Coronavirus prayer bulletin 6

Coronavirus Prayer Bulletin 31/4/2020

Scripture suggestion: Isaiah 41: 10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Today's Prayer points

• Continue to pray for those bereaved as the death rate surged in the UK today. Pray for families and loved ones.
• Pray for those who are ill with corona virus that healing will come.
• Pray for those people stranded abroad and desperately want to come home. Pray for the safe return of these people. Pray they will get flights. Pray for their families as they worry. Thank God for the governments provision of 75 Million Pounds for rescue flights.
• Pray for the police as they try to keep order. Pray that God would give them wisdom.
• Continue to intensify the push back prayer aimed at turning this virus around. Pray we will see diminishing mortality rates and also a declining spread of the virus.
• Continue to pray for those in leadership globally, nationally and locally that wisdom and bravery would be theirs. Pray also that they will have complete clarity on the way forward through this crisis.
• Continue to pray for those who are feeling lonely and depressed in isolation.

Keep praying, keep battling and keep at the forefront of our minds that the Lord tells us not to be afraid, that he is with us and the battle is his.

And

He is victorious always!

Coronavirus prayer bulletin 4

Coronavirus Prayer bulletin 25/02/2020

Scripture suggestion: Psalm 136: A Psalm about thanks to God for being totally astonishing, but if read from a different angle, it reads as a list of totally positive things.

Keep Praying, keep positive.

Today's Prayer Points

• Thank God for measures being brought in to help the self employed.
• Think and pray for all those who are self employed in our Corps, Centres etc
• Pray that their businesses will be able to be blessed with a renewed energy when this crisis is over
• Pray that the help that will be spoke about tomorrow will reach them.
• Thank God for the 405,000 NHS Volunteers who have signed up to help those who desperately need it.
• Pray for those who are isolated and feeling totally alone.
• Continue to pray for those bereaved and those who have Covid 19.
• Keep praying the massive prayer that this virus will be pushed backwards into oblivion.
• Praise God for the key-workers not just those in the NHS but social, service and faith workers (Including those from our own denomination), and those
people who just want to help neighbours etc. who are lavishing essential kindness on those who need help.
• Continue to pray for the government both nationally and our local government that they would be blessed with God’s guidance on decision making.

Yeah, keep praying. Prayer as you guys know is hard work, yet The Lord requires us to be persistent. This is the hard work of prayer. Even when it seems fruitless or a bit on the boring side. But be reminded tonight as we ask can a nation be changed? Can a situation be changed? Can lives be transformed? The answer as we pray relentlessly is a definite yes!! And be assured as we pray it reverberates around and shakes the heavens and will change everything! Hey Stay blessed!

Bright lights

Harvey McKay once said this, "Optimists are right. So are pessimists. Its up to you to choose which one you will be."

Wow

Second day of the Corona virus lock down here in the UK.
Not that ive had chance to notice too much yet, as Dawn and I have been quite busy distributing food parcels and getting shopping in for some of the less able of our community as well as cracking on with the hard work of prayer.

I've chatted pastorally to a few people online and on the phone, and there seems to be a common theme just now as people struggle to adjust to this new approach to life.

It is so easy to allow the negative side of this lock down to consume us.

Pessimism

Pessimism can eat you up and spit you out in a mangled mess if you let it.

And

As Harvey McKay says, Its up to us whether we choose to be a pessimist or an optimist.

So

This choice

Its a straight one

but one that can lead to either the bright lights of a positive future or the darkness of a negative existence

Hey

Its amazing how it is so easy to develop a bias toward negativity. By the same token it is equally amazing how difficult it is to head towards positivity.

Or is it?

It's pretty natural to focus on problems, it's a fact that minds point out the things that are not working, or our perceived flaws or our mistakes, or worse the obstacles that lay in front of us achieving our positive goals.

What is not that natural it seems, is for us to look towards the brighter side of things turning out for the better.

Hey

Here is the thing

Our sense of joy and contentment grow rapidly when we focus on things turning out for the better (Not necessarily for the best) but for the better, in the long run.

And

when things do go wrong, optimism can help us to recover, to cope and to rebuild.

Ask yourselves these three things today and give yourself an honest answer.

1. do you tend to think that not so good circumstances or feelings are here to stay, or do you remind yourselves that this situation will pass and better days are coming?

2. Do negative things tend to consume you and shape your character, or are you able to get a balanced perspective on things?

3. Do you tend to take on board negative things all too easily and blame or accuse yourself for the negativity, or just as bad, blame others or circumstances? Or are you able to see the treasure in the dirt as it were?

