Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 12/10/2025
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 12th October
Heavenly Father, You are good and gracious, kind and compassionate, faithful and loving. If there were any other gods, You would be God of gods. Very early in Your Word, You tell us: “You shall have no other gods before me." This is the first of the Ten Commandments
To make this quite clear, You remind us through Your prophet, Isaiah: “This is what the Lord says - Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I AM the First and I AM the last; apart from Me there is no God." And to make sure the people understand this, You reiterate, through Isaiah: "I AM the Lord, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God"
You want us to know the God we are dealing with, so You tell us who You are, and what You are like: "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." But, because of Your character, Your nature, You also warn us that You are perfectly just, "Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation”. We can only imagine what the world would be like if You left sin unpunished! Or perhaps we can see an example in a spoilt, unruly child, who has been given everything they want, without any restraint
Thank You that You bless thousands and limit Your anger and punishment. King David, a man guilty of great sin, knew of this, and so declared: "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." And, because he was certain of this, wrote: "Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever"
Thank You, that because of Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, I can rest assured that I too will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want
Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd of my soul, thank for searching for me, a lost sheep, a prodigal. Thank You for forgiving me and filling me with Your Spirit. May I be a blessing today, because You have blessed me
Amen
Songs for today:
The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want
Good and gracious
The Lord is gracious and compassionate
Saturday 11th October
Heavenly Father, the synthesiser is a device which manipulates sound. I've been fascinated by sound synthesis since I first went on a course and first used a synthesiser when I was teaching, back in the 1980s
Pushing various buttons or sliders enables us to manipulate a sound from a pure sine wave (like the whistle on a test card on TV) to the sound of a bell clanging. The bell sound is very complex: the hammer striking the bell, multiple overtones, which at first sustain, and then gradually die away. Each sound has its own 'sound envelope' often described as 'ADSR', Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release. Each musical instrument has a different sound based on its ADSR, and the overtones it produces. This manipulation of sound enables a single electronic keyboard to have hundreds of sounds
I suppose it is also why each individual person has a unique voice. Impressionists manipulate their own voice to change the 'sound envelope' so they can imitate other people.
Father, all this got me thinking about how some people try to manipulate others. I have heard it said occasionally by people who are being manipulated: "He/She knows all my buttons to press!" Or: "They really know how to wind me up!" Certain words act like triggers to bring about a certain reaction in some people. The enemy is a devil in this respect, using our past experiences, guilt, fear or shame to manipulate our behaviour if allowed to
Thank You that You do not manipulate us; You love us too much to do that. Thank You also that You have given us all we need to resist the devil, his schemes and his lies. Jesus said: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This is the Truth; it does not manipulate us, it informs us and leaves us to make our own choice
Lord Jesus, You also said: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” On the other hand, You also tell us about the enemy, satan: "He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies"
Help me to hear Your voice and to silence the voice of the enemy. Thank You that I am set free to choose who I listen to, visible and invisible, and to not be manipulated. Help me to heed Your warning: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings"
Thank You for giving us the freedom, and the power, to choose who we listen to
Amen
Songs for today:
Lies
Jesus set me free
No-one but You Lord
All my days (Beautiful Saviour)
Friday 10th October
Heavenly Father, the First World War lasted for four years; the Second lasted for six years. I have heard about the 100 Years War, the English and American Civil Wars and a whole host of other wars including those within my lifetime, all with different lengths of time
There is, however, one war which has never ceased and has continued for millennia: the battle between good and evil that rages in the world and also within us, the battle for our soul. Your Word tells us that: "The wages of sin is death," which must be BAD NEWS for everyone
Elsewhere, Your Word also tells us: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." More bad news! Given these two truths, it would seem we are doomed and have no hope. But thank You, Jesus, that neither of these statements stands alone!! "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." There is Hope! "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the Truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Death has been defeated. Lord Jesus
Your death on the cross followed by Your mighty resurrection, has enabled us to defeat death too. Will we die? Yes, of course; just as You did. But, will we stay dead? The answer is no, because we trust in Your Word, we too will be resurrected, just as You were. Thank You, Jesus. This is GOOD NEWS! Thank You that there is transforming power in Your Name and in Your Word
The enemy refuses to give in, trying to tempt us to sin, but because we trust in Your Name and Your Word we know we are saved. I can stand firm on the Rock of Jesus and tell the devil I trust Your Word completely: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up." I shout: "JESUS! HALLELUJAH! I am YOURS FOREVER AND EVER! AMEN! HALLELUJAH!" And I am lifted up. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Gratitude
My praise is a weapon
Raise a Hallelujah
Thursday 9th October
Lord Jesus, You said: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." I was wondering if the 'two masters' applies to other masters?
