Songs that inspire; Rescue

To God be the glory for the great things He has done, He is truly our God who is worthy of all praise and adoration. A few months ago when I couldn't even open my mouth to utter a word of prayer, God used the ministry of Don Moen to speak to me. He indeed came to my rescue as He always has and always will. I pray you realise that as the words below describe so eloquently we serve a God who is indeed our refuge in the storm. Call on Him, He will come to your rescue.

Gbani, gbani tan sa ya

A deliverer that we can always run to for help

Agbara to bori gbogbo agbara

The power that's above all powers

Iwo lolugbeja omo orukan

The defender of the orphan

Awimayehun

The One who will not go back on His words

Praise and translation from http://www.mountaintoppraise.co.uk/. (I'm not that good yet..lol!!)

Rescue

You are the source of life

I can`t be left behind

No one else will do

I will take hold of you

Cause I need you Jesus

To come to my rescue

Where else can I go

There`s no other name

By which I am saved

capture me with grace

I will follow you

I will follow you

My heart is yours for life

I need your hand in mine

No one else will do

I put my trust in you

Cause I need you Jesus

To come to me rescue

Tell me Where else can I go

There`s no other name

By which I am saved

capture me with grace

I will follow you

I will follow you

This world has nothing for me

This world has nothing for me

This world has nothing for me

This world has nothing for me

iPray Fridays: More grace

Hmm, I'm excited. Today I have a guest blogger leading prayer. She's a new blogger but I've known her since the day she was born 'x' years ago. Lol! She's none other than VirtuousKelly, please show her some blogville love on her blog! I'm excited because I know Ms. Kelly is passionate about prayer...I'm excited when I see young people passionate about God and committed to developing their prayer lives. Thanks darling for doing this. I pray that as your name signifies, you will always have a reason to praise and thank God for the wonderful things He has done and will continue to do to and through you in Jesus name. Amen.

If you would like to send in a prayer (or request) on any topic to be shared on iPray Fridays, please send me an email, amarasviewonstuff@yahoo.com. This is a time to rebuild our altar of prayer. Praying without ceasing. Our mission is that we are so excited about prayer that Thank God it's Friday becomes Thank God it's iPray Friday...Amen.

Prayer Scripture: 2nd Corinthians 12: 9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I thank you Jesus for such an opportunity to dwell in your presence. I thank you Lord for such an opportunity to share your word through various mediums of communication. I thank you Lord for giving Zoe Believer insight on coming to you every Friday publicly to table our requests to you according to your word in Philippians 4:6. I thank you Lord because you are awesome and will show yourself strong and mighty in our lives always.

Father we thank you for the gift of life because many times we take it for granted and forget that you are the giver of it all. From the sun that shines in the morning, for the air that we breathe, for the rain that falls on the earth, for the stars that beautify the skies and for the moon that gives us peaceful light. Father we thank you for all these things.

We thank you Lord because irrespective of what happens around us, be it tribulations or hardships or the troubles of this world, you have always shown us that your grace is sufficient for us. Even at times when we are weak in spirit you have sent us the Holy Spirit to be a comforter to comfort us in all situations. For this we are forever grateful. Where will we be had it not been for your grace and your mercy? Many of us would have been cast down, broken and battered but You, Ancient of Days, found us worthy by dying on the cross on our behalf in order to give us this grace that is all sufficient. That is why we call you Almighty El Shaddai: The All Sufficient God.

You have left us scriptures of encouragement to help us through every storm we face: In times when we feel we are beset by stagnation you have given us Proverbs 4:18:

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

When we feel there is dryness, You have given us Isaiah 43:19:

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland.

In times when we are beset my burdens and need a word You have given us Jeremiah 33:3:

 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'

Father we thank you. Because we can go on and on taking scriptures from your word which shows us that your grace is ever sufficient. That in our weaknesses your power is made evident. Your awesomeness is shown through all generation. So to this we thank you because in every situation we find ourselves in we will rejoice and be glad because we have a God who is working on our behalf and making everything work together for our good. Give us the grace and ability to keep pressing on, to keep looking forward and up to the author and finisher of our faith even if we are thrown into the wilderness. Bring us out of it all as better and stronger people in the faith.

