Have you ever wondered why some things you have asked God for never seem to come to pass?

The fall term at the local Bible College will start in a few days, and I will be teaching the second year core ministry course on Signs, Wonders and Revivals. The course covers some of the most fascinating and challenging areas of Christendom. I have experienced signs and wonders myself. I have seen several miracles happen in my own life. I have prayed for miracles to happen for others and have seen them come to pass. I witnessed the miraculous healing of a close relative in 1970 at a church meeting in Toronto, Canada. Moreover, I am one of those people who has been slain in the Spirit, fallen backwards and landed on the floor when a minister prayed for me. Indeed this has happened several times and with different ministers, one of whom was a female evangelist with the gift of Healing.

And yet with all that first hand experience and even teaching the subject, I still wonder about some of the things I see on television and in person when it comes to healing. I wonder about the healings that are claimed to have occurred, and if they are real. I wonder why them and not me? My late son-in-law went to every kind of healer including bathing in the waters at Lourdes in France, as he fought multiple myeloma for nearly five years before succumbing to that terrible disease. He became a Christian one glorious Easter morning two years before he died, but he died, and all our prayers and his efforts were seemingly to no avail. He was too young to die, there was so much to live for, it seemed so unfair, but he is gone.

Image: Gabriel Cox

How about other things aside from healing, things like unanswered prayers? I decided back in November 1995 that I would pray everyday about two things I wanted to come to pass. That now translates into almost six years of daily focused praying, but so far nothing has happened to even indicate that my prayers did anything more than bounce off the ceiling if they got that far. No answers! It seems so unreasonable, I don’t understand why it has to be this way, and sometimes I get to feeling sorry for myself over those unanswered requests. I think of the story Jesus told about the poor widow lady who went to the unjust judge with her request over and over again until she wore him down. I feel like I have surely exceeded her efforts–but unlike the story, I still have no relief.

How long, O Lord, How long?

The prophet Habakkuk asked the Lord, “How Long?” In the end, Habakkuk wrote that he had decided to praise the Lord and live for Him no matter what was wrong. God gave him deer’s feet so he could climb above it all and live up in the high places rather than in the daily fray–that if not managed well can consume us all. How about you? Are you feeling sorry about your plight? Are you asking “How Long?” Are you endeavoring in prayer? The answer is simple. We are to keep on doing what we know we should do. Do not give up. We certainly do not know the mind of the Lord or His timing. But we must hold on to Him with unshakable trust. What we think is the best maybe is not the best. Trust your God more than your idea of what is best. It is just that easy, even if we, like my son-in-law, have to die in the process. God’s plan is better than ours.

This article by Pastor Mur first appeared in the September 2001 issue of Pneuma Informer published by the Pneuma Foundation. Later included in the Fall 2025 issue.

Our Father, in whom is the fullness of light

Instill within us the passion for liberty;

Make us willing to learn to fight

For the passion to lead your people to victory.

Inspire us to seek deeper levels of understanding,

Enlightened by Your Spirit of grace,

Obedience to Your Will and Law notwithstanding,

Until we reach the end of our race.

Be with us in remembrance of 911;

Guide the survivors to know your ways;

Grant next of kin hearts filled with love,

As their guiding principle all of their days.

Show us what is best for those whom we lead.

With a sense of duty to You and our country;

And as Your Word instructs which we do read,

We give You thanks for keeping us free! Amen.

Here is a woman from a Hindu background now passionately serving Jesus Christ. PneumaReview.com has the privilege to introduce you to Evangelist Dr. Esther Shekher and let her tell us about her ministry and her book, All the Commandments of God: Find Out the Secret to Inherit All the Blessings of God (Westbow, 2013).

PneumaReview.com: Please tell us about your ministry.