If the answer is revealing that maybe pessimism is hampering us, then maybe the key is this;

We need to choose to be optimistic, practice it, embrace it, demonstrate it>

To do that I know from my own healing journey from the depths of despair to a happy and content life that I had to work on and develop resilience.

Resilience is a must have in life.

And

it can be nurtured and developed in any life.

Its your choice

I read this somewhere and can't reference it because I took a photo of it pinned to a wall at some event or other I attended.

It says this

"People with good mental strength take responsibility for their lives. They don't blame others for messing up their day, instead, they take control of their own thoughts, feelings and behaviour. They understand that life isn't always fair or easy, but they dont sit around feeling sorry for themselves. Resilient people acknowledge that everything they do from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep is a choice."

So

Hey

In the middle of this unprecedented time in our history, when maybe someone out there is feeling a bit lost and alone. Have a think about this..

Better days are ahead!

Be resilient.

Embrace maybe the positive things that this exile brings.

It's a choice.

Massive blessings on all my readers this day, and i'm especially praying for you right now.

Coronavirus Prayer bulletin 3

Coronavirus Prayer bulletin 24/03/2020

Scripture: Psalm 27, A Psalm that is about calling on God for protection while remembering he is faithful and reliable

Prayer points for today

• Pray for those who struggle with lockdown. Pray that they will be comforted and reinforced with extra strength.
• Pray especially for the lonely and those who are extremely vulnerable that they will be helped and identified.
• Continue to pray for those who are worried about jobs and businesses.
• 8077 people now have been confirmed with the virus and 422 have died in the UK . Pray for the hand of God to push back the virus and pray that the
current measures in place for British citizens will slow this virus towards oblivion.
• Continue to pray for the healing of people with the virus and comfort for those who have lost loved ones.
• Pray for the flattening and downhill trend of this virus.
• Thank God for the positive stories coming out of this situation and I invite you to reflect on those stories.
• Thank God for the amazing setting up of a 2 ward 2000 capacity field hospital in London (The Nightingale Hospital), and pray for the recruitment of
250000 NHS volunteers to reduce the strain on the NHS.
• Pray directly for a vaccine to be developed as quickly as possible as well as the identification of drugs already in existence that may help in the
fight against Covid-19

Coronovirus Prayer Bulletin 2

Coronavirus prayer bulletin 21/03/20

Scripture today: A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones (Proverbs 17: 22)
It’s not enough to love others with all our heart; make sure we love ourselves and look after ourselves to
Ready to pray?

Today’s Prayer Points
1. The government is discussing and thinking through the possibility of bringing in stricter policy on social distancing.
• Pray for discernment and for the Lord to guide their thinking.
• Pray for those who are minimising the advice given or even ignoring it that they would grasp the seriousness of this outbreak and take

responsibility for actions.
• Pray for those who are struggling with isolation and actions that they would receive strength and clarity.
2. The UK figures right now at time of writing are 281 deaths and over 5000 reported cases. The global death toll is now over 15000.
• Pray for comfort for those who have lost loved ones through this outbreak.
• Pray for healing for those who are fighting this virus after contracting it. Both those in Hospital and those at home.
• Pray for a downturn and flattening out of the spread of the virus in the UK and across the world.
• Thank God for signs of flattening and slowing down of the virus in countries such as Germany.

3. Other nations.
• Pray for those who are struggling in other countries
• Pray for their governments and decision makers that the right measures will be communicated and carried out.
• Pray for a pushing back of the virus globally

4. The economy
• Pray for that the effects of the business closures will be minimised and rapidly built back up.
• Pray for those who are losing jobs and livelihoods.
• Pray for company directors and business leaders that sensible decisions can be reached in order to cope with the losses.
• Pray that the self-employed will receive the appropriate help and quickly.

5. The NHS
• Continue to pray for NHS Staff to be protected from the virus.
• Pray that PPE will be adequately provided and distributed
• Continue to pray for creativity to try to ease over burdens.

Hey, Lord have your way in us and give us the strength to look after ourselves as well as others. Amen

Coronavirus Daily prayer bulletin 1

Hi everyone

Dawn and I are writing a daily prayer bulletin for our division with aim of giving a prayer template based on the governments daily advice. The aim is to connect people in praying to push back the advancement of the virus through prayer.

I thought I would also share it on my blog for the wider community of my readers who may find it helpful to centre their prayers, and of course to broaden it and add to it.

So here goes.


Coronavirus Prayer Bulletin 22/03/20

The government communicate daily Coronavirus advice via the media and the aim of our daily prayer bulletin for the Central North division is to take the main points and shape them into a valuable framework for a daily prayer rhythm. The prayer rhythm is designed to connect people of prayer in an effective onslaught against the rapidly progressing virus and help to ‘push back’ the advancement of its devastating nature through prayer.

