Prepare Your Heart for a New Level of Greatness

DEAR PRECIOUS LADIES

The final month of the year is upon us. Praise the Lord for His mighty hand and excellent power that has brought us from month to month.

In a few weeks we will be finishing the year, and by God's grace, embracing another one. It is time for us to reflect and look back at the past months. Here are some questions to assist you to review the year in preparation for the next one. They are a guide for your closet as you pray and prepare your heart for the new level of greatness that God has planned for your 2016.

• How did the year 2015 impact your life and how did you impact the year 2015?
• Did you walk in your purpose and are you still walking in your purpose?
• Did you grow in your spirituality or did you draw back?
• What were your achievements and who benefitted from them?
• How was your service to God and man?
• In the different roles you play and function in, what was your best moment and what was your worst moment?
• Did you do your best in whatever you did? Did you do it as unto the Lord or were you more conscious of man?
• How was your heart attitude before God and man?
• Did you pick up any offences along the way? Have you dealt with them?
• In your family life were you or are you an asset or a liability?
• How about your church involvement, did you serve the Lord with gladness or did you draw back? Were you a joint that supplies or a joint that takes from others?
• How did you conduct yourself financially? Were you a wise steward, were you generous or did you withhold more than is necessary?
• How did you use your time?
• Did you uphold the principles, standards and values of the Kingdom of God in your relationships and dealings?
• What was your major setback? How did you or how are you handling it?
• If you are married how did you contribute to the current condition of your marriage whether good or bad?
• If you are a mum, how did you influence your children?
• How did you contribute to the spiritual climate and atmosphere of your home?
• Were you hospitable?
• Was there room for God in your home?
• Was God glorified by your actions and transactions in your business, ministry or career?

My sisters, “… let us come boldly to the throne of Grace to receive help…” (Hebrews 4:16) Let us examine ourselves and rectify where we need to be, for we do not want to start the new year with any negative residue from 2015. Let us get rid of anything that might deplete our spiritual energy for there is still so much more for us to accomplish. There is more territory to possess. We do not want any weights to hinder us from flying high. If there are areas you did not do well, do not condemn yourself. Rather learn from them and let them be stepping stones as a new you emerges. If there are areas you excelled in, celebrate them and let them be reference points and signposts for others to emulate.

Thank you for doing the journey of 2015 with the Hope for Every Woman team and I. Together, we have run the race of 2015. His grace has been sufficient for us. His grace will carry us into the year 2016 and beyond.

I love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas filled with the love and presence of God and a prosperous new year full of victory and blessings.

Pastor Fatima
Chairperson

Listen to this song and be blessed, encouraged and inspired for 2016.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!

The Vision Is For An Appointed Time

Dear Precious Ladies

Habakkuk 2:3 states that “...For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come...”

Once again we thank God for all He did for us in the month of October. We have been given a brand new month and we are almost ending the year. To God be all the glory for what He has done in us and through us.

I was looking at some photos of one of the ladies very dear to me. I had the privilege to mentor her and walk with her and she allowed me to encourage you with her testimony. Lois left the shores of Zambia in 2010 to pursue a Masters degree in International Management. She completed it successfully in 2012. She found a job and worked for a while but her contract ended. At that point she was very discouraged and could not get jobs. She was not yet ready to go back to Zambia as all her family are in the UK. She was very frustrated and wondered why her prayers were not being answered. We prayed together and trusted in the Lord, but still Lois struggled with the fact that she had no income. She finally got a job and we rejoiced. We did not know that this job we celebrated was going to move her to Weymouth, a couple of hours from Bristol where we live. We were all disappointed and Lois cried when she realised this fact. She did not know anyone in that city and this led her into a wilderness experience where she felt all alone.

