· Exploitation
· Poverty
· Addiction
· Greed

"For where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom" 2Corinthians 3:17

PRAYING AGAINST ADDICTION AND EXPLOITATION

"… to heal the broken hearted….." Isaiah 61:1
The women of St Pauls carry heavy burdens. In particular there are young women who have slipped into drug addiction and are now dependant. Some have to sell their bodies on the street to make money for their fix and become slaves to this vicious circle of drugs/prostitution/crime/low self-esteem/more drugs to kill the pain. God loves these women and is suffering through their lostness and their pain. Through our prayers this ugly drug/crime/prostitution/more drugs cycle can be broken.
…" To announce release to captives…" Isaiah 61:1

PRAY FOR ST PAULS TO BE SET FREE FROM POVERTY AND OPPRESSION
PRAY AGAINST THE EXPLOITATION OF YOUNG WOMEN ON THE STREETS
Their personal way out is for them to be saved through Jesus Christ.
PRAY FOR THE KINDNESS AND GENTLENESS OF GODS LOVE TO REACH ALL PROSTITUTES AND TOUCH THEM.
PRAY FOR GOD TO HEAL THEM AND RAISE SELF-ESTEEM.
PRAY FOR THEM TO RECEIVE THE COURAGE TO RESPOND AND THE VISION TO SEE THE TRUTH ABOUT WHO JESUS IS.

Drug addicts do not necessarily need instant detox before they can grow as a Christian, but rather quality of life restored. God can work within their addictions, blessing and healing and only He knows when everything is in place for a successful detox.
Thus a detox is a separate issue from becoming a Christian. We all come to know Jesus in many dreadful states (well, who didn't?)
It is possible for the government to decide to allow drugs on prescription to addicts to prevent them having to resort to crime (70% of all crime is drugs related*).This would not be easy and would involve major security measures being in place but with God all things are possible.

PRAY FOR INTERVENTION ON BEHALF OF CONFIRMED ADDICTS TO ENABLE THEM TO BECOME CHRISTIANS AND 'MASTER' OF THIS HABIT
PRAY FOR GODS WILL TO BE DONE THROUGH GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND THE NHS IF IT IS GODS WILL TO ALLOW CONFIRMED ADDICTS ACCESS TO FREE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS (EG HEROIN)

God can strip drugs of the fear, glamour, and challenge they currently represent (due to Satan). God can strip away Satan's lies and reveal drugs as the 'illness', weakness and disease that they truly are.

PRAY FOR GODS WORD TO CUT LIKE A SWORD THROUGH THE DRUG MYTHS AND CULTURES OF ST PAULS.
PRAY FOR SATANS LIES ABOUT DRUGS TO BE BROKEN AND POWERLESS.

PRAYING AGAINST POVERTY AND EXPLOITATION

Many of the men of St Pauls do not seem to seek employment as much as you would expect given the poverty that exists. Their cultural/social backgrounds do not seem to encourage this. Thus 'the devil makes work for idle hands' and there are many potentially fine young men and teenagers going to rot for want of challenging employment and the motivation to undertake it.
PRAY FOR RELEASE FROM HIERACHICAL OPPRESSIVE FORCES THAT WITHOLD EMPLOYMENT FROM THE YOUNG MEN AND TEENAGERS

Many men in St Pauls are happy to father children but not to support, educate or be a 'hands on' father to them. These tasks fall on the shoulders of the women.
PRAY FOR REPENTANCE AND NEW SENSE OF DUTY IN ABSENT FATHERS
PRAY AGAINST THE EXPLOITATION THAT LEAVES THE MOTHERS DOING ALL THE PARENTING.
"For by the death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven."

St Pauls is an area of poverty. People struggle constantly to make ends meet. Other parts of Bristol can seem like a different world to the dirt-ridden, littered streets of St Pauls. It can seem impossible to ever have enough money for furniture or own a house or take a holiday. This is the oppressive weight of poverty and it hangs over the area so powerfully that even wealthy people who move into the area are touched by it and find themselves poor and struggling after a time. Poverty can create an 'us and them' mentality which attacks the unity of the city and it's churches.
PRAY AGAINST POVERTY IN ST PAULS
PRAY TO BREAK ITS STRANGLEHOLD ON SO MANY HOUSEHOLDS
PRAY FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY FOR HOUSEHOLDS WHO HAVE BEEN OPPRESSED BY POVERTY FOR MANY YEARS.

GIVING THANKS

"..his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control." 2Timothy1;7

St Pauls is a diverse area of Bristol very close to the city centre and home to many ethnic minority groups. It benefits from this in many ways, such as the number of people who are around during the day (as oppose to the 'ghost town' effect of area's where everyone in the household goes out to work)
GIVE THANKS FOR THE CULTURAL ETHOS THAT LETS PEOPLE BE AROUND AND PART OF THE COMMUNITY DURING THE DAY

St Pauls has good day-care facilities for children but it is the norm to stay at home with your children and not go out to work. The facitlities exist to provide stability to 'at risk' children as well as help out mothers under pressure from difficult circumstances.
GIVE THANKS FOR THE MOTHERS AND PLEASE MAY GOD HELP THEM TO CAST THEIR BURDENS ONTO HIM

St Pauls can also be a friendly area. There is a real sense of community and neighbours often help each other out. Many good things have survived in St Pauls where elsewhere they have been lost, for instance a 'village atmosphere'. There was a time when all of Bristol felt a bit like a village but this has disappeared in many areas. Without this strong community feeling St Pauls would be desolate indeed: Many people would suffer terribly.
GIVE THANKS AND REJOICE FOR THE NEIGHBOURLY LOVE GOD HAS GIVEN AND PROTECTED IN THIS COMMUNITY.

