The Light that Shines: Merry Christmas

Myss Lafunky is using this medium to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Below is a Poem that I wrote about the season of Christmas. I was opportune to present my write-up as a Spoken-Word at a gathering.

There is a light that shines in darkness.

And it seemed it took a while to spark it.

We had waited long for the light to arrive.
So many prophecies were made about this coming light.
Prophet Isaiah told the House of David that a Virgin would conceive and bear a son and that his name would be Immanuel.

The world was becoming gloomy, many sacrifices were being made. 

Although He was in the world, we did not know him as he had not physically come to the earth.

The Bible says:
“The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:26-27 ESV)

There was a night when God gave the greatest gift to come to the world.
He blessed a woman with the hope of the world.
He chose a young girl to bring the light to this world.
He blessed a girl called Mary to bring hope, peace, salvation and joy to the world.
Mary gave birth to Jesus.
Jesus came to establish his kingdom on earth.
Jesus, the Messiah came to give us hope.

Even when He came, His own did not receive Him.
He came to change us and He would love to change you and I. Are you allowing Him to change you?
For our sake, God came to the world as Jesus, He made himself so low that he was born in a manger.

He came to the world to shine His light.
Not the light on our streets or on our Christmas tree.
But the light in our heart, the light to obey his Word, the Light that leads to eternal life.
The light that removes darkness away.

Jesus came to give us light so that you and I can shine and so that He can shine through us.
Jesus said in John 8:12 that, I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light that leads to life.
Are you walking in darkness or in the light?

Mary was chosen to carry this light into the world. She ensured that she delivered the light.
She didn't damage the light. She followed all the instructions to ensure that the light was born.

Do you carry this light?
Do you rely on this light on a daily basis?
Rely on His light to guide you on your earthly journey. In all that you do, in all that you say and think, rely on God's light to guide you.
Rely on His light to guide you home.


Make a commitment with God that you will share the light of God with your friends and relatives before the end of year 2014.

From all of us (Myss Lafunky's Team), We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Photo credit: http://lampsoil.wordpress.com/

Before I Do Radio Show: A Show For Christian Singles|A Show For All

Hi Readers & Followers,

How is your weekend going?  Are you set for Christmas? What are your plans for Christmas? I'm in the mood to celebrate the birth of Jesus and to share gifts with others.

To my readers and followers, are you having problems commenting on the blog? A lot of people have reported to me that, the comment section of the blog is not working. I really don't know what's going on.  If you continue to have problems with posting a comment, please contact me on trulymakingadifference@gmail.com and I will get the team to look into it.

Back to today's post..

It's all about "Before I Do" -- A Christian radio show. The show is 'buzzing' in London. It's a must to listen to this show as a Youth leader, as a single person, and as a mentor to Christian singles.

Have I also mentioned that the show is extremely informative? In addition, experienced guest speakers (both Christian singles and married guests) are invited to the show.

The Executive Producer is doing a great job, he goes out of his way to ensure that relevant topics that are facing Christian singles in this dispensation are discussed on the show, and he has continued to ensure the he invites experienced guest speakers to be part of the show.

I can still recollect when the Producer told me about the vision that God gave him to start a Christian radio show, fast forward to a month after that he'd informed me, the vision became a reality.

Please, read more about the radio show below and remember to tune in every Monday at 7pm. You just need to download 'Hephzibah radio' app on your phone/laptop/tablet/computer.

“BEFORE I DO” RADIO TALK SHOW INTRODUCTION!

"BEFORE I DO",-BID an online Radio Talk Show, is a God-inspired programme which focuses on singleness and relationships for single Christians, and seeks ways to help them become better individuals and marriage partners.

It is a project founded to help single individuals understand God's plan for this phase, as well as God's expectations from them as they prepare for marriage.

The Radio Talk Show started broadcasting on the 13th of February 2014 and has since been airing weekly till date.

BID, a magazine styled interactive radio talk show hosts men and women of God who are highly graced in the relationship and marriage-counselling field, regularly. Our listeners, who are from different continents in the world are always given the opportunity to call-in on the show, which gives them the opportunity to contribute via live phone call.

Going by the great feedback we receive weekly, we can confidently say that our over 1,000 listeners worldwide are being blessed.

BID airs every Monday 7pm on Hephzibah Radio with a Rebroadcast on Thursdays 7pm – 9pm and also on Saturday 9am. You can tune in by downloading Hephzibah Radio App on your smart phone or download Tunein Radio App on your smart phone, iPads, BlackBerry & Android devices, and then search for Hephzibah Radio.

We encourage you to listen in weekly and be blessed.

For more information contact the Executive Producer, Before I Do on 07507658575 or follow on Twitter (@before_ido), Facebook (Before I Do) or email: mailbeforeido@gmail.com

- Myss Lafunky

Do me a favour this week, tell a friend to tell another friend about Before I Do radio show. We need to ensure that singles are taught the truth about Christian relationships.

Why Seek Ye The Living Among The Dead?

Hi Readers and Followers,

Happy Monday to you all. It's countdown to Christmas, it's literally 10 days to Christmas. Are you ready for Christmas?

I performed a Spoken Word about Christmas to a group of young Christians. I will share a written version of the poetry with you all next week by God's Grace.