Esther V. Shekher: Calling of God…I am a Medical Doctor and a full time Missionary & Evangelist for the past 11 years. In 1989, the Lord, in His grace, enrolled me in His School of Training. He prepared me by taking me through numerous trials, especially the four major tests, namely, Character Test, Obedience Test, Word Test and Faith Test for the next 14 years. The tests got tougher and tougher and finally, to be honest before God, I felt like I was taking Ph.D. level tests in these four spiritual areas. Only by the grace of God, I could pass these tests according to God’s standard of righteousness. All glory to God!

Ministry Highlights

• Pastors’ Conferences…The Lord said to me, after preparing me for His calling for many years, in 2010, “Now you are worthy to preach to the Pastors and Believers of nations around the world.” The Lord Himself opened up opportunities for me to speak in Pastors’ Conferences. I ended up speaking in 35 Pastors’ Conferencesincluding National Chinese Pastors’ Conferences, National Methodist Pastors’ Conferences, AG Pastors’ Fellowships, etc., across Asia.
• I also spoke in numerous Churches of all denominations, Bible College, Prayer Revival Conferences, Women’s Meetings, Youth Camps, Rural Outreach, etc., in 5 nations – Malaysia, Singapore, USA, India and Sri Lanka, strengthening the believers and winning the lost to Christ. Praise be to God!
• Set up “Christ Rules Ministries” in 2008…The Lord enabled me to establish “Christ Rules Ministries” in 2008 to raise up fervent Intercessors and worthy Laborers for the Kingdom of God to win the lost souls to Christ.
• Established International Prayer Network (IPN) in 2010…The Lord gave me a divine strategy to start prayer cells through International Prayer Network (IPN) which I started in 2010 to intercede for the Salvation of every lost soul in Americaand in every other nation of the world. With the help of the Pastors and believers, so far, by God’s grace, I have started more than 7000 Prayer Cells in five different nations, namely, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, USA, India including Andaman Islands.
• TV Ministry: My TV messages are being aired on 2 television networks which cover more than 110 nations around the world.
• TV Ministry in USA in 2015:
  • Interview with Shana on Atlanta’s 57 WATC TV, Georgia on June 10, 2015.
  • Interview with Arthelene Rippy, Christian Television Network, Florida on June 15, 2015.
  • Interview with Dorothy and Russell, By the Book TV, WBPI, in Augusta, Georgia on June 26 and June 30, and on August 20, 2015.
  • Interviewed on August 19, 2015 on WGGS, Dove Broadcasting TV, Greenville, South Carolina.
• Prayer Ministry in USA…Since 2012, I have been preaching in several Churches in Stockton, Hayward, Galt and Bay Area in Northern California, and in Georgia. I have sowed the seed of prayer in the hearts of people and have started about 730 prayer cells to pray for the Salvation of every perishing soul living in these cities. I have also been preparing the believers for the soon coming Rapture.
• Publications…By God’s grace, I have written 2 books entitled, All the Commandments of God, Volume 1 and 2. The first book is a checklist of Jesus’ commandmentswith their rewards and consequences clearly explained, from the Gospels of Matthew and John, covering all the major topics in Christian faith. The second book is also on the same concept of God’s Commandments, taken from the Epistles of Apostle Paul, which will be published soon.
• Discipleship Seminars…I have been holding Discipleship Seminars based on my book entitled All the Commandments of God, using very interesting power-point presentations, to strengthen the believers in the Word of God.

• Seminars on End Times…I have been preaching on End Times and teaching the whole “Book of Revelation” using powerful power-point presentations, to bring the awareness about the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in the Churches.
• Social work: Started Gypsy Literacy Programs, Widows Ministry, Handicapped Ministry, Orphanage Ministry, etc., in Asia.

Independence is an American ideal, but God-dependency is a believer’s necessity.

As Americans we are rightly proud of our Declaration of Independence. It took a lot of courage for those men in 1776 to declare their independence from the mightiest nation on earth at the time, realizing the great cost it would take to actually achieve that independence. From that day on, independence has been a coveted American trait. Our folk stories are filled with tales of poor but proud individuals who, against all odds, “pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps.”

