Aug 21 – This week’s Daily Prayers are developed from the hymn, ‘When we walk with the Lord,’ by John Sammis, written in 1887.
‘When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.’
Father, enable us, in all our frail humanity, to walk with Christ with an open and unfettered heart. May Your Spirit’s abiding presence become more real and more dynamic in and through our Church, and in each of us.
As we do this, the world may know that God is in His house. ‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.’
Forgive us when we grieve Your Spirit. Cleanse our sin and equip us for Your Kingdom work. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Aug 22 – ‘Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but His smile quickly drives it away; not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh nor a tear, can abide while we trust and obey.’
Father, these words speak of a strong confidence in Your commitment to us in Christ. When the shadows and clouds arise, when doubts, fears, sighs or tears come – may we be found still trusting and obeying.
‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.’
We pray for breakthrough in our lives so that our obedience of Christ and His word is the most important thing, and we can stand steady and true in the days of testing and trial. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Aug 23 – ‘Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil He doth richly repay; not a grief nor a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey.’
Father, thank You for the burdens that train us in righteousness and godly patience, that are used by You to teach us to be yoked with Christ in everything.
Paul could say that everything He possessed before Christ, possessions, status, learning and heritage, he counted rubbish afterwards in comparison with all that He gained in Christ. His most treasured blessing was Christ Himself.
May we not lose sight of the fact that Your beloved Son is our most treasured blessing.
‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.’ To be happy in Jesus, what an amazing privilege and joy. Amen
Aug 24 – ‘But we never can prove the delights of His love until all on the altar we lay; for the favour He shows, and the joy he bestows, are for them who will trust and obey.
Father, taking up our cross daily is walking away from self’s limited understanding, anti-Christ demands and ungodly desires. Teach us how to lay our lives on the altar to become totally Christ’s through the power and guidance of Your Spirit and word. It is Him who makes the offering holy.
Lord Jesus, may our offering be acceptable in Your sight – O God our Redeemer and Lord.
‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.’ Teach us, oh Spirit, so that we may indeed truly trust and obey. In Jesus’ name and for His glory. Amen
Aug 25 – ‘Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet, or we will walk by His side in the way; what He says we will do, where He sends we will go, never fear, only trust and obey.’
Father, what wonderful promises have been given to us in Christ. Anything that hinders or prevents this sweet fellowship with You, may it be brought to the surface and redemptively dealt with.
‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.’
May we gain the nature of the mature in faith, the one who has learned to completely trust and obey in all circumstances so that we can sit at Christ’s feet, walk closely with Your Spirit daily, do His bidding, go where He sends, and live a faith-filled, fearless life. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Aug 26 – The story behind the hymn is of a young man who testified at a DL Moody mission. Although the young man was not very biblically literate, nor did not know much Christian doctrine, his finishing lines were jotted down and inspired the hymn’s writing.
Father, may there be many such testimonies shared in our Church; may they speak of a great trust in You, and may they inspire others to follow Jesus and do great exploits for Him. Amen
Aug 27 – Psalm 84:11-12 was two verses central to the hymn. CSB, ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord grants favour and honour; he does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity.12Happy is the person who trusts in you, Lord of Armies!’
Father, these verses speak of Your strength and power, Your grace and favour, Your benevolence and readiness to bless.
Raise up women and men, young women and men, girls and boys who will trust Christ completely and unreservedly in and through our Church, in person and online. In Jesus’ name. Amen
The following four days of prayers are drawn from my notes for the Discipleship Live broadcast 18-8-2023:
Aug 28 – 1 Peter 1:5-7, CSB,
‘5You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7so that the proven character of your faith —more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire — may result in praise, glory, and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’
Although Peter’s recipients of the letter had great joy because of their salvation – he goes on to say that their faith had made them unpopular with the world they once lived among; this left them open to face various trials, trials which had actually grieved them.
Trial is peirasmós: a putting to the proof. Grieved is lupéw: to be grieved, pained, distressed, sorrowful. Here it is an aorist passive participle. That is, the grief is caused by the trials and happens at the time of the trials. It is not an ongoing continuous grieving, it is limited to the time of the trials.
