Oct 23 – The focus of this week’s daily prayers is on gaining a biblical perspective on the world and what is going on in it.

Father, there are many times when it is easy to get so caught up with what everyone else is saying that we end up blandly following the crowd without any thought for what Your word states. We all can very easily acquiesce, reluctantly accept what the media and people in general are saying.

However, there is always a cost to doing this; normally to our biblical faith which then alters our moral compass and takes us on a trajectory away from Your truth into carnality and worldly mindedness.

As I consider my own ‘thought diet’ – help me to get the balance right so that what I feed my mind through what I read, listen to and watch, plus the people I allow to influence my life, does not reprogram my mind into being an unbiblical, humanist-focussed director of my life.

Instead, I pray that I will be discerning, circumspect and word-filled feeding my spirit and soul with Your revelation and truth – thus renewing my mind in a Christ-honouring way. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Oct 24 – Father, I confess that I often follow the crowd mindset with its worldly mentality that takes me off, almost imperceptibly at first, into a place of spiritual deadness and unresolved complexity.

In other words, instead of life’s pathway becoming straight, spiritually attuned and well defined, by following Your Spirit and word, my life journey becomes more complicated as I follow the antichrist crowd. This is a pathway that is spiritually dark, less well defined with unclear boundaries, and increasing levels of confusion distorting the simplicity of the faith in Christ You call us to.

As a church, Lord, enable us to partner with Your Spirit in order to bring the truth of Your word to the fore, and then translate it to become the key director at the centre of our life journeys together. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Oct 25 – Father, You sometimes use chaos in our lives to achieve Your purposes. In fact, looking back, You have often done Your greatest work in me during times of chaos.

I pray for any in our church today who are in that place of chaos; may they know the assurance that You are Lord over the chaos and can make it bend into a vehicle which aids their sanctification leading to a life of righteousness, peace and spiritual fruitfulness.

I know, Lord, that You are implacably opposed to confusion: ‘God is not the author of confusion…’ (1 Corinthians 14:33); therefore, I pray today for anyone in our church living in the fog of confusion – may You lead them into the clarity that comes through repentance and full submission to Your word and Spirit: ‘Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom/liberty’ (2 Corinthians 3:17). In Jesus’ name. Amen

Oct 26 –  Father, over this last few decades – many people have lost their lives through wars and terrorist attacks, others have been seriously injured and traumatised. People from many ethnicities and nations have been irrevocably changed by what they have experienced.

Looking back, many, many other atrocities have occurred across the globe. We pray for all those thus affected today – Christ can redeem and heal the broken. May the Gospel of healing, reconciliation and salvation in Christ be boldly proclaimed in each place where war or terror has impacted the lives of the many.

Our media, through its focus and coverage, gives the impression that what happens in Western nations is much more important than what happens in other places – a false perspective. Every life is important.

We pray that You will use Your people in all areas affected as amazing role models of grace and mercy, and as powerful spiritual warriors praying and interceding, overcoming the powers of darkness and ushering in the light of Christ. Amen

Oct 27 – Father, in big picture terms, the timeline of Jihadist attacks has a long history back into the 7/8th centuries AD. As we reflect on this looking back – one of the greatest boosts Jihadists received was the US backing and funding many received in Afghanistan in the war against Soviet Russia after its invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

The failure to honour the parties involved after the Soviets pulled out and were defeated – contributed to a sense of betrayal by the West. Many also perceive the West’s support of Israel against the Palestinians and Arabs as unforgiveable. This is false perception as Israel is a democracy and close ally facing huge, and overwhelming threats as we all have seen over the last three weeks.

Lord, the West’s failure to remain engaged in Afghanistan in the late 1980’s onwards and help with the rebuilding of the country after that war ended in 1989 left a vacuum in which the Taliban gained traction and power, and have come back to power after the West pulling out of that nation in 2021.

That is only one aspect of what is now recognised to be a huge problem – allowing so called ‘failed states’ to continue in anarchy without good governance or just laws. It is easy to make glib statements about what needs to be done, but at the moment none of these can assuage the terrible pain and loss happening daily to so many people in so many countries.

We know, Lord, that Your Redemptive power and Spirit of reconciliation and truth can turn even the most complicated and terrible situations around.

We pray for the ordinary people, also for those caught up in the anti-Christ Causes which seek destruction, and again for those seeking to overcome this present darkness by human wisdom, human power and ingenuity – may Your people in the midst be amazing ambassadors for Christ ushering in His Kingdom with its blessed values. In His name. Amen

Oct 28 – Father, as we think about the bigger picture, sometimes the reason that we lose sight of it is that we are too close to the issue or situation. ‘Time is a healer’ is a phrase that many use, often wrongly because time can often act as a fermenting agent making whatever originally caused the hurt to increase in potency thus making the pain greater and more unbearable.

Time can help in some instances because, after a while, it allows some distance from the original emotions, associated feelings and thoughts. This distance allows us to begin to be put whatever happened or was said into the bigger picture, a picture that starts to become discernible and recognisable.

However, unless we are willing to do so, and properly seek Your face about the issues, forgive the offender/s, and face our own part in them, time magnifies the sense of loss, pain and bitterness we can feel.

Thank You that You are the God of the bigger picture, but who is able to hold whatever happens in the wider setting in perfect tension with the minute detail that is part of our individual lives, families and communities.

Grant Christian leaders in our land much wisdom and grace. Grant also Your children in our land a desire and passion for Your truth – that all of us will serve Christ in the Spirit’s power with a renewed dedication to Your cause and Kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Oct 29 – Father, there are patterns and trends in life, seasons that ebb and flow. The problem with following the crowd is that the initiator of their patterns and trends, its seasons, is often anti-Christ in nature – a way of life implacably opposed to Your Son.

We pray for discernment, understanding and insight as a church to know exactly how our church should be moving and ministering in this season. That we would become even more a church which ministers in the power of the Spirit walking from victory to victory in Christ. Amen.