Our Miracle worker, our mountain remover, our ever present help in times of trouble, our deliverer, our way maker, our invincible God, our God who fetches water with a basket to disgrace the bucket, our magnificent warrior, lily of the valley and rose of Sharon: We thank you because you are doing things for us which ears have not heard and eyes have not seen. We thank you because your grace is sufficient and that in our weaknesses your power is resting in us and makes us strong and victorious.

To this we give you all the glory, honour and praise. Thank you because you are more than able. To this we have prayed in Jesus name.

Songs that inspire: Draw me close to you

iWorship. Hmm, this song is an old one but the words of this prayer must always echo in our hearts. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. He should be our desire, that One person we can never do without, our relationship with Him, that One thing we can never do without. For me, this is a prayer for I cannot say I live the reality of these words but daily I strive to. For the Father to be all I want, to be all I've ever needed. I encourage you to worship the Father today...

Draw me close to You

Never let me go

I lay it all down again

To hear You say that I'm Your friend

You are my desire

No one else will do

'Cause nothing else could take Your place

To feel the warmth of Your embrace

Help me find the way

Bring me back to You

You're all I want

You're all I've ever needed

You're all I want

Help me know You are near

Good and lasting change..

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.  He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

2nd Chronicles 15: 1-2

GOOD CHANGE

In my church, this month has been declared to be our month of 'GOOD CHANGE'. Amen. I declare a good change over issues that may have persisted for long in our lives in the mighty name of Jesus. The main focus of my prayer these days has been for God to work within me, strengthening my inner man, uprooting evil seeds, getting to the root of things, not just dealing with the things I do but rewriting the script from which the actions flow forth.It's an interesting way our God works, in an instant He can cause blind eyes to open, the lame to walk and provide supernatural supply. Even salvation is an instant process, we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths and we are saved. However, I've come to realise that the greatest work does in us isn't as instant, isn't as visible. It is God working in us to become like Him. This is a lifelong process and takes time. As I pondered on the verses above, it was like the Holy Spirit saying to me

'It is time to change tactics, it is time to seek the Lord, stop always trying to change behaviour instead of taking time to develop a relationship with the Creator who possesses the manual. He created you, He knows what you are capable of. He's Father, Friend, Coach. His Spirit is stretching you beyond what you thought possible through tests and trials to develop you. He chases you to the point of salvation but the desire for growth and communion with Him is up to you for you must make the choice. He cannot force His will on you for that is not love but control. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. Your change cannot come from self-help but God help. To bring about reform, we must go to the One who is the Author and Finisher and ask for His help.'

When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the LORD

Replacement therapy

His actions remind me of Gideon, who after receiving His mission statement from God, destroyed the altars for idolic worship and built an altar to the Lord. Hmm, these idols, I can write a book or two about them. For lasting change, the idols we have set up in our lives must be dethroned but even more than that we must consciously repair the altar of the Lord in the temple of our hearts. For God to live in us, He must reign supreme, 'I am the Lord your God, you must have no other gods before me'. He does not accept to be our back up plan, our alternative. What does this mean practically? That ensuring our relationship with God becomes our number one priority. Not our careers, not even the 'job' God has given us to do in Kingdom, not our spouse, or our desire for a spouse, all these things are important but must flow from the relationship we have with God. Our priorities determine how we spend our time, money and things precious. I have to ask myself these days, what that says about my relationship with God. Have I truly built an altar? An altar of worship, an altar of prayer, an altar of sacrifice?

Like Asa, the actions required for lasting change will need us to take courage because we will have to make decisions which are unpopular. Some of us may sacrifice relationships which are pulling us away from our first love. If you have a friend who is always negative about your spouse, your family or your job we normally distance ourselves from them to preserve what we hold dear. Let us in like manner hold fast to our God. Asa had to remove his mother from being queen because she refused to follow the Lord. As leaders, we must make tough decisions for the greater good.

