People dealing with stress are usually focused on the “problem.” It may cause them to make rash decisions or choices. Try to express comfort, encouragement, and practical ways to help them re-focus on the solution: Jesus. The enemy is good at distracting us, especially using stress, but it is God’s desire for us to lean on Him for His peace. He longs to be the center of our lives.

Possible things to pray for:

●  Wisdom for practical ways to move towards the solution

●  Strength to surrender the issue at God’s feet

●  Know that God is sovereign over their chaos and focus on Him

●  Claim authority over the powers and principalities causing the stress

●  Declare God’s promises over the situation

Verses to share:

● Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
○ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

● John 14:1 (NIV)
○ “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

● Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
○ “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

● Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)
○ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

● Psalm 61:3 (NIV)
○ “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge.”

● Isaiah 35:4 (NIV)
○ “Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

● Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
○ “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

There are many ways people can be in grief and they all involve the same thing, loss. Most likely it will be the loss of a loved one but often it can involve a job or they could be going through a divorce or some other personal tragedy. The tricky thing in dealing with grief is helping them get through whatever stage they may be in.

Possible things to pray for:

• Pray for them to experience God’s comfort

• Pray for people to be available to them to talk through their grief

• Encourage them to keep faith in God and what he can do

• Pray that God will help them with strength and courage to make it through this

  time

• Let them know that God does care for them

Verses to share:

● Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

○ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

• 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
  ○ “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

• Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
  ○ “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. Iwill strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

• Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

○ “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

• Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
  ○ “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Possible things to pray for:

• Provision for basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, and utilities

• Wisdom for income-producing activities, debt repayment, budgeting, sources of

  community assistance

• Faith to trust in God's promises to meet needs and provide guidance

• Thankfulness that all of our resources belong to the Lord; we are managers of

  them, but not owners

• The Holy Spirit to reveal the work God may be doing through this crisis (ie: refocus

  our hearts on heavenly treasure)

Verses to share:

When praying for them, try to broaden their vision to see that God’s plan for the faithful brings greater things to them than they may have the ability to see during these confusing times. Also try emphasizing the importance of surrounding themselves with others in faith and not staying alone.

Possible things to pray for:

• Strength to let go of past feelings

• Patience to allow employers to work through decisions and for their favor

• Willingness to see rejections as times of learning and growing

• Energy to keep the search moving

• For others of strength to come into their daily walk

Verses to share:

● Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT
○ “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

● Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT
○ “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. “

● Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
○ “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

People afflicted with mental illness, and their loved ones, are looking for comfort, hope, understanding and peace. They may experience hopelessness, loneliness, and uncontrollable emotions.

Pray for discernment before answering the prayer request of a person dealing with mental illness, so that you will have power to decipher the nature of the problem and respond appropriately. Avoid judging them for feeling sad, ungrateful, etc. They cannot just "snap out of it;” they may identify that they "shouldn't" be feeling the way they are feeling.

Possible things to pray for:

• Healing for the mind, comfort for the heart, proper response to anxious thoughts

• Wisdom for medical professionals-proper medication, behavioral therapy

• Strength and peace for loved ones; insight for them to have empathy for the person with the mental health challenge; community support

• Forgiveness of sin, relief from guilt and shame (IF the person admits to sinful behavior that preceded the depression/anxiety).

• Deeper faith to believe God's promises of provision, protection and guidance; to trust in the character of God to know their needs

• Power for the person to voice their cares to the Lord and leave them in His capable hands

Verses to share:

● Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
○ "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

● Psalm 32:7 NIV
○ "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

● Jeremiah 17:14 NIV
○ “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”

● 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV
○ "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

● 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV
○ "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

● Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
○ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

● Psalm 42:11
○ "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

● Psalm 94:18-19
○ "When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."

● Psalm 139:14 NIV
○ “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. “

People who are struggling with addictions are usually feeling powerless. Their desire to break free is still fueled by their understanding that the addiction is greater than them. Fortunately, when Jesus died on the cross, he defeated those addictions and overcame it for us. He is bigger than anything that is trying to take our focus away from Him. It is important to remind people that they cannot do it on their own strength, but they need HIS strength to move forward.

Possible things to pray for:

•  Repentance and surrender of the lusts of the flesh to God
•  Strength to fight addictions with God’s Word
•  Divine power to resist the addiction
• Understanding that the addiction does not define who they are; their identity

  comes from Christ

  Courage to resist the addiction and stay away from company that encourages it
• Wisdom to make good choices that helps overcome the addiction

Verses to share:

● John 16:33 (NIV)
○ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this

world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

● 1 Peter 3:11 (NIV)
○ “They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue

it.”

● 1 Corinthians 10:13-14 (NIV)
○ “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And

God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Therefore, my dear friends, free from idolatry.”

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• ●  1 John 2:16 (NIV)
  ○ “For everything in the world––the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and

  the pride of life––comes not from the Father but from the world.”

• ●  James 4:7 (NIV)

○ “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from

you.”

● Psalm 50:15 (NIV)
○ “...and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor

me.”

● Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
○ “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”