February Prayer Update

Many apologies about how late my prayer update is this month.

Writing a prayer letter is a useful way to reflect on how God is working in my life. In many ways, January was a humbling month. It's been a month in which there have been many ups and downs with my levels of happiness. And it's been a month in which I've come face-to-face with my need to depend on God. It's a lesson I'm trying to learn, but not really succeeding at the moment.

Over the last month I've been confronted in various ways with feelings of inadequacy. I've realised that I have a lot to learn if I'm going to be in ministry and be effective. I've been confronted with how unrefined my skills and gifts are, if they are there at all. This is a useful process - one of the aims of this period in my life is to ascertain whether or not I am suitable for ministry.

I've also become more aware of the sinfulness of my heart.

In the middle of this, sadly, reflecting on this last month has helped to realise that when faced with these feelings I am slow to turn to God. Feelings of inadequacy in some ways are a helpful thing - if they cause me to lean harder on God. Please pray that that is what they'd do, rather than just feeling sorry for myself.

Anyway, there you go! Some honest reflections from the last month! I hope they help you to pray in a more informed way.

One thing that has been really encouraging over this last month has been having the chance to spend some time in Ephesians. What an amazing book! Have a read - you won't be disappointed! Thank God for how he's encouraged me and challenged me through this. And please pray that as I continue to teach through it - doing bits and bobs in sermons and in youth group - the word would impact me, and that God would speak through me to those I'm teaching.

There's nothing really out of the ordinary happening in the next month. But please continue to pray for my ongoing work with the young people, students and then among the wider church. And please pray for me as I study each week on the ministry training course, and then in my personal study too.