Rev. 5:8 ‘The prayers of the saints are like golden bowls full of incense’; Isaiah 62:6-7 ‘On your wall O Jerusalem (Bristol) I have posted watchmen: All day and all night they will never keep silent… Nehemiah 1:6 ‘let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying day and night…2:17 let us rebuild the wall of ‘Bristol’ and we will no longer be in disgrace….
PRAYER GUIDELINES –
See previous editions for more in-depth details:
Get settled into God’s Presence; Start with Praise and adoration; Be focussed on Him and his Word;
Repent and get right with God and others; Thank God for answered Prayer;
Plead the Blood of Jesus over yourself and family and put on the Spiritual
Armour as in Ephesians 6 and ask for Humility; Pray about Bristol for one or
two topics from each of the sections as you are guided by the Holy Spirit.
Expand each topic and pray in-depth, as led by God. Be specific in what you pray about –
then you will be able to follow up the response.
PRAYER TOPICS FOR BRISTOL – CHOOSE THE TOPIC AS GOD GUIDES YOU:
YOUTH IN BRISTOL
Many churches across Bristol lose young people when they become teenagers. The Christian Research
statistics show that if this situation continues then by 2040 the percentage of Christians in the UK
population will have decreased from 10% to 2%. Therefore effective ministries and outreach to both Youth
(teenagers) and Generation X the 20s to 30s age range are crucial for the survival of the church in Britain.
This month the Bristol Prayer Wall wants to focus on prayer for this people group sector.
GENERATION X
To some extent the needs of this group overlap with those of the Youth. Like the Youth they are very open to the gospel but are generally not well provided for in churches. Pray that churches will not just focus on the family so that those who are single in their 20s and 30s feel excluded but will be able to find a place and role in the local church, find family, friendship, fellowship, community and also relevant social activities. Most people in this age group are interested in sex and in finding partners. Pray that Generation X Christians will be able to find Christian partners and meaningful relationships and emotional support.
Pray for the various 20s to 30s groups in churches to thrive and be relevant, for new ones to be set up and for church leaders to be interested & supportive of them. Pray also for all outreaches to this age group and for more new initiatives to spring up to reach all subgroups within this sector Pray for Contagious, a new Christian nightclub event aimed at the 18-30s; For Ascension a group aiming to reach the 18-30s of Bristol via music.
NEIGHBOURHOOD and GEOGRAPHIC PRAYER GROUPS & STRATEGY
The Prayer Wall Team would like to encourage watchmen to think and pray about the neighbourhoods in which they live and to get a list of people who live in your streets from the Council electoral role. Eventually the Prayer Wall would like to divide Bristol up into geographic sectors to focus on specific issues and unity within the different areas of Bristol.
CHRISTMAS IN BRISTOL
OUTREACHES -Pray for the Christmas preparations for outreach to Old Peoples homes and schools; that these will increase and also for the Open air witness in Broadmead and other parts of the city…...
Pray for evangelists and pastors to have new inspiration to make the most of the Christian witness opportunity, which Christmas offers. Pray for Christians inviting neighbours to a Christmas street get together etc. Pray that people will stop to think about the true meaning of Christmas and decorations & TV will help & not hinder.
For the Bedminster ‘On the Move’ style outreach with Mince pies etc.on Sat. Dec 16th.tel: 9642506 for info.
SERVICES -Pray for the many Christmas services across the city and that the people who only visit church at Christmas and Easter will be touched by God in a new way so that they will want to find out more about the Christian Faith and will be given a desire to participate in Alpha courses and other Christian activities.
EVENTS - Avon Celebration Christmas Guest Service with Eric Delve – opportunity to bring non-Christian friends to the Cathedral on College Green on Dec 3rd. Pray for this.
FOR THOSE WITHOUT FAMILY -Christmas can be very traumatic for those without close family. More suicides than at any other time of the year occur around this time. Pray that all those who feel alone and isolated will find family and warmth and friendship and will feel included during the Christmas celebrations. Pray for Christians to be generous in offering hospitality and help to those who are alone or are marginalised. Pray for adequate volunteers and empowering of the staff who run hostels like the Night Shelter, The Cold Weather Project, Soup Runs, Salvation Army and the like. Pray for those who live on the streets to be comforted and to be set free from addictions to drugs and alcohol. Pray for the healing of age-old family divisions and for relatives to be re-united and reconciled. Pray for companionship for the lonely.
SPECIAL PRAYER WALL MEETING WITH TEACHING, WORSHIP and MINISTRY
Phil Bennett an AOG pastor who originally launched the Prayer Wall will be speaking together
with 4 US intercessors and 2 intercessors from the Leicester Prayer Wall on Thursday 30th November
8pm to 10pm and will also give a lunchtime presentation on Friday 1st December from 12.30pm to 1.30pm
(venues to be announced) – opportunity to invite people not yet on the Prayer Wall so they can
understand the vision.
MONTHLY PRAYER WALL MEETING:
- Feedback and Corporate Intercession for Bristol
With changed dates for December and January at 8pm to 9.45pm
AT THE ELMGROVE CENTRE, SMALL HALL REDLAND RD, REDLAND next to Living Wells leisure centre
DEC 11th,
Please note the January 2001 meeting will take place on Monday JANUARY 8th, then FEB 5th, MAR 5th etc.
You can also pick up your monthly Prayer Guide here.
Opportunity to attend national PRAY for REVIVAL Confererence, 28TH November ring for details.
PRAISE GOD FOR ANSWERED PRAYERS:
WORDS GIVEN:
Picture of ball of fire hitting centre of Bristol very powerfully and as it hit the city it opened out into a huge flower giving off a sweet fragrance, so attractive that people felt incredible love for one another, embraced and people from other places were drawn into Bristol to experience the fragrance of God.