A scripture for courage in prayer

‘Through you (God) we will push back our adversaries; through your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.’ (Psalm 44:5)

Are you ready to do battle?

Today’s Prayer points

1. The government and those leading the effort to physically push back the progress of Coronavirus and turn the tide of its advancement.
• Pray for the prime minister and his team of advisors that they will see ahead of the movement of the virus and make right decisions accordingly.
• Pray for the leadership’s desire for a collective national effort to take hold of the advice given and carry it out.
2. The most vulnerable members of society who will be contacted by text and letter tomorrow requesting them to isolate for twelve weeks. (Those with severe respiratory conditions, cancers and those who have undergone transplant surgeries amongst others)
• Pray for a positive response to this request.
• Pray for the protection of these people from the advancement of the virus.
• Pray for those who will help these people, especially the lonely and those with deep physical, mental and spiritual needs that they will be reached and befriended.
3. The businesses and self employed that are being affected by the lockdown of public gathering spaces and services.
• Pray that they can receive help from the government and that it arrives to them on time.
• Pray for a creative spirit on them to realign and make positive changes to aid the way forward for them.
• Pray that they will be strengthened and comforted in these times of big uncertainty.
4. The National health service
• Pray for all NHS staff that they will stay safe and well as they tackle this virus on the frontline of its advancement.
• Pray that vital protective equipment will be plentiful and available to them without delay or depletion.
• Pray for a greater understanding of the character of the Coronavirus
• Pray that the burden and overload caused by will be lessened.
5. The governments testing process
• Pray that their targets to increase and roll out testing will be achieved
6. The people who are at risk
• That people who can’t get essential things like shopping and medicines will be found and reached.

Pray, Pray, Pray!

And just before we close this bulletin today a reminder to be a part of the churches petition to light a candle in your window at 7pm as a symbol of the hope of Jesus in this crisis.

Massive blessing and rest in the safety of the Saviour.

Purpose perspective (A Word)

See, the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand this. (Jeremiah 30: 23-24)

In the purity of the zonal space which is Holy ground today, as I rest in the presence of God, the Spirit of God compels to me to share this word with whosoever would read this and test it.

The time is now for turning our total focus on God.

He is accomplishing the purposes of his heart in these days.

Its time to step away from the boundaries of the principality and power of the bad side of religion. It is now that we must fully turn towards God and his purposes. Not our own purposes, but God’s.

It is a commitment.

A commitment to the spiritual things and not the show.

A commitment to the purposes of God both in us and through us, His church.

There are people in deep need of the love of a saviour, hey, every one of us is has that deep need.

But

Some do not see it.

Some won’t accept it.

Yet

Without those of us who are called the church, those who are called children of God, the purposes of God are hindered.

The Spirit of God says to all of us commit, recommit, connect, reshape, reform, regroup, rethink, embrace changes and perspective.

Focus on the things that are spiritual, do not focus on image or the exterior position of the church.

Look for the depths of grace that are being lavished on this world.

Search for the purposes of the heart of Jesus.

And.

Through a colossal realignment of our focus.

This world will be changed forever!

In Jesus name

Peace

The experience of living through the Coronavirus crisis for me is one of peace. 

Yeah peace. 

Coronavirus will be beaten in the end. 

It’s so sad for the families of lives cut short through this particular virus. 

And

For those who are affected by this and indeed those who have contracted the disease and those who are consequently isolated because of it, peace maybe hard to come by just now. 

But

The thing is, through every crisis, Hey God is with us. 

And this short word on my blog today is a simple one. 

And

A question came forward. 

What are we focusing on right now? 

Maybe it’s the fact you are using old news papers because large parts of the UK are hoarding loo roll? 

Is that taking your focus?

Maybe you can’t work or get to church or sit in McDonalds or whatever. Life is full of changes right now.?

Is that taking your focus?

Maybe your struggling with thoughts that this maybe the greatest overreaction in history or you think the other way that the government maybe not doing enough?

Is this taking your focus?

Here is what I put out today for you guys to think about. 

Hey

God is with us. 

Lately, through a crisis of a very different kind for me, I have for once in my life strongly kept my focus on God and his immense power. I have walked through a mega storm and focused on him and not the stuff going on around.  I’ve finally learned to draw on his power and not my own feebleness. 

The result 

Peace. 

So today. 

And please, I am not diminishing the dangers off Coronavirus by any stretch of the imagination. 

It’s a storm raging that pandemically is finding its way round the planet.

My little word is hot off the press from my own prayers and relationship with God and suggests this. 

Press into God especially through prayer. Focus on him. Trust his power. 

Look after yourselves and others. 

