Dec 26 – This week we are reflecting on how to keep the world and its ways from smothering the spiritual life the Holy Spirit wants to lead us into.

Father, on this St Stephen’s Day – Boxing Day, when the Church traditionally remembered its first martyr, The Deacon Stephen (Acts 7), thank You for his faithful witness to Christ unto death. He was a faith-filled, Spirit-filled wonderful witness to Christ.

Help us to remember our sisters and brothers around the world who today are facing persecution for their witness to Jesus, and those who are also facing martyrdom for their faith. Strengthen, uphold and anoint them to remain faithful witnesses.

On Boxing Day in our land, St Stephen is forgotten as people focus on sport, shopping and recreation.

We pray that when the waves of this world’s reality come rolling in to wash away faith and praise – when those waves break through our minds seeking to usher in a ‘realistic understanding’ of how small and insignificant ‘Christians really are’ in comparison to the world around us – when they come to prevent us stepping out in faith at the behest of Your Spirit – grant us the discernment to name and resist these imposters.

We pray for the anointing of Your Spirit, guidance of Your word, and Your blessing on the teaching of our church to help each of us to recognise and resist the anti-Christ nature of the world’s encroachment – that we would be vigilant and watchful ready to take every thought captive unto the obedience of Christ, Your beloved Son. Amen.

Dec 27 – Father, when we are drawing closer to You in praise and faith, and then worldly thoughts comes flooding in, it can be difficult to keep our focus on You. Satan whispers things like, ‘this all is great but it will not make a lasting difference to you or the world around you.’

When such insidious thoughts do come – teach us to go immediately to Your word and counter these thoughts with a Bible verse. Holy Spirit, at such times, and in accordance with the Scriptural truth, drop into our minds a Scriptural phrase or verse – the sword of the Spirit – to counter such an attack.

Again, we pray for discernment and understanding to know where such thought patterns are coming from, and how to counter and overcome them. Thank You also for the Christian Disciplines which also help us to overcome the world and its darkness.

The inward disciplines: Meditation – Prayer – Fasting – Study. The outward disciplines (inward realities resulting in outward lifestyles): Simplicity – Solitude – Submission – Service The corporate disciplines: Confession – Worship – Guidance – Celebration.

Seven others can be added to the list: Bible Reading – Stewardship – Sacrifice – Obedience – Sabbath – Secrecy – Silence

These are ancient ways of training ourselves, indirectly, in things which will, over time, change how we think, act and worship. Instead of hitting an issue we are facing, or struggling with, head on – the spiritual disciplines change us from the inside out.

So instead of focussing on trying to become more patient – as we practice the disciplines, Your Spirit and word enable us to become godly and patience is one of the fruit of the Spirit that results. Hallelujah! In Jesus’ name. Amen

Dec 28 – Father, worldly encroachment limits our capacity, in Christ, to be passionate Kingdom people. It drains us of the fire of Your Spirit, and empties our faith reservoir. It glorifies ‘common sense,’ and seeks to undermine the bedrock of our faith – our trust and confidence in Christ and His word.

We reject such thoughts, and the mindsets they produce, repel them from us in the name of the Lord Jesus; we determine to believe Your Word. Thank You that we can have an absolute confidence in Your Word and the Rhema promises which You have given us.

As we believe, we seek to act and think in accordance with a renewed, Christ-focussed, honouring and glorifying mind. Bless us as we seek to do so. Bring into our lives those who will also help us to do so, and help us to recognise those whose minds are gripped by the philosophies of this anti-Christ Age.

Bless, anoint and undertake for those ministries such as Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the Christian Institute, CARE, Focus on the Family, Good News For Everyone, and many more who are out there witnessing for Jesus, seeking to win the lost for Christ, and to equip believers to know and stand for biblical truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Dec 29 – Father, we pray again today for the exposing of the anti-Christ thought patterns and unrighteous strongholds which produce untruths and deception. Satan is constantly seeking to sow confusing thoughts creating division disrupting the work of Christ. He wants people to doubt Your trustworthiness, and commitment to them in Christ.

He says things life: ‘You may think God has promised you such and such, but the reality is that it is all in your head and not from God at all.’

Or ‘You are not one of the special, chosen, faith-filled ones who will do exploits and are only setting yourself up for a fall by daring to dream that God could use you to do great exploits for His Kingdom sake.’

As these thoughts, and many similar ones, are exposed, we plead the blood of Jesus over our minds and lives, and declare that we choose instead to proclaim words of faith and praise over our lives, the people and communities You call us to reach with the Good News about Jesus the Saviour.

