The Salvation Army Spiritual Life Development, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London (2026)

10/09/2026

'Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.'
📖 Philippians 1:12

How can imprisonment further the gospel? Especially in Paul’s case, how can locking up a travelling evangelist advance the cause of God? Surely taking him out of circulation was only harming the gospel?

But Paul is able to see he has been given opportunities to preach the gospel that would not have been afforded to him had he remained in freedom on his missionary journeys. Prison officers and guards would have been required to ensure that Paul did not escape, and so he had chance to make clear to them why he was in chains, and this gave him the opportunity to further the gospel. This was a group of people that Paul might never have had the chance to share the gospel of Jesus with had he not been incarcerated.

Tom Wright reminds us that Paul’s story is not the only occasion in Scripture where the gospel has been furthered by imprisonment. Joseph, the arrogant teenager, became the wise interpreter of dreams while in prison. Daniel (Daniel 6) and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3) all took their chance to bear witness to God in the court of their respective kings as a result of being locked up.

While it is never desirable to face difficulties, clinging to God’s hand as we pass through them enables God to take hold of the situation for his glory. God never promises that we will not face trouble, but he does promise to be with us always, and if he is with us then anything can happen, including a good outcome from a bad situation.

➡ 'Advancing the gospel from prison' is today's extract from Words of Life - Joy to the World. Paul’s story reminds us that God can work through circumstances we would never choose or expect. Even in difficult places, he can open doors, create opportunities and bring good from what seems like a setback.

📖 Read the full reflection and continue journeying through Words of Life – Joy to the World on the YouVersion Bible App. Find encouragement for each day as we explore the joy of following Jesus:
🌐https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/76713 See less

09/09/2026

When you pray for other people, especially your friends and those you love, how do you determine what you will say to the Lord? Many of us resort to using the word ‘bless’, and some of us have found ourselves lost for the right words with which to frame our prayer. It can be difficult to articulate emotions and feelings that are deep within us.

Fortunately, God knows our frailty. He knows when we are lost for words – when we just don’t know what to say – and the Holy Spirit is able to intercede for us (Romans 8:26), covering our shortcomings.

Paul had had time in his prison cell to consider what he wanted to say in his prayer for the Philippians. He offers three main thrusts to his prayer. First, that their love might abound; second, that they may have discernment; and lastly, that they might remain blameless before the Lord. In many ways, it’s a beautiful prayer offered by someone who has taken time to ask himself, and the Lord, what his prayer should be.

When we come to pray for someone, and perhaps especially when we have the privilege of praying with them, spending some time considering what it is we want to articulate to the Lord on their behalf is a good start.

🙏 Lord Jesus, teach me how to pray and guide me in how to articulate the inner yearnings of my heart when I speak with you. Amen. 🙏

💖'Abounding love' is today's extract from Words of Life - Joy to the World. To read the full reflection, or catch up on other daily devotions from this series, head to the YouVersion Bible App:
🌐https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/76713

08/09/2026

Paul was a beneficiary of the generosity of the church in Philippi. When they heard he was in prison, they knew he would not be given food and so they collected money and sent Epaphroditus to help. Paul did not forget this kindness.

If you think to a time when someone has been especially generous to you, a few things will happen. Your heart will warm, you will probably start to smile, and your memories of that generosity will take you back to the moment you received it. This happened to Paul, and so every time he prayed while in prison and thought of the Philippians’ church, he prayed for them with joy in his heart for their ‘partnership in the gospel’ (v 5). By supporting him at his time of need, they were participating in his ministry and so were partners.

Obviously, not everyone can drop everything at home and go on a missionary journey, but when knowing of people who do that, and we offer practical and spiritual support while they are there, we are participating in the gospel with them. For four years, I served in a missionary setting and, as well as hearing from my family, there was a Salvationist who made contact with me every week. He is a partner in the gospel.

Paul had experienced the kindness and generosity of the Philippians’ church and he had not forgotten it or taken it for granted, so he prayed with joy for his partners in the gospel.

