Prayer is a passion of mine.
It has been stirred up lately
through the book entitled,
“The Prayer of Petition”
by Jerry Savelle. Recently,
it seems every preacher
I listen to is teaching on
prayer. As a follower of
Jesus, I love to pray. It’s a
joy and a discipline.
Scanning my bookshelf,
I counted at least ten books
on this topic. Prayer is like
breathing for the Christian.
If we don’t breathe, we
don’t live. A Christian who
doesn’t pray is like a fish that
doesn’t swim. It is second-
nature, because we have a
new nature! 2 Corinthians
5:17….”old
things
are
passed away, behold all
things are become new.”
This new nature delights in
communing with God, and
conversing with Him.
By faith we gained
access to God’s kingdom,
likewise faith gives access
to the throne of grace.
“Let us draw near to God
with a true heart in full
assurance of faith”. Hebrews
10:22 “Let us come boldly
to the throne of grace...”.
Hebrews 4:16
"Prayer doesn’t make
faith work, FAITH makes
prayer work" (Bill Winston).
Faith is foundational. “For
without faith, no one can
please God, because the
one coming to God must
believe that he exists, and
he rewards those who come
seeking.” Hebrews 11:6 (The
Voice Bible).
Growing in this faith-
life, His desires become ours.
His revealed will is found
in scripture, as are many
prayers of Bible saints. My
conviction over recent years
is that the most effective way
to pray is to use God’s own
Words as found in the Bible.
Different
types
of
prayer exist; I will highlight
Prayers of Petition:
Philippians 4:6 “By
prayer and supplication
(petition) with thanksgiving,
let your request be made
known unto God”.
Jesus
taught
His
disciples how to pray. Within
the Lord’s Prayer, we find
worship and declaration.
“Our Father which art in
heaven, hallowed
be Thy Name!”
Also
petition,
“ T h y
k i n g d o m
come, Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven”.
Repentance and mercy are
at work with “Forgive us our
sins, as we forgive those who
have sinned against us”.
Paul writing on the
importance of being armed
for spiritual battle in
Ephesians 6:10-18. He likens
this to a wrestling match
in 6:12. (“Contending”)
In 6:18, “Stand therefore,
having tightened the belt
of truth around your loins.”
In context, this analogy
comes from the tunic worn
by a Roman soldier. Before
fighting, he would tie it
around the middle, so that
it no longer flapped freely
hindering his movements.
Truth is our belt. As we pray,
let us pray the truth! It will
hold us steady.
Ephesians 6:18 “Praying
always,” emphasizes the
regularity with which we
should pray. This is vital for
winning in life! Discovering
new things about prayer
energizes me! Seeing prayer
answered excites me! Can a
nation be changed in a day?
Yes! It can happen as we
pray! Start even today! Let’s
be a people
of Prayer!
Connecting Communities with Christian News |
April
2015
5
THE WELL NEWS
Prayer: The Christian’s Breath
by Rev. Audrey Simpson
Kathleen D. Mailer, affectionately known
around the world as the “International Business
Evangelist”. She passionately believes that her
business is her ministry. That contagious fire is
evident on every platform she speaks. Taking
care of ‘God’s ‘Family Business’ is her TOP
priority. It doesn’t matter if it’s on a stage in the
business world; from a pulpit in front of a church;
pouring out in leadership conferences; or sitting
in your living room. She and her husband
Dan believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, and
walk in the anointing of a five-fold ministry.
With everything she does - Author (37 Books),
Publisher (including International Today’s
Businesswoman Magazine), and soon to be Radio/
TV host – she believes that ‘those whom the Son
sets free or FREE indeed.” Her favorite scripture
and calling on her life is found in Luke:4:18, 19
NIV. Kathleen and her husband make their home
in Calgary, AB.
If you need a fresh word from God, this is
one night you won't want to miss. Come find a
powerful night of healing, anointing, impartation
and breakthrough.
SATURDAY MAY 23RD, 7:00 P.M. BELLA VISTA
CHURCH 4300 BELLA VISTA ROAD VERNON,
B.C. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE
CALL 250-545-7857.
Breaking Chains with KathleenMailer
Article Submitted
What is depression? When a person
feels hopeless, discouraged, sad, or
without direction, on a daily basis and
for an extended period of time, that
person may be depressed. Another
description is, “a normal reaction of our
mind and emotions under abnormally
difficult circumstances”. If a person says
they are depressed for 5 hours or 8 days,
this is not depression. Alsomany who are
depressed aren’t aware of it. This is their
normal way of living.
Many of the Bible characters we
admire struggled with what we now call
depression. The book of
Psalms is filled with that cry of pain.
Sometimes people say that those who
are depressed have a character weakness
and that it is something they should feel
ashamed of or guilty about. Neither is it
caused by lack of faith.
I should give a few areas of caution.
Firstly, this is just a brief introduction to
depression. Don’t diagnose depression
unless you have training and even if
you do, don’t diagnose it on yourself,
your family or friends. Don’t set a time
table for someone to recover. If a person
appears to be considering suicide, do get
help for them. If necessary call 911.
Many of us will experience
depression at sometime in our life. What
can a person do to come out of a longer
“down cycle” in life? Here are some
suggestions:
Sunshine – Ever notice how we feel
better on a sunny day? It works. Many
get down during our cloudy, socked in
winters. Getting out into the fresh air
each day definitely helps.
Exercise – Exercise isn’t just good
for our physical bodies, it improves our
mental health. Many people combine
sunshine and exercise by going for a
walk. In contrast, when some people are
in the cloud of depression, they don’t
get out. Rather they “hole up” inside and
keep their curtains closed.
Laughter - Laughing releases the
same chemicals into our body as exercise
and sunshine. Instead of focusing only
on our problems, sometimes a fun visit
with a friend or watching a comedy can
help.
Gratefulness – Depression can
change the focus in our lives to where
we see “mostly black.” To start listing
everythingwe are thankful for, can slowly
change this pattern. Keeping a journal of
gratefulness on a daily basis for at least
six weeks to 2 months usually produces
change. Many of the Psalms address
discouragement and then gently move
us to a place of worship and praise.
Forgiveness – Bitterness robs people
of more joy than almost anything I can
think of. I’ll write more about this next
time.
Counselling - When a person is
locked into a dark place, it sometimes
takes the encouragement of another
person for them to bring out the root
of the depression. Facing the event, the
pain or even abuse, instead of burying
it, can turn things around. This may be a
painful struggle.
Medication – What part does
medication play? It can enable a person
to take the necessary steps for healing.
A patient needs to be observed by their
family members and be in touch with
their doctor for any adverse reactions as
with all medication.
For an interesting exercise, read I
Kings 19. What brought Elijah to this
place of depression? How did the Lord
move him past it?
For further information you can
check out:
If
you have any questions or comments
please contact me, preferably by email.
Hellmut Noelle is a counsellor and
ordained pastor who practices in Vernon
Phone or text: 250-540-9471
Stuck with Depression
by Hellmut Noelle
