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OVERCOMING DEPRESSION!
#21
Happy new month pastor. God Almighty will continue to elevate you and your family in Jesus name. AMEN
 
#22
Quote:(2 hours ago ) Godreignssupreme [ 0 ]
Happy new month pastor. God Almighty will continue to elevate you and your family in Jesus name. AMEN

You are bless, and all in jesus name.


Happy new month to you too.


Bless you.
 
#23
A NEW WAY TO PRAY
All prayer should be born out of relationship – and prayer for healing is no exception. However, all too often our prayers consist of bringing our needs to God without first taking time to build up our relationship with Him. When things seem particularly bleak, this becomes our focus and we pray about our concerns: ‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7). However there may be a more encouraging way to pray. At The Christian Healing Mission, we have discovered that as we seek healing for ourselves and for others, a relationship with God is so important. We have been learning to pause before we pray for anything at all and to do two things: to worship Father God for his love, and to find the presence of Jesus. Depression can make it so hard to feel loved, but throughout the Bible we are assured that we are deeply loved by Father God. It is a matter of taking this truth seriously and choosing to worship and thank our heavenly Father for his love, whether or not we feel it. Another truth is Jesus’ promise that He will always be with us (Matthew 28:20). We know this but it is possible to take this truth a step further and actually experience something of His presence. A question we often ask is this: ‘Where is Jesus for you right now?’ It is not about ‘feeling’ the presence of Jesus, but more about having an awareness of Him and as people engage with this, they often have a sense of Him with them in some way. Taking time to focus on His presence brings Jesus close; a glimmer of hope in the darkness.
HOW DOES HEALING COME?
It is at this point that we begin to pray about our concerns and ask for healing, be it for depression or any other sickness. It is far more natural to speak to Jesus about the pain now that He is close and we are reminded of just how deeply we are loved. The whole shape of our prayers has changed, with the focus now firmly on the love and closeness of God, rather than the darkness and hurt.


WE ARE DEEPLY LOVED BY FATHER GOD. IT IS A MATTER OF TAKING THIS TRUTH SERIOUSLY


Out of his love, God has given us various ways to bring us out the darkness of depression ; the gift of medicine, a miraculous healing touch, the wisdom of a counsellor, the prayers of others and the patience of a loving friend. All of these are God’s loving provision for us. Yet there is even more: by choosing to spend time in truth seriously and choosing to worship and thank our heavenly Father for his love, whether or not we feel it. Another truth is Jesus’ promise that He will always be with us (Matthew 28:20). We know this but it is possible to take this truth a step further and actually experience something of His presence. A question we often ask is this: ‘Where is Jesus for you right now?’ It is not about ‘feeling’ the presence of Jesus, but more prayer, we are inviting Jesus Himself to walk by our side on this healing journey.
 
#24
PRAISE INSTEAD OF DESPAIR

I've had a tendency towards melancholy for as long as I can remember, starting right back in my childhood. I became a Christian in my early twenties and even though it was quite a dramatic conversion, it didn’t stop the sadness, confusion and even rage within me. I met my husband Paul while I was on antidepressants, and I came off them a year later, a couple of months before we got married. I have been advised numerous times since then to go back on antidepressants, and at one point I carried a prescription around in my pocket for weeks. But each time I came close, the bottom line I always came back to was this: These drugs are not going to heal me. They might take the edge off for a while, but only God can heal me. And He did. It wasn’t what I expected. If I had been the boss of my own healing it probably would have been a zap-pow, I-now-pronounce-you-depression-free kind of a thing. We all long for a shortcut out of suffering. But God did something much better. When Paul and I had been married a couple of months, I was walking in our local park, and I was in a bad way. Deeply troubled, really lost in darkness. That day, God spoke clearly to my spirit: ‘Do not be afraid. The fullness of your healing will come through pregnancy and motherhood.’ I was delighted about this. Full healing sounded great. And so did motherhood. Bring it on! It wasn’t until four years later that I became pregnant for the first time. And those four years were still spent in varying degrees of depression. There were plenty of times when I had angrily doubted and questioned what I’d heard. Then, when I did finally find out I was pregnant, I assumed this was the fulfillment of God’s promise. But again, it wasn’t to be the way I had imagined. At the 12-week scan we discovered that the baby had no heartbeat. We then went on to have two further miscarriages. It was tough, and at the time I just couldn’t see how it matched up with God’s promise. But God’s Word tells us that He is close....
 