Today's post was written by my friend. You should be familiar with my darling Ifeoluwanimi, she's a regular writer on my blog and a big supporter of this blog right from the inception.

Please read and be transformed.

                                 Why Seek Ye The Living Among The Dead?

I went to the store today to get some dry yeast. I knew it was in the baking section but I expected it to come in a small plastic container and not a sachet. So I went through the baking section several times, spoke to many attendants, who kept telling me it will be in the baking section. I was desperate to get some yeast so I kept going back to check but still couldn’t find it. One attendant asked me to go to the store’s bakery to ask. I was given fresh yeast at the bakery. Fresh yeast! The recipe I wanted to follow says dry yeast so I returned the yeast and went one last time to speak to another attendant. He was kind enough to explain that the yeast will be on the top counter on the baking aisle. I looked a little more closely and finally I found the dry yeast. It was in a small sachet, tucked away nicely in a larger box. And to think I had spent almost 30 minutes roaming the store!

The Holy Spirit made me realize that, so many times we want something from God but we don’t recognize the gift because we have a preconceived idea of what the gift should look like. So we keep walking in circles, asking God and He tells us through His Word (The Bible) where we can find what we are looking for. Some people ask the wrong people who give a solution that seems reasonable. Just like I was asked to go to the bakery. Oh yes, the bakery should stock yeast isn’t it? While some people get discouraged and walk out of the store, “if its not in the baking section we don’t have it” just like one attendant said. They agree in their minds that they will get it some other time.

Some others go with the wrong product. Just because it said yeast doesn’t mean the yeast is the right kind of yeast I needed for my baking. Thank God I knew the recipe so I didn’t buy the product. Some of us want certain things from God but we have not checked what God’s Word says about what we are looking for so we go with the wrong product. The disciples were looking for Jesus in the tomb because they didn’t remember what God’s Word said about Jesus’ resurrection. The angel said “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” Some people want a spouse, but they don’t know what God’s word says about the kind of man to marry so they go with just any man. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (Please, open this bible verses) tells us the kind of people to turn away from. If God already says in his word that we should have nothing to do with a certain kind of people, we won’t make a mistake being with such.

I was persistent, desperate. I walked round the store a couple of time before I found attendants to talk to. I ended up leaving the store with the yeast; the right kind of yeast. According to Jeremiah 29:11-13, you need to Know God’s plans, pray and seek God with all your heart before you find Him.

So, what is that thing you are seeking God for? Are you seeking the Lord earnestly? Are you desperate or you have an alternative? Do you know what God’s Word says about what you are seeking? Have you studied the scriptures so that you can recognize the opportunities God brings our way? Do you have a preconceived idea of what you think it should look like according to your wisdom? Remember the wisdom of men is foolishness. Are you asking the wrong people for advice? Are you seeking in the wrong places just like the women sought Jesus in the tomb? Do NOT seek the living among the dead!

- Ifeoluwanimi Adebara

About the writer: Ifeoluwanmi is a daughter of God. A selfless daughter of Grace, who loves helping others. Ifeoluwanimi's desire is for Christians to be True disciples of Jesus, for Christians to live and be directed by the Holy Spirit.

Photo Credit: http://compassionbythebook.com/ & http://ashleytbliss.blogspot.co.uk/
 

Are You A Chronic Grumbler?

Hi readers & followers,

How is your new week going? Can you believe it's less than 5 weeks before it's Year 2015? I want you to take this opportunity to thank God for all He has done for you and your family. You might still be waiting for the manifestation of some of your prayers, nonetheless, still thank God for the gift of life and for all.

As you are aware, God is currently teaching and pruning me about James 5:9 - Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged.

I haven't been doing too bad actually. I am speaking less, I consciously change the subject, I am also bold to state that 'I don't want to talk about that issue as it would not glorify God'.

 

As part of God's teaching, God opened my eyes to Romans 2:1-3 which states that:

"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things,

Now we know that God's judgement against those who do such things is based on truth.  So when you, a mere human being, pass judgement on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgement?"

We all need to come to terms with the above scriptures. You need to ask yourself the following questions: 

Why is it tempting for me to be critical of others?

What is the effect?

What situation allows me to be critical and grumble against others?

Are you less tolerant of other people when they fall?

Have you ever thought that grumbling against others and judging others feed your appetite of self-righteousness? 

I recognise that grumbling against others and condemning others is so appealing and this sin is affecting Christians, a lot of us focus only on sexual immoralities as the only sin and we forget about the rest.

Don't be a Grumbler.

 

Characters in the Bible that grumbled

After God miraculously rescued the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and they were free in the wilderness, they started grumbling about everything- the lack of food and water. They didn't like Moses as their leader.

They grumbled against the Lord, not Moses (Exodus 16:6-8). Do you know what God did to them? 

God declared that the adults who left Egypt would not even set foot in the promised land because of their rebellious grumbling (Numbers 14:26-32). This shows us that, God is against grumbling, it can harden our hearts toward God.

Finally, ask yourself, who do I grumble against and why? How can I not grumble against them? Have I asked God to help me?