After a while, the contract in Weymouth ended and Lois's visa was about to run out. Life seemed to be throwing sour grapes at her from every direction. However, she determined not to get discouraged and enrolled for a Masters in Business Administration, which she successfully completed with a distinction in her dissertation. Along with immigration, another pressure weighing heavy on Lois's shoulders was her desire to get married. Men who seemed to be interested in her would just disappear without giving clear reasons. Nothing was falling into place in that area of her life. We kept on praying and encouraged her to trust in the Lord and to be patient. Academic success did not fully quench this lingering desire to get married. When you are above 30 as a woman, it is generally assumed that the clock is ticking against you biologically, so you can imagine how Lois felt.

To the glory of God, a man she had met in Weymouth, the city she did not want to go, started to pursue her. At first she did not respond to him well, but with time they developed a friendship. On the 25th of September, Lois's 34th birthday, they got married. Although her dreams seemed to be distant, although her journey had setbacks and disappointments, at the end of it all, the vision of God for her life has come to pass. She is now settled and very happy.

My sisters, things might not have worked out the way you thought. Perhaps you have given up on your dreams. You might be feeling that your prayers are not being answered fast enough. Please be encouraged and know that there is an appointed time for you. God has everything under control. He will surely cause all things to work for your good. Keep on moving forward. Continue to trust in Him. Like Lois, your story will end well because Jehovah has great plans for you and those plans will come to pass.

Here are some photos of Lois's wedding to encourage you. Have a blessed month.

Love and blessings

Pastor Fatima 
Chairperson

Our Helper

Dear Precious Ladies

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, great is His faithfulness.

We thank God for the new mercies for this new month of October. We have reached the 10th month of the year already. In two more months we will be finishing the year 2015! We thank the Lord for taking us this far. He will surely see us through.

I was encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans 8:26-28"...in the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

My sisters, God loves us so much that He sent us help. He knows all our short comings and our personal struggles and has decided to help us by His Spirit. Sometimes we go through situations that we do not even know how and where to start praying. Be encouraged, our Father has taken care of those moments by giving us the Holy Spirit to help us. When the Holy Spirit intercedes for us He already knows the will of God and He prays according to God's will.

I was also blessed by the fact that because I am called according to His purpose and I love Him, everything will work out for my good. Even that which satan tries to harm me with will end up working for me because my Heavenly Father will turn it around for me and I will come out stronger. That makes me more than a conqueror because I will always be victorious in good times or bad because He has everything under control and He will not allow what I cannot bear to come my way. By the time we face anything it has already been weighed and our Heavenly Father supplies the strength to carry it.

Be encouraged that as we go through the month of October, our Heavenly Father has already covered every day and each morning there are new mercies waiting for us. Victory is ours and we will finish this month well. The Holy Spirit will help us in our hour of need. Continue to pursue the presence of the Lord and allow Him to work in you and through you.

Much love to you all,
Pastor Fatima

Exceedingly Abundantly Above

DEAR PRECIOUS LADIES

Wow we have made it to the ninth month of the year! God has truly shown us His mercy in allowing us to see the month of September.

So far this year when we look back we can see that God has been with us. We have witnessed answers to our prayers and seen great testimonies among us as women and in our families. Am sure we can name more than one thing that the Lord has done for us. Some of us experienced spiritual growth. Some received new jobs, promotions, new born babies, family weddings, marriage engagements, passed exams, new houses, cars, financial breakthrough, good health, holidays and many more. We can honestly say God has come through for us exceedingly and abundantly more than we thought.

Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ladies, the Lord exceeded my expectations in August.

In last month's newsletter I testified about our visas to Sweden. We travelled to Stockholm and had a great time there. The fact that we could be on holiday was good enough for us. Little did we know that the Lord had so much more in store for us as a family. My sister who lives in Sweden mentioned to one of her diplomat friends in Switzerland that we were visiting her to have a break, and that we were pastors needing to relax before a new school season starts in September. We have not even met this friend and yet we found tickets waiting for us for a cruise to Helsinki, Finland. Although she didn't know us, God used her to provide for us. All expenses were paid for. We had never been on a cruise and the experience was so amazing. It was like walking into a very big shopping mall with duty free shops and different restaurants. We stayed in this massive hotel with many floors. It can accommodate 2500 people. We cruised in the Baltic Sea and saw a number of Islands along the way. Looking into the vast amounts of water connected us to God's amazing handiwork and we could only proclaim “My God How Great Thou Art.”