Who are the people who, by their generosity towards you, cause you to pray with joy? How can you mirror that generosity either back to them or on to someone else? 🤔

👉'Praying with joy' is today's extract from Words of Life - Joy to the World. Available soon on the YouVersion Bible App.

07/09/2026

This week, we pray for the Canada & Bermuda Territory. The leaders of this territory have shared the following points to guide us as we pray:

Pray that the territory will be Holy Spirit led as we give our focused attention to achieving our strategic objectives of ‘Jesus Centered – Others Focused’ in the advancement of the mission.

Pray that we would continue to realise the beautiful impact of the spring 2026 visit of our International Leaders, General & Commissioner Buckingham, as we celebrate the quiet revival that we thank the Lord, is underway.

We continue to pray for the harvest as souls are being saved, discipleship is taking place and members are being made.

Pray for response and availability in answering the call of God to fulltime ministry and service.

We pray for God’s leading in our prayer & preparation for the Global Holiness Event 14-16 May 2027.

Pray for discernment in choosing God’s representatives and influencers for the upcoming International Youth Congress in July 2027

🌍 Find out more about The Salvation Army in Canada & Bermuda and our international prayer focus for each week at: salvationarmy.org/prayer-focus

06/09/2026

🌿Today is Creation Sunday🌿

Creation Sunday is a time to celebrate God as Creator, give thanks for his creation, and renew our commitment to care for the world he has entrusted to us.

We serve a creative God, and because we're made in his image, we were created to create.

As we reflect on the beauty of God's creation, we're reminded that every gift, talent, and passion can be used to reveal his goodness and bring hope to others. Whether you create with your words, your hands, your music, your leadership, or your generosity, your life can reflect the Creator.

'For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.' 📖 Ephesians 2:10

Let's honour the Creator by stewarding his creation, using our gifts faithfully, and living in a way that reflects his love. 🌍🙏🫶

04/09/2026

We consider further the thought that we are already holy people. God made us holy at the moment of our salvation, but at times we fall short in our attitudes, behaviours and words.

All of Paul’s letters, apart from Galatians, begin with a reference to the people being saints or holy. Those that do not specifically mention it at the start of the letter have holy living referred to almost immediately afterwards. Only in Galatians, where the church had taken on false doctrines and been led astray, does Paul not call the Christians ‘saints’.

You are a saint and you are a holy person if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Your words, actions and thoughts may not always be those of holy people, but you have been made holy because of Jesus’ death on the Cross. He made you holy and he calls you to be holy; to live your life increasingly under the example of Jesus.

Holiness is about separation: stepping away from sin and moving towards God. As we live in holiness, we strive to separate ourselves from sinful words, actions and behaviour, and become more like Jesus.

We don’t grow into holiness; we grow in holiness because we have already been made holy. In the same way we don’t swim into water, we must be in the water already to swim in it. So, we are made holy by Jesus and then we live in holiness, seeking to become more and more like him.

Find joy in being a holy person. Savour this thought today and remind yourself that you have been made holy, and as such you are one of the saints in the place where God has put you.

👉'Holy People' is today's extract from Words of Life - Joy to the World. Holiness is not about being perfect; it is about belonging to Jesus and allowing him to shape us each day. You have been made holy in Christ... now live in that holiness with joy.

📖Keep growing in faith with Words of Life – Joy to the World, alongside many more free Bible plans and devotionals on the YouVersion Bible App:
🌐www.bible.com/organizations/7b70eb21-6072-4b74-8fa3-b5b0346ac4d3

03/09/2026

'Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons...'
📖 Philippians 1:1

Paul writes to saints – people who are holy in Christ Jesus. There’s almost an unintentional touch of humour right at the start of this letter, as he addresses it to ‘all God’s holy people’ and then acknowledges the ‘overseers and deacons’ separately, almost as if they were not included in the ‘holy people’ reference. However, this was not Paul’s meaning or intention. He was determined that they were all seen within this overall title of ‘holy’ because of their steadfast determination to keep and grow the faith.

