Goldworldpad: March 2017

Ever wondered why God doesn’t answer your prayers? Are you discouraged because you seem to get nothing out of your prayer life? I’ve been in that place before where doubted whether God was going to answer my prayers at all. However, thanks be to God for His word which assures us that He listens to and responds to our prayers.

In my personal prayer life, I’ve learnt some strategies that have helped me to grow in faith to trust God to answer my prayers. The following are 8 steps to receive answers to your prayers.

1. Identify what you need to pray about.

You need to identify what you pray about or are believing God for in prayer. If you pray about nothing in particular, that is what you’ll get, nothing. You won’t even be able to determine whether or not when God answers your prayer because you don’t know what you want.

2. Research scriptures to find out what God's word saying concerning that need.

After you have identified what you want, it is time to search the scriptures to find out what God’s word says about your situation or need.

3. Write down what the word of God has to say about it and personalise it

And then when have found out what His word says about your situation, it is now time to write down every scripture that says something about your situation. Personalise what the word of God has to say and replace the pronouns or names with yours.

4. Pray the word of God back to Him

Stand on the word of God to pray. Have faith in the word of God and pray as well as meditate on it until you catch a revelation from it. The Bible says in James 5:16 that “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Persevere in prayer.

5. Be specific in your prayer

When you pray, be specific. Don’t pray without focus but pray concerning the need or situation you have identified. For example, when you pray that God should bless Mr. A and Mrs. B, you have to be specific. What areas of their lives do they need to be blessed in? Identify that and specify it in prayer. When you’re specific in prayer, it will help you know when God answers your prayer.

6. Believe the word of God absolutely in faith

Hoping that God will answer your prayer isn't faith, but rather faith is knowing for sure that God has answered your prayers. Trust that God has answered for your prayers and thank Him for it as you wait for its manifestation. Receive whatever you have prayed for and by faith, see it accomplished.

7. Listen to God after you’ve prayed

Don’t pray and just leave the presence of God without listening to what He has to say. Prayer is communication with God, therefore, listen to what the Spirit of God ministers to you in prayer. Listen and act on whatever He tells you to do. He may ask you to sow a seed, reach out to someone or something else. Obey what He asks you to do and follow whatever guidance He gives you.

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How to deal with mental health and suicide

This is not one of my usual posts as it borders on an issue I haven't dealt with before on the blog. So, last month there was very sad and bad news. An 18-year-old girl hanged herself in her room at her hall of residence.

One of her roommates came back from lectures and found her dead, and hanging. She left a note apologising to her parents for not being the person they expected her to be. Now, what could have caused such a young girl to hang herself? She comes from an affluent family; her dad is even a member of parliament. The media loves to speculate and so they’ve cooked over a thousand and one reasons why she must have committed suicide. Then after week, another young female student in a different university jumps from the balcony of her room in the wee hours of the morning, committing suicide! Once again, no one knows why she did it. This was followed by another suicide! There has been much speculations and theories for why these young people resort to suicide.

However, this post isn't to discuss their stories or theories. Mental health is a subject that is shredded in superstition in my country, Ghana. Much attention isn't given to it. To most people, depression isn't even an ailment nor does it exist. They feel depression is a western thing not a Ghanaian or African thing. Yet, more and more young adults and adults suffer from depression. They're mentally and emotionally tormented.

Some even hear voices and can't seek the help they need because they’re taught to believe that though it isn't normal to feel depressed, there is no treatment. The country lacks psychologists and psychiatrists who can treat people suffering from depression. Though universities and senior high schools have counsellors they are not readily accessible. I was in the university for seven years; fours for my Bachelor's degree, one year as a teaching assistant and two years for a Masters of Philosophy Degree as well as a graduate assistant but never did I hear of the university counsellors! I know they are on campus but the majority of students don't know where to find them. Who knows, if these young girls had received counselling they may not have bought into the devil's lies and taken their own lives.

It's time as a nation and a people we take mental health seriously and started finding ways to provide treatment for those who need it. We mustn’t wait until more people kill themselves before we act! The time to act is now. I must say it saddens me when I see people with dementia abandoned on our streets. These people are also humans. They need to be catered for not left on their own to live in filth on our streets.

If you’re reading this and feel that everyone will be better off without you alive, I want you to know that this isn’t true. The families of these young people are in much pain and some carry the guilt of not having been able to stop their children from taking their own lives. Things don’t get better because you’re not around, in fact, they get worse. Don’t buy into the lies of the enemy. God loves you so much. Jesus came that you’ll have life more abundantly. The devil, on the other hand, has come to steal and to kill. Don’t buy into his lies. God isn’t mad at you and the world isn’t a better place without you. Know for sure that, your life matters to God and to those around you. Don’t give up on yourself, dig in your heels and seek for help. This one too shall pass, hold on and don’t give up. I’m praying for you that the peace of God which is beyond all understanding takes over your mind and envelopes your entire life. Remember God loves you and is rooting for you.

To all those you’re not going through this, together let's make a difference and help people with depression and dementia. Let them know that there is hope, they can be cured and made whole again. Be nice and kinder to people because you never know what they are going through and how your kindness would go a long way to impact them.

God is love therefore let’s live to love as His children who have been born by His Spirit.

Have you ever gone through a period of depression and hopelessness? How did you deal with it? Are going through anything right now? Share it so we can agree with you in prayer to over it.