When we arrived in Finland a bus was waiting for us to tour Helsinki, which is the capital. Again, all expenses were paid for. We visited many historical sights and learnt a lot about this beautiful country. We had opportunities to stop and pray in some Cathedrals we visited and were very grateful for those special moments. Truly the Lord did exceedingly abundantly beyond what we thought. He gave us more than a holiday in Sweden, He added another country for us, plus a cruise. We also saw the reality of the scripture that says we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto us. The Lord added a cruise unto us.

I want to encourage you to keep on trusting in the Lord in this month of September. Continue to seek Him and do not abandon the place of prayer. Do not be discouraged the Lord will do beyond what you are imagining. If He did it for us as a family, He will do it for you. Have a great month and here are some of the holiday photos below.

Love and blessings

Pastor Fatima 
Chairperson

Open Doors of Favour

DEAR PRECIOUS LADIES

How are you all doing? We thank God for the month of August which is already moving fast. His grace brought us this far and His grace will carry us through to the end.

We serve a prayer answering God. Even when he does not give us what we have asked for at that moment, that is still an answer because He knows what is best for us and He knows the right time to give us anything. The will of God is that we may give thanks in everything because this shows that we trust Him with our lives. We thank Him for the past seven months and we trust Him with the rest of the year 2015.

I just want to encourage you with the words found in Psalm 102:13 “You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favour to her; the appointed time has come.” As we go forward with the month of August I believe that it is God`s set time to favour you tangibly. The word favour means an act of kindness that is beyond what is due or usual, indulgence, greatly satisfy, support, help, show kindness, show approval and commendation, an advantage that you give to someone, a blessing and grace undeserved.

I believe we have entered the season of favour where God will be greatly satisfying us. He will give us great advantages in all we will set our minds and hands to do. God is going to be doing things that will amaze us in more than one way. Not only is He going to be helping us and supporting us, He is also going to do uncommon things in us and through us. It's one thing to talk about favour or to know about favour but it's another thing to tangibly experience it.

My family and I have already started experiencing this realm of tangible favour. When we went to Israel last year, our first born Ayanda was studying for her exams so she could not come with us. We went with her younger sister Realeboga. We so desired for Ayanda to experience Israel as it would cause her to see the actual places described in the Bible hence strengthening her faith like ours was strengthened when we went there.

At the end of last year an advert went out for a Holy land tour for university students for August 2015. We really wanted Ayanda to join this group but we did not have the finances. From our financial point of view this was impossible but the desire remained in our hearts. Ayanda also wanted to go but again the limitation was the cost. We left the matter and trusted that one day she would go and that God would make a way for her. On Friday the 31st of July we attended a friend's funeral. As we were driving back a call came in from the organiser of the Tour informing us that one of the students who was going on this trip had cancelled. She then asked if Ayanda could replace this student at no cost since the expenses had already been paid including the ticket and hotel accommodation. As I write Ayanda is in Israel! Praise the Lord that is tangible favour. God showed us kindness and greatly satisfied us.

We planned to go to Sweden for a family holiday this August but the girls and I needed visas. Again there was a financial constraint. We applied via an agent and we were given the requirements and the amount of fees that would be needed. We sent an electronic application and we were given an appointment for the 30th of July. I told a close relation who is a diplomat in Sweden. She then said she would see how to assist us. She advised that we go to the embassy directly and not via the agent.

We went to the embassy on Wednesday and we realised the visa section was closed. We still proceeded to the reception even though we knew they would not see us. To our surprise they expected us and knew we had come from Bristol. They informed that us that a call had been made on our behalf. We were told where to go. They took all our documents and we saw the favour of God in that they opened for us. In less than thirty minutes our visas were granted. They granted us what is termed gratis in diplomatic terms meaning favour and we did not pay. By this time we were speechless. This was a wonder and an indulgence. The Swedish Embassy granted us undeserved kindness to God be the glory!

