Emily Mutea: On Prayer that Prevails
I could tell you about her academic qualifications – and, as you will see, they are many. We could talk about her beauty – she has that in abundance. Her ministry is powerful. We could go on for days about such things, but I would like to share with you the one thing that stands out the most for me when it comes to Emily Mutea, and that is that she is a prayer warrior and has a passion for encouraging people to build on their personal relationship with Jesus Christ through intimate and continued communication with Him.This month, we discover that prayer is the lifeline for every virtuous woman.
Image: Emily at her ACCA graduation dinner
ON EMILY – THE BASICS.
Childhood:
Troublesome Tomboy.
I come from a family of 2 parents, mom and dad and 3 wonderful brothers. My family both nuclear and extended is male dominated so I have grown up with boys. That has had implications. With boys there is always a fight for something, whether its food, or time in the bathroom, et cetera. My childhood was so much fun. I grew up in an estate in Nairobi and had more friends than I could count. I was a very playful child, I got in to trouble a lot and I loved it. I made friends easily and I had many friends. From what I can remember I spent most of my childhood playing!
My dad worked out of the country a lot so my eldest brother, Eric, took to being the “man of the house”. I hated him for it, at the time. Looking back, [I now see] he did a good job of protecting me. My teen years must have been the worst years of his life! I was curious, adventurous and downright rebellious! Trouble was my middle name. I had my first alcoholic drink when I was 15. In high school I preferred to spend time playing basketball and practicing for drama festivals than to read. I even got suspended from school once for leading a school strike. It was that bad!
Education:
“Striving to Excel.”
I attended Primary School at Lavington Primary, where I met [Yakuti's] editor Paula, who is now a dear friend to me. I then went to Moi Girls Nairobi High school were I completed my “O” levels. I was disappointed with my mean grade after high school; I regretted having wasted so much time and not taking my studies seriously. So I promised myself that I would take my academics seriously in future and make up for lost time by excelling.
In 2004 I enrolled for an accounting course at Strathmore University. I completed my Association of Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA) certificate in 2006. While pursuing my ACCA at Strathmore, I got the opportunity to do a degree by distance learning with Oxford Brookes University in the UK. I took the opportunity and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Accounting. In 2006, while winding up my ACCA I began my Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Nairobi, and graduated in 2009.
Work:
Which race counts?
Beginning the year 2008, I worked for an accounting consultancy firm. I did this full time while studying for my degree part time. Consultancy is very exciting. I got to do interesting accounting work for a variety of clients. In my first year on the job I handled three assignments for East African Breweries, the leading brewer in East and Central Africa. The assignments revolved around performing inventory checks on the companies’ assets. I was a team lead and the work was quite involving but I was enjoying the experience and exposure too much to care. However, I must admit, it was a challenge balancing work and school. In my second year of working I was a team lead in accounting outsource assignments. This involved managing the accounting and finance departments of clients who had outsourced their accounting services to our firm. I also performed the task of preparing financial statements for external audit for different clients. By the time my second year was coming to a close, I had handled about six clients. It was an amazing time, a steep learning curve and yet a great learning experience. My job has been a blessing from the Lord in many ways. Through it He has affirmed me and proved to me that His favour is real.
My work experience was enriched by my two directors, Mr, Ndegwa and Mr. Wambua who supported me and gave me the opportunity to grow. They taught me all I know about the profession, supervision and other work related issues. I honestly feel very blessed to have started out with them.
Come my third working year, which is this year, I began to feel tired and weary both physically and mentally. On reflecting on my life, I realized that ninety-nine percent of my life was being spent on my career and that I felt imbalanced. Worse still, my life was moving so fast, I couldn’t hear that Still, Small Voice that had always guided me. I wasn’t sure what the Lord wanted of me regarding my career and its place in his overall purpose for my life. It was time to slow down, rest and listen. So last month I resigned and in the next few months I plan to rest and listen to Lord.
ON EMILY – A LITTLE MORE PERSONAL.
