1Timothy 4:12, ‘Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.’

Jeremiah 33:3, ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’

Sept 28 – This week our focus is on community strongholds as we begin to think of church after Pastor Ben’s departure. It is our desire that our Next Generations ministry will not only continue to bless the young people in our church, but also reach out and win many Next gens in our community and town online and in person. A few years ago Alan Scott, then lead Pastor at Causeway Vineyard Church, challenged Elim leaders to re-imagine the Cultural impact of Church, and then to seek to positively build a stronghold of righteousness in our communities.

Father, as we pray about this topic this week: guide our prayers effectively in Your will. Help us to sift between where You are leading us and what is best for us as we go forward – and what we think is a good idea but not thought through nor Your Spirit’s leading. Forgive us when we have taken our own way and not followed the way of the cross, self-sacrifice and whole-hearted devotion to Christ.

As we think about engaging with people outside of church to make new disciples -forgive us that sometimes we have simply reinforced pre-existing, worldly strongholds which will never allow godliness to flourish. Instead we pray for redemption to flow and godly spiritual transformation to happening bringing many people and our local institutions in subjection to the authority of Christ Jesus Your beloved Son.

We also pray for the establishment of new, righteous mindsets, philosophies and patterns of behaviour – which will be to the glory of His great name – through Telford Elim, including its Next Gen ministries. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Sept 29 – Father, Tuesdays are a day when there is a special focus on prayer in Telford Elim. Thank You for the opportunity to come together to pray in the Live broadcast each Tuesday at 7:30pm, the Zoom group after it, 8:15pm – 9pm, to hear from Your Spirit, and to approach Your throne of grace, mercy and power to obtain that which we need to continue to serve You and Your purposes. As a church, we ask for the further development of our Church Prayer Ministry. May it grow further as an effective and fruitful ministry in and through our church.

As we intercede for our society – we confess the following misconceptions: 1. some hold a view that Your Church is an isolated, brittle-walled Castle in a precarious place in enemy territory. It is based in the tendency to view Christianity as struggling to hold its place in a hostile, unpredictable and encroaching/attacking world. 2. Many others see the cosmic struggle between the Church and its enemies as an ongoing, exhausting battle only a missed-step from disaster; the Church inside walls with Satan and the world hammering at the gates seeking to break-in and quench Christ’s Light in it.

We pray today for any in our church who believe that the world holds the upper hand while Your Church is straining to keep out the enemy. We thank You that Your true Church is blood bought, set apart by Your Spirit for Your service and worship, and is Your Son’s glorious body. We proclaim that Telford Elim will rise up and worship, witness and work under the inspiration of Your Spirit and guidance of Your word for Christ will be exalted, men, women, young people and children saved, and many disciples made online and in person. As we do so we attack the gates of Hell, break through and rescue souls from Satan, sin, self, the world and its death in the fullness and under the anointing of the Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Sept 30 – Father, we pray today for the dismantling of strongholds that are great barriers to the advancement of the Gospel and Your Kingdom. We recognise that these ‘anti-Christ strongholds’ are often propagated by worldly philosophies, carnal, fleshy arguments, and evil, soulish, spiritual forces. These are bastions of evil power and authority, enclaves of Satanic influence and rule, and fortresses developed by the enemy to prevent the inbreaking of Your Kingdom rule into districts, towns, cities, counties, regions, nations and groups of nations.

We ask that we in Telford Elim, and in every church represented by those who pray with us, will be able to pray in the Spirit, under His direction and leadership, in ways which will deeply shake, destabilise and eventually break through the enemy’s defences. As we minister, in person and online, and proclaim the Gospel, presenting Your Son’s righteousness, truth and message of salvation, we proclaim that the enemy will lose control and influence across our Borough and County and Christ will be exalted. Amen

Oct 1 – Father, thank You for the churches where Your people are not hiding behind walls but are out in the open attacking the gates of Hell. We pray for breakthrough and break-ins to rescue the souls of men, women, young people and children. We ask for divine unction and enablement in our prayer gatherings, when engaging in spiritual warfare under the power and direction of Your Spirit, when preaching the Good News of Jesus, by apologetics: reasoned arguments in favour of biblical faith, and polemics: exposing the anti-Christ nature of religions, philosophies and the world’s outlook.