#25
'THE HOLY SPIRIT SHOWED ME A NEW WAY TO LIVE"


....to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). And during those pregnancies and miscarriages I found His closeness in a new way; my roots went down deeper, into the truth of who He is. And so His promise stood firm: healing was coming, even through those losses. And then, finally, came motherhood. When my daughter Anna arrived, it was like she opened up a door to life and love and joy in a way that I hadn’t known before. My heart was softening. God was at work, just as He had promised. But I was still a long way from being free from depression. I still woke every day in a dark pit of despondency. Each morning I had to trudge out of it, and each day was a huge effort to not slip right back in. And many days I didn’t manage very well at all. It was two years later, now with two children and still in a place of deep depression that God spoke to me through the scriptures in a way that truly transformed my life: ‘Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near Your altar…’ (Psalm 84:3). Through this scripture, the Holy Spirit showed me a new way to live: build my home and raise my family close to Him, at his altar. I asked God about this, and He showed me two things that take place at an altar: sacrifice and praise. So I began to practice turning my dark thoughts into praise, taking delight in the sacrificial giving and serving of motherhood. For me, this was not an effort of the will (although effort and choice are involved) but a work of God that I was joining in with. In no way would I say that sufferers of depression should be able to ‘snap out of it’ by an effort of the will. But in my experience, a choice must be made to praise instead of to despair, and that each time we make that choice, a new way is carved out in our mind and spirit, and we grow stronger. Equally, when I speak about learning and choosing to praise God, I am not saying it lightly. It is not a superficial response to a real problem. I believe it is the only real and right response. When we are lost in depression we are not free to give glory to God the way that we are made to. This truth has delivered me out of that prison of despair – where the only thing I was really connected to was my own sorrow – and into the wide open spaces of understanding that my life is not about me but about Him, ‘for the display of His splendour’ (Isaiah 61:3).


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#26
Your 28 Days of Change

God’s spirit is in you and... ‘He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’

It takes time to change long-standing thought patterns, habits and behaviour. We need to keep coming before God in our brokenness and asking for His help. The rest of this Overcoming booklet is designed to help bring you before God for the next 28 days – to learn from His wisdom in His Word and to access His healing power through prayer. Make a decision to set aside the time each day to read and respond in prayer. Don’t worry if you miss a day or two, just pick up wherever you left off. Keep a notebook and pen nearby to jot down anything that occurs to you while you read, or quotes that inspire you to think differently. Trust that God will speak to you personally about your healing over the coming weeks. Remember, Jesus is on your side, willing you to succeed. Right now, He is praying to the Father on your behalf. God’s Spirit is in you, and ‘He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’ (1 John 4:4).


....
 
#27
Your 28 Days of Change
'I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation’ Philippians 4:12 TLB

DAY 1
THE RECIPE FOR BEING HAPPY


IN ‘WHAT HAPPY PEOPLE KNOW’, Dr. Dan Baker writes: ‘The man in front of me seemed to have it all; money, freedom, friends and family. But he didn’t have the one thing he wanted most – ‘happiness’. His home life would horrify most people: alienated kids, a wife who resented his obsession with work, no time to kick back. His biggest concern: ‘Keeping what I’ve got.’ Sound familiar? Maybe you’re reading this thinking, ‘Yeah, but that doesn’t apply to me. In his situation I know I could be happy!’ But it does apply to you! The road to happiness is filled with pot-holes and one of the biggest of them is that the very things we think will feed our souls, end up feeding our fears, stressing us out and making happiness elude us. Paul says, ‘I’ve found the recipe for being happy… whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it [because of my relationship with Christ]’ (Philippians 4:12 TM). Happiness isn’t about being on an emotional high all the time and never feeling down. And it doesn’t change with circumstances. Paul says in essence, ‘I can make it because I’ve a life-giving relationship with One who gives me the courage, love and fulfilment I need each day.’ Happiness also involves: a) taking responsibility for your own actions b) realising that life is precious and maximising every moment of it. Over the next few days we’ll examine some ‘happiness traps’. Each one is uniquely seductive and has been capturing people for thousands of years. So read on..

