Jul 20 – The focus of this week’s prayer letter is again on Keeping the Soul in Good Spiritual Health.

Father, as we pray about the state of our soul – we first of all stand on the New Covenant promise of Ezekiel 36:25-27, NLT, ‘Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow My decrees and be careful to obey My regulations.’

Wow – what an amazing promise – our salvation in Christ means that on the inside we are made into a new creation by Your Spirit. Our spirit is renewed, and our focus shifts from obeying the power of self, the world, Satan and sin –  to worshipping and obeying Your word with a new, tender, responsive heart.

This New Covenant, and its wonderful promises, are at the heart of the New Testament Gospel. Therefore God – help me to understand the full implications of all of this, and to apply these truths to my life, and to my discipleship walk. We give You glory, honour and praise for such an amazing covenant. May these truths be proclaimed, under the Spirit’s anointing, through all the ministries and people who are in our church. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Jul 21 – Father, as we consider the state of our souls, we acknowledge that it is wise to look after our physical heart as a precious organ in our bodies by good diet, regular sleep patterns and healthy exercise. Likewise, our spiritual soul needs to be cared for by feeding on Your Word, Proverbs 4:22, NLT, ‘for they [the Bible] bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.’ By entering fully into Your Rest, and by exercising the Spiritual Disciplines, we are refreshed and filled with spiritual passion.

If my diet is too full of the world’s voice, words and mindset – if I am allowing myself to be troubled, distressed or made fearful by its negativity and unbelief – if I am neglecting prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, giving to You, simplicity, solitude, service, worship, guidance and celebration – I confess my sin and failings and ask for Your forgiveness and restoration.

Where I have become hard and unresponsive to Your Spirit’s promptings – forgive and restore me. I ask for the grace to be a tender-hearted, compassionate and Christ-honouring believer. I pray the same for each man, woman, young person and child in or engaging with our church online. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Jul 22 – Father, I pray today that the souls of those who come to our Church will be soft and generous. That we, as Church, will guard our hearts so that they are strongholds of righteousness and Your truth, Proverbs 4:23, NLT, ‘Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.’ I pray Lord that You will grant me the godly wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to guard my soul.

The enemy is constantly seeking to trouble our souls: emotions – mind, choices and relationships – and to harden them against You. Grant us discernment, wisdom and insight to understand Satan’s strategies and then to guard against such attacks. As a result of such diligence, we declare that we will live in freedom and in a spiritual place wherein You can anoint and fill us with your Spirit to serve Your purposes in Christ.

Out of our souls will flow a river of living and life-giving spiritual water. Your living water flowing from the Spirit, through Telford Elim, quenches the spiritual thirst of many people wherever they are – in families, workplaces, schools, communities and in our nations. We ask for many to come into the fullness of His salvation through our people and ministries in person and online – individuals, families, tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Jul 23 – Father, we pray for any whose journey through life is following the wrong pathway because they made a sinful or rebellious decision in the past – redeem them Lord. We pray also for those whose heart is cold towards You, those who have decided to walk in the world’s way, or are controlled by a carnal mindset – save, heal, restore, deliver, Lord, we pray. Grant them insight and revelation, through our preaching of the Gospel in person or online, to know that they are on the wrong pathway; lead them to a place of repentance, surrender, faith in and submission to Christ.

We pray especially for any who have made a significant decision about their lives while in such a state, or in a rebellious state, and who are now living with the evil or difficult consequences. May they turn round in repentance and allow You to renew them in Christ, and to lead them in the godly pathway – working through, in faith and obedience to Your word, the process of sanctification (being set apart for Christ’s service) by grace and agape love.

May You guide them into a new, totally transformed, positive and fully believing attitude towards Christ, Your word, will and ways so that over time they can see Your redemptive power at work on their behalf. We pray that wrong choices will be redeemed so that Your Son is glorified, and each person following the pathway of faith and obedience. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Jul 24 – Father, thank You for those in our Church who have well-guarded, soft, malleable and Christ-focussed souls. May their influence and example set a benchmark which others will want to follow and which will inspire true devotion, open worship and service fully submitted to your Son.

We also pray for the spiritual heart of our nation that it would become Christ-honouring and New Covenant based – we pray for godly reformation of our nation. We continue to pray that You would expose corruptness, ungodly practices and abuse, hardness and callousness of heart throughout our society so that people will realise the emptiness and evil of a Christ-dishonouring society.

That, as a result, many will be led to ask the big questions about the foundations and present structures of society, be led to seek Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to become His followers. We pray for His Kingdom and its values to be established through the worship, service and ministry of Your people in this land. In Jesus’ name and for His glory. Amen 

Jul 25 – Father, we pray for protection from carnally minded people who produce envy, strife and division (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:1-4), and for the redemption, in Christ, of many in our nation from such a lifestyle.

Where envy has a place – that is that we would like to have or possess that which is not rightfully ours but somebody else’s – it will be replaced by a desire for the best and blessing of others

Where strife reigns – it will be replaced by a genuine love and concern for others. An openness to overcome strife and hatred by the power of the Spirit and Your love applied in and through our lives

Where division – that the barriers and blockages that divide and create different camps and opposing groups will be overcome and broken down. Instead may we strive and endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

As Your perfect love flows, and the blood of Jesus is applied, which always tears down walls of division, streams of agape love and respect will flow freely, and then also on out into the wider community bringing salvation, healing, hope, true life, and wholeness in Christ throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. In His name. Amen

Jul 26 – Father, we pray particularly about those strongholds that hold many locked in a Christ-dishonouring, idolatrous lifestyle. We pray that You will take up the battle against the unholy trinity of the Media/Social Media – Sport/Leisure/Recreation and Cinema/Arts/Culture in our nation. These areas constantly fuel the fires of ungodly passion and obsession for an unholy, unbiblical and vacuous lifestyle.

We pray that these three, largely unrighteous and anti-Christ strands of our society, will no longer command the attention of millions of people. Famish or impoverish the unholy and ungodly forces, both demonic and human in origin, which are behind them bringing them to impotence and ineffectiveness. Many caught up in these areas openly worship and obsess over Social Media, Sport and the Arts. Instead, break their power and expose the obsessing over them for what it is – idolatrous and wasteful living.

Bless Christian sportsmen, women, volunteers and administrators – Christians involved in the leisure and recreation industries – those believers in the media and arts so that they will reflect Your heart, character and Kingdom’s values.

I declare that each person in Telford Elim will come to a place where they will be salt and light representing Christ in a wonderful way, and demonstrate the wonder of Your grace and favour pointing people to a different godly basis for their lives. May none of us be spiritually entrapped in any of these areas – our souls in bondage to the powers behind them. May each one of us walk in such a way so that we are free in Christ and live in ways that are good for our souls. In Jesus’ name. Amen