Father, thank You that You limit the trials we face, and when You allow them to impact us more than we think is reasonable – You still are sovereign. You use them to further Your work of training us in righteousness, in proving our character, in developing our trust in Christ. Thank You! Amen.
Aug 29 – The trials Peter writes about in 1 Peter 1:5-7 were manifold or various, there was not only one type of trial. In fact, poikílos means ‘many coloured.’ The only other time Peter uses this word is in 4:10 to describe the grace of God – the many dimensional, many splendoured grace of God.
The trials included the unkind attitude of their neighbours to them now that they were in Christ (2:12, CSB, ‘Conduct yourselves honourably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits. 4:4, ‘They are surprised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild living — and they slander you’).
Father, thank You that Peter was confident the believers could persevere through these trials or grievances because of the hope that You set before them in Christ. We lay hold of these truths, and make them a vital part of our ministry as a church, in person and online. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Aug 30 – At the end of 1 Peter 1:5, Peter writes about ‘in the last time’ ’en kairw ’eschátw. This can mean either when the worst comes to the worst during the trials, or the end of the age.
Both are probably meant with the former revealing that when things have reached their limit that the saving power of Christ will be displayed; while the latter tying in with the end of verse 7 and the parousía or second appearing/coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank You, Father, that for the individual Christian, persecution and trouble are not defeats, nor for the whole body of Christ, His Church; beyond them lies glory, and give evidence of the reality of our faith.
Sometimes we have to face the short-term pain of surgery in order to receive long-term health benefits. As long as humankind has something to look forward to usually we can endure a lot, as long as the trials appear temporary. Christians have the ultimate future hope – eternity with and in Your presence, and therefore have Your strength within so we can endure through the trials we face.
Holy Spirit, continue to train us in these great truths which are vital to our sanctification. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Aug 31 – 1 Peter 1:7: The trials are in fact tests which are designed to develop our character – Paul also uses proven character (Romans 5:4). This is the character that has been honed and proven in the trials of life – it is the character of the veteran rather than of the new, immature raw recruit.
Just as an athlete builds up their strength through endurance work, or gold is purified through being heated to intolerable temperatures, the Christian’s faith is developed under pressure.
Father, of course we have to choose to believe and trust You during the trial. Why else would Peter have introduced it as our part in our salvation. People have the misconception that their faith will automatically kick in when they need it, a kind of turbo boost, or thermostat that activates when we need it.
However, on the boat on Galilee, the disciple’s faith did not operate automatically, or else they would not have been in trouble (Luke 8:22-25).
The Scriptures are clear that we must apply our faith to a situation, including with a refusal to panic, become stressed about it, anxious or worried. Jesus said to them, ‘where is your faith?’ This could be interpreted as, ‘Why are you not taking your faith and applying it to this situation?’
It is not that ‘your faith’ is much more precious than gold, but ‘the genuineness of your faith or the proven character of your faith that is more precious than gold.’ It is worth anything to establish the genuineness of our faith, even having to face many and various trials. Likewise, in 4:12, Peter again reinforces this message.
CSB, ‘Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.’ Train us in endurance, perseverance, and holding on tightly to Christ throughout all the experiences of life, its seasons and different ebbs and flows.
We would to be the mature Christians Peter writes about – we submit to Your lordship in our sanctification as you mature us in faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Sept 1 – Intro by Pastor Leslie
This month the focus of our prayer, abstinence and fasting is on God’s Provision. A verse that has been very important is Philippians 4:19, CSB, ‘And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’
This verse came to me one Saturday evening before Joan and I went to Bible College in 2002. We were not sure how we would be able to pay for college, and to live in England – this verse became an important foundation in our confidence that the Lord would provide.
After Bible College, we were able to look back and see the Lord’s goodness, grace, favour and mercy on our lives; we thank Him for His provision, and give Him all the glory for how He has provided for us over all these years since as well.