The believers at Philippi were called ‘holy people’ because they had been saved by Jesus under the teaching of Paul. However, in case this causes any of us to feel less than holy because of our behaviour, holy is the state all believers step into by trusting in Jesus. Holy in the sense of Christian living does not mean angelic perfection. Of course, we have been cleansed from our past sins and been made new by the work of Jesus in our hearts, but just because we, at the point of salvation, become dead to sin, this does not mean that sin becomes dead to us.

Satan does not stop putting temptation in our way just because we have given our lives to Jesus – in fact, he redoubles his efforts to draw us away from our intention of living for the Lord, and so we should expect temptations to come our way. We strive for behavioural perfection, but inevitably we will fail. Paul speaks about it in Romans 7:15-25, and if he struggled with sin then it stands to reason that we will too.

👉'For all the Saints' is today's extract from Words of Life - Joy to the World. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t mean we never struggle; it means we belong to him and are continually being shaped by his grace.

📖 Continue discovering God's Word with Words of Life – Joy to the World, and explore more daily devotionals, Bible reading plans and reflections from The Salvation Army on the YouVersion Bible App - all available for free:
🌐www.bible.com/organizations/7b70eb21-6072-4b74-8fa3-b5b0346ac4d3

02/09/2026

'It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart...' 📖 Philippians 1:7

Paul wrote the letter to the church in Philippi from prison in either Caesarea or Rome around 30 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Philippi was the first city in Europe to respond to the gospel (see Acts 16), when Paul and others brought the story of Jesus there.

While confined to prison, it was unlikely that you would be fed unless people helped you, and the Philippians did just that for Paul. The church there had sent Epaphroditus to try to support Paul when it was discovered he had been imprisoned. Epaphroditus took with him a gift of money, and he stayed around to try to be as helpful as possible.

Philippi was seen by many as a miniature replica of Rome. Its layout, customs and other arrangements reflected that great city, and it was situated on a main highway that connected Eastern areas with Rome, so there were regular visitors passing through Philippi from and to Rome.

Epaphroditus was taken ill while he was in Rome, caring for Paul. In fact, he became so unwell that some thought he might die. When word of his sickness reached the church in Philippi, there was great anxiety and distress. We will see later that Paul was keen to send Epaphroditus back to Philippi to enable his recovery.

Paul loved the Christians in Philippi. His letter to them is one of joy, packed with warmth and affection. The people there had clearly won his heart and so, even from his prison cell, he experienced deep joy in his soul when he thought of them. He goes so far as to tell the Philippians that it is perfectly right for him to feel this joy towards them.

➡ 'A joyful church' is today's extract from Words of Life - Joy to the World. Paul’s words remind us of the joy found in Christian fellowship... encouraging, supporting, and praying for one another through every season.

📖 Continue reading on the YouVersion Bible App:
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01/09/2026

'I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.' 📖 Philippians 1:3-6

As we embark upon this new book to take us to the end of 2026, I hope you will find much joy in the readings set out within these pages. Sometimes, it will be necessary to remain in one paragraph of Scripture for several days, but the intention is to better acquaint us with the words.

The walk of a Christian disciple can at times be tough, and there are hard knocks that come along the way, but the Christian faith is meant to be a journey that is full of joy. There is much about Christian discipleship that brings or causes joy within us.

Over the next few days, we will look at Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. This is a letter of joy. Paul celebrates the faithfulness of the Christians in Philippi, he encourages them to keep on in the faith, and he calls for them to follow his own example.

In the early verses of the first chapter, we see Paul declaring how thankful he is for the church in Philippi; so much so, that he thanks God for them every time he thinks of them. What do you thank God for each time your thoughts turn to your own church or corps? Who are the people who bring joy to you each time you think of them? What is it about them that causes you to be filled with joy?

As we begin this journey through Philippians together, let us thank God for the people who bring joy and energy to our lives. They have been placed there by God to contribute to the life of the Church (just as you have), and they are clearly fulfilling that function within your congregation effectively.

➡ 'Joy to the world' is our is the first reflection in the new Words of Life series, Joy to the World. Join us as we journey through Philippians together, discovering the joy, hope, and encouragement found in God's Word. Read the series for free on the YouVersion Bible App:
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The Salvation Army Spiritual Life Development

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