Feb 5 – The following prayers on the Battle Within are drawn from the Sunday morning sermon, 4 February 2024.
Every day at 12am midnight, a new day starts. We don’t get the full impact until we arise in the morning, but it is a new day. No matter what the previous day held, this is a fresh day.
Father, we pray that no matter what this new day brings, for Your grace, presence and power to be at work in and through us.
We pray for those whose new day is full of hope – may that be rooted in Christ. For those living just another day – may they come to appreciate the potential in each day. For those who feel that the 24 hours of this day seem like an eternity – for them to turn to Jesus and cast all their burden on Him.
We pray for our nation. Today will be the day of death for many across our nation. We ask that the Gospel will be shared and its reach be nationwide so that no one dies in the UK without having had the chance to repent and turn to Christ. Save many. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Feb 6 – Psalm 90:12, CSB, ‘Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.’
Father, teach us how to number our days so that they will count for eternity. Your awesome holiness and wrath remind us that our days are lived before You, a God not to be trifled with. We would to walk in biblical wisdom each and every day – we ask for that wisdom.
Teach us also to recognise and learn the ways of Your grace, the rhythms of your will, and potential of each day. ‘In Christ’ means that we can look forward with hope to the wonderful days ahead. Each day is special, a gift from You.
Teach us how to redeem each day so that we buy up the opportunities presented, and make full use of them to live right according to Your view of rightness, to act righteously, and to glorify Jesus. Amen.
Feb 7 – Father, the joy of the Christian life is that there is always a chance of a new day, a fresh start – no matter has happened the day before. You are enthroned, and love us.
There are times we all have felt far away from You, perhaps separated by our sin, or by the busyness of life, or by focussing on others things for a time, or because of events.
CSB, ‘2:13But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.’ In Christ, we are brought near You. By the blood of Jesus. May this great truth fill our minds and lives leading to a life of grace, biblical freedom and abundant fruitfulness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Feb 8 – Farther, Jesus’ blood brings us near to You. It cleanses from all sin. It is the basis of our justification. It speaks of better things than animal sacrifices. His Cross is the place of victory and true freedom.
As we pray into the battle within, we ask for Your Holy Spirit’s power to overcome ‘Self’ so that it is not a dominating principle in our lives. That ‘self’s’ power, control and selfishness would be denied and put to death in each one of us in Telford Elim, in person and online.
That as we minister, worship and serve Christ, ‘self’s’ antichrist nature, openness to the forces of darkness, and rebellion against the lordship of Christ would be overcome in our lives and all we reach.
We would to get to a place that every time Jesus commands us to yield to Him and obey, we would do so wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Feb 9 – Father, as we pray about the battle within, we are asking for the sword of the Spirit, Your word, to equip us to deny self, take up our cross and follow Jesus.
If we yield to ‘self,’ it is a hindrance to our spiritual walk, blocks spiritual renewal, and leads us into worldly, fleshy ways of doing life and ministry. It always seeks the shortcut in Your things, not wanting to pay the price needed to advance and grow in our discipleship journey.
It can tarnish church service and work, can impact and skew the outworking of the gifts, both the natural and the spiritual ones we have, and it has the power to derail Your purposes in us and in others.
We ask that we will properly understand how to gain a Christ-honouring position over it leading to a new depth of spiritual life within.
We ask that we will apply aright Jesus’ command to deny self, take up our cross daily and follow Him. It is fundamental to our spiritual growth, and our long lasting effectiveness and fruitfulness in the Kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Feb 10 – Father, thank You for that Evan Hopkins quote, referred to in Rees Howell, Intercessor, by N Grubb, p. 62-63, at first we struggle and grasp for life, then we learn to cling to the lifeboat presented by Christ. Finally, we learn to rest in the salvation He offers. It is only in this third state that our hands are freed up to serve the purposes of Christ.
The forces of this present world are largely arrayed against us to keep us struggling – fighting in our own strength for true life. Jesus’ path of discipleship teaches us to learn to cling to Him as Master, and then to rest in His salvation.
This movement from clinging to resting in – it is the process of mature discipleship. We have Christ, He has us, and then we serve Him as our Master. It is this movement towards resting in Christ for salvation, and salvation’s outworking, that helps to begin to break the power of ‘self’ within.
May this be all of our experience as we grow and mature in faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Feb 11 – Father, in this battle, we are not wrestling with human agencies, as Paul said, but against unseen forces of darkness. The problem with ‘self’ is that it causes us to wrestle and struggle against the wrong things.
‘Self’ causes us to struggle against You and Your will, against other people, and against Your principles for a fruitful and Jesus’ glorifying life. Holy Spirit, grant us the revelation needed to fully embrace and apply the biblical truth and principles You have given us for this battle.
We would to enthrone Christ, His word and ways in our lives today.
Jesus victory on the cross, His blood, is the basis upon which we can have hope. We believe in the merits of Jesus’ atonement, and the impact of the application of His blood which draws us near to You. We stand by faith on these truths. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