We still have a strong tendency toward independence. We don’t like to be told what to do. We want to do things ourselves. We have a distaste for those who could make it on their own, but instead rely on the generosity of others. Much of this high regard for independence is good and honorable. The danger arises when we carry it over into our relationship with Jesus.

God will have nothing to do with the independent person. He deals graciously with those who have learned that they are in every way dependent upon Him. “He opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). It is, however, a very difficult thing to make the switch from a culture that glorifies independence into a lifestyle that demonstrates complete dependence upon God.

Hear what God’s Word says concerning our inability to function properly apart from depending upon Him:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Psalm 127:1).

“I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

“Not that we are competent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

The most practical way to live the life of dependence upon God, is to make prayer the central activity of our lives. In prayer we recognize our need and God as the One who can meet our need. We come before Him with empty hands, having nothing to offer but our need. This is the place that causes many to resist being people of prayer.

Ronnie Floyd in his powerful book, How to Pray, gets to the heart of the matter as he shares two critical statements concerning prayer:

• Prayer occurs when you depend on God.
• Prayerlessness occurs when you depend on yourself.

God is calling us to put away the childishness of thinking we can do anything without Him—our Creator. In humility we need to draw near to God and confess our inadequacy and complete dependence upon him.

We can say that we believe we are dependent upon God, but it is in our daily prayer lives that we will see the “rubber hit the road.” In the life dependent upon God, prayer becomes as natural as breathing – all that we do is brought before the Lord. There is no aspect of life that is outside the realm of prayer.

We should begin the day by thanking God for the night’s rest and the new day. This attitude of recognizing that all we have comes from His hand, will cause us to spend much time in prayers of thanksgiving in the course of our daily activities. This is a big step in acknowledging our dependence.

Throughout each day we can draw near to the Lord in intimate prayer, getting to know Him better. In prayer we put on our armor and trust in the victory of the One who died on our behalf. We can submit our thoughts, actions and words to Him. Simply and in humility, we can ask Him for direction and provision for the day. Asking for the outpouring of His Spirit, we can pray God’s blessings on those we come in contact with, and bring loved ones, pastors, missionaries and world leaders to Him for His intervention and work in their lives.

God desires us to come to the place where we can admit that we are hopeless and helpless on our own, so that he can call us to a Declaration of Dependence as we humble ourselves before Him in prayer and worship.

Used with permission of www.harvestprayer.com.

Published earlier on the Pneuma Foundation (parent organization of PneumaReview.com) website and later included in the Spring 2024 issue.

Jim Linzey, currently serving as a pastor in Coffeyville, Kansas, shares a story about a miracle that happened in his community.

Recently, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and God TV reported that a woman in Coffeyville, Kansas rose from the dead. Landon D. Vinson, M.D., who was the attending physician, along with the local Assembly of God pastor, Randy DePriest who was called upon to console the next of kin upon the death of the woman, two nurses, and other staff members witnessed the miracle. Mr. Steve Warren, who is the senior multimedia producer of CBN News, and I communicated directly with Dr. Vinson. Here is CBN’s report.

“She Was Dead Before the Prayer and Alive After the Prayer”
https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2023/march/she-was-dead-before-the-prayer-and-alive-after-er-doctor-reports-clinically-dead-woman-revived-in-true-miracle

Pastor Winfield Bevins introduces us to God the Holy Spirit and shows from the Bible how He helps us.

The reason many churches are empty, dry, and void of spiritual life is because they have lost touch with the dynamic presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit played an important role in the life and ministry of the early church. It is impossible to understand the explosive growth of the New Testament church without understanding the important role of the Holy Spirit in the church. Sadly, for most of church history the Holy Spirit has been virtually overlooked. However, today many people are hungry to experience the Holy Spirit in their personal life.

By Rupert Hennen. Used with permission.

