 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: A Path of Protection! (10/25/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: A Path of Protection! (10/25/22)

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This is the audio from the October 25, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”
Proverbs 4:18 (NIV)

Our prayer emphasis this week will be to pray about the path you travel in life.  The Bible makes it clear that there is a way, a path, that leads to life eternal and one that leads to destruction.  The path we choose to travel each day reflects where we are headed and helps others to see the goodness of God as we follow His path.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the path that grows brighter each day.  Pray that you would always look for, and stay on, the path of the righteous.  Pray about how your choices in life reflect the path you are traveling on.  Pray that God would help you avoid the distractions and detours the enemy uses in an attempt to get you off the path that is right.  Pray that the people around you would know of the good path and that they would follow it as they observe your life in Christ.

“You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.”
Psalm 18:36 (NIV)

Pray that you would follow God’s path and trust Him to broaden it beneath your feet so that your walk is steady.  Pray that those around you would not stumble on the path they are choosing to travel.  Pray for God’s protection from both physical and spiritual dangers that exist as you travel through 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: Visit One Another! (10/20/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Visit One Another! (10/20/22)

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This is the audio from the October 20, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
John 13:14-15 (NIV)

This week our prayer emphasis will focus on serving one another like Jesus.  When we are in Christ, we are one family.  When I think of those closest to Jesus, it is His disciples that first come to mind.  Even as Jesus faced the cross, He loved those who were His own by serving them as an example of how we ought to serve one another.

“When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
Matthew 25:38-39 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to fill you with an awareness of the family He has called you into.  Pray that you would notice the stranger, the needy, the sick, and the imprisoned and visit them as if you are visiting Christ.  Pray that you would carry God’s peace and joy with you as you visit others.

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

In prayer,
Tom