It is set time to favour Zion. It is set time to favour you. What God did for us He will do for you. Align yourself with this word. Pray about it and expect the tangible favour of God in your life. When Ayanda is back from Israel we are heading for Sweden.

May you see the wonders of God this month of August and beyond.

Much Love
Pastor Fatima

Seasons Change

DEAR PRECIOUS LADIES

How are you all doing? How have the early days of July been? I understand that some of you are in deep winter and some of us are experiencing summer.

It is very amazing that some of you are wearing coats, gloves and boots whilst some of us are wearing shorts, short sleeve tops and dresses, sandals and sunglasses. We are responding appropriately to the season we are in so that we may function effectively. If we contradict the season we are in we won’t be as productive as we could have been. Some seasons are easier than others but God is the constant in any season we find ourselves in.

Ecclesiastes 3 gives us a beautiful description of seasons. Verse one of this chapter states that “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”A season is a period of time which is marked with different activities. Some seasons are long whilst some seasons are short. The consoling thing is that seasons are not permanent. They surely change, but God does not change. He is always there with us in any season of our lives no matter what part of the world we are in.

For those of us experiencing winter a time is coming when we will throw off our coats, remove our boots and wear sandals. As for us in the UK and in some parts of Europe, in a couple of months we will be reaching out for our coats and boots. Hardship, disappointments, loss, heartbreaks, illness, relationship failure, financial and marital problems and even academic failure can feel like harsh weather patterns such as blizzards, tornados and hurricanes. Some seasons cause havoc and damages whereas some seasons bring the joyful sounds of birds, the blossoming of flowers, bountiful harvests in the fields, celebrations and success. Again God is still the constant as He is always with us. Our seasons do not change God's great plans for us.

I am not sure what season you are in or what season is around the corner or even what season you have left all I know is that you are on the winning side because the Lord is with you. You are His precious treasure and He will not allow what you cannot bear to come your way. Do not fight the season you are in, whether good or bad, just yield and surrender to God. There is a purpose behind anything you go through. God might not have revealed the purpose to you and he might not even tell you why but just trust in Him as a loving Father. It will all work out for your good. To those of us celebrating and enjoying a good season, give thanks and praises to the Lord, and continue to build yourselves up. Encourage those whose seasons might not be as enjoyable as yours and lift them up in prayer as well.

As we proceed with the month of July my prayer is that you may sense and experience the presence of the Lord like never before. I pray that you may continue to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. I pray that you may bear fruit no matter what season you are in. We are praying for you and your families.

Grace be multiplied to you.

Much Love,

Pastor Fatima Sibanda
Chairperson

Like a bird out of a cage

DEAR PRECIOUS LADIES

June is fast moving on! We thank God for allowing us into the 6th month of the year. This is the month that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Any one of us could have been in Nepal where buildings fell on people and wiped out families from the face of the earth due to earthquakes. We could have been part of those women and children who perished in the waters trying to go and look for a better life in Europe. We could have been one of those who tragically died in May. Look what the Lord has done, we are still alive no matter what our first five months were like.

In Psalm 124 David describes various circumstances that came his way that could have swallowed him alive. He even alludes to the fact that the waters could have overwhelmed him had it not been for the Lord. He praises the Lord for not having allowed negative things and obstacles he faced to overcome him. His soul escaped from that which wanted to crush him and finish him off. The snare to enslave him was broken and he escaped like a bird out of a cage. David ended that psalm by declaring that his help to overcome all these challenges that threatened the health of his soul had come from the Lord.

My dear sisters there is help that comes from above. The word help also meanssupport, assistance, to make easier, to provide what is necessary, to accomplish a task, to relieve, to guide, to benefit and to nourish. As we proceed with the month of June I want to assure you that God is going to support and assist you. He will provide what is necessary for you to accomplish the tasks set before you in June. He will nourish your soul with his love and his word. The Lord is going to make it easier for you. He will guide you and direct your steps. You will not be caged your soul has already escaped. Rest assured that you are not going to do the journey of June alone. Because the Lord made heaven and earth, He has power over everything happening in heaven and on earth. When it comes to your life He has the final and only say.