Next time you are tempted to grumble or complain about others, change it to praise or focus on yourself.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Feel free to leave your comment below or contact trulymakingadifference@gmail.com

- Myss Lafunky

Photo credit: http://simplyoneinmarriage.com/ and http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/

Are You A Proverbs 31 Man?

Happy Sunday Readers and Followers,

I would like to bring your attention to a new blog that I am following. I would like you to follow it as well. The link is below.

http://gracelifter.weebly.com/grace-lifter/the-proverbs-31-man

There's a post on the blog about being a Proverbs 31 man, although I have a better understanding of the role of a man, particularly Christian men. The below post captured my thought very well. I will recommend Dr Myles Munroe's book- Understanding the purpose and power of men for men and women to read so as to increase your knowledge of this topic and above all, the Bible. The Bible covers everything.

Here is the Post:

Ever wondered if all men qualified to be with the ‘Virtuous Woman’ described in Proverbs 31? This is time to think about it. Who exactly is the Proverbs 31 man?  The Proverbs 31 man is a King; a man of great influence, power and importance.  A man whose priority is the Kingdom he oversees.

His mother, who knew what he would become, constantly spoke wise words of instructions. He paid so much attention to her words that it stuck with him for life and became his personal guide with women and royal duties. The Bible calls believers ‘Kings’ and ‘Priests’ (Revelations 1:6). We are overseers of God’s kingdom here on earth. Before I go further, let me ask you these question: Are you a King?! Do you walk worthy of this calling? Are you born again? How much of your time, money and resources are spent for the Kingdom? If your answers are negative, why do you deserve the ‘Virtuous Woman’? Why do you want to be treated like a King? 

3 Give not your strength to [loose] women, nor your ways to those who and that which ruin and destroy kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink,(Proverbs 31:3-4 AMP)

I believe these words are clear enough. As a young man, where and who does your strength go to? How protective are you of God’s Kingdom? As a married man, are you faithful to your wife? Who are your friends? Are they on the path of life or on the path of destruction? This wise mother taught her son not to drink wine or desire strong drink because it could make him forget the laws in the Kingdom, pervert justice or abuse the decrees in the Kingdom. As believers, we have a far greater alternative to these things – The Holy Spirit. The bible says in Ephesians 5:18 that instead of being drunk with wine let the Holy Spirit fill you continually. 

As a Christian brother (young, single or married), God’s laws encompasses every issue and you have the Holy Spirit to expound any grey areas. The wisdom to handle everything that pertains to you is through Him as well. God’s wisdom is first of all pure (James 3:17). It is not the wisdom of fables, customs, wise sayings, tales or traditions from any village, tribe or ethnic group. You need to soak up God’s word to the point where it guides what to do and say per time. Be bold! Stand up for righteousness and judge rightly. The things around you must not dictate how you operate. God’s word must be your standard at all times. It was after the King’s mother gave these instructions (refer to verses 5-9) that she went ahead to ask in Verse 10 (AMP): “A capable, intelligent, and [b]virtuous woman –WHO IS HE WHO CAN FIND HER? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.” 

In conclusion, in order to find and recognize the Virtuous woman, you must be somebody of worth yourself: You must be a King! It takes a man of worth to recognize the value in any woman. She may be right before you yet you can never know her worth. If you do not meet up with the standard of being king yourself, you don’t qualify to seek or find her. God is calling you up to higher grounds. Take up this challenge, allow God work through you and in you, and evolve to be THE KING. Let the King in you arise!

Enjoy your Sunday!

 Remember to visit the new blog that I'm following and supporting (gracelifter.weebly.com).

-Myss Lafunky

Christians and Excuses

Hi Readers & Followers,

Thank God It's Friday!
 

How is your week going? Hope it hasn't been too stressful.

This week's post was inspired by a friend of mine, she's a regular reader and writer on my blog. We had a discussion about giving excuses and the role of Christians.

In the Bible, Luke 14:15-24, Jesus told a parable of the Great Feast, also known as the Parable of the Banquet.

Jesus was asked by one of the guests sitting at the table that, how happy are those who will sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God!

Jesus said to the guest, there was once a man who was giving a great feast to which he invited many people.  When it was time for the feast, he sent his servant to tell his guest, 'Come, everything is ready!

But they all began, one after another, to make excuses. 

The first one told the servant, 'I have bought a field and must go and look at it; please accept my apologies.

Another one said, I have just gotten married, and for that reason I cannot come.  The servant went back and told all this to his master. The master was furious and said to his servant, "Hurry out to the streets and alleys of the town, and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.

Soon the servant said, Your order has been carried out, sir, but there is time for more. So the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the country roads and lanes and make people come in, so that my house will be full.

Jesus told them that, I tell you that none of those who were invited will taste my dinner!".

Are you making excuses for not accepting and welcoming Jesus into your life?

Are you making excuses for the bad habits that you have developed?

Are your excuses justifiable if you think carefully about them?

Are you making excuses for the way you are relating with others?

 

 

Reverend George Adeboye, Rhema Chapel, Ilorin, Nigeria stated the following:

Excuse is an invalid reason for neglect of duty. It is trying to remove blame for something from ourselves. It is said in defense of a particular action but without justification. It is an unwarranted reason given in defense of an action or inaction.

