Mar 6 – This week’s prayers are ‘About the Heart.’

Father, as we consider praying about guarding our hearts (Proverbs 4:23, CSB, ‘Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life’), and the spiritually renewing our hearts – we stand on that New Covenant promise of a New Heart in Ezekiel 36:26-27, NLT,

‘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.’

Salvation in Your Son means being a New Creation with a New, Open Relationship with You established through Christ and the New Covenant and its wonderful promises; it also means that You promise to Renew us through the New Birth, place Your Spirit within us, and give us a new spiritual heart.

Help me to understand the full implications of this and apply these truths to my life. We pray that everyone in our church, in person and online, will be considering how to guard their hearts, and to develop them spiritually as we mature in faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Mar 7 – Father, as we consider the state of our physical hearts, we acknowledge that it is wise to look after our heart as a precious organ by good diet, regular sleep patterns and exercise.

Likewise, our spiritual heart or 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 – it is good for our hearts.

Lord, if my diet is too full of the world’s voice, words and mindset,

if I am allowing myself to be troubled, distressed and made fearful by its negativity and unbelief,

and if I am neglecting prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, giving to You, simplicity, solitude, service, worship, guidance and celebration – then I confess the present state of my spiritual heart and ask for Your forgiveness and renewal within.

Where I have become hard and unresponsive to Your Spirit’s promptings – forgive me and renew me within. I ask for the grace to be a tender-hearted, compassionate and Christ-honouring believer. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Mar 8 – Father, I pray today that the spiritual hearts of those who come to our Church will be soft and generous. That we, as a 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.’

The enemy is constantly seeking to trouble our hearts and to harden them against You. Grant us discernment, wisdom and insight to understand his strategies and then guard against such attacks.

As a result of such diligence, we declare that out of our hearts will flow a river of living and life-giving spiritual water quenching our own thirst of soul, and then through the overflow – the thirst of many in our families, workplaces, schools, and communities. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Mar 9 – Father, we pray for any whose course in life is already the wrong pathway because they made a decision in the past while their heart was cold towards You – they decided to do something when controlled by a carnal mindset.

Grant them insight and revelation to know that they are on the wrong pathway; lead them to a place of surrender, repentance and submission to You – guide them onto the right pathway that is righteous, godly and holy.

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 consequences of such wilfulness against You. May they turn round in repentance and allow You to develop a spiritual heart that is now being sanctified by grace and agape love (see Psalm 19:12-14).

May You guide them into a new, totally transformed, positive and fully believing attitude towards Your will and ways so that over time they can see Your power at work on their behalf, and wrong choices redeemed so that Your Son is glorified. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Mar 10 – Father, we pray for protection from carnally minded people who produce envy, strife and division (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, CSB, ‘For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still worldly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans?

For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans?’).

We pray that where envy has a place – it will be replaced by a desire for the good and blessing of others; where strife – it will be replaced by a genuine love and concern, an openness to overcome strife and hatred by the power of the Spirit and Your agape love.

Where division – that the barriers and blockages which create different camps and opposing groups will be overcome and broken down through the blood of Jesus.

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 among us in Telford Elim, in person and online, and also then on out into the wider community bringing salvation, healing, hope, true life, and wholeness in Christ. In His name. Amen

Mar 11 – Father, thank You for those in our Church who have well-guarded, soft, malleable and Christ-focussed hearts. 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 pray for today’s Alpha Holy Spirit Encounter Day – that each person who attends will experience Your love, grace and power. Touch hearts, save, heal, minister grace, and fill with Your Holy Spirit.

Bless the team leading the day – minister through them, guide them by Your Spirit, and anoint them to do as You would have them do today. May this be a day of amazing Holy Spirit encounters, breakthrough, revelation and renewal for every single person who attends. In Jesus’ name. Amen 

Mar 12 – Father, we pray for the spiritual heart of our nation. That it would become Christ-honouring and New Covenant based. 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 our society, be led to seek after Your beloved Son, and for His Kingdom and its values to be established.

We pray particularly about Sport as many abuse scandals have come to light over recent years. That You will take up the battle against the unholy trinity, in Sport, of Clubs/governing organisations – Fans/supporters/punters – and Media. We confess that the Media are constantly fuelling the fires of passion and obsession about it.

We pray that these three, largely unrighteous and anti-Christ strands, will no longer command the attention of millions of people – many of whom openly worship and obsess over Sport and its heroes. Instead, turn the hearts of the men and women in sport’s bodies, the fans and the Media to Christ.

That You will bless Christian sportsmen and women, administrators, and those in the media so that they will reflect Your heart, character and values, be salt and light, and convey Your grace and favour pointing people to a different godly basis for their lives and the sports that they are a part of. In Jesus’ name and for His glory alone. Amen