Praise God for the grace and mercy He demonstrates toward us. Ask Him to bring us conviction regarding any sin in our lives. Pray for Him to soften our hearts to His Word and to lead us to confession and repentance. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Pray for HIm to strengthen us for obedience to His Word.

This week we are praying for the Shelby County East Camp of The Gideons International, an association of Christian business and professional men and their wives dedicated to telling people about Jesus by sharing personal testimonies and distributing Bibles and New Testaments in hotels, schools, and other strategic locations like the Shelby County Fair (November 4-9). We are also praying for Indian Springs Baptist Church and Pastor Allan Murphy.

Day 1: Pray for many individuals and families to be saved through reading Gideon-placed Bibles and New Testaments throughout North Shelby County and beyond.

Day 2: Pray for the 959 New Testaments distributed at Jefferson State Community College, the 2,569 New Testaments distributed at UAB, and the 527 Bibles that will be distributed to local prisons. Pray for those who encounter the Word of God to be transformed by it.

Day 3: Pray for more locations, communities, and countries to allow the distribution of God’s Word. Pray for more opportunities in the greater Birmingham area.

Day 4: Pray for a steady flow of volunteers and funds to cover the printing and shipping of Bibles and New Testaments here and around the world.

Day 5: Pray for the Gideon’s presentations that took place in six Shelby County churches last month to result in gospel partnership.

Day 6: Pray for Gideon’s members to travel safely, both locally and globally, and in no way be prevented from doing their work to place God’s Word in the hands of all who need a copy.

Today, November 4, is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This week we want to pray with our brothers and sisters who are suffering around the world because of their faith in Christ. Persecution is a negative reaction by government, ideologies, society, and family to the presence of Christ. Persecution often takes place in many forms, but its purpose is to silence witness. Believers experiencing persecution remind us, though in the Bible, that persecution is normal. Suffering for Christ is as common as the “sun coming up in the east”. But as the body of Christ, when one part hurts, the whole body hurts. So let us submit ourselves to pray this week for believers who are suffering. Let us pray in the midst of threats, danger, and even death that the gospel would prevail.

Day 1: Mature believers in persecution often say, “Don’t pray for our persecution to end. Pray for us to be obedient in our suffering.” Pray then for persecuted believers to remain steadfast as they face trials and suffering for their faith.

Day 2: North Korea is ranked the most oppressive place in the world for Christians. Pray for believers who are in labor camps because of their faith. Pray for God to sustain them, to provide strength for them, and to help them remain steadfast in their faith.

Day 3: Somalia has been on the World Watch List since 1993 as one of the worst countries for Christians. Christians barely survive on the outskirts of society and face significant persecution. Martyrdom is very common. Pray for God to sustain Somali believers and make bold the church in sharing the gospel. Pray for hearts of Somali’s to be opened to the truth of the gospel and for many to know Christ.

Day 4: Afghanistan is an Islamic state by constitution. This means any expression of any faith other than Islam is simply not permitted to exist. Most Afghan Christian converts are not able to live their faith openly. Pray for isolated believers in Afghanistan, many of whom are totally cut off from any other Christians.

Day 5: The management of religious affairs in China lies with the Communist Party now, not just with the government. Crackdowns against Christians happen countrywide and in both state-approved and non-registered churches. Pray for Chinese Christians to stand strong amidst tightening religious restrictions and to engage in cross-cultural missions effectively. Pray for the growth of believers from minority people groups, like the Hui, who are from Muslim backgrounds.

Day 6: Pray for a great spiritual harvest in the places where our persecuted brothers and sisters live. Pray for God to continue to use the persecuted church to spread his kingdom. Pray for us who have freedom of religion to not silence our own witness, but to be bold to proclaim Christ.