Such thoughts may come at times, but I reject them and choose to believe in Jesus and His commitment to me written in Your word. Instead of dwelling on such thoughts, I ask for Your Spirit’s assistance to become a valiant overcomer. In Jesus’ name and for His glory. Amen

Dec 30 – Father, the world encroaches in all sorts of ways, but its ways and arguments are fully known to You. It often magnifies the challenges and issues we face to such an extent that they seem insurmountable – while diminishing what can be accomplished by thanksgiving, praise, Spirit-inspired prayer, and biblically inspired faith.

As these unclean waves roll into our minds, enable us to see their unclean nature, and the anti-Christ spirit/s behind them. We pray for victory in the battle for our minds.

May our Church, in person and online, be renowned as a place that aggressively and respectfully engages with such mindsets by prayer, teaching and spiritual warfare.

As we deny ourselves, reject the world’s encroachment into our lives, and seek to follow the Lord Jesus along a righteous path – we will be overcomers.

As we step into the freedom Jesus’ promised, many others will see and want also to be set free from the stranglehold of this world into a new dignity of faith and confidence in Christ that is the hallmark of true freedom in Your beloved Son. In His name. Amen 

Dec 31 – Father, on this final day of 2022, thank You for Your grace, presence and love at work in our lives throughout the year.

We honour You and give You, Father, Son and Spirit, all the praise and glory. You have kept, loved and given to us so much throughout this year. You are our good God and Father, blessed Saviour and Lord, and powerful friend and sustainer.

When the world’s false and corrupt thoughts and mindsets arise which deny Your place, deny Your goodness, and deny Your commitment to us in Christ – whether collectively or in one person alone, grant us the wisdom keys to be able to unlock the methods that will successfully counter and replace these with thoughts inspired by Your Spirit and Word.

We pray that as individuals, and as a Church in person and online, our minds and the lives we live will become generators of grace, agape love, righteousness, truth and biblically inspired justice.

We proclaim that false, corrupt thoughts and imaginations create false foundations, false actions, and a false spirituality.

We declare that a biblically renewed mind produces clean, pure, wholesome, faith-generating, topical, creative and vision-inspiring thoughts and lives, and that this is Your perfect will for all of Your children, and this is what we are praying for today. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Jan 1 – Father, on this first day of 2023, and the start of our next Month of Prayer Abstaining and Fasting Kingdom Building focus – we come to You in the name of Jesus. We thank You for Your commitment to us in and through Jesus, we are Yours, and You are ours. Hallelujah!

As we start of the New Year, we pray for Your continued grace, favour and love in our church, in person and online, and for Your power, presence and provision to enable us to worship, minister, serve, give, witness, fellowship and make disciples as You call us to do throughout 2023.

We know we are in a battle with the powers of darkness, the world, its mindsets and ways, our own ‘old selves’ within with its carnal desires and passions, and the sin which lurks and waits at the door to entrap us and sow its spiritual death. We choose the way of the cross, and pray for Your Spirit’s help to walk as Your disciples.

Where the insidious and unbelief creating ‘mindsets’ of the world are established, these often mimic Your true ways but are antichrist and destructive to our souls. These can appear righteous, even religious and fair-minded, but are actually false.

They produce the spirituality that compromises with the anti-Christ spirit of the Age, and explains away the morality and ethics of the Bible. These dilute the power of the Gospel, and undermine the determination to be Spirit-filled and led.

These produce people who say, ‘the great things the Church believes God is calling it to aim for, reach for, plan for and prepare for are either not important at all and not worth the sacrifice and hard work, or are too big and will never ‘really’ happen. No lasting change, growth or godly development or reformation is possible.’

Lord, these are false, faith-destroying arguments, and we reject them. Instead, we declare that we seek Great Things for Your glory, for Your Son’s glory, for Your Spirit’s renown, for the sake of Your Son’s great name, for the sake of the development of Your Kingdom and Your Church here, for the sake of the saving and blessing of the last, the least, the lost, the young and old, and every age in-between, for the establishment of the Telford Whole Life Centre and the ‘Cradle to the Grave’ vision at the heart of Telford Elim’s Kingdom Building vision, in person and online.

We declare on this first day of January 2023, that we shall see great things for Christ’s glory and the sake of the unsaved in 2023, and that we will not accept the acclaim nor glory that their establishment will bring – not for our own glory, fame nor renown.

We will always give the glory, thanks and praise aright to Your beloved Son for who He is, and all that He does among us by His Spirit and word. In Jesus’ glorious name, and for His glory. Amen