....for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was WITH HIM. ........They took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side. There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

The Covenant

When we give God the honour due to Him, He begins to work in our lives in ways we never thought possible. The people that had been scattered all over came back home when they heard that the Lord was with him. Whose destiny is tied to yours, that needs you as a divine advertisement of the transforming power of the grace of God so that they can come back 'home' so to speak. We can't keep talking about a God who seems 'impotent' of bringing about lasting change in our own lives. What is the evidence that we can present to the world of what serving Christ has done for us personally? Father, help me on this one.

When we begin to get our acts right with God on the inside (private), He begins to do things that are noticed by all (public). The people came back and all decided to enter into a covenant with God. Yes, we sing He is a covenant keeping God but a covenant has to do with all the parties in the covenant. God will keep His end of the bargain, are you keeping yours. That's a whole post in its own right. The Word says that God then gave them 'rest on every side, there was no more war' for a season. There is nothing that we 'lose' for Christ that we do not gain back many times over. Those things we felt we couldn't do without, as we draw closer to God, He begins to give us a desire for something different, all of a sudden 'vegetables' begin to have more appeal than the 'king's meat'. I pray that as you decide to step up with God in this season that He will give you rest on all sides. That as we surrender to His leading and guidance, we will begin to understand what it truly means to have Jehovah the God of War (Sabaoath) fighting on our behalf.

Dear Father,

I thank you because you are a God who desires to have a relationship with His children. Not stale legalistic do's and don'ts but a dynamic one where you speak and we listen, we speak and you listen, growing in you. You desire intimacy. Help us to draw near to you, forgive us for idolatry, we avail ourselves to the Holy Spirit that He may do His work in our lives in Jesus name. Whatever will prevent us from seeing a good change, we take authority over in Jesus name. By your mercy and grace, please lovingly show us those little foxes that spoil the vine, areas of compromise, the sins that easily beset us for by your grace we can receive strength to pull down idolic altars and build instead an altar unto you where our wills are the sacrifice. Thank you Father, thank you Lord for my change shall be good and it shall be a lasting change in Jesus name.

iPray Friday: Days of the Spirit

It is my desire to encourage us to walk towards developing intimacy with the Father. Intimacy comes about as a result of spending time with someone, one on one, in spite of our busy schedules and commitments, letting the person know that hey life is busy but You mean everything to me. iPray Fridays is about making time to develop our prayer lives. Prayer is communicating with the Father, talking to Him and hearing from Him. iPray Friday is like having a date night every week. I pray that an army of warriors is raised that will truly change their world, not with swords or arms but on their knees. Today's prayer is based on a message I listened to in Glory House on Wednesday....these are indeed days of the Spirit!

"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."  Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly

Joel 2: 12-13, 15

Dear Father, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We approach your throne by the blood of Jesus which speaks of mercy and grace. We thank You for the awesome privilege of being considered as your sons and daughters for we know it is not by our own works lest we should boast but by your grace which is always sufficient for us in the time of need. Indeed this prayer was to declare your word of the outpouring of the Spirit but we cannot ignore the instructions that you have given us. Daddy, today I ask your forgiveness for jumping the gun, for not following your principles, for going my own way and expecting to show up on that path of disobedience I have carved for myself.
Today I declare that I will return to you with all my heart, I need your grace. I return to you in fasting, letting go of those things I think my flesh cannot do without, I return to you with mourning, true repentance for disobedience evidenced by a genuine desire and willingness to return to you to direct my paths. I distance myself from outward displays of repentance and I submit myself to the work you are doing on the inside of me, where no one notices but you know everything. Daddy, I return to you for you are gracious and compassionate.

Father, I consecrate myself once again to rise up to the challenge you have set for me. You cannot give me more than I can bear, I give you praise and magnify you for you are worthy.