How did you come to know the Lord?
Growing up in Ngummo estate, we had a weekly Bible study that we attended as children. Our Bible study leader was a man of the Lord called Jeff Mbaka. He taught the Bible to us at a young age, together with a mom to one of my friends whom we called “Mama Karanja.” The Bible studies were hosted at Mama Karanja’s home. We sang songs, we read the Bible and we prayed. As a child, I did not understand the importance of this. But I really enjoyed the time. Every year we would attend Daily Vacation Bible School – a one week Nairobi Pentecostal Church program to the children’s ministry. For one week we would learn songs, read the Bible, memorize scripture and pray and have lots of fun with our friends. When I was 11 years old, during an Easter Vacation Bible School session lead by a Pastor called Pastor White, an alter call was given and it was then that I accepted Christ into my life. Later in my teenage years, I rebelled against the Lord. My heart was like the thorny ground, in the parable of the sower. The word of God was choked by my desire to have fun and to be in control of my life. After I left high school, I felt desperate for the Lord. I felt if I did not rededicate life to Christ, I was headed for doom. I rededicated my life to Christ and joined the fellowship of the Navigators. In the course of our extensive Bible study, this is when I really began to know the Lord.
What one memory makes you want to jump up and down with praise, and why?
I thank God because I have so many such memories. The most recent that comes to mind is when my prayer partner and best friend, Lin was invited for an Internship at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. I remember when she called to tell me that she had gotten the word, I was in a movie theater and I had to stifle my screams of joy. So immediately the movie was done I rushed out of the movie theater and called her and screamt my lungs out! It was an answer to prayer . An answer exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever have asked or imagined! Her passion is Human Rights. Her calling is noble, justice and being a voice to the voiceless. For a long time we had prayed for her future and her career and that the Lord would bring opportunities to nurture her passion. We had celebrated many successes in this regard, but we had reached a point of uncertainty, we weren’t hearing the Lord’s leading in this area any more. And so many doors of opportunity had been closed. We felt like God had forgotten our prayers. With this internship to The Hague, with this Miracle, the Lord showed us that he remembers our prayers. His promises are true!
*Image: Emily (center) with close friends at her graduation party*
How has God changed you since you became born again?
Wow! I could write a book on this one! I plan to, but not here on Yakuti 
I am a new creation in every sense of the word. My value system is different, my priorities are different, I have a deep and growing compassion for people especially for their salvation. My ultimate source of security, confidence and beauty is that Jesus Christ died for me! The gospel has a transforming power and I am evidence of that.
Before I re-dedicated my life to Christ six years ago, I used to take pride in my abilities, particularly my intellect. I also valued my popularity which came easy. My potential to achieve was at the core of my identity and I lived to make people around me proud.
After Christ, Christ is the centre of my life. He is the only one I seek to please. My greatest joy and fulfillment come from serving. In the last six years, I have served and continue to serve through prayer, bible study and mentoring teenagers. God has loved me to a point where I can say that if I had nothing, no papers, no family, no friends, no hair and I had Jesus Christ in my life, I would have more than my share of blessing!
ON WOMANHOOD.
How can a woman maximize her potential? What is a woman’s potential, anyway?
My favourite lady character in the bible is Deborah, the Judge. One of the challenges that I have had as a young woman is thinking, I cannot have it all. I cannot have a successful career, family, ministry, et cetera, all at once. When I was 20 I attended a lady’s fellowship and heard the story of Deborah. Deborah was a judge, a prophetess, a wife, a mother all in one. And by the look of her story, she was having it all. She was balancing all her roles, responsibilities, gifts, talents and above all to the glory of the Lord. Deborah in my view is a woman who had maximized her potential.
I believe that a life well lived is a balanced life, a life that incorporates service and sharing of ones life with others in love. As women we are blessed with the powerful role of bringing forth life, in birth. This role is sheer divine! To be a mother is to take part in creation. Today, society tells us that we must chose between motherhood and career. Not True. Not for Deborah. Not for you and me. We are the children of God, we can have it all!