Reasons why people give excuses
1. It is easy to make or give excuses.
2. It is the way they have learnt to live their lives. Psalm 15:4
3. They don't want to be inconvenienced, don't want to make sacrifices. Heb. 13:16, Christianity is a lifestyle of sacrifice.
4. We believe we are the only one in the position in which we are.
5. People give excuses because they think God understands and He has pardoned them for their actions. No excuse is acceptable to God. Luke 14:15-25. Excuses have no weight before God.
6. Because they are only thinking about themselves Philip. 2:4. Excuses are born out of a selfish heart, think about others
7. We believe we will have another opportunity next time. There would not be another opportunity to make a first impression. Deut.33:25


The basic characteristics of excuses
1. Every excuse at the first appearance looks reasonable but a second look shows it isn't reasonable.
2. Though they are made to explain behaviour but they cover the real motives.
3. It puts the blame on something or someone else
4. We simply say certain other things are more important than God.
5. Excuses are about little things and lawful things not in their proper places.
6. Those who make them are the worst for it. At the end of the day, you lose out. 

Bible Quiz:

1) Are you aware of any biblical characters that did not give excuse or blame someone else for his or her actions?

2) Are you aware of a biblical character that gave excuses and faced the consequences?

Enjoy your weekend!

- Myss Lafunky

Photo credit: http://www.keepcalmandposters.com/ and http://ymagazine.com.au/

My Broken Spirit

Hi Readers & Followers,

Hope your week is going alright? Please, take time to pray for me, I have been slacking on posting a blog post every Monday. Ask God to strengthen me and to help me in all that I am doing.

Myss Lafunky welcomes feedback and comments.  Thanks to those that are contacting Myss Lafunky via email (trulymakingadifference@gmail.com) for counsel, offering words of encouragement, and feedback.  I'm extremely grateful for you all. 

Before I write today's post, I would like to state that, Myss Lafunky has not attained everything in my Christian faith, I am still learning more about God every day of my life, I still fall, I usually feel very sad when the Holy Spirit corrects me of my wrong doings. If you are a Born Again Christian, you should never find it fun when you have sinned. 

Last week, I engaged in a grumbling/slandering session. Prior to finishing the grumbling session, the Holy Spirit whispered to me: Whoever does not stumble in his word is a perfect person. I immediately apologised to God and stopped. I stopped because I knew God hates us slandering others, He sees it as if we are persecuting Him. Remember the story of Saul of Tarsus? When Saul was  attacking God's children, God took it personal and said to Saul, why are you persecuting me (Acts 9:5).

 

 

 

Also, during the course of the week, I attended my church Bible Study, we are currently studying the book of James. The Pastor told me to read out James 4:1-12, as I read the verses, and I got to verse 11 & 12- (Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbour? (James 4:11-12 NIV), the Holy Spirit said..I am reminding you of what you need to work on. 

I openly told my fellow Bible Study members that, God wants me to work on this. My lovely Pastor's wife told all of us to discuss how we can stop grumbling and complaining about others. The discussion was very useful.

I am still on the journey of taming my tongue. Myss Lafunky is not ashamed to discuss her weakness, and how God is helping me. Remember, God will not despise a contrite Spirit and a broken heart (Psalm 51:17). 

 

 

 

What about you? What are you working on?

Have you taken time to be honest with yourself about what you need to improve? 

You can ask God to tell you what you need to improve. Once you know the things that you need to improve, you need to discipline yourself, know what the Word of God says about it and start working on yourself. 

 

Remember not to start giving excuses about why you cannot improve yourself.  Start checking yourself for what you need to improve, don't focus on others, focus on yourself, tell God to help you but you must ask yourself, am I ready to give up my weakness? 

 By God's Grace, next week's post is going to be about Christians and Excuses.

- Myss Lafunky

 

Photo Credit: https://amenaccountability.files.wordpress.com and http://dailyjesusnow.blogspot.co.uk/ 

When Trouble Comes Knocking

Hello Dear Readers! Welcome to another awesome week!

This week started on a sad note after hearing about the death of Dr Myles Munroe and his wife, Ruth. I pray that God shall comfort his entire family and congregation in Jesus' name. But I'm comforted by the words of scripture in Isa 57:1 which says: "Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come" and 1Thess 4 (Please, take time to read the whole chapter 4 of 1 Thessalonians).

Here goes the Post for this week.

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.” Ecclesiastes 12:1

Look carefully at the above Bible scripture, the book of Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon under the inspiration of God.  King Solomon was renowned for his wisdom and wealth; however, in the later years of his life, he accumulated many wives and wandered from God’s ways.  

King Solomon described the emptiness of life without God in the book of Ecclesiastes. You can create time to study the book of Ecclesiastes, I have studied it and I learnt so much from the book.

The crux of the post for this week is the latter part of Ecclesiastes 12:1b, the Bible did not say that, “Remember your Creator just in case the days of trouble come.”  It says TROUBLE will COME.  It comes to everyone sooner or later.

God wants us to always prepare for the time that trouble or hard times come.  The book of Proverbs 21:31 says that “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but victory is of the Lord”. 

God told us in the book of Isaiah 43:2 that, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers of difficulty, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

God is reminding you that, no matter the challenges that you experience on earth, He is ready to help you to overcome it.