When I was at work, in the various jobs I had, on a petrol station forecourt, in a warehouse sorting goods, cleaning the walls in a factory, teaching or working as an administrator, I always did my best to do whatever my boss told me. I followed this teaching from Your Word: "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free"
I think I always tried to do my best, whatever I was doing, and there were many times I would say I "went the extra mile". I suppose it was easy for me because the people I worked for and the jobs I did were in the 'neutral zone’. I wasn't working in a mafia, and I wasn't asked to do anything evil. If I thought something was wrong or could be done better I was listened to and either things would change or I would do as I was told and continue as previously instructed. I paid my taxes, although I didn't like it, especially when I thought it was wrong, but I paid up as required
How do I proceed now? If I am asked to do something I don't believe is right? You are my Master. The Bible tells us: "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear"
I want to obey You, but am stopped from preaching in a certain place. Do I obey God or men? The answer seems obvious, but how do I accomplish what You want. Help me to find the Way. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
I will serve You
The day I met You
Set me on fire Lord
We bow down and confess
King of kings, Majesty
Wednesday 8th October
Heavenly Father, Your Word has some interesting things to say about human rules and traditions. Speaking to the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees, Matthew records that Jesus said: "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’ ”
And perhaps Mark had spoken to Matthew, or perhaps someone else who was there as he reports: "They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!"
And then Jesus said: "Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Help us to remember what Jesus accomplished on the cross, as Your Word tells us: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery"
And Jesus warned the people: "The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them"
When the Sanhedrin said to the Apostles regarding Jesus: “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this Name,” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!"
Lord, help us to see, and be clear about, what is from You and what are merely human traditions designed to make us be "burdened again by a yoke of slavery"
Lord Jesus, help us to remember who You are: "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy." Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Jesus is Lord creation's voice proclaims it
Rejoice rejoice Christ is in you
The Church's one foundation
No longer slaves
Tuesday 7th October
Heavenly Father, I thought I heard You speak to me a few days ago when I was praying with a couple of friends. I thought You told me that I'm special. Then there was a ". . ." moment before You added that they were special too; in fact everyone is special! I believe You said that I bring something that no one else can bring and that we all bring something that no one else can bring
To each of us is given a gift. Even more than one gift. In our church we have two drummers - each is different, they bring drumming plus something else; a more spiritual gift. We have two piano players, now three, the same is true. Four singers, the same is true. The newest member of the church brings something. The youngest brings something, even a baby or a toddler
You made each one of us and we are custom made by Your hand. "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be"
Because of Jesus I wear a robe of righteousness which is made to measure. I put on the armour of God, which is also made to measure. David couldn't wear King Saul's armour when he went to fight Goliath. All he needed was his sling and some stones; but he was also wearing Your invisible armour, worn by faith
I spoke to my youngest granddaughter the other day and put my hand upon her head. I asked if she knew why I put my hand on her head. She said she didn't know. So I told her, "Whenever I put my hand on your head, I'm asking God to bless you." She is special to me, and I do it for my wife and all my grandchildren. I hug my children for their blessing. Each one is special
We all bring something different: "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." Thank You Father that I am special to You... and so is everyone else
Amen
Songs for today:
I'm special
Change my heart O God
Refiner's fire
Same God
Monday 6th October
Heavenly Father, we have contact with other people today, anywhere in the world, like we have never had before. What was science fiction is now science fact! I used to watch shows like 'Thunderbirds' and 'Stingray' when I was a child and they had screens where they could see one another and talk to one another, and even watches that did the same thing. Then it was fantasy, now it is reality
The lady speaking on my devotional today mentioned how, when she was visiting New York, her phone ran out of charge so she couldn't use the maps to guide her and how she felt lost. On returning to her hotel she was able put the phone on to charge and the power was restored. I had a similar, but different, experience recently. My new phone was playing up and I had missed calls and text messages not being sent. Apparently I needed a different sim card, an e-sim, so that I could us 'Wi-Fi calling'. That didn't solve the problem entirely however, as there was coincidentally a power outage at a phone mast nearby. Once both problems were solved, normal service was resumed and I could make and receive phone calls, send and receive texts
I wondered if I could have similar problems in my communication with You? I know Your Spirit never breaks down, Your 'mast' never has a power outage. Your Word is faultless and eternal, so Your 'text message' is always available. So what may be the problem? I suppose if I don't pray I can't expect to hear from You. You are calling but I am not answering Your call. And if I don't read the Bible I miss Your 'text messages!' And if I don't seek Your face, I can't see You
Thank You for this text message: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Seeking You now, listening and looking for You. Looking forward to hearing from You. Oh, just got this text! "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord"
Thank You Lord. That is good to know. And this just came in from a brother in Christ "The joy that enabled Jesus to endure the cross is our strength!" Lovely Jubbly!
Amen
Songs for today:
Be still and know
O my soul arise and bless your Maker
Centre of it all
One and Only
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
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