Praise God for the conviction He brings us in life and for graciously leading us to repentance. Ask Him to reveal any hidden sins in our lives. Pray for us to live confident of the forgiveness He gives and the redemption He works in us through faith in Jesus Christ.

This week we are praying for the Shelby Baptist Association, or SBA (shelbybaptist.org), an organization seeking to empower member churches to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ across Shelby County. Together, they desire to see the church equipped, encouraged, and empowered to make Christ known and engaged in discipleship. We are also praying for North Shelby Baptist Church and Pastor Jared Cornutt.

Day 1: Pray for the churches in partnership with SBA. Pray they would be salt and light in their neighborhoods. Ask God to continue to use SBA to equip pastors and church staffs to engage their communities with the gospel and through local church discipleship.

Day 2: Pray for the SBA to continue to promote unity and fellowship among area churches. Pray for member pastors and congregations to seek to work together in loving and serving their communities.

Day 3: Pray for the Community Ministries that SBA hosts on their campus. Pray these would be successful outreach platforms for people to come to know God and get connected to local churches.

Day 4: Pray for SBA’s Earthly Treasures Thrift Store ministry as they replace the roof, remodel the store, and rebrand the ministry. Pray this investment would allow the ministry to better serve the needs of Shelby County and provide financial means for even more ministry opportunities.

Day 5: Praise God for the UNITE camp that took place this past week. Thank God for teens who served Shelby County through work projects during their summer break. Ask God to use these serve days to work in the hearts of the teens who served, drawing them close to Himself. Ask God to continue to bless their efforts and encourage the people who were served.

Day 6: Pray for Ric Camp, lead mission strategist, and the SBA staff team. Praise God for their faithfulness and ask Him to continue to give them joy as they partner with local churches. Ask God to give them wisdom and vision as they seek to serve Shelby County in the years to come.

This week we are praying for the people of Central Asia.

Day 1: In Central Asia, cultural identity is heavily tied to Islam and there is a deep-seated resistance to Christianity. Most Central Asians have not heard that the gospel is good news. Ask God to pull down cultural and spiritual barriers that have kept the Good News from getting to Central Asians.

Day 2: Long-term missionaries have great difficulty getting access to live in Central Asia. They must find a credible identity that allows them to live and work in this area of the world. Many governments, suspicious of gospel activity, monitor foreigners. Pray for our long-term missionaries in this area, and ask God to continue to provide them access and protect the gospel work they are doing.

Day 3: The Caucasus Mountains in Central Asia stretch across southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, with extending foothills reaching into northern Turkey and Iran. In these mountains, the peoples are largely unknown and some of the most unreached with the Good News. Ask God to open doors to this area of Central Asia and for workers to be able to overcome suspicions and develop relationships that would pave the way for the gospel to bring hope to the lost.

Day 4: Many people groups in Central Asia have no Scripture in their native language. Ask God to multiply efforts to get the Word to the peoples of Central Asia. Ask God to do a supernatural work to bring the Word to those who have never heard or read the Good News in their heart language.

Day 5: Pray for our long-term missionaries as they strive to reach peoples who are in great spiritual darkness. Ask God for great wisdom and discernment as they work to make inroads to peoples and places where there is no Church.

Day 6: Many in Central Asia who count the cost and follow Christ experience persecution in many forms. They may lose their jobs, their spouse may abandon them, and many times they are ostracized from family and community. Some have experienced beatings, imprisonment, and even death. Pray for those who choose to follow Christ to not stumble and fall away when they encounter opposition. Pray their faith will be deeply rooted in Christ and they will persevere until the very end.