This is our month. We will and are rejoicing in it no matter what may come our way, there is help and support for us. I love and pray for you precious women. Have a great month.

Much love

Pastor Fatima Sibanda
Chairperson

Your Shepherd

Dear Precious Ladies

Wow, we have completed the first four months of the year and we are still here.

Thanks be unto the Lord for allowing us to continue on His earth! As David rightly puts it, “The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it…” (Psalm 24:1 NIV) My sisters, we are part of everything on earth so that means we belong to Him and He cares for us. David also calls us the sheep of His pasture.“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3)

In Psalm 23 David describes the Lord as our shepherd. During biblical times sheep were completely dependent on the shepherd to guide them, provide for them and protect them. Shepherds knew each one of their sheep closely. They knew the condition of their sheep at any point in time. They would lead them to good places to graze. In various seasons shepherds would spend their nights with the sheep. They would sleep at the door of the sheepfold. Shepherds valued the life of their sheep that they fought wolves and wild animals just to defend and protect their sheep. The injured and those with young would get extra attention. Shepherds were known to lay down their lives for the sheep. If the sheep went astray the shepherds would look for them and bring them back. My sisters this is the essence of what we are as the Lord's sheep.

As we proceed with the month of May I want to encourage you to completely depend on Jesus. He has already sustained us the first quarter of this year. He will continue to lead us and to guide us. We can trust Him with our daily needs and cares. He is the restorer of our souls and the protector of our hearts. He is our healer and comforter. He is our vindicator and He fights all our battles. We belong to Him and He knows everything about us. He sees everything and he hears everything. In this month of May I encourage you to trust in Him.

Each day that you wake up this month know that your shepherd is waiting to lead you through the day. You shall not lack anything you need to accomplish God's plan for you for this month. There is fresh oil for your head. You will think clearly and you will make wise choices. This is your month of walking besides still waters for your Shepherd will not lead you to perilous places.

May God bless you richly in this month of May. May you make progress spiritually and in every other area of your life. May it be well with your family both natural and spiritual. May you operate under open heavens and may you experience uncommon favour from the Great Shepherd and Bishop of your soul.

Much Love and blessings,

Pastor Fatima Sibanda
Chairperson

Sping!

Dear Precious Ladies
What a great season we are in as we have all been reflecting on the cross, death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Some of us were on lent, some were praying and fasting, some went to different conferences and services commemorating the journey of our salvation and what it cost. All the pain and suffering Jesus went through was personal to you and me. We are so valuable to God that He gave his most precious Son for us. We indeed were purchased at a very high price. Now that the Easter holidays have gone let us not forget to continue to walk in the victory that Christ won for us. Let us not let go of all that which we received from the Lord during this period.

Here in the UK we have entered the Spring season. Spring brings colour back into our gardens as flowers begin to open up their petals that had been closed during winter. Birds are starting to sing again. I listen to them early morning and I feel refreshed. The weather is getting warmer and it’s getting dark a bit later than the past season. Spring is a season of hope and new life. The word spring also has other meanings like: to jump, to bounce, to be resilient, to rise, to act suddenly, to be released from a constrained position, to come into being by growth, to come forth suddenly, to take an upward course, proceed, emerge, skip, rushing water, and a fountain. Isaiah 43:19 says, “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.”

As we proceed with this month of April my prayer is that you may take an upward course in every area of your life. I pray that the Lord will come forth suddenly for you and your family, adding colour into your lives. According to His word something new is about to spring up; may you see it and perceive it and not miss it. This month you will skip and bounce with new life. You will be released from any constrained position because a great destiny awaits you. The fountain of the blood of Jesus already spoke on your behalf therefore you will emerge as a victorious and powerful woman ready to accomplish God's will in your sphere of influence, starting from your home. God has already made a way for you. I pray your eyes be open to see the way that will lead you to that desired haven for you and family. God will cause you to skip over all your current obstacles. Resurrection power is real power and its available to you, your loved ones and your ministry or career. Expect something new to spring up. Grace to spring up be multiplied to you in this season.