• In the Bible, a man named Daniel experienced troubles, however, he overcame the trouble as he refused to sin against God.  Daniel proposed in His heart that he will not sin against God (Daniel 1:8). He refused to eat the King’s delicacies as the food had been sacrificed to idols.  Daniel could have been scared that the King would punish him. However, Daniel, with his friends (Shedrach, Meschach and Abenego) made the decision not to sin against God.  This also suggests that, Daniel and his friends knew what God expects His followers to do, and they also knew God’s Word.

• Joseph was another man that refused to sin against God despite the forceful nature of the troubles that he experienced (Genesis 39).  His master’s wife kept pushing Joseph to sleep with her. Joseph challenged the trouble, and he evaluated the situation, and he concluded that he would not sin against God.

           When trouble comes:

        A)  Propose in your heart not to sin against God.
        B)  Ask God to help you to stand by Him as you cannot stand by yourself.
        C)  Have good friends around you, just like Daniel had his friends.
        D) Take time to read what God’s Word says about the trouble.
        E)  Talk to God about it.

Myss Lafunky has also experienced troubles since the day I became matured in Christ. What has helped me thus far is reminding myself of what God says concerning the trouble, listening quietly and waiting for God to speak to me about the steps to take, and talking to God about the trouble.

Are you reading this post and you feel a little bit down about your relationship with your spouse and God?  Think carefully and remember the good days that you had, what made the relationship very good? How can you ensure that when trouble comes, you will ensure that the trouble does not divide your relationship with your spouse, and your relationship with God?

Remember to share this post. There's love in sharing. If you have any questions regarding this post or any other post, feel fee to leave your comment below or send an email to trulymakingadifference@gmail.com

Enjoy your week. 

- Myss Lafunky

  Picture Credit: www.dailylifeverse.com and http://julia4jesus.wordpress.com

Desiring a Good Name: Is it Necessary?

Happy Monday readers and followers,

How was your weekend? My weekend was quite eventful. I attended a friend's surprise birthday. It was a nice time to catch up with friends and to rejoice with my darling friend who happens to be selfless in nature. People travelled from different cities within England to be at the surprise party.

At the party, I pondered on the legacy/the seed that I am sowing when I meet people. What would they remember me for? If Myss Lafunky's name was to be mentioned, what would people say about me? What would people say about you? What seeds are you sowing? 

While it is vital that it is God's report that we should believe, God also wants us to desire a good name wherever we go or wherever we find ourselves. The word of God says in Proverbs 22:1 that: A good name is more desirable than great riches; favourable acceptance is more than silver and gold. At the same time, we must remember that, some people may still condemn us, remember our Lord Jesus Christ was condemned on earth? However, due to the fact that he lived a pure and good life continuously, his lifestyle showed that he was a good person and the false accusations stopped. 

Actually, some people have continued to condemn Jesus Christ (Please, remember to pray for the unsaved souls, pray that God will touch their heart so that they will know the true God). Some people still believe that He is not God, and some people have continued to say nasty things about Him. Only those that truly know Jesus or those that have regular fellowship with Jesus speak positive about Jesus. It could therefore be argued that, when people become close to you, they are likely to know the true you. 

Final words from me, remember to desire a good name from today..be ye on social media, at work, with your family, within your community, with your friends, church, school or wherever you find yourself.

Have a lovely week. 

- Myss Lafunky

Whatever Your Hands Find to Do: Do It Well

Hi Readers and Followers,

Apologies for my late post. 

The above topic inspired me recently. 

God said in His Word ( The Bible) that: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NKJV) "

The Good News Translation explained the same scripture in a simpler way.

Work hard at whatever you do, because there will be no action, no thought, no knowledge, no wisdom in the world of the dead—and that is where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:10 GNT).

I recently read an article by Joel Osteen (A Pastor) about giving God the best in all that we do, even when we are cleaning the dishes, when we are mowing the lawn, when we are helping a friend or a neighbour, do it with all your ability, and don't just undertake the tasks shabbily.

As I usually state on my blog, there is a danger in whatever we feed our thought and mind with.

It was awesome that, Joel Osteen's article was available for me to drawn upon. I knew I read the article for a purpose. 

Please, PAUSE! If you find yourself reading this post, God wants you to give that particular task your best. He is reminding you that, you are not giving it your 100%. He wants you to start now and also for you to ask for His support and not depend on your own knowledge.

During the week, I was busy undertaking a cleaning task, I had to encourage myself with the Word of God in Ecclesiates 9:10. 

I love the Word of God so much. As I was cleaning, I was constantly reminding myself of God's Word, which says that: "Whatever I find myself doing, I must give it my best even if I am not being paid for it."

Final words...Did you know that when you do something to the best of your ability and with a sincere heart, God would honour you?  God will open more doors of blessings and opportunities for you.  In my case, I was able to carry out the cleaning tasks that I'd set for myself within a short space of time and I was not weak. 

Remember..

1. In the little things that you do, God wants you to give it your best shot.
2. At your place of work, give your work your best.
3. When you are helping others, give it your best.
4. Always give the best version of you.
5. Always give a little more than you promise.
6. To give anything less than your best is mediocre and unsatisfactory.