This month we are again considering the Kingdom Building vision which we launched in 2022. The two elements of that vision are to have more money in order to expand the ministry we can pay for and offer – specifically focussed around Pastor’s Alisha and Samuel, and to move into a larger Sunday morning venue – aiming for a 300 seater auditorium. This would also include more space for all our other ministries both on a Sunday and during the rest of the week.
Father, as we consider Your provision this month, are ask that You will build Your Kingdom here. We thank You that as Your Kingdom comes, it transforms our lives, families and communities in Christ-honouring ways.
Our vision is for Christ-honouring witness, outreach and Community Engagement – Kingdom building in Telford and Shropshire, and beyond. Lord, we would to preach the life-changing Gospel, minister in Your Spirit’s power, and see godly transformation take place. We ask for a larger venue within which to do so. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Sept 2 – Steve Higgins: Father as we come to you in prayer we are confident that You hear us whenever we ask for anything that pleases You and is in Your will. You hear our cry and save us.
Psalm 145:18-19, CSB,
‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love. 9The Lord is good to everyone; his compassion rests on all he has made.’
Lord, You go before us and promise that You will never leave nor forsake us; therefore we are not afraid to step into all that You have for us.
As Your children we recognise that there are times when You call us out of our comfort zone to extend our boundaries, in order for You to move us forward on our journey with You.
Lord, you are good abounding in love to all who call on Your name. Guard our hearts from any unbelief – You are able to pour out Your blessings from heaven over our lives and the life of Your church.
We pray for Your guidance and wisdom as we approach a new season in our church, that we would enter into all that You have for us leaving the old and bring in the new. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Sept 3 – Adeola Allinson: Open doors and the establishment of God’s plan.
Revelation 3:7-8, CSB,
‘“Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: 8I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”’
Isaiah 43:16, CEBA,
‘16The LORD says—who makes a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters.’
Heavenly Father, thank You that You make a way. In this season of open doors and opportunities to minister in Your Spirit’s fullness – thank You that when You open a door, no one can shut it.
Even as You made a way in the wilderness for the children of Israel, Father, thank You for opening the door of eternal life for us through the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord Jesus, we look to You right now, our help comes from You, only You. Your word in John 10:7 says that You are the door/gate for Your sheep. We are praying for open doors of salvation, breakthrough, fruitfulness, divine healing and divine encounter.
Father, we place our trust in Christ because in Him You will open doors that are Your purpose to open for us – even those doors that are currently closed to us. I pray for Your divine guidance to know the doors that are meant to open, when they are to open, and to walk through these doors in faith – thank You for opening them.
With You, there is always a way; without Your guidance we will be alone and stagnant. Father, establish Your plan in our church – we need the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to continue to move forward into everything You have for us.
God, You are able to open doors when we step out in faith; and when You close them – You do it for our good in a way that leads us into the centre of Your will, and for our faith to be strengthened. Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are the eternal door. Amen.
Sept 4 – Steve Higgins: Father God, as we enter into the next season in the life of our church we pray for Your divine power to guide and direct us as we grow in number.
We pray that new opportunities will come and for the grace opening new doors that no man can shut. As we walk forward in faith lead us along the right pathway making our steps firm giving us discernment at every turn.
Light up the pathway by Your word into the centre of Your will to guide any decisions that will be made so that we are inline with Your will and purpose. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sept 5 – Charlotte Adjepong: Trusting God’s provision
Philippians 4:19-20, CSB,
‘And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.’
The context of this verse, Paul—who was in prison at the writing of this letter—was thanking the Philippians for abundantly and generously providing for his needs. They helped him when no one else did.
He was thankful, but he also reminds us that we should learn to be content in all situations, whether we have the bare minimum (only our basic needs met) or plenty, because we can rely on God, who will never let us down.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are our God who will provide all our needs: grace, courage, strength, money, patience and everything else we will need for life, ministry and service.
When we put our faith and trust in You, You will meet our needs. I know this doesn’t necessarily mean that You will give us all that we think we need; You will give blessings out of Your great love and will give us all we need to meet our genuine need.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You can bring our wants and desires in line with Your will; and Your will is always best for us and not against us. Thank You that You will never forsake us when we seek You.