We love and pray for you. Do not forget to testify and to tell us how you are getting on. You can also send your prayer requests and we will believe God together with you. May God bless you richly.

Much love and blessings

Pastor Fatima Sibanda
Chairperson

March Forward

Dear Precious Ladies

Oh wow we have come to the end of yet another month. February 2015 will never come again during our lifespan. It does not matter how good or how bad it was, the end of February has come.

We might want it to linger longer or we might want to hold on to it but we have to let go. It’s interesting to note that the coming month is March! This is an action word that denotes movement, rhythm and order. One of its synonyms is to come forward. Coming forward has an element of making progress or proceeding. The year is proceeding and moving forward and so must we.

In the book of Philippians 3:13 the apostle Paul says, “Brothers and sisters. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” I would like to encourage you to look forward and continue to pursue God. You might not have managed to lay hold of that which you had planned for February or even for the year. Do not give up on your dreams and goals. Do not allow disappointment and discouragement to settle in your heart. Leave your regrets and failures in February. You cannot afford to march forward carrying baggage into March. This will hinder your march and your progress in the Lord and in life. Remember we get one shot at life, there are no rehearsals and there is no month that comes twice in one year. Dust yourself up and move forward. It’s not too late to recover lost ground. The Lord is there to help you to advance.

The word strain in Philippians 3:13 has stretching implications, it also implies pain, injury force, pressure and excessive demand. The apostle Paul says, “ ..straining toward what is ahead...” This shows that moving forward and making progress is not always easy. Sometimes there is pain, demands and pressure on us as we move forward. We can push past the pain and hindrances and challenges. This March the grace of the Lord abounds to all of us enabling us to make progress despite our current circumstances. May we all reach out for what is ahead of us instead of being stuck in what lies behind us. We can learn valuable lessons from our past but then the past should remain in the past because it has now passed!!

I pray that this month of March maybe a notable month for you, that you will flourish and blossom in it. Continue to move forward in your prayer life, reading of the word, and exercising spiritual disciplines that enhance your character. Continue to work hard and to be diligent in all you do. Continue to love the Lord your God and to serve Him in the field you are. The Lord will surely visit you and bless you this month so sisters let us march on in March!

I am inviting you all who can make it to our annual conference on the 6th and 7th of March. To those of you who are in other parts of the world do pray for us we are expecting a mighty move of God during this conference and beyond. We know that no woman attending will go back home the same way they are coming. The Lord will surely visit us.

Much Love

Pastor Fatima Sibanda
Chairperson

Run to Jesus

Dear Precious Ladies

February is already moving forward and we thank God for all that He did for us in January.

How are you all doing and are you keeping up with your resolutions if you had any? If not how has your year been so far? Here is another opportunity to start again and make sure you glean valuable lessons from January. Remember not to carry over what is not beneficial to you in this new month. Many of you have been on different fasting and seeking the Lord programmes. Rest assured that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled, Jesus meant it when He spoke those words. I have since realised that I cannot seek after God or serve Him with all my heart without His help. I cannot achieve any of my goals without Him either. I want to encourage you to continue to depend on Him, run to Him and you will be safe.

Recently I have been reading from the book of Luke 4 during the time Jesus was fasting and praying and I saw something that opened my eyes to some of the tactics of Satan. I saw how Satan had the audacity to approach Jesus during the time when Jesus had separated Himself to seek the Lord. He tried to distract Jesus from his time of sanctification by making Him many offers including wanting Jesus to stop fasting and eat. I saw how Satan was twisting the scriptures to make them say what he wanted in order to deceive Jesus. I was startled by how he offered Jesus power and fame i.e. authority and splendour. He went on to say, “I give authority and splendour to anyone I want to." This he would give in exchange for being worshipped!! My dear sisters, let us not be distracted by him and focus on our love and service for God. We must not accept any of his offers! Influence and wealth that come from Satan will enslave you in the long run. If you accept any of his goods he will come viciously and aggressively after them.