The LORD will reply to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations. Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. SURELY THE LORD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS..the trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm, my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM IN ISRAEL, THAT I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD AND THAT THERE IS NO OTHER, never again will my people be shamed"

Joel 2: 18-27

Daddy, we are asking for days of the Spirit. Your word shows enough evidence that the days of the Spirit come with transformation of our circumstances and situation. I love you my Father for being a good Father, source of wisdom. You have told us what to do and now you have shown us what You will also do in return. I thank you because in my month of good change, you are doing great things. Father from today I begin to walk in a new season. This is my Happy New Year, before I walked in the days of the flesh where I could only believe and thus receive what my physical senses could achieve but now I step into the days of the Spirit, evidenced by wonders. Miracles that can only be explained by the statement 'It has to be God.' Daddy, that was your word to me this year that it would be an 'It just has to be God year.' I run with that prophecy in this new season in Jesus name. Thank you for crowning my God directed efforts with success. The days of toiling are over! Thank you for the showers, thank you for restoration of what has been lost, I am indeed glad and I rejoice. Thank you Lord for turning things around for my good and for my favour in Jesus name.

And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth...And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls

Joel 2:28-32 

Thank you Lord, thank you for the opportunity to pray from your word. Lord, you said after these things you would pour out your Spirit on 'all flesh.' Thank you Lord because this includes me, today I desire a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit that I may remain in tune with your plans and desires in this season. For the Spirit of God knows the mind of God and reveals it to believers. Daddy, let these days of the Spirit that I am walking into be evidenced by prophecy; declaring your word concerning situations which is truth and rejecting the facts that the world has given us. I will arise and shine, regardless of the economic climate. My sisters and brothers will be blessed with the fruit of the womb, regardless of physical limitations. Every work that my hand finds to do, I will do with excellence because I am working by the Spirit and no longer leaning on my own understanding. Halleluyah. Father, I am dreaming like Joseph of the things to come, of your purpose and desires for me. I am seeing visions, visions of God, visions concerning my purpose on this planet, my home, my children, my business, my career. Father, I thank you because I have chosen to be part of the army that you will use to work your wonders in the last days. Thank you Holy Spirit. Father, I'm ready, to take on the garment of a servant.For you said you will pour out your Spirit on those with a servant's heart. Father, I'm calling unto you. There are so many things to be done, don't even know where to start! Thank you Lord, for a new calendar. Every day now is a day of the Spirit. Amen and Amen.

Daddy, I pray for your church, the ecclesia, those who have been called out to tune into these days of the Spirit. You said everyone who calls unto you shall be saved and there would be deliverance in your house. Daddy, today I am calling unto you. I decree and declare that in these days of the Spirit that the yokes will be broken, every physical and mental bondage broken. Issues that we have been bringing before you as we return to you, wait on you, fast and pray we will begin to testify of our deliverance in the mighty name of Jesus. Thank you for these days of the Spirit.

Songs that inspire: God is able!!

Halleluyah! He is our God who is able to make possibilities out of the impossible. Don't give up! Your miracle is on the way, hold on to God in your season of waiting, in your season of trusting and watch Him make a way for you. This has got to be one of my best D. Haddon songs! Be blessed.

That one talent!

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ABILITY. Then he went on his journey..

Matthew 25:14-15

"As surely as the Lord your God lives," she replied, I don't have any bread-only a handful of flour in a jar and a LITTLE oil in a jug...

1st Kings 17:12a

This post is inspired by Jaycee's Smelling the Vases instead of the Roses and LDP and Naked Sha's 'What you have is Enough'. It really got me thinking about how I Believer was making use of what God had deposited in me. I believe that God has deposited something into each and every one of us as seen in the story above. God entrusted his property (the blessing) to all three people, the Bible records that He gave to each one 'according to His ability.' Today, in my prayer time I asked God for forgiveness because I know I am prone to always compare what I'm doing and how I'm doing it by what others are doing and how they are doing it. Today my prayer was Lord God, with that 1 talent I will do the very best that I can. God is a good God, sometimes we think we can handle more, we want more exposure, more opportunities but God knows what our abilities are. A blessing can rapidly become a curse to the one who does not have sufficient strength of character to handle it. We can be useful in the place of affliction but even more than that we must be useful with what we have, where we are. I remember when I started blogging, God told me never to write for comments or to be a 'popular' blogger but to write to encourage, to share my journey, to write what I heard. I pray for His grace to continue on that path in Jesus name. Zoe Believer, seek the face of God and allow Him to make you sensitive to that one talent that He has given you. If you can't recognise it, you won't use it.

