Prayer

Prayer is an opportunity to spend time with God. To really understand the heart of God, you need to pray. In John 15:15, Jesus says He no longer calls us his servants, but calls us His friends. Talking with God develops a deeper relationship with Him. During lock down this day has become an entire day of prayer with someone praying every hour.

Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons God has given us. We turn to prayer because it is the most personal way to experience God, to encounter Him and to grow in knowledge of Him. We encourage everyone to make prayer a part of your daily life.

Fasting

Fasting is an essential part of this special day.

Fasting is a deliberate abstinence from physical gratification, usually going without food for a period of time in order to achieve a greater spiritual goal. Fasting is intentionally denying the flesh in order to gain a response from the spirit; it means renouncing the natural in order to invoke the supernatural.

We urge everyone to fast for the day and put aside the time saved for God. You don’t have to fast from food, you can fast from TV or Netflix, social media or even your phone.

All we ask is that the time you would normally spend doing this activity is actually spent seeking God, listening for His voice and giving Him your undivided attention regularly throughout the course of the day.

 Day of Prayer and Fasting

On the 1st day of each month, we encourage the whole church to join in a day of
prayer and fasting.

Prayer and fasting is a sign of our desire and hunger to seek God. Through prayer and fasting, we develop a passion for God that supersedes everything else. When this happens, the Holy Spirit begins to flow into us, allowing us to live above our circumstances and low self expectations.

To help plan our day of prayer, we use a 24-7 prayer room and publish notes to help you pray for the hour you choose. You can book an hour prayer slot through the newsletter link the week before or by clicking on the button below.To book and hour slot during our day of prayer and fasting, please click on the button below.

Prayer Notes for our
Day of Prayer and Fasting

Take 10 minutes to sing or read a psalm, praising and giving thanks to God for His blessing of a new day. For His provision of forgiveness and grace for the failures of the day before, and for His strength for today, and the days to come.

 Read John 17

 Point One

 Mark 14:32 - Wait

 Jesus tells his disciples to WAIT, whilst he goes off and prays. It maybe that you’re not very good at waiting and doing nothing, but there are three elements to this period of waiting.

1.     Stop - do nothing, sit still. Speak to Jesus and tell him that you are waiting with him. (we often wait for him; this is about waiting with him).

2.     Pay attention to Jesus -  to him praying. See if you can remember the things which he prayed for in John 17, bring them to mind and think about them.

3.     Pay attention to yourself - try not to be distracted, or bored or fall asleep; the trap that the disciples fell into. What has come to mind, what has Jesus dropped into your thinking. Do this for 10 minutes.

Point Two

Mark 14:34 - Watch and Wait

Sitting still and continuing waiting, the disciples were encouraged to have watched Jesus during the last supper, and watched each other’s reactions, and observed themselves.

Three further thoughts. 

1.     What have you observed about yourself recently? Your mood, priorities, relationships, worship, bible reading, good habits, bad habits; watching, and observing.

2.     What have you observed that Jesus is doing in you, in your family, in the church, and in the community, watch, observe, and reflect.

3.     What have you observed happening around you? The disciples will be watching and will ultimately see Judas and the arresting party. What dangers for you and for the church are you observing? What is God trying to get your

attention about? What are you avoiding thinking about; temptation, calling, faith, finance, health, family, something else?  Wait and watch.

Point Three 

Mark 14:38 - Watch and Pray

The passage and instruction develops finally to watch and pray. The disciples will be remembering all that happened that last night, and all that will happen next. They will be remembering all that Jesus did and said, and all that they’d hoped for.

Unfortunately, Jesus is arrested and dies, but he will soon rise again. And unfortunately, the disciples continue to fall asleep. The danger is that we, as a church, fall asleep with the busyness and the expectation. 

1.     What have you heard or observed that need turning to prayer, in regard to the life of the church, and your own context and life? Pray about those things now.

2.     What are you sensing God has shown you that needs to be raised for the church to hear, as you’ve waited with Jesus, and watched and waited; what is he showing you, and how will you tell the church leaders?

3.     Think about what you’ve observed about the church life, and program. What are you involved with or aware of? What do you see, how might you pray? Pray for services, Lifegroups, kids/youth work, outreaches, and teaching priorities. Observe and pray for these, and for the church leaders group. 

Breakthrough Prayer Clinic

If you would like to have someone pray for you, please email prayerministry@northchurch.com to book an appointment in person or online.

Alternatively, you can check out our Prayer Clinic Page.

Spiritual Rhythm

We believe that a regular spiritual rhythm plays a key role in our walk with God. That's why on Tuesdays we have our rhythm of prayer throughout the day. We would encourage people to get involved with prayer.

To see all our prayer meetings, just click Spiritual Rhythm.