Luke 4:13 states that “When the devil had finished all this tempting he left him until an opportune time.” To tempt means to lure someone to do evil or to pull towards doing what is not right. Satan’s agenda was to try and stop Jesus from doing what was right. He will try to stop us and to pull us towards doing what is wrong whether in our thoughts, actions or attitudes. We must not give him room (Ephesians 4:27).The word opportune means: convenient, suitable, favourable, appropriate and a golden moment. He left Jesus temporarily and waited for a convenient moment to come back. My sisters, Satan is looking for a convenient time to pounce on us, our families, churches, workplaces and our nations. He is looking for a suitable time that is favourable for his attacks. As we proceed with the month let us not open the door or create room for him to pull us towards doing what is wrong. Let him have nothing in us in any area of our lives.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we are assured that “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.” My prayer is that we do not give Satan room and that when we are tempted we see the way of escape that the Lord has provided for us. May we continue to pursue Him with all our hearts and the Lord will help us. Have a fantastic fabulous February.

Again I invite you to our annual Celebrating Womanhood Conference 2015 on the 6th and 7th of March. It will be held at our church, so you can write us if you need more information about the conference. Grace to overcome temptations in the month of February and beyond be multiplied to you all.

Much love and blessings,

Pastor Fatima Sibanda
CHAIRPERSON

Keep Moving Forward...

Dear Precious Ladies

A Happy New Year to you all!

How have the last ten days been? Are you settling in well? How about your resolutions, goals and targets? Are you on track? What have been your experiences so far? Are you still excited about this new year or have you already experienced difficulty?

I want to encourage you to keep on moving forward. Do not try to use will power to achieve all your goals and aspirations. Ask for daily grace from the Lord and He will gladly help you. We have all been allowed to see this new year because God has special plans for us for 2015. It is a new year for us but not for God. He has already been at the end of this year and He is not limited by time. Let us allow Him to be on the driving seat and let’s follow Him daily. We should trust in Him, and trust Him with our year and all that has anything to do with us. Our Shepherd wants to lead us to green pastures and still waters but we have to completely surrender our hearts and our lives to Him.

I am currently reading a book on parenting by the late Dr Myles Munroe. I bought this book from him personally when he came to London on a leadership breakfast. When he signed the book for me he gave me Philippians 1:6. I did not take much notice of it then but now I have looked at it and it means so much to me. I thought to encourage you with it as we start the year.

That word began is past tense and it means: the one who performed the first or initial part. It also means the one who brought it to existence, the originator, the one who activated, the one who laid a foundation, the creator, the one who brought it about and the one who brought birth to. My sisters the Lord is the one who activated and caused us to be conceived in our mothers’ wombs. He is the one who originated our salvation through Jesus Christ. He is the one who sustained us all these years. The Lord is the one who also activated the year 2015. He brought it about then He allowed us to be in it. He is the Alpha and Omega. He started this year and He will complete it. He started the good work of keeping us alive and blessing us. Surely He will complete this good work. He will carry us through this year. Whatever we will face or go through this year, whether good or bad, He will be with us. His plans for us this year are good and not to harm us. We have a loving, caring Father and He wants us to have a happy new year. It will not necessarily be a super perfect year, but He will be with us.

As we proceed with the journey of 2015 let us have confidence in Him. It is well and shall be well with us. Let us pursue Him with all our hearts and as we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, He will add everything else we need. If God be for us, who can be against us? This year our God will visit us and He will bless us indeed. Let us rise up and excel in all we do this year.

I encourage you to be women of prayer and the word. Our spirituality must be accompanied by good works that cause others to glorify Him. The Lord, who started this new year, will be with us right to the end.

I wish you all a blessed and prosperous 2015. Let us keep on moving forward. We are praying for all of you.

We wish to inform you about our Celebrating Womanhood Annual Conference that will be taking place on the 6th & 7th of March. The theme is Woman of Worth (WOW) based on Ruth 3:11. Please invite family and friends. Here is the flyer.

Much love and New Year blessings!

Pastor Fatima Sibanda

Chairperson