God has given the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit to everyone who would believe. After 2000 years, the Spirit continues to play an important role in the Christian life. Without Him, it is impossible for individuals or the church to experience personal renewal. The Holy Spirit has a distinct contribution to make in the postmodern world and the contemporary church. The following chapter is designed to reintroduce you to the Holy Spirit by looking at what the bible says about person and work of the Spirit.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

“Who is the Holy Spirit?” Christians have asked this question throughout the ages. There have been many different opinions as to the personal nature of the Holy Spirit. Some have wondered if the Spirit was a created being, while others believed that the Spirit was an energy force.

Most religions and cults deny the deity and existence of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, even some Christians believe that the Spirit is not fully divine. The writers of the Bible clearly emphasized the deity of the Holy Spirit. The Bible also shows that there is a unique relationship between the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This interrelationship is often called the Trinity, which refers to three distinct divine Personalities, each wholly God, yet they are one essence. The doctrine of the Trinity has been defended by the Christian church for nearly two thousand years. It cannot be overestimated that the Holy Spirit is divine.

Many Christians also find it hard to understand the personal aspect of the Holy Spirit. Too often we think of the Him in a symbolic and impersonal manner. What we will find, however, is that the Holy Spirit is also a person. The personhood of the Spirit is not merely an abstract idea; rather it carries importance for our personal faith because the Spirit is the One who unites us with Christ.¹ Jesus has many times referred to the personal nature of the Holy Spirit. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Paraclete,” which means one called alongside. It is one who is an advocate, comforter, or counselor. The word Paraclete implies a distinct personality.

The Bible ascribes Him personal characteristics such as a will (Acts 13:1, 1 Cor. 12:11), mind (1 Cor. 2:10-11, Romans 8:27), and emotions (Eph. 4:30). The Bible also uses many different names, titles, and symbols to paint a portrait of the Holy Spirit, each representing what He does and who He is. For example, The Bible uses symbols such as Fire, Wind, Water, Wine, and a Dove.

The Holy Spirit Today

As we have seen, the Spirit has been moving in the lives of individuals since the world began. Great men and women of the faith have done extraordinary things when they where anointed by the power of the Holy Ghost. This leads us to the question, is the Holy Spirit still active today? Does He still anoint people who seek Him? The answer is yes! He wants to bring you into a deeper more intimate relationship with Him. He wants to use you more than you’ll ever know. You can experience His fullness in your everyday life. Surrender your heart and your life to Him today. We will examine several ways that you can receive the Spirit to your everyday life.

This guest article is a chapter from David Broderick’s book, Christ-Centered Life.

If YHWH is the preexistent God, if Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, if the Holy Spirit is the agent who created everything—then prayer begins and ends with God. Prayer is God’s work, not mine or yours or anybody else’s. We do not originate prayer, and it does not belong to us. Furthermore, mature prayer is unknown to us until we learn it. With regard to prayer, we have to learn that we have a lot to learn.

“Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Do we really believe that Jesus meant that? If we can do nothing separated or parted from Jesus, that includes prayer. When we first come to Christ, it may be hard for us to face up to our utter helplessness, because we are so used to living independent lives and looking after ourselves. At that time, we may well have seen Christ as merely a good addition to our lives. But utter helplessness is the way of fruitfulness. Still, we don’t do utter helplessness very well. Fruitfulness in prayer is about developing a relationship through prayer. It is not primarily about an abundance of words or about getting things done.

“It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless” (John 6:63).

Our natural selves are incapable of mature prayer. Learning mature prayer is, by definition, stepping outside our comfort zone. Prayer confined within our comfort zone quickly becomes a repetitive chore. Learning mature prayer means leaving behind that which we know in order to discover that which we cannot even imagine.

“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

David Broderick describes his book, The Christ-Centered Life: “This book is about my journey into Christ-centeredness, a personal journey that still goes on daily for me and will continue to do so throughout my life. It presents a beginning and a foundation for the journey into Christ-centeredness that each of us can undertake as we grow in Jesus for ourselves. As such, the book gives you some starters and pointers for your own journey into Christ-centeredness. It is my deepest desire that nothing should prevent my readers from seeing Jesus for themselves and having a real and lasting encounter with him that leads to a life of Christ-centeredness.”