How can a woman guard her heart?
By guarding her senses. Remember the song we used to sing in Sunday school? “Be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little eyes what you see, for your father up above is looking down below so be careful little eyes what you see.”
Guarding our hearts means, committing to righteous[ness], that sin may not take a strong hold in our lives. Job demonstrated an understanding of this when he said, I have vowed with my eyes not to look lustfully at a woman. He was guarding what he saw (one of the senses) so as to guard His heart against the sin of lust.
*Image: Emily (center) leading a Bible study at Moi Girls’ School Nairobi.
What we take in, what we see, what we hear, where we go and generally the experiences we expose ourselves to are what contribute to who we become and in this case to whether we sin or not. Sin is conceptualized in the mind before it is manifested in the physical. So by guarding the gate ways to our mind, we guard our minds and ultimately our hearts.
And this is true for all Christians both men and women.
What do you think is the biggest threat to womanhood today?
An identity crisis. We don’t not know who we are and yet every body wants to brand us with one identity or the other. The media brands us as sex symbols, the traditionalist male – especially in African society – brands us as purely a domestic care taker. And society in its truest form has termed us “the weaker sex” who should know better than to get involved in the affairs of men. This is expressed by oppressive laws, mostly cultural, on women as well as structures in our public and corporate sectors that have made it difficult for women to penetrate to strategic decision making positions. Sex is increasingly being used as a medium to sell almost anything and we as women are the symbols of that medium.
Why is all this a threat? In regards to the exaltation of sex, some of our precious girls grow with the misconception that there greatest worth is in between their legs (forgive the harsh tone). These girls disregard the discovery and development of their gifts, talents and abilities and use sex to get what they want in life. The result is a sinful society, a lost generation.
In reference to societal oppression of women, when women experience an oppressive system, they rebel against their deemed oppressors; men. This leads to broken homes, women who have been hardened so much that there demeanor has turned from a feminine one to a masculine one. They do this to defend themselves. The mentality being that if femininity is a weakness, well then lets be more masculine to get what is rightfully ours.
How can this threat be overcome?
There is only one solution, an intimate relationship with the Lord. Our true identity is in Christ. The Lord created us and so He knows us best and any definition and affirmation of who we are should only come from Him. We can only experience this divine identity if we have accepted Christ and are relating closely with Him. We can only truly “find ourselves” in Christ. Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life…”. Remember Mary the former prostitute who washed Jesus feet with the perfume in her alabaster box? Mary had been given a new identity by Jesus and she rewarded Him with a precious gift.
There is hope that even in an oppressive system, we as women can know who we are in the Lord and live to our full potential. I love the story of Deborah (Judges 4); she was a woman in a patriarchal society yet she judged over Israel for 40 years. While doing so, she was balancing the role of wife and mother. We can have it all, my dear sisters, all we need to do is to know God and to trust in him.
ON PRAYER.
What is prayer?
Prayer is simply conversation with God.
What does prayer do for us?
Generally, it allows us to express ourselves before the Lord. In the same way that conversing with a friend does. Prayer is not a one sided activity, as we speak the Lord listens and he responds to us through His word. The focus in prayer is therefore not “us” but our relationship with the Lord.
Who taught you how to pray?
The Lord taught me how to pray. Let me explain. In relating with Lord in his word I have come to appreciate the sufficiency of scripture for all of life, both our spiritual life and our physical life. 2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is God Breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Prayer according to Matthew 6 is an act of righteousness. I sought a deeper understanding of prayer a few years ago and it was through the word of God that the I learnt how to pray.I studied the Bible on the teachings on prayer as well as the prayer lives of men and women of God such as Moses, Deborah, Daniel etc.
*Image: Emily in Uganda
How can people have their own personal bedroom worship? How does it start – are there any steps to follow?