"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and HID your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "You servant has nothing there at all," she said , "except a LITTLE oil"

2nd Kings 4:2

Yeah, so what? You didn't go to Harvard or Oxford, you didn't get a scholarship, you've never been on a plane, you didn't even complete college or get an undergraduate degree, your parents didn't do that much for you. Zoe Believer, I'm in no way making light of the situation that you face for sometimes I get that 'I've been shortchanged feeling' like well others can succeed because they had so much to start with in the first place! The thing is that we can't use that as an excuse for not turning our story around because God has given you the talent, its up to you to invest it in something profitable. God has promised to lead us and show us the way to go but we need to get over ourselves and our excuses and roll up our sleeves and tell God, I may have just the one but I'm going to work it so hard. What is that one talent that you are underestimating, an ability to cook delicious dishes, an ability to get on your knees and intercede, the ability to organise things, writing HTML, singing...A good place to start investing your talent is in the house of God and in the lives of those around you. What have you done in the past 7 days that made someone smile, in the past 3 days, in the last 24 hours? It's in serving that we discover our purpose, don't hide your talent. We can't all have public platforms to showcase our gifts but if you work your one talent, you increase your ability to deal with more.  It's interesting to note that both widows had only a 'little' oil and yet that little combined with the supernatural of God was able to see them through the hard times. You have something and you can make a contribution. Don't hide. I'm talking to myself!

'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied

Exodus 4:2

That one talent, who knew it could cause so much trouble, thing is that when you are so busy with your one talent, God begins to create other opportunities, if we could just take our eyes off what other people are doing and focus on what God has for us to be doing, we could achieve so much more. This doesn't mean being complacent for the people with 2 and 5 talents are there to inspire us to do so much more. I'm surprised that the guy with the 1 talent never went to ask the other guys for advice concerning what he should do with his, even if nothing they may have given him one talent and he would have had two! We should be learning from each other, those who compare themselves with themselves are not wise. For every Paul, there is Barnabas, the son of encouragement, standing in the background but still contributing to the Kingdom. That one talent, use it well!

iPray

Dear Father, once again I come before your throne and ask forgiveness concerning unhealthy comparisons I have made in my life. I know that you have given me that one talent and that what I have is enough to fulfill the purpose that you designed me for. So many times, my dissatisfaction comes from wanting to run a race that is different from the one you have designed for me. Lord, open my eyes, remove the wax from my ears, let me be sensitive to the areas of need around me, on the job, in your house, in my family. Help me to express my one talent to the best of my ability in Jesus name. Lord, I want to be the very best for you. Thank you Daddy.

The Proverbs 31 Enigma: She is me!

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

Love her, hate her, don't understand her, can't be bothered about her? The Proverbs 31 woman has got to be one of the most talked about and yet still misunderstood characters in the Bible. Men want to marry her, women wonder if they can ever be her. Often regarded as the 'Superwoman' of the Bible, the question is as women, can we ever meet up and match her skills, talents and achievements. I must confess I'd never really seen myself having much in common with her, the opening summary about her starts with the word 'wife' which I'm not. It talks about her artistry with the needle, I prick holes in my fingers. A version of the Bible talks about her gardening skills, I'm a professional weed tender! Lol! So how do I even think of keeping up? I would just gloss over the verses nodding but never really seeing Believer on those pages.