Enjoy the remaining days of this week.

 

- Myss Lafunky.

 

Picture reference: http://lockernoise.com/

 

 

Stop Girl Trafficking: War on Women

Hi readers and followers,

As you are aware, I usually blog about the 3 R's (Relationship with God, Relationship with our spouse/fiancé/boyfriend or girlfriend and Relationship with People.

 

I was recently given an opportunity by www.mateyscott.com to write a guest post on War on Women. Although I have professional experience on the topic, I was sceptical to blog about it as it's a sensitive issue that a lot of women (vulnerable) struggle to speak out and seek support as they are scared that they will be blamed/they will be judged.  If we do not speak out/speak against Rape/Human Trafficking, there is likelihood that perpetrators will increase their abuse.

Human trafficking is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad. Almost every country in the world is affected by trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims. 

Article 3, paragraph (a) of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons defines Trafficking in Persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.

Keywords: Someone who is trafficked is exploited, coerced into engaging in things that they would not naturally do, the abuse of power by someone, etc.

Please, open the link below and read Tabitha's account of being trafficked, Tabitha was sexually exploited by her Uncle. 9 in 10 rape cases are usually committed by a relative or someone known to the family.

http://www.mateyscott.com/my-shattered-life-a-life-of-a-trafficked-girl

Notes: Thank you to our followers/readers that are sharing Myss Lafunky's blogspot on their social media. Please, this week, do me a favour, share the blog and tell others about it.

If you have any questions or you have been affected by the above story, please contact Myss Lafunky on trulymakingadifference@gmail.com

- Myss Lafunky 

Love Gone Sour: The Story of Hosea & Gomer

Happy Monday to my readers and followers,

Hope you had a lovely weekend?

Basically I have heard and read different views about how God instructed Hosea to marry an adulterous wife, and how it can be applicable to our relationships and marriages.

What's your view? Please, take your time to read Hosea 1-3.

So...Hosea and Gomer..

Hosea's marriage to Gomer is a most troubling nuptial tale. The Lord told Hosea to marry a promiscuous woman, she bore him three children, who, if their names are indication, were trouble; and though Gomer repeatedly committed adultery, the Lord INSTRUCTED Hosea to FORGIVE her again and again and to continue to be faithful to her. (Would you be faithful to your spouse if your spouse was unfaithful to you?). 

What would it have been like for Hosea to marry someone who he knew would be habitually unfaithful?

Would God really command us in this dispensation to marry someone that He knows will be unfaithful? In this era, God told us in the book of 1 Corinthians 6:14 that, we must not become partners or associates with those who do not believe in Jesus. But there was no record that, Gomer did not believe in the Lord. Therefore, we cannot rightly state that, Gomer was not a believer but her action did not depict a life of a Christian.

Back to Hosea.

Do you think he would have found it difficult to obey God's commands? 

The Lord said to Hosea in Hosea 3:1 that, Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.

Would you obey that command?

I believe the book of Hosea reminds us of God's love for us and His love for His people.  God has continued to remind us of how His chosen people (People of Israel) abandoned Him, and gave themselves to other gods (Hosea 3:1b). Did you know that God kept going after His people, despite their unfaithfulness? He kept showing them His love over and over again. He wanted them even though they had not wanted Him (How difficult would it be to love someone that does not love or want us?)

God is also teaching us about forgiveness, He is telling us that, when our friends/spouse offend us, we should receive them back with love, we must follow the example of God's love and how He showed His love to His people ( But in reality, this is not easy, we need to be willing to allow God to help us).

 

I also believe God is reminding us that, we may shape each other as believers, "iron sharpens iron", in other words, God can use you to transform someone. Even if we are part of someone else's transformation, it is finally God, not us, who effects the change. We are not called to change others but we are called to love and forgive each other, as we are loving and forgiving one another, God will change us all for the better.

Imagine, how Gomer must have felt when her husband reconciled with her and said, "You are to live with me many days". - Hosea 3:3. 

I believe God wants us to work out our flaws and not give up on ourselves. Also, God may give you a spouse with flaws and you need God and determination to nurture each other.

You may even stumble across things that you don't like about your friends/spouse in the course of your relationship, God is telling you as He told Hosea that, He is ready to help you to love that person, particularly if that is God's plan for you and your spouse/your friend to continue your relationship.

Please, create time to read the book of Hosea. Try and contextualise the account of Hosea and Gomer. I do not believe God is telling us to marry a Promiscious person; God was using the story to remind us of His unconditional love for us and how we are to love others regardless of their sinful lifestyles, and for us to love others with sincere hearts and not retaliate any offence.

Finally, God is reminding us to trust Him in our decision making, like, Hosea listened to God's directions and how He obeyed God, He wants you and I to obey His teachings.

Please, do not use the story of Hosea to justify marrying a Promiscious person, remember to be guided by the Lord in all your decision making, just like Hosea was guided by God.

I hope I have not confused you with this write-up.

My daily devotional guided my write-up as well.

- Myss Lafunky

My Weekend Experience of Following Jesus..

Happy Monday to my committed readers and followers,

Hope you had a lovely week? What's the weather like in your country/city? In England, the weather is becoming really cold, it doesn't feel like autumn at all. 