Prayer Point - God is bigger ;
Almighty and everlasting God, You created all things, and You hold all of creation together. When the troubles in my life seem like mountains, and the waves of depression seem set to overwhelm me, help me remember that You are bigger than the tallest mountain and stronger than the most powerful wave. I thank You that You are bigger than depression, and that You can carry me through It


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#28
Find something to praise God for
DAY 2
'If anything is praiseworthy... think about such things’ Philippians 4:8 NIV


GENERAL ROBBIE RISNER described the seven years he spent as a prisoner of war as ‘the essence of despair.’ He said, ‘If you could have squeezed the feeling out of the word despair, it would have come out lead-coloured, dingy and dirty.’ What’s amazing is how he survived. He pried the cover off a floor drain in his cell and lowered his head into the opening. There he noticed a solitary blade of grass, the only smidgeon of colour in his colourless world. Calling it a blood transfusion for the soul, Risner began each day in prayer, lying on the floor of his cell with his head down the vent, focused on that single blade of grass. Jesus said, ‘Your eye... provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness’ (Matthew 6:22-23 NLT). What are you looking at? Each day you get to decide where you’ll focus. And you won’t have to look hard to find things to complain about: war, petrol prices, the economy, global warming, and crime. God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed in the Garden of Eden, but they chose to focus on the one thing they couldn’t have. He divided the Red Sea, sent signs to guide the Israelites in the wilderness and provided food so they’d never go hungry. Initially, ‘They... sang His praise. But... soon forgot what He had done’ (Psalm 106:12-13 NIV). Don’t be like that. The Bible says, ‘If there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.’ Surely you can find something to praise God for today!
 
#29
DAY 3
Try God’s way!


Trust in the Lord... lean not on your own understanding.’ Proverbs 3:5 NIV'

EVER WATCH SOMEONE learning to get around on crutches? What a struggle! Sometimes you f ind them trying to balance on one leg, or resting a hundred feet down the street, their hands raw and sore. Leaning on crutches can be exhausting; so can leaning on your own understanding. If you want things to go badly for you, exclude God. Try working things out using only your own best judgement. When you hit a brick wall, try something else. When that gets you nowhere, resort to logic, then panic. The truth is some of us act as though we’re addicted to anxiety. We’ve been living this way so long, we’re not capable of seeing it or acknowledging it. When one worry is gone we put another one in its place. We have a line of them at our door, because the sign reads ‘All welcome!’ It’s like we enjoy entertaining them, but Jesus said they’re a waste of life and energy. They keep you so focused on what you want, or what you’re afraid of losing, that you don’t have time to enjoy what you have (Matthew 6:25). That’s no way to live! Instead of worrying, begin living by this Scripture: a) ‘Do not worry about anything’ b) ‘pray and ask God for everything you need’ c) ‘always giving thanks’ d) ‘God’s peace... will keep your hearts and minds‘ (Philippians 4:6-7 NCV). Go ahead; try God’s way!


Prayer Point - Jesus present in depression

Jesus, You came to live in our broken world, to be with us in our pain and to show us hope. Thank You for being willing to experience the depths of sorrow with me. The enemy of my soul may tell me I am alone in that place, but Your Word tells me You are with me. Please help me to ignore his lies, and to know that You are there
 
#30
DAY 4
Under Pressure

'We are pressed... but not... crushed’ 2 Corinthians 4:8 NIV'



DO YOU FEEL like you’re in a tunnel with no way out? Rejoice; you’re positioned for a miracle! Paul said, ‘We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed... but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.’ A certain amount of pressure is necessary to release our faith and God knows exactly how much to apply. He allows us to get to where: a) We’ve exhausted our own resources. b) We’re tired of satan stealing what God says is ours. c) The opinions of others no longer control us. It’s the place Hannah found herself in when she prayed in the temple, ‘In distress of soul... and weeping bitterly’ (1 Samuel 1:10 AMP). She was under such pressure because of her childless state that when she began to unburden herself before God, the church hierarchy thought she was drunk. But when you’re desperate, you’re not overly concerned about blowing the minds of religious onlookers; your only concern is touching the heart of God. With God there are no hopeless situations, just people who’ve grown hopeless about them. Real faith comes into its own when push collides with shove. After all, you don’t need God to part the Red Sea when there are bridges all around, right? It’s when there’s nothing you can do to avoid the inevitable, that you start trusting God to do the impossible! So the crisis you’re experiencing today could be a blessing in disguise; an opportunity to experience a greater degree of His power at work in your life.