This ministry is initiated by community members who are hungry for healing. These individuals seek out trained members of our prayer teams to journey with them. Together they invite God to shine His light on issues of woundedness and sin in their lives, and then pray through those issues accordingly. These wounds are usually uncovered as the person tries to live in obedience to God, and discovers that he/she struggles continually in his/her thought life, emotions, and/or behaviour. Prayer ministry is based on the understanding that God cares about the inevitable wounds and bondages present in our lives, He understands us completely, and is the best Counselor in guiding us to resolve these issues. Jesus tells us in the Bible in John 10:10 that a thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but Christ came that we might have life and have it to the full. A time of prayer ministry often involves repentance, confession, and forgiveness – these are keys God has given us to bring about emotional and spiritual healing.

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Usually, prayer ministry is a journey we take with 2-3 others. Prayer ministers commit to confidentiality as they join the person requesting ministry in: discerning what God is saying; sensing direction for prayer; and taking time to pray for, and wait on God with that person. Prayer ministry is NOT counseling, though spiritual counsel may be given. Prayer ministers are gifted and experienced in listening to God. They are not trained in psychological counseling. Therefore prayer ministry should not be seen as a substitute, but can rather be complementary to counseling or psychiatric treatment.

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Our prayer ministers are trained in different models within this healing/discipleship ministry.

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One tool we use is Neil Anderson’s "7 Steps to Freedom in Christ." This is a more comprehensive discipleship tool encourages the call of God toward holy living, and assists individuals by illuminating the importance of: only seeking spiritual wisdom through God’s word (biblical truth); being aware of the call of our culture into deception and ungodly practices; identifying our rebellion towards God and other God imposed authorities; forgiveness; overcoming fears; being released from generational sins and curses; addressing bondages which plague our lives.

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We also encourage those seeking an intense time of spiritual healing to attend ministry conferences put on by those at Wholeness Through Christ. This ministry is gentle and scriptural, and many of our community have benefited from it

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No matter what tool is used within prayer ministry, the person’s comfort level is what guides the session. He/she always has the freedom, and indeed the responsibility to say “that doesn’t seem right to me” or “I am not ready for that yet.” A person can only be healed or freed of that which they are ready to face and accept. God is gentle; He doesn’t give us more than we can handle. So choice is essential to the process of healing and growth.

 

TYPES OF PRAYER MINISTRY​

 

Freedom in Christ 7 Steps Program (www.ficm.ca)

(clicking Bible references will take you to BibleGateway in a new window)

The "7 Steps to Freedom" is a fairly comprehensive discipleship tool. It has been likened to a “spiritual house cleaning.” It begins with a very foundational spiritual cleansing checklist and works through areas of deception which are then replaced by biblical truths. It leads the disciple through an exercise in forgiveness, according to what they are wanting/willing to address. It offers an opportunity to address any rebellion which he/she may be struggling with and helps draw attention to areas where they may be, even unknowingly, struggling with pride. For those areas in which they experience the “vicious cycle of sin-confess-sin-confess” it presents an opportunity for confession of these struggles and equips the individual with accountability partners if they so choose, as God continues to work His cleansing power within us (1 John 1:9, James 5:16). Often a big part of our struggles in life, flow out of the bondage we have to fear. Many times a person will recognize things within the pages of this prayer ministry tool which they experience daily, but would never have put their finger on as a problem, or bondage in their life. This really is of no surprise as the bible tells us that our enemy “is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44), if we don’t know we have a problem, then he can keep us stuck in the mire of that problem indefinitely. The last step in the seven steps is asking God to reveal any types of generational sin which may be adversely affecting the person or their family (Exodus 20:4-6, Luke 6:40, 1 Peter 1:18).

 

Wholeness Through Christ (wholenessthroughchrist.com)

The “Wholeness Through Christ" method is more specific and focuses in on wounds, sins, bondages and perceived demonic influence. This method of ministry is less comprehensive, yet is very effective as a tool to maintain a lifestyle of freedom from sin. Many prayer ministers prefer this approach for its ease of use and application.

No matter what tool is used within ministry, the person’s comfort level is what guides the session. He/she always has the freedom, and indeed the responsibility to say “that doesn’t seem right to me” or “I am not ready for that yet.” A person can only be healed or freed of that which they are ready to face and accept. God is gentle; He doesn’t give us more than we can handle. So willingness is essential to the process of healing and growth.

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