Thank You for providing for us as a church, and individuals in it, our financial, physical, and spiritual needs whether we are getting our basic needs met or plenty – I praise You and I’m grateful that we can rely on You – You will never let us down. Amen
Sept 6 – Adeola Allinson: God’s Divine Presence and Provision
Philippians 4:19, ‘And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’
Psalm 23:6, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’
Lord, thank You that You are our Creator and Provider, the maker of heaven and earth.
As we pray for, seek out, and plan for a larger seating venue – 300 seats, and a larger building for ministry, we ask for a prime location that will bring more footfall into the church during the week, raise the visibility of the church in the community, for more parking available around that area, and to shine a light for Jesus in the community.
Father, it is about expanding our tent pegs, allowing for more room for more people to come to Jesus, to be discipled, and released into Your mission in Christ Jesus.
Father Lord, build Your church here, build it from the foundation up, and call people to salvation in Christ to the glory of His precious name. Amen
Sept 7 – Adeola Allinson: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness’ (Ps 24:1, NKJV).
God Most High, El Elyon, the earth is owned and belongs to You and all that is within it – praise Your holy name. Lord, we praise You for Your glory, trustworthiness and holiness.
Help us as Your children and heirs with Christ to always remember that everything that exists is made by You, belongs to You, is owned by you, and is meant to give You glory. May Telford Elim, its people and ministries, bring You Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit much glory.
Thank You for Your incredible mercy and grace – salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus so that we might be reconciled to You and dwell in Your presence forever. We ask for many more to be saved and to come into this new life in Christ through our church, its people and ministries. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Sept 8 – Adeola Allinson: ‘Your faithfulness endures through all the ages; you have set the earth in place, and it remains’ (Ps 119:90, GNT).
Father, You are faithful through the ages and in all generations, grant us the strength to trust in Christ, fully surrendering to Your will. Guide us by Your Spirit and word to keep Your promises, to be honest, to care for others. and love our neighbours just as ourselves.
Help us to stand strong when things are tough. Remind us always of Your love, mercies, faithfulness, and goodness. As we try to do the right thing according to Your word and will, let us feel Your kindness and love in our hearts.
Thank You for always being a good Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sept 9 – Charlotte Adjepong: Arise and Shine
Isaiah 60:1-3, CSB,
‘Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD shines over you.
For look, darkness will cover the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the LORD will shine over you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to your shining brightness.’
Lord Jesus, we thank You that Your light shines brightly. We thank You that when darkness tries to surround us it does not prevail because when we focus on You, Your light brightly shines through and Your glory appears over us.
I pray for us as a church that we continue to keep focused on You so that Your light brightly shines through in whatever circumstances we face, and your glory will appear over us wherever we go.
You have said that You will always be with us and You will not forsake us. Help us as a church to continue to have faith and firmly believe that Your presence is always with us and goes before us to prepare the way.
Help us to rise up, help us to move towards a more intimate relationship with You, Lord Jesus. Amen
Sept 10 – Charlotte Adjepong: Let us be the people God wants us to be!
God raised Deborah and Moses to be where He wanted them to be. Deborah was a worshiping warrior; she found her encouragement and strength in worship and to be obedient to everything the Lord was asking her to do.
God chose Moses because he wanted a man that would obey and share His word, depend upon His Spirit, and lead His people into obtaining His promises. God taught Moses what to say.
Lord Jesus, thank You that You call us to be the people You want us to be. You help to prepare us. It says in Philippians 3:12-14, CSB,
‘Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.’
Lord Jesus, help us as a church to grasp hold of what we believe You are leading us to do; help us to be encouraged by how You raised up Deborah and Moses – that You drew near to them, and moved through them.
They found their strength and encouragement through worshiping You, obeying and depending on your Spirit. Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are our firm foundation, our mighty tower in times of trouble, our comforter and the one that we can depend on.
You are always faithful, hallelujah! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