Picture of Christians from all different churches holding hands together standing in a circle.
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W atchmen
on the Wall - PRAYER FOR BRISTOL DEVOTIONAL
Setting the Sails
By Dan Kay
In dinghy sailing I learned that, to make any progress and win races, the boat had to be in the right position and the sails set and trimmed, to make the best use of the wind. I also learned that the wind was an awesome force that could not be controlled or contained and needed to have my full attention and respect at all times! Jesus told His nocturnal visitor, Nicodemus, the Holy Spirit was like the wind which blows where it wills and you cannot tell where it has come from and where it is going. On the day of Pentecost the coming of the Holy Spirit was described as the sound of a mighty rushing wind, filling the whole house.
This is a parable for us as intercessors. We are the dinghies and the wind is the Holy Spirit. We need to
chart our course according to the voyage God has planned for us and set our sails as we go to pray to catch
the wind of the Spirit.
Prepare for the voyage: The robe of righteousness Isa.61:10. Jo.14:6. All our righteousness is as filthy
rags in God’s sight. We stand in Christ’s righteousness alone.
The garment of praise Isa.61:3. God’s power is released as His people praise Him. God dwells in the praises
of His people. Ps 22:3. As they get into high praise God’s presence is manifest and the enemy flees.
2 Chron.20:22. Ps.149:5-6
The whole armour of God Eph. 6:10-18. Keep your armour on.
Position the vessel: The secret place Matt.6:6.
Purity of life Ps.24:3-6. God’s desire and goal for us is that we “be conformed to the image of His Son.”
Praise Ps.100. Praise can be a sacrifice at times, but as we do it He pours out His grace into our lives
and we get the victory.
Proximity Jas.4:8, Heb.10: 22. Jesus should be first in our lives. He loves us. He died for us. He longs
for a corresponding devotion from each one of us.
Power – set the sails: Focus on Jesus Heb. 12:2. Keep your relationship with Him sweet. Love Him more and
more and prove your love to Him by being obedient to His every command. He was obedient to His Father by
dying for you on the cross, because He loved you.
Be specific in your praying Matt. 6:7,8.
Be filled with the Spirit Eph.5:18b. Do not lose your anointing, but always have a clear conscience before
God. If you fall, repent at once and ask God’s forgiveness.1 John 1:9. Acknowledge that you can only pray
effectively by being a clean, yielded channel that the Holy Spirit can flow through and ask Him to do it.
Believe that and act on it. Power in prayer is released through purity and fasting.
Plot your course: Have your Bible with you when you pray as God may want to speak to you through it. Wait
on the Lord. Submit to His lordship and resist the enemy in the Name of Jesus. Jas.4:7 He will try to divert
you from your purpose with fear, doubt, feelings of sleepiness, depression and negative thoughts etc. Die to
your own thoughts, desires and burdens as to what you should pray. Isa. 55:8a, Prov.3:5b, Prov.28:26a RSV.
Now listen for God to speak into your mind and heart. John 10:27, Ps. 32:8.
Praise Him and thank Him for the time you have spent with Him.
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CONTINUE TO PRAY ABOUT THE FOLLOWING IF YOU HAVE TIME – most of this has been previously been
distributed:
BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL:
For their Decision-making – and for them to show positive support and acceptance of Christian based projects – which todate has been generally negative. Pray that the Employment Policy will be revised to enable this, so that Christian organizations can employ Christians etc for your MP and councillor House to pray for your neighbours. For Christian MPs and councillors are Valerie Davey, Anne White (Cabot), Jim White, Clare Cooke (Henbury),…for God to work through all other politicians
THE CHURCH IN BRISTOL. Please continue to pray for the spiritual foundations and roots of the Church in Bristol to be fully based on Jesus Christ, on his cross and resurrection and on the Gospel, kept alive by a constant flow of the Holy Spirit. Pray for strength and vitality.
Spirit of Prayer – 2 Chron. 7:14; Mark 11: 15-17; Spirit of Faith – Heb 11:6; Matt 21: 18-22;
For LEADERS to be encouraged, envisioned, strong and to multiply effective leadership for the future
OUTREACH – Romans 1:16 ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, it is the power of God for salvation'
SOCIAL ACTION – Isaiah 61 – ‘they will renew the ancient ruins which have been devastated ‘
BRISTOL GENERALLY
BUILDING OF THE PRAYER WALL
Share details of the Prayer Wall with your Church Prayer Leader/co-ordinator and others with a heart for
Prayer. Please contact us with any prayer requests for concerns and projects in Bristol. We hope that the
Wall will become accessible to people, who are not a brick themselves, to phone us with prayer requests
including non- Christians. Please could you let this be known amongst friends and acquaintances? Let us
know if you would like us to do a presentation of the Prayer Wall at your church.
Pray for other prayer initiatives to be multiplied across the city and for a Bristol prayer network to be set up
The longer term vision for the Bristol Prayer Network is for a city wide House of Prayer.
Pray for Bristol – quarterly prayer meeting for Bristol – December 5th 7.30pm at Pip n’Jay run by Stephen
Abbott;Leaders Prayer Meeting – Mondays at Pip n’Jay 12.45 to 14.00 – contact Stephen Abbott tel: 9779270
PRAY ABOUT THE THREAT TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN EUROPE via a new European employment
directive which means religious groups/schools/organisations could be forced to employ atheists or
practising homosexuals. Pray Britain will not sign the directive. For more information contact: ‘The
Christian Institute’ tel: 0191 281 5664 or www.christian.org.uk