Step in Holy Spirit, the Illuminator of the Word. He asked me why I always focused on what she did as opposed to who she was. The caption above says 'The Wife of Noble Character,' not the 'The Wife of Noble Doings' or 'The Wife of Great Acts' because at the end of the day our character is who we are which then influences what we do. So many times we get it twisted, we want to 'do' differently instead of working on the inside at 'being' different. He also reminded me that God calls those things that be not as though they were, when He created me, He put the anointing of a wife inside of me as well and even though I haven't manifested that area of my life yet, it didn't preclude me from being one anyway! The Holy Spirit is so charming, isn't He? Also, note that no name was ascribed to this woman, so you can conveniently put your name there, the Proverbs 31 woman is me!

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.

Proverbs 13: 10-15

Strive to be the best where you are with what you have

If I had to caption the essence of what being a Proverbs 31 woman was, this would be it. It's quite interesting to note that no reference was made to her personal wardrobe, or to her shoe collection, or to her 'always on point' accesories. I know she wasn't a shabby woman, she clothed her household in scarlet but there was much more to her than just being a pretty face or looking good. Woman of God, you are worth far more than rubies. Always remember that no matter what life throws your way. Her husband had full confidence in her, like me you may still be single but do the people in your life have full confidence in you? Do you add value to their lives? Do you bring them good and not harm? That my dears, is the character of a Proverbs 31 woman. Our character is our essence, its our atmosphere, like a signature perfume that lingers on your loved ones long after you've left the room, this is what we should be working on. She is not an idle woman. It's not enough to be, after that we must go out and do something. Also, she really isn't Superwoman, for she had servant girls! She is wise enough to know to enlist help because she can't be everywhere, doing everything at every time. She is a manager, she is a leader. The Proverbs 31 woman is me.

She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff  and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 

v 16-19

Show me the money!

Financial independence, yay! Women, we need to wake up and smell the coffee. I personally believe every believer should have a stream of income aside from your JOB and yes this includes women. We must learn to mind our own 'business'. She even tells us how to do it, first she bought a field (asset), out of her profits, she makes her asset even more profitable by planting a vineyard. Vineyard produces wine and she still owned the landed property. I'm not sure every woman should go into real estate but we must acquire assets. There are a number to pick from, just pick something!  Proverbs 31 women aim to increase the size of their asset column and shrink the size of their liabilities! How much of your money is really working for you. Or is it paycheck to Macy's, paycheck to Selfridges and paycheck to The Palms? Women of God, we need to wake up. Sort out your finances.  Don't plunge your husband or yourself into unnecessary debt, we bring good and not harm to the people connected to us. Show me the money! Start small, she started with a field and then made it a vineyard. Trade and God will strengthen your arms to ensure that it is profitable. He is your God and He will teach you how to make wealth. The Proverbs 31 woman is me.

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

v.20-22

Making a contribution

"Life is more than the acquisition of stuff, its about what we have done, whom we have served and why we will be remembered when we leave" (ZoeB). Its quite obvious that this woman was adept with the needle, but maybe you're not. Maybe you have been equipped with the voice of encouragement, have been anointed to intercede, maybe you can cook egusi in a way that makes one forget their sorrows or you're good with children. She could sew, yes but what can you do? How can we open our arms to the hurting in our world. How can I share the gifts I have been endowed with. Everyone has something, life is about recognising what that something is and making the best of it. The Proverbs 31 woman is me.

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate

v. 25-31

Wadrobe check

Reminds me of the verse, don't let your beauty be merely from outward adornment. Its about what's within. This we cannot do without wisdom. Wisdom we cannot have without the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord we cannot have without a relationshop with Him. Its not about being up from dusk to dawn, rushing from one activity to the other. It's not about being Alpha Mum or a Yummy Mummy, its about being the best you, where you are and with what you have. The grace of God is sufficient to strengthen you for the tasks that He himself has called you to be. Single, married, parent, employee, employer, woman or man, its all the same to Him. He uses those who are available and willing to be used by Him. You don't live to seek the praise of men, your works will bring you praise. So keep stepping. The Proverbs 31 woman is you.

iPray Friday: Becoming a Woman of Noble Character

Dear Lord, I ask for your grace and strength to be that woman you created me to be. Not what Vogue thinks I should be, not what my parents think I should be, not even what my pastor thinks I should be. You created me and you designed me for a specific purpose. Help me on this journey on discovering 'who I be' that I may know 'what I do' in Jesus name. Amen.