We are asking for the establishing of Your Kingdom rule, for the godly reformation of our society here in Telford, Shropshire and beyond in our region, West Midlands, and nation. We pray for the creation of a Christ-centric and glorifying culture, and a godly society. May our church in spiritual power, grow numerically as multitudes are saved and discipled, and grow in spiritual depth and usefulness. In Jesus’ name and for His glory. Amen

Oct 2 – Father, in the previous prayers this week we have prayed about actually engaging in the spiritual battle for our Next Gens, but also for our society; we pray today for victory and fruitfulness. There are hindrances to be confronted with God’s word. The following list is written by Sam Adjepong, our Church Elder:

‘Prayer is communicating with God when we bring our thanksgiving and praise to Him, confess our sins before Him, and bring our requests and petitions to Him. We should pray often, in fact without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). We come to the Father, through Jesus who is the only way, the only mediator and our advocate.

But sometimes our prayers can be hindered:

1. Unconfessed sins hinder prayer. “Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore” (Isaiah.59:1-2).

“If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18).

2. Wrong relationships with people which are not honouring to Christ (1 Peter 3:8-12, ‘Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. ⁹Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. ¹⁰For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. ¹¹Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. ¹²The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil)”
3. Unforgiveness. “And whenever you stand praying if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:25-26).
4. Selfish prayers or wrong motives without concern for God’s will. “You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3).
5. Idols in the heart. “Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests?” (Ezekiel 14:3).
6. Lack of a generous spirit or stinginess. “Whoever shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard” (Proverb 21:13).
7. Domestic breakdown or marital discord. “In the same way, you husbands must give honour to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).
8. Failure to spend time in the word of God. “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). “One who turns away his ears from hearing the law, even his prayers is an abomination” (Prov. 28:9).
9. Pretentious prayers, praying to impress people and vain repetitions “and when you pray do not use vain repetitions as pagans do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matt 6:7).
10. Unbelief in prayer. Failure to pray in faith and doubt in the heart. ”If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:5-7).
11. Prayers not actually prayed. “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2).

Lord, as we reflect on this list, help us to search our own souls: emotions, minds, relationships and choices to ensure that we do not hinder our own prayers. We pray for any convicted of sin or neglect because of one of these points – grant them the grace of repentance, a renewed commitment to the cause and way of Christ, and Spirit-led praying. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Oct 3 – Father, corporate prayer is a necessary, powerful and rewarding method of fulfilling Your purpose changing the spiritual atmosphere, preparing our town and county, and online engagement, for spiritual ministry, praying that the people outside church will become open to receive the message of salvation and victory in Jesus. We proclaim that many will be saved and discipled, and Christ glorified.

Acts 2:42, ‘All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.’ We pray that we as a church, including our Next Gen’s ministries, will be devoted to the corporate expounding and application of Your Word; to corporate worship, serving and ministering together; to hospitality and the practicing together Your ordinances; and to corporate prayer, intercession and spiritual warfare. Hear and answer our prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Oct 4 – Father, we pray for the redemptive transformation of the structures that underpin our society, and this nation. Guide us in how we can build a Stronghold of Righteousness through Telford Elim in person and online. Righteousness is living and acting in ways that are in line with Your word and Your godly purpose for ordering our society.

We pray for a godly ‘reformation of society & culture’ which builds on all we have been praying about this week. May we in Telford Elim, in person and online, and the churches represented by those who use these prayers, not simply mimic the existing 21st Century society and its godless culture which is obsessed with human achievement and self – existential humanism which only values human beings for what they do and achieve, and not because they are created to live, be and relate to each other in and through Christ.

Righteousness is a biblical concept which expresses Your demand that Your being, nature and character becomes the baseline for how we live, interact and build our society. It is impossible, outside of Christ, to build such a society. Only by being in Christ can we attain such a standard because it is only by partnering with Your Spirit and word, as Christ’s righteousness is imparted to us day by day can – can we build such a godly community. We ask, Father, for You to use us to build such a righteous stronghold which will richly bless Telford, our Borough, County and Nation transforming its culture in Christ-honouring ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen