For Us who Believe

Happy Easter everyone! I've so missed blogging and I am grateful to be back. For me, sharing on this page is more than writing, its like fulfilling the purpose God created me for. Thank you Jesus. Someone sent a text message to me over the Easter break reminding me that as a believer, that just as the enemy never backs down on his attack I too should never back down on the attack as well. The Bible says if we faint in the day of adversity, it means our strength is small so rather than waiting for no adversity or asking that the cup be taken away we should always be praying for more strength.

Going through the Bible, especially the Pauline epistles (no, I'm still using the same Bible, just the books written by Paul) I realise how big a theme prayer is, there was hardly a letter Paul wrote where he did not include prayers for the saints. As believers, we need prayer, dare I say, more so than unbelievers. This is because our spirit man has been awakened, we have become born again and our spirits are in constant war with our flesh. As I go along, I pray to add more prayer points to this list but I have asked God for the grace to pray over these points regularly because they are so pertinent to the success of my Christian walk. These have been obtained from Paul's letters to the Ephesians and Colossians and full text can be found in the 1st chapters of both books.

For Us who believe

• Father enable me to be filled with the knowledge of your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding
• Father teach me to walk worthy of you, fully pleasing you
• Father help me to be fruitful in every GOOD WORK and increase in the knowledge of you
• Father enable me to be strengthened with all might according to your glorious power
• Father help me to learn to be patient and longsuffering with JOY
• Father enable me to give thanks unto you who has counted me worthy to partake in the inheritance of the saint
• Father I ask for the spirit of wisdom and revelation that enables me know you better
• Father enlighten the eyes of my heart in order that I may know the hope to which you have called me
• Father enable me to avail of the incomparable great power available to us who believe
• Father I ask that you strengthen me with power through your Spirit in my inner man that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith
• Father I pray and ask that I may be rooted and established in love
• Father I especially ask for your help and grace to DAILY put off the old self with its desires and be made NEW in the attitude of my mind, to put on a NEW SELF which has been created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness
• Father help me to get rid of ALL bitterness, anger, rage, brawling, slander and malice
• Father enable me to be like you, to be kind and compassionate, forgiving my brothers and sisters as you have forgiven me

Keep praying, these days the enemy is not resting. We should not be resting either. What I have learnt in the past few weeks is that not all battles should be fought alone. God has always brought our way people who can stand in the gap and intercede for us when we get so tired. No battle is fought with a single soldier. I think I had allowed pride to prevent me from reaching out but I'm learning, I'm growing and I know I'm winning.

Please keep my family in your prayers. My uncle passed away on Thursday morning aged 41. He had been sick but we all believed he was getting better and responding to treatment so its been quite a shock. The prayer is that we all are aware of God's peace and love. The morning he died my mother says she had a dream where she saw him looking so happy and well. She said he looked strong just as he had before he got sick. For some reason when she woke up she knew he was dead. I believe she saw him as he is now because I believe he has gone to a place of no more tears, no more crying, no more sickness and no more pain. Uncle C, we miss you. I believe you are resting in the bosom of the Lord.

Remain blessed and highly favoured.

Death

Zoe Believer is dying to herself, to her will, to her plans and to her flesh. It's been slow and painful but worthwhile.Fruitfulness involves death. He says,

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a SINGLE SEED. But if it dies, it produces MANY SEEDS. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" John 12:24-25 (NIV)

To produce fruit in every area of our lives, we must go via death. Jesus is our model and pattern and has shown us the way. I strongly believe that the reason Jesus worked and walked in a dimension that has been impossible to follow is that in his humanity He was totally sold out to the will of God. 100% submitted, 100% obedient, 100% dead to himself and 100% sold out to the will of the Father.

"Believer, are you dying or are you struggling to live, are you letting go to drown in the river of His love or are you trying so hard to swim against the tide. Are you ready to die to your pride, to your will, to your plans that a new you may resurrect and emerge, even in the world of business and wealth creation, you must die to the lure of liabilities that you may invest your income in assets so that the things you said no to today, you will be able to say yes to tomorrow. Believer, I have put you in the position that you have found yourself in today. I am teaching you a lesson but you are not learning. Say no to your flesh and what it craves; physically, sweets that brings no nourishment; anger, holding on to your 'rights' about issues, you may be right but how does your anger move you forward??"

So Lord, help me. It's difficult to climb, to take up your cross DAILY and follow you because usually I want to go on my own path. Help me to die that I may live for to be carnally minded is death but when I live for you it is life and peace. Help me to pass the tests on the path you have designed for me. Help me to love you, myself and others as you would like me to.