Week one

Prayer and Fasting October 2020

Week 1 1st October - 7th October

The God we pray to is absolute sovereign over all the world events both big and small. The sovereignty of God is not simply a theological term, but is a deeply important reality for our church. If God were not sovereign there would be no confidence that He could answer our prayers. But He is sovereign and does listen to and answer the prayers of His people We see this in Psalm 116:1-2 

“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”

Here is confidence. The psalmist prays ‘because God heard my voice, my cry for mercy… He turned His ear to me.’ Prayer is movement. The movement of the person or people praying to God and, it’s the movement of God towards His people as they pray.

(A Call to Extraordinary Prayer - Steve Nation 2017 - ISBN 978-1-5271-0089-3)

Our focus in this first week of prayer and fasting month is on Our God and His majesty.  The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 begins “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name .. “ So we should begin in the same way. It’s important to pray for ourselves as individuals and for for our church, that we see an increase in holy living that will bring honour and glory to Jesus. But let’s use this first week to honour Him and give praise to His name.

The Psalmists do not treat the doctrine of God's sovereignty in a cold, abstract manner. The beauty of this book of praise is that God's sovereignty is indeed the heart and soul of the Psalms. The psalmists love this doctrine. It is precious to them. They find great comfort in the fact that their God controls and works all things for their salvation. They have nothing to fear. Even in the midst of tribulation, the psalmists have peace and contentment. This is the experience of all those who trust the sovereign God.

During our fast this month we will be specifically praying for God to intervene in these situations…

• • • Personal holiness

    • Making disciples

    • Persecution

    • Mission - here and elsewhere

Each day will have two countries to pray for - they are countries in the World Watch List of greatest Christian persecution last year. Let’s focus from ourselves onto His suffering people in our world.

These notes are to help you to pray daily and they will also appear on Band and on our webpage:

www.turningpointprayer.co.uk

While Jesus was on the Earth he stood as a living example of what God has always intended us to be, loving, caring, abiding, devoted and faithful children of God who are seeking to bring people to Himself.

1 Oct - “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Pray for: Niger (50) and Indonesia (49)

2 Oct - “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

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Pray for:  Cameroon (48) and United Arab Emirates (47)

3 Oct - “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:19-21)

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Pray for: Russian Federation (46) and Bhutan (45)

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4 Oct - “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.” (Ephesians 4:5-7)

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Pray for: Kenya (44) and Kuwait (43)

5 Oct - If we want to fulfil our calling and purpose in life, we must know who we are in Christ. We must have the firm assurance of His love in ourselves because we are called to spread the good news of the Father's love through Christ to a lost and dying world. What do the people of other religions miss? They miss the reality of knowing the love of God. 

"Lord, help me to live a fruitful life now and overflow with Your love to others. Give me greater authority in my prayer life. I want to know You on a deeper level, and I want nothing to hinder my relationship with You. In Jesus Name."

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Pray for: Oman (42) and Colombia (41)

6 Oct - "Lord, I pray that You would unlock my heart that I might be fully alive to my true identity in You. Give me clear revelation to see myself the way You see me. Help me to stand in Your truth against all enemy attacks and guard my heart with all vigilance."

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Pray for: Malaysia (40) and Ethiopia (39)

7 Oct - “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Pray for: Bangladesh (38) and Brunei (37)

 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

English Standard Version (ESV)

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