The focus this week has been devised by Nina Brazier. The first two days are written by Nina, with the theme, “The battle belongs to God.” The other five days are developed from two pieces by Derek Prince. His weekly Bible Insight 7-1-2014, and, ‘Your Walk with God, Part 1: God Shows the Way,’ February 2013.
Monday 8 March – As a worship leader it is common for song lyrics to speak to me loudly, and for them to be a word in season that I can use as an easy way to communicate with God when my own words are not forthcoming. I’m sure a lot of others will resonate with that.
During the first Lockdown last year, a song called ‘The Blessing’ was a huge success, not just because it was a great song but the lyrics were right for the season we were all in, they reflected what our own words couldn’t.
Father, thank You for the Psalms, they are less about instruction and more about the expressions of the heart in the spirit of worship. They teach in such a different way.
A song that speaks to me in our current circumstance is “battle belongs,” by Phil Wickham. The lyrics are: ‘When I fight, I’ll fight on my knees with my hands lifted high. Oh God, the battle belongs to You. And every fear I lay at Your feet, I’ll sing through the night. Oh God, the battle belongs to You.’
It is a battle cry that rests in the knowledge that Christ is in control, that we are not fighting our battles alone. That we should surrender to You, pray and continue to worship in the midst of our battles. Hallelujah. Amen
Tuesday 9 March – Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
1 Samuel 17:47 says, “And that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hand.”
Father, in the midst of COVID-19 and because of it, many are fighting battles financially to save their businesses, fighting for their health, or grieving those that have been lost. We pray for them to turn to Christ – for if they will, then the battle will be Yours. We lay each one we know and love at Your feet and hold steadfastly to You on their behalf – praising through the night. Amen
Wednesday 10 March – Psalm 110:3, ‘Your troops will be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn Your youth will come to You like the dew’ NIV, RSV. Remember that God is a God of battles. He’s a man of war; He’s called the Lord of Hosts, that is, the Lord of Armies.
Father, go before us guiding us in prayer by Your Spirit, raise up Intercessors who will engage in the spiritual battle, and train us for that battle so we are effective followers of Jesus. It is Your battle, but You do call us to stand with You in it. Enable us, by Your Spirit and word, to be equipped for the battle, our character’s and personalities moulded and sanctified – developed and matured in Christ, and to know how to position ourselves and stand in the spiritual battle – a battle that happens every day as Your Kingdom advances. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Thursday 11 March – In the Old Covenant the Lord appeared to Joshua as the Captain of the Lord’s Army. Today God is gathering His army. The Scripture makes it clear that the present age is going to close with a tremendous conflict between the forces of God and the forces of Satan, and God is gathering His army.
Father, we know that in our own strength and wisdom, Satan will triumph over us; but, as we allow Your Spirit to be the Leader, then we will be guided when to confront, and when to silently pray and wait on You.
As Telford Elim continues to minister online and in person – we proclaim Christ as Lord and Master over the church. Grant us the anointing to take to the field, position ourselves in Your designated place for us, and to worship, live, witness and serve as You call us to do. We pray that our Next Gens will be in the vanguard in this. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Friday 12 March – It says, “Your troops will be willing on Your day of battle” (Psalm 110:3, NIV). Literally, ‘Your troops will be free-will offerings.’ Psalm 110 is a Messianic Psalm – this is referring to the army of the Messiah.
Father, You don’t want us to give Christ something – You want us to be good stewards and give ourselves, not our talents, time, or strength, all of ourselves. We are to be the free-will offerings; then You will accept our talents, time and treasure because they flow from our living relationship with Christ, and our devotion, thankfulness and gratitude for all He has done for us.
As we think of the spiritual battle, the battle each of us faces with temptations, the world, sin, Satan and ourselves, our victory is in our self-sacrifice, and devotion to Christ.
And it goes on to say, “From the womb of the dawn, like dew, Your youth will come to You” (Psalm 110:3, NRSV). You are gathering an army of young people today. They are being born, as it were, like dawn is born out of darkness.
Father, we pray for the young people in our church – may they grow in spiritual maturity. We pray that they will learn how to bring their wonderful energy and make it available to You and Your mission here in and through Telford Elim. Bless Alisha and Samuel, our Next Gen Pastors, as they lead, serve and work with our young people, and those in our community and schools. May each young person learn how to enter into Your perfect rest, follow Jesus whole-heartedly, and live in the power of Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Saturday 13 March – Father, out of the darkness of the past is coming a new day – a day of new birth, a day of spiritual battle, a day when young people are being summoned into Your army. You are calling them to offer Christ themselves – to become free-will offerings available for His Kingdom purposes. We pray that they will not view the Christian life as merely a static condition of ‘being saved,’ or ‘being a Christian.’
In the early beginnings of the Church the word Christianity had not yet been coined. What we nowadays call Christianity was then referred to as ‘the Way.’ For instance, when Saul of Tarsus set out for Damascus, he asked for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that “if he found any who were of the Way,…he might bring them bound to Jerusalem’ (Acts 9:2).
Later, after Paul had preached for some time in Ephesus, two statements are made about the results: ‘Some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude,’ and, ‘There arose a great commotion about the Way’ (Acts 19:9, 23). (For other instances where Christianity is described as “the Way,” see Acts 22:4, 24:14, 22).
Father, thank You for the Way – may we, in person and online, stand firm in Christ Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and learn to rely on the Spirit as we invite others to join Christ in the following the Way with us. Amen
Sunday 14 March -The same thought of the church being ‘The Way,’ a way of life – part of the Christian journey of faith, is presented in many other passages of Scripture. For instance, Paul said to the men of Athens, ‘In Him [God] we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28).
If we ‘live,’ we will ‘move.’ Life is never static or motionless. It always implies growth, motion, development, progress. Proverbs 4:18, NIV, tells us, ‘The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.’
Father, in this pathway of the Christian life, may we continually move forward to a fuller light. As we take each step along the path, may the light of Christ shine ever more brightly through us. We confess that yesterday’s light is never enough for today. There is no room for standing still, much less for turning back. May all in Telford Elim, in person and online, no matter how bright the past may have been, commit themselves to fully live out their faith so that the future is brighter still.
On this Mothering Sunday – we think about all the women in our church. Bless them abundantly. We also think of all of our mothers, those still alive and those no longer with us. Bless the mothers – thank You for the gift of motherhood. May each mother know Your gracious presence, strength, wisdom and love. In Jesus’ name. Amen