I am glad that we live in the era of grace, where we can access God anytime and anywhere! Personal worship is possible; there are no hard and first rules about how to go about it. However I feel that I must mention that worship must include in take of the word of God. In take doesn’t mean only reading, it could be studying, memorizing or meditating on the word of God. Our focus in worship must be God, and the bible is the form that the Lord takes on this side of heaven.
What would you say to someone who doesn’t feel like God is real to them; someone who knows God exists and loves her but cannot connect to Him in a personal, relational way? How can God become real to us?
God became real to me when I began to commit to my relationship with Him, when I became deliberate about knowing Him. I did this by setting aside time to listen to Him in his word, talking to Him in prayer and sharing about him in fellowship and witnessing. The bible says that He the Lord desires for us to seek him and He says that if we do so we will find Him. (Acts 17:27.)
God sees your desire to connect to Him , the bible says that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it Phil 1:6. The desire to connect to Him is a desire that He puts in us and He has given us the Holy Spirit to work out that connection. So don’t sweat it, just make time, read your bible and pray every day and the Lord will make himself know to you.
What is the best way to touch the heart of God?
Let me share something that I learnt about God’s love language. We all speak and respond to different love languages for some its gifts, for others its touch, for others its words of affirmation. For God it is obedience. “John 14: 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my father and I too will love Him and show myself to him” I remember praying, Lord I know that you love me but I am not sure that I love you the way you want me to, teach me how to and then I got this word. Our greatest demonstration of love for our God is by obedience!
How can we pray powerful prayers that influence big miracles? Is there a formula to powerful prayer?
One of my favourite prayer scripture is James 5:17-18. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. Hallelujah! Elijah was a man just like us! How can we pray powerful prayers? By just praying!
What are your thoughts on fasting? Is it necessary? Is it just for aselect few? Who should fast, and when?
Fasting like prayer is communication with God. The difference is that fasting is non-verbal communication, like holding Gods hand. I think it is necessary; it communicates our devotion to the Lord above our comfort and pleasures. Fasting like prayer is for all who are in a relationship with the Lord. Mathew 6: 16-18 touches on fasting. It does not mention when to fast, so I guess that detail is left to our discretion. It however elaborates on how. That in fasting, we must conduct ourselves in humility.
How about tongues?
Speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift. 1 Corinthians 12:4 [tells us] there are different kinds of gifts but the same spirit. Verse 10, [says] to another speaking in different kinds of tongues. The scripture from verse 7-10 gives examples of different spiritual gifts. It speaks of gift of healing, gift of miraculous powers, gift of prophesy, gift of distinguishing between spirits and then the gift of speaking in tongues. We all have varied spiritual gifts. Speaking in tongues is just one of them.
Aside from the prayer for salvation, what is the most important prayer a
woman can say in her life?
I believe in times and seasons and that the Lord has given us the dimension of time that we may live purposeful lives. As women we go through various seasons – singlehood, marriage, motherhood etc. Different prayers will be essential for different seasons.
As a young unmarried woman, this is my most important prayer. 1 Corinthians 7:34
An unmarried woman or virgin us concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and Spirit.
Heavenly father I desire to be devoted to you entirely in this season of my life, show me how. Amen
The Bible says we should leave our gifts at the altar and reconcile with those who have offended us before we go to God in prayer. What does this mean?
It means that one of the prerequisites for answered prayer is forgiveness of those who have wronged us.
Why do some prayers seem to go unanswered?
When we pray, we pray with expectation of a particular outcome. Usually we expect a “Yes” answer. But we must learn that sometimes the Lord says “No” or “Wait”. Sometimes He answers the prayer in a different way from how we expected Him to.
We should pray for wisdom and insight that the Lord may open our eyes that we may “see” or perceive things the way he wants us to.
One of the interviewees shared about asking God for something just once. Is it wrong to ask God for a job today, and to repeat the prayer tomorrow and the day after?
Not at all!! Remember the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18?
This is one of Jesus’ teaching on prayer, that we persist! In fact the bible says Like 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Keep on praying!!