Sequel to last week's post about following God...

My weekend was very interesting.  Myss Lafunky undertook a task that she had never done before. Basically, the Holy Spirit told me to undertake a Spoken Word (Monologue/recitation of poem in a dramatic way) amongst the midst of young people, the message was about purity. 

I didn't want to follow His instructions as I was quite timid, I felt I would disrupt the programme that had been planned. I don't know where I got the boldness from, I told the youth leader but at the same time, I said I was nervous as I'd not done a Spoken Word before. Nevertheless, I made the decision to follow God's instructions, it wasn't easy as Spoken Word was out of my territory.

I went for it and I truly enjoyed it. When I arrived on the stage, I was a bit anxious, however, I became relaxed and I allowed God to speak through me.  It is to be noted that, I prepared for the Spoken Word, I structured what I planned to say and I thought about the demographic of the audience.

 

After the Spoken Word, a lady from the audience came to me, she said she was extremely shocked and ecstatic when she saw Myss Lafunky (me) as she had always read the blog from Nigeria, now, she is in England, she met the blog owner. I was also amazed as I didn't know how to react or respond...now I wished I'd taken a picture with her.

My Lessons from following God's instruction

- It might not be easy to follow God's instruction the moment God tells us to do something.

- From my experience, the likelihood of pondering on tons of negative reasons as to why one cannot follow the instruction from God is very high.

- There is a responsibility for us to prepare for the task, plan for the task, and to give the task our best.

- There could be distractions ..which start from our thoughts. We must allow our thoughts to be positive about God's instructions. Remind yourself of what God says about it.

- If you are not certain that you heard from God, kindly tell God to confirm what He had said to you through someone else.

- Tell God to help you to follow His instructions as you cannot do it on your own. God loves people that humble themselves. He loves people that acknowledge that they are spiritually poor without Him.

I hope you have been able to learn one or two things from this post.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

- Myss Lafunky

N: B- Check out the guest post that I wrote for Christian women's blog. Here is the link: http://blogsbychristianwomen.com/2014/10/dont-judge-im-love-kiss-yes-possible/

Follow Me: Must I Follow Jesus?

Hello readers and followers,

Myss Lafunky would like to welcome you to the month of October.  It seems this year is going pretty fast.

I am sorry for not publishing a post on Monday. My week has been hectic even though it's only Wednesday. I can only thank God for strength. I have created time to rest, I now feel better.

Remember to send your questions, comments, concerns, and stories to trulymakingadifference@gmail.com

Back to today's post..

Jesus said: "Come, follow me and I will send you out to fish for people." ( Mark 1:17)

Can you picture Jesus coming along to you and saying, "Follow me?" How hard or easy would it be to drop everything and go? 

Would you literally drop everything for Jesus? Or would you procrastinate and tell Him to come back in a few years or months time before you follow Him?

Imagine, if God spoke to you and your spouse to drop everything and to follow Him.

Are you aware that Jesus spoke a similar command to Simon and Andrew? Did you know that they they dropped everything and went with Him?

As children of God today, how life changing is His call to us, although the Lord may not call you to turn your backs away from your life's work or your family in order to become a Missionary.  However, the term "Follow me" can be linked to numerous things.

Would you seek God's views before you make that crucial decision?

Would you remember what Jesus would do before you embark on disagreeing with your friend/spouse?

Would you abandon your own plans, goals and dreams to serve and help somebody else because Jesus Christ directed you?

Would you ignore your fear, worries and listen to what God says about you?

Would you ignore your age and other people's past experiences and follow Jesus's principles?

One could actually argue that, Andrew, Simon Peter followed Jesus because they saw Him in real life, therefore, they found it easier to obey Him than it is for you and I to obey.

For us, the only way that we can know how we are to follow Jesus is through His Word (The Bible). Through giving our lives to Him, and telling Jesus to help us to live a life that is worthy.

Also, Simon Peter and Andrew had each other, they both made the decision to follow Jesus. They supported each other.

Do you have friends that are influencing you to follow Jesus's principles? Are you encouraging your spouse to follow Jesus by the way you live your life or through the decisions that you make together?

The Word of God says that..Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labour (Ecclesiastes 4:9).

Are you ready to follow Jesus? Are you praying for your friends, relations, spouse, siblings, and colleagues to also follow Jesus in all that pertains to their lives?

Jesus is calling you to follow Him.  He loves you, Yes You! He cares, He wants to teach you the way to live your life. He wants you to reign with Him in Heaven forever when it's time. 

Do you need help in following Jesus? Please, contact trulymakingadifference@gmail.com or you can speak to a local Christian Pastor/Reverend in your neighbourhood or contact a local Christian group on Social Media.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father Jesus, I come to you today. Please, help me to follow you all the days of my life. Teach me what it means to follow you. Help the people around me to follow you. Amen.

- Myss Lafunky

NB - Myss Lafunky has written articles for different Christian women's group. Recently, one of my articles was accepted by a Christian women's group, it's going to be published on 4th October 2014 CST. I will share the links with you all. 

Have a lovely week ahead. See you next week.

Are You A Match?

