Western Australia health authorities approved 76 late-term abortions last year, but new legislation being introduced to parliament will allow abortions up to birth. All that will be needed is a second doctor agreeing the abortion is justified. 71 of the abortions last year were for suspected Down’s Syndrome. On the first day of parliament this year the premier said his government will ‘modernise Australian abortion laws, making safety, privacy and dignity an absolute right’. Many have now signed a petition calling on the government to show Western Australia has compassion for both pregnant mothers and unborn children, and to ensure that any purported modernisations of the law include ending the disability discrimination that has seen so many lives taken of those with Down’s Syndrome. They want the legislative council to ensure the safety, privacy and dignity of unborn children suspected of having the syndrome. See also

They fled war and violence to find safety. They lost their homes, family members, neighbours and friends. They live in makeshift shelters, not knowing when they’ll be able to return home. In Yemen, millions are trapped in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, hoping for a better future. Abidah said, ‘We fled Hudaydah because the war was affecting my daughter. The sounds of rockets hitting the port terrified her. She screamed and could not stop. Now we’re in Aden, she has started talking again.’ An elderly father of ten said, ‘The war made us lose our humanity and value. Life in Aden’s camp is tiring. But complaining to someone other than God is humiliating. We have no future, it’s gone. I hope for a future for our children.'Thousands of children have been killed or maimed since the conflict began. Thousands more have been recruited into the fighting. Years of conflict, misery and grief have left millions in need of mental health and psychosocial services.

An event inspired by the Jesus Revolution film depicting  a time in the 60s and 70s when young people turned to Christ in droves was recreated on 2 July. Thousands of people lined the stony pathways leading to California’s Pirates Cove beach to be baptised. Then the queue slowed down as an older gentleman took longer to descend the stairs to publicly express his commitment to the Lord. It was a moment the 85-year-old atheist’s family thought would never happen. Yet his eternal decision was confirmed as he joined a massive baptism of 4,166 people, and may this older man’s story remind us to never stop praying for the lost.

Video footage of Tabitha Nazir Gill, a Christian nurse, being beaten up by colleagues went viral in 2021 after she was accused of breaking Pakistan’s penal code by insulting Mohammed, a crime which carries the death sentence. She went into hiding as police investigations continued. Later she said, ‘The mob wanted to kill me but I kept praying to Jesus and I opened my eyes and  felt I saw angels. From that moment I knew that I would be saved. I am thankful to Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God, for giving me my freedom. Jesus is mighty to save.’ She thanked God for those who had secured her safe passage out of Pakistan, including ‘the miracle’ of being granted an immigrant visa to a new country in the West, which cannot be disclosed for safety reasons.

The polls say politicians are incompetent, and people are losing hope that they will fix the issues besetting us. Politicians tend to look to the next day's headlines, seeking quick fixes that will boost poll ratings rather than setting out sound strategies that may not reveal benefits immediately. We've all heard of the acronym NIMBY, but perhaps the blight of political leadership is NIMTO: Not in My Term of Office. We can pray for God to raise up a generation of leaders for such a time as this - men and women who are not affected by ‘NIMTO’-ism, people prepared to look at the details and discuss the complexity and costs, people who are able to sell the long term benefits to a population that is losing faith in everything.

The fire that fell on Pentecost was Holy Spirit fire. We can ask Father God to pour His Holy fire over us today, so that Jesus has complete lordship over all His churches. Father God, please raise up ministers who have gone through your Spirit’s cleansing fire. Refine them as gold is refined, purify them as silver is purified, and may all they do glorify You. Father God, bring about Your purposes for all your people, create a church that resists temptations of good ideas or worldly wisdom and chooses to call on you for the vast wisdom and strength You promise to all who ask in Jesus’s name. May we reflect the unity of Your Spirit according to Jesus’s prayer, ‘The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one’ (John 17:22-23).

The following is for our economy, elections, and transformation. Proverbs 11:14 says that where there is no wise, intelligent, guidance, the people go off-course like a ship without a helm. But with wise and godly counsellors there is victory. We pray wise and Godly counsel for all those making policy decisions at this time, whether in Parliament, the Bank of England, the Health Service or any sphere of influence in our land; for those deciding whether to stand down in the next general election, and also those of God’s people considering standing for the first time; and over the London mayoral elections in 2024. We decree and declare that success is found by those who welcome Godly counsel. Lord God, we ask that across this nation, from the corridors of power to families struggling with issues of finance, children or marriage, the cry for Godly wisdom and advice will arise; and as that cry rises Godly advisors, carrying revelatory wisdom will be positioned in every section of society.

Christian churches and charities say the government’s Illegal Migration Bill is ‘senselessly cruel’ and will have a ‘devastating impact’ on lives. Almost 300 civil society groups and charities have signed a statement expressing concern over the Bill which will now become law after ministers overruled a series of House of Lords challenges. The bill will make claiming asylum in the UK via irregular routes illegal and pushes forward the plan to deport asylum seekers to third countries, including the planned Rwanda partnership. It turns our country’s back on people seeking safety, blocking them from protection, support, and justice, at a time that they need it most. It risks breaching international human rights treaties such as the Refugee Convention, while shielding the Government from accountability. The Government admits it cannot confirm if the act is compatible with our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says unclear pricing could hamper people's ability to compare products, and has told supermarkets to make their pricing clearer to help shoppers find the best deals. Retailers should make the necessary changes or risk facing enforcement action. The watchdog also called on the Government to bring in reforms to tighten the law. Under current rules, most products should be priced per unit either by kilogram or by litre. But the CMA found examples of retailers using grams and millilitres. In some instances, the same type of product, such as liquid laundry detergent, was priced per unit using different metrics, making it hard for shoppers to compare prices on a like-for-like basis. Pray for these changes to help those who cannot travel to large stores or shop online, so they must rely on higher-priced convenience stores.

The Diocese of St Albans has reported, ‘We have been informed of the resignation of Canon Mike Pilavachi from his employment at Soul Survivor Watford, and want to stress that a safeguarding investigation will continue in line with House of Bishops guidance. We will continue to listen to and offer support to those who come forward.’ The joint investigation is being run by the diocese  and the National Safeguarding Team, independently of Soul Survivor. The Church Times reported Matt Redman speaking of ‘harmful behaviour by church leadership’ and in Premier Christian News Matt said he spent years healing from his time at Soul Survivor. The Telegraph reported the Church’s abuse investigation as ‘toothless’, with no power to punish preachers. There are a number of current abuse scandals leaving a trail of destruction across the church.