St Pauls is full of fabulous architecture dating from the 1750's. These days, much of it is painted in vibrant colours and looks really stunning especially on a sunny day. This works against the poverty and oppression of the area by encouraging a sense of history and thus stability and also aesthetic joy.
GIVE THANKS FOR THE ARCHITECTURE, THE TREES AND BEAUTY OF THE AREA

PRAYING AGAINST GREED AND EXPLOITATION

After the recent real estate boom the local city council seem to have moved their attention onto the area - it could be very valuable real estate and they own huge chunks of it. They have also been given access to funds for 'urban renewal'. This renewal often manifests itself as paved areas, intended to enhance the environment and promote traffic calming but, in practice, cause a dividing line creating rich and poor areas or black and white areas, for example, Arley Hill and Montpelier
The renewal funds could benefit St Pauls, but not if it means splitting the area up and losing the unity and integration of St Pauls. God may have big plans for the people here: St Pauls as an area and community may be under attack through the local councils plans.
PRAY FOR GODS PROTECTION FOR THE BLESSINGS HE HAS GIVEN TO THE COMMUNITY OF ST PAULS.
PRAY AGAINST EXPLOITATION
The council are intending to put down paved areas again and allow the encroachment of highly-priced inner-city development into St Pauls, mostly around Portland Square. The council has access to huge sums of lottery money donated for deprived areas - most of which seems so far to be going into lucrative contracts for architects and builders and very little towards actually helping the people who live in these areas.
PRAY FOR GOD TO PLACE GOOD STEWARDS IN CHARGE OF THE FUNDS FOR ST PAULS.
Portland Square, in particular, is a valuable enhancer of the quality of life for residents in St Pauls, with it's Grade 1 listed buildings and railings designed by Daniel Hague (c1790)- all in a poor state of repair and needing attention. The central garden is especially beautiful and yet is at risk of being lost forever through 'modernisation'.
PRAY FOR GOD'S WILL OVER PORTLAND SQUARE
Portland Square could be preserved as a Georgian monument for the future and the gardens and trees left as they are to quietly raise the esteem of St Pauls and for the homeless who enjoy the gardens.
PRAY FOR THE PROTECTION FOR THOSE IN THE COUNCIL WHO ARE GENUINELY TRYING TO BENEFIT ST PAULS
"I will sing to the Lord because he has won a glorious victory." Exodus15:1
The existing community needs protecting. The residents need to discern what they will actually be getting from the councils plans. Then they can respond accordingly.
PRAY AGAINST LIES AND DECEIT
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" Isaiah 9:2

"..I will rescue you and set you free from your slavery to the Egyptians.." Exodus 6:2-7

St Pauls needs David's stone against the Goliath of the councils 'improvement scheme' (which includes razing historic bits of St Pauls to the ground and selling it off to developers) The funds for St Pauls could help so many people rather than build roads for private developers. These are proposed for Portland square and Hepburn Road in Stokes Croft - the council will get more money for the sites if they have built main roads through them - they propose to knock down houses to make room for them. This threat is undermining people's security.

"you stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies…." Exodus 15:11

PRAY AGAINST GREED IN THE LOCAL COUNCIL.
PRAY FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF ANY UNGODLY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE COUNCIL AND ALL BUILDING DEVELOPERS AND RELEASE THE COUNCIL FROM ANY BLACKMAIL/EXTORTION SITUATIONS
PRAY AGAINST THE INFLUENCE OF FREEMASONRY IN THE POLICE, THE COUNCIL AND IN THEIR PLANS FOR ST PAULS
PRAY AGAINST MASONIC OPPRESSION IN BRUNSWICK SQUARE AND PORTLAND SQUARE.

"They see your strength, O Lord, and stand helpless with fear until your people have marched past - the people you set free from slavery" Exodus15:16

GIVING THANKS

St Pauls also has lots of Christian families who are strong and faithful lights in the community. There is less resistance to the Bible and Christian teachings in St Pauls - there is no embarrassment, no 'white, liberal, politically-correct' theories to be overcome.
GIVE THANKS FOR THE CHRISTIANS OF ST PAULS AND ASK FOR THEIR PROTECTION.
"For you have broken the yoke that burdened them and the rod that beat their shoulders" Isaiah 9:4

There are also quite a few artists and craftsmen living in St Pauls and students as well as lots of music going on. These people also bring blessings to the community.
THANKS FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE ARTISTS AND STUDENTS
PRAISE GOD FOR THE LIGHT OF TRUTH AND EDUCATION AND ASK THAT IT COMES INTO EVERY HOME IN ST PAULS
"They lived in a land of shadows but now light is shining on them." Isaiah9:

Sometimes the graffitti is violent and disruptive, especially for the children
PRAY THAT THE ART IN ST PAULS HONOURS GOD SERVES HIM AND REFLECTS HIS KINGDOM.
PRAY AGAINST THIS POWERFUL FORM OF COMMUNICATION BEING USED BY THE ENEMY.
"I will make you my own people, and I will be your God"