Blessings

Practicing listening to a positive inner voice

This week I saw an email from my boss saying we had to respond to a request to confirm our attendance at a business/mission day. I hate those things with a passion, I’m not a ‘let’s sit in groups and discuss something’ type of person. It never works for me. 

I reacted badly. 

And 

All kinds of thoughts came flooding in to my head through an inner voice that jumped into my thought processes furiously and ready for a battle. Why would I want to go to that? Look at the programme for the day the options are not really of interest to me. I don't want to sit through a discussion on a subject I couldn't be less interested in if I tried. All these things were spoken into my life immediately. 

This sent me into a feeling of dread. 

So much so I  wrote an email in reply saying I wouldn't be there. I had a genuine excuse not to be, but that excuse evaporated when someone cancelled a meeting with me. 

I got my kn----rs in a twist well and truly! 

Fortunately 

Every morning I sit and reflect 

On this day I was in In Morrison’s cafe, armed with a fry up and a coffee ready to seek God. I sat and reflected using a book I called ‘Be happy.’ In this book there is a chapter called practicing a positive inner voice.

After reading it I began to reflect on what my inner voice modus operandi was. 

I was instantly surprised. 

I found that on reflection a negative inner voice tended to get in first when dealing with the stuff of life. 

Then I found that my positive inner voice struggled to overcome the negative one. 

And

I mean really struggled to almost the point of defeat. 

Then I asked myself how did the negative inner voice get into my life?

I have been working on a series of articles on guilt and Shame lately. 

Especially the differences between them. 

And

I discovered my inner negative voice came from shame... 

The difference between guilt and shame is best explained like this. Guilt is a bad feeling when we have overstepped the mark with something and we know we shouldn't have. Shame is where we haven't stepped up to the plate as it were.  Shame is where we get a bad feeling about not doing enough or not being enough. 

And this feeling in me has been cultivated over a long period of time. Feeling like I am not quite good enough. That I don't live up to others expectations of me. That I'm not quite good looking enough, not quite intelligent enough, that other people seem to reach heights I don't seem to reach. That kind of thing. 

This shame comes from some roots of negative experiences going back to my childhood.

 

So what I've ended up with is a voice that speaks into my life a dearth of negativity that masquerades as a kind of protective mechanism.  

This voice has made sure my life has not felt quite successful, that my being is often insignificant and that my purpose in life is essentially futile. 

None of those things are true. 

But my negative inner voice convinces me they are. 

So

I've decided that since I have uncovered this almighty mess inside of me. I ought to do something about it. 

No, Let me give God glory here, he has positively ordered me to do something about it!

How do I turn this around so that the positive voice speaks first and blows the negative voice out of the water in my life? 

Wow

A difficult quest awaits me. 

The first thing in Scripture I read when asking God that very question was this. 

John 10:1-42

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ..

On reading these words I immediately realised I am subconsciously operating in the opposite of this. 

Now, I know Jesus and am in a relationship with him. 

But

As I am one of these very sheep in the pen, I am tending to follow the strangers voice instead of the Shepherds voice. 

Which means this. 

I am open to being ribbed from or  stolen and even killed. 

But

What if I learned to recognize the Shepherds voice and follow him? 

Well, I will be led out of all kinds of situations unharmed and safe. Even enjoy a happier and more fulfilling life. 

So 

One nougat of lifestyle that I learned in my studies of Monasticism throughout the ages, is that monastics throughout history knew why and how practicing things brought about positive change. 

Practicing the presence of God, practicing prayer, cultivating peace and so on. 

So I thought what I need to do is practice listening to the positive inner voice in my being rather than the negative one. 

God is never negative. 

His example is always positive. 

So 

It feels important to realise that the positive inner voice we hear is the shepherd, and has the spirit of God laced into its mix. 

The negative voice is a strangers voice. 

A robber

A killer. 

The other day a guy I have been ministering to said he was driving through the City and he told me that he saw a sign saying adult books for sale. The sign was over a seedy little string of shops that were mostly tinned up.  He told me  a voice spoke up in his head  and said stop there and have a look. It was a strong voice. On this occasion he managed to keep on driving. Then I remembered a friend of mine telling me how he saw this guy every morning struggling up a hill with his shopping and I remember him saying how he felt so guilty because a voice was telling him to stop and help but he never did. 

These two examples show the strangers voice at work but also the Shepherds voice. 

Neither person responded to them. 

And this is where we have to learn to respond by saying no to the strangers voice and yes to the Shepherds voice. 

This is where the practice comes in

I’m on to it! 

What about you?

Is this blog resonating with you?

Join me in responding to the beautiful inner voice of the spirit of God and practice a none response to the inner negative voice. 

It may make all the difference.