Songs that inspire: Covenant Keeping God

Do you live like your God is a Covenant Keeping God? Do you believe in His Promises, If yes, do you believe He is capable of bringing them to pass? Do you believe that it is impossible for God to lie? That He keeps His part of the bargain. Nothing is too hard for him. Be blessed. Thank you Pastor Badu!

iPray Friday: Except by prayer and fasting

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer (and fasting) "

Mark 9:29 (NIV)

WHEN you fast...

Matthew 6:16a

Thank you Heavenly Father for a new day and a new opportunity to share from your Word. You speak, I type. I bless and magnify your name in the mighty name of Jesus.

I love being a believer! If I'm being honest, sometimes more than others but as a whole I wouldn't exchange being one for anything else. This is because I am in a dynamic relationship with my Father and my King. This year I am making a concious decision to draw even closer to God, to know His ways, to seek His paths and after making a specific prayer request, I felt the Lord tell me 'except by prayer and fasting'. It's funny, we pray and ask God for Daniel's wisdom and understanding, Esther's courage, Elijah's fervency in prayer plus the ability to be used as a conduit for miracles, to be able to understand the deep mysteries of the Holy Scriptures like Paul and yet we rarely take the time to study their lives, making observations of the decisions they made, their response to the trials they faced and then 'go and do likewise'.

For the believer, fasting is not an option! In fact, for the 21st century believer, fasting is an essential. We are at war, both within and without. The natural man is daily warring against the spirit, the world is warring against believers and sadly enough believers against believers (Father, forgive me for I know this ought not to be so!). We are in dire need of the anointing which empowers us to go forth and fulfil the Comission given to us by the Father, my dears we need to go back to the principal things.

Why should we fast? We should fast because Jesus said so, because truly there are some things can only be dislodged when you wield the double edged sword of fasting and prayer together. Fasting lets both Heaven and Hell know that you mean business. That it's no longer business as usual, no more Sunday, Sunday tonic. There's something that you feel right in the recesses of your spirit and you're not budging until it comes to manifestation. Jesus said 'when you fast' not 'if you choose to fast' or 'if it's convenient for you to fast' or 'if per chance you may want to fast' but 'when you fast'.

Why should we fast? We should fast because all the Biblical characters we love and admire did so too. Moses fasted for 40 days and when he returned, people could not even bear to look at his face for the glory that emanated from him. Even Jesus fasted for 40 days before he opened any blind eye or healed any lame person. Perchance, it was during Esther's 3 day fast that she received the revelation about how to deal with Haman! There are too many examples to give but I pray over the course of sharing on The 10 day challenge we may be able to share more.

Fasting is not about manipulating God, its not about making you seem 'superspiritual', in short Jesus said when you fast, put some MAC on (guys, I just spoke in tongues there!!). Fasting is about dulling your natural senses and sharpening your spiritual ones. Fasting is more than giving up of food, its about 'replacement therapy', replacing a desire for earthly and human wants and needs with the Father's. In the words of Jentzen Franklin, it's the private discipline that brings about public reward.

I'm getting excited, are you??

To be continued, watch this space!!

"Fasting with a pure heart and motives, I have discovered, brings personal revival and adds power to our prayers. Personal revival occurs because fasting is an act of humility. Fasting gives opportunity for deeper humility as we recognize our sins, repent, receive God's forgiveness, and experience His cleansing of our soul and spirit. Fasting also demonstrates our love for God and our full confidence in His faithfulness."--

Bill Bright

Songs that inspire: Ko le baje!

Ko le baje rara! Halleluyah. Ko le baje simply means 'won't be spoilt 'and what the song is saying is that the work God is going to do in your life can never be spoilt. All things are working together for your good because you love God and are called according to His purpose. Thank you Lara George!