At what point should we stop praying/give up on praying about a particular thing, if we do not see the answer we desire, yet our prayer is Biblical?
Firstly, what do we mean when we say that prayer is Biblical? The promises of God, including the promise of answered prayer, come with conditions attached to them. These conditions are the prerequisites to answered prayer. Lets look through a few.
Prayer must be in line with the will of God. 1John 5:14-15, “ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of Him.
We exercise Faith in prayer. Matthew 21:22, “If you believe you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer”
We must not be blatantly living in sin and disregarding the Lord-Psalm 66:18-If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened
We must ask with the right motive. James 4:3, you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on you pleasures
Husbands ought to be living right with their wives. 1 Pet 3:7, “Husbands in the same way, be considerate as you live with you wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers”
Secondly, the answer that we desire may not be in line with Gods good pleasing and perfect plan for our lives. We should follow the classic example of the Jesus Christ and submit our will to the Lord. Remember Jesus at the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42)?, his desire was to live and to for go crucifixion but He submitted his will to the Lord.
Thirdly and lastly, at no point should we stop praying that is what the bible says.
1 Thessalonians 5: 17 [says] Pray continually.
How does God speak to us?
Primarily through the word of God: the Bible. John 1:1 – in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The bible is God in black and white. God desires that we seek after Him and know him so he equipped us with his word which would reveal himself to us in a way that we could understand. It breaks my heart that in our rushed generation we have little if any time to spend in the word. We have increasingly delegated the in take of the word to the pastors. This is not the way that Lord intended it. With the inception of the The age of grace the Lord’s desire was that we would experience an intimate personal walk with him. One might ask, why? Isnt the Bible the same for all of us? Yes, the Bible is universal , but we are unique and the Lord who created us knows this and so He speaks to us individually in a way that ministers to our individual reality.
As our walk with the Lord grows, as we begin to interact with Him in an intimate way, He could speak to us in other ways e.g. through dreams.
God knows all things. So why pray specifically?
As an act of obedience. Because repeatedly in the word of God, God calls us to relate to Him in prayer. Our prayer is a sweet melody to His ears.
Also, there are different reasons why we pray. Aside from asking God for stuff, we pray to experience the presence of God.
Why pray every day, why can’t a person just say one prayer today for everysituation and circumstance for the rest of their lives?
Allow me to respond to this question with a paraphrase of the question.
Why should I talk to a person that I want to get to know and relate to closely, why not just have one major conversation with them and let that be all?
Well because by so doing, I limit my knowledge of the person and the growth of my relationship with this person. God is multifaceted, he has so many dimensions and even with all the time that we have on this side of heaven we will not fully know Him. To interact with the Lord in word and in prayer is to know the Lord. And as we continue to know Him, he who created us reveals to us our true identity, what he had in mind when he put us together. But to understand this we must understand that prayer is not a religious ritual, it is not a delivery of a wish list. It is relational practice that allows us to interact with our friend Jesus Christ.
What is your prayer for women today?
My prayer for women today is that they will understand that Jesus Loves them, that they will experience the reality of this truth at a heart and mind level. All women desire to be loved and the love of Christ is the greatest love off all! The love of Jesus Christ is the surest source of the security that we seek. I pray that all women will know this love and that it will liberate them to live out the good, pleasing and perfect plan that the Lord has set for them.
What is the biggest lesson you can share on prayer?
There is power in prayer! As we pray let us not be preoccupied with ourselves but pray for others as well. Let us intercede. We are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ here on earth and prayer is on of the tools we have been given to fight the good fight. So let us use it, let us pray for our loved ones, for our enemies for our nation. God will use your prayer to deliver His blessing.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Yakuti, Keep on praying!
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Let’s keep praying, and let’s keep Emily in our prayers, ladies!
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interview. Emily you are a blessed woman of God. Honestly, I can learn so much from you.
Shout out to Paula, Big up to Yakuti! Lol. x