If the Holy Spirit will teach us everything, then that includes prayer. Listening to Jesus is a vital part of learning mature prayer. Being led by the Holy Spirit is a huge learning curve for those who value their independence and self-sufficiency. Independent people struggle with being utterly dependent, but if we would explore mature prayer, then we must make ourselves utterly dependent upon the Holy Spirit of God to continually lead us into a deeper experience of prayer. We must make ourselves utterly dependent upon him, with the assurance that the Holy Spirit is not with us to chastise, criticize, or condemn but to lovingly lead us into all things that are ours in Christ. How do we do all of this? By personally continually meeting Jesus.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

In ourselves, we are so incapable of mature prayer that the Spirit must intercede in us and through us. True prayer comes from deep within us. It is much more than just our heads speaking words. This alone should cause us to be careful in our exploration and learning of prayer so that we do not miss or disregard anything—especially that which we do not currently recognize as prayer.

“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7–8).

Words are so very easy—and they are so very easily empty. Empty words do not prayer make, no matter how many words there are. How do we recognize empty words and phrases? What are they? Empty words and phrases come from the mouths of people who do not let God work his change inside them. Jesus was not rebuking the Pharisees because of the quantity of their words but because those words were empty. Words that flow from a heart that will not change are empty words. Therefore, we need to realize that mere words are, on their own, the shallowest form of prayer.

The Bible in Hebrews 13:3 command Christians to pray for those suffering as if they themselves were suffering. In other words, the Bible calls us to not only remember those who suffer but to also be one with them in their suffering. In keeping with this scriptural command, the International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) has united millions of Christians in prayer for the suffering Body of Christ around the world. After all, as the Bible says: If one suffers, we all suffer.

Over the years, the IDOP has served as a platform to highlight the stories of persecuted Christians and mobilise the global Church to respond to their plight. Moreover, in so doing, the IDOP has also been a source of solidarity and encouragement to persecuted Christians by reminding them that they are part of a larger, global family of believers.

We believe that God uses the prayers of his people to strengthen and deliver suffering saints. However, in order to pray for these suffering brothers and sisters, we must first listen to their stories. It is only in knowing their plight that we can truly identify with them in their suffering.

We invite you, therefore, to join us this year on 1st and 8th November as we unite globally to pray for the persecuted. Let’s pray that in spite of the pressure and persecution, our suffering brothers and sisters –where ever they may be in the world — would stand firm in their faith, hold fast to the promises of God, and live victoriously in Christ.

Blessings,

Godfrey Yogarajah
Executive Director
WEA Religious Liberty Commission

Watch the IDOP 2020 1:09 minute video (Vimeo) and share it with your church.

Unite in prayer for the eradication of COVID-19 and a spiritual awakening around the world.

Launched in March 2020, the Unite714 movement has grown into a worldwide phenomenon in a remarkably short time – to include millions of believers and thousands of churches in 178 countries. The movement can be found online at ​Unite714.com​.    International Christian leaders such as Brian Houston, Christine Caine, Dr. Goodwill Shana, Chris Hodges, Nicky Gumbel, Miles McPherson, Robert Morris, Jentezen Franklin, Carlito Paes, Daniel Ho, and Rich and DawnCheré Wilkerson. Many others have endorsed the initiative and encouraged churches and individual Christians to pray every day at 7:14 a.m. and 7:14 p.m.

When: Friday, May 29, 2020 at 10 a.m. CDT

The global webcast will happen on Friday, May 29 (Pentecost weekend) at 10 a.m. Central Daylight Time (US) and will be broadcast on various Christian television channels throughout that weekend and the following week. You can find out more on the movement’s website at ​Unite714.com​.

Adapted from the May 15, 2020 press release.