Hello Readers and followers,

Happy Monday. How was your weekend? Did you read your Bible during the weekend? Myss Lafunky would like to plead with you to take time (at least 15 minutes every day) to learn more about Jesus and His way through His Word. You can start by reading a chapter a day, i.e. Matthew 1 (For Monday), Matthew 2 (For Tuesday), etc., and after you have read, use what you have read to pray to God. Happy reading! 

Send me an email so that I can know how you are doing.  You have 24 hours in a day, wouldn't it be amazing if you give at least 15 mins to God? Remember, God has continued to serve you as He watches over you when you sleep. He made it possible for you to be alive as you don't have control over your sleep. Why not take time to learn about Him.

Before I start today's post, I would like to use this medium to thank all those that have continued to subscribe to Myss Lafunky's blog, you are appreciated, and I'm also grateful to our readers from different countries of the world, without this blog, I would not have been able to reach you. Remember to tell your friends, siblings, parents, colleagues, church friends, new believers, and singles about Myss Lafunky's blog.

If you need to ask Myss Lafunky's any questions, or you need advice, mentorship, or you want your story to be published anonymously, please contact me on trulymakingadifference@gmail.com
The ministry is a Non-Profit Christian Organisation, therefore, there is no charge.

Today's post stemmed from my daily devotional.

Are You A Match or A Mismatch?

Spiritual mismatch is often used to describe a marriage between a believer and a non-believer or a relationship between two believers that share different beliefs about their faith.  

Are you aware that some Born Again Christians that are married to non-believers sometimes feel like a spiritual widow - they feel isolated, lonely, discouraged and they sometimes feel distance from their spouse? 

Some of them wish God will give them the power to change their spouse to a Christian.

For those that are married to non-believers spouse or became a Christian after your solemization, please, keep praying for your spouse, ask God to comfort and encourage you, tell God that you need Him to teach you how to show the love of Christ in your home even when things appear difficult.

Remember, God loves your spouse more than you do, and His desire is for your spouse to know Him.

For those that are not yet married and you are considering whether you and your spouse to-be are spiritually compatible even if he/she is a believer already.

Consider the following questions, discuss the questions with your spouse to-be, use the below questions to observe your prospective spouse or use subtle ways to informally quiz your prospective spouse.

NB: The answers are just typical examples of responses from various people.
 

1) Spiritual Growth

a - It comes from purposely spending time alone with God, reading the Word of God and learning from others.

b - It happens when it happens

c - I don't understand what Spiritual growth is about.

d - It's not needed, the Holy Spirit will teach me all things.

2) Money

a - Everything that I have is God's, so I'm happy to give generously.

b - I've earned my money on my own, so I can spend it however I want.

3) Sharing My faith

a - Witnessing is done by Evangelist and Missionaries. I will not be witnessing with you.

b - Evangelism is a lifestyle and the best way to win people to Christ is to love them unconditionally and to also create time to witness to people.
 

4) Hospitality

a - I don't like having visitors. I only like having a few friends to my place and they must not stay over.

b - I love having people over including my siblings, it's a way to connect with others spiritually and to show act of kindness.

 

5) Weekends

a - All weekends must be spent at my father's place, it's our tradition, even after church.

b - I believe in keeping my weekends for God and it's a time to reconnect back to God.

c - Weekend is for watching TV, a time to rest and a time to hang out with friends.

 

6) Background

a - I'm from an affluent background, I dislike people that are not educated. I must have designer products.

b - I'm from a middle class background, however, I have relatives that are not educated, I shop anywhere.

 

7) Bible Study

a - I study my Bible on a daily basis.

b - I learn the Word when I attend church.

 

8) Sex

a - I cannot marry someone that has engaged in any form of fornication.

b - I don't believe in having pre-marital sex, however, I am okay with kissing and touching.

c - I believe in no THKS before marriage (No inappropriate touching, no inappropriate hugging, no kissing and no sex).

 

9) Conflicts

a - I believe a man is never wrong and a wife must always apologise to her husband at all times during conflicts.

b - I believe men and women must submit to one another and pray to God to help them, and to seek counsel.

c - I don't think conflicts will occur.
d - We will solve issues as they arise.

 

10) Interests

a - I enjoy travelling to different countries, I would love to move to Australia.

b - I enjoy travelling within my vicinity, I don't want to move away from England due to my family.

c - I hate travelling.

I hope you have found the above useful. You can also create your own questions. Remember, you and your spouse should work towards being a match before you marry. In addition, it is VITAL that both of you are Born Again Christians, however, it takes more than being a Born Again Christian to be a match for each other, you need to discuss your values, background, health, finance, some vital biblical principles, amongst others with each other.

Peradventure, you both share similar interests, similar dreams and goals, and the individual is not a Born Again Christian or the individual is not a humble Christian, you need to go back to God and seek God's view. I pray the Lord God will lead and direct you right in Jesus name. Remember to trust Him and allow Him to lead you. 

Finally, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says: Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness? (God's Word Translation Bible). God's view about this is very clear, He does not want you to form a very close relationship with people that have not given their lives to Christ. Nonetheless, still allow God to direct you.

Have a wonderful week.  Remember to share this post. There's sharing in ministry. If you have any questions regarding this post, feel free to write your comment below or send an email to trulymakingadifference@gmail.com

- Myss Lafunky