10 Questions to Help You Reflect | Your 2015 Year In Review

Hi Readers & Followers,

It's the Yuletide season! Are things feeling festive around you?  This season is when most people feel festive and also get a break from their day-to-day routine. It's also a time to reflect and look back on everything you have discovered, experienced, learned within the last 12 months. As you reflect, be optimistic about the good things that have occurred and be honest with yourself about the things that you need to improve and develop.

Some questions to aid your reflection:

1) What new things did you discover about yourself in Year 2015?

2) What achievements are you proud of this year?

3) If you had to describe your 2015, how would you describe it?

4) Which new skills did you learn?

5) What was the best news that you received this Year 2015?

6) Which of your personal qualities turned out to be the most helpful this year?

7) Which of your personal qualities do you need to improve for Year 2016?

8) Did you preach the gospel this Year 2015?

9) Did you show any act of kindness this year?

10) What or who are you most thankful for?

Happy Reflection!

- Myss Lafunky

What's the Thought of Your Heart?

Happy Monday Readers and Followers! It's countdown to Christmas and Year 2016. I'm excited. I pray that all will go well with you during this Christmas period and in the Year 2016. A big thank you to those that celebrated the 3rd year anniversary of Myss Lafunky's blogspot. 

This week's post stemmed from my personal experience and lessons from the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts of the Heart

For as we think in our heart, so are we . . . (Proverbs 23:7). 

A couple of months ago, one of my girlfriends was pregnant and I'd asked about the welfare of the unborn baby via a message but her immediate response to me was 'LOL'. While 'LOL' means 'Laughing Out Loud', its use has been abused. The acronym is now used when people are clueless about what to say, some people use the term when they do not want to respond to questions being asked. 

I was hurt by the way she had answered my genuine question, I made a decision to  stop asking about the pregnancy/the welfare of the unborn baby, which led to minimal communication between us.

When my girlfriend gave birth, she informed me and I congratulated her. About 6 to 8 months after the 'LOL' incident, my girlfriend contacted me, she asked me a personal question and my immediate response was 'LOL' to which she replied: "I guess you want to keep your business secret". I responded by saying: "After all, when I had asked you how your pregnancy was going, your response was LOL, you declined sharing anything. Thus, you should not have any issues with my response." 

My girlfriend humbled herself and apologised; I felt the sincerity of her apologies. I nearly denied being offended, nevertheless, the Holy Spirit told me that He was revealing the state of my heart to me, as I did not have a clean and pure heart towards my girlfriend. The Holy Spirit corrected me and used my girlfriend to reveal the state of my heart. I expressed my gratitude to her and I explained how God had subtly used her to prune me.

What's the state of your heart towards the people around you? Do you know that your thought reveals what is in your heart? God said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:35).  God also said that a good person brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart and an evil person brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Luke 6:45). 

Our thoughts determine our behaviour and attitudes, and reveal who we really are. Who are you?  Do you have the right attitudes toward your friends, family, your work colleagues, and church family? 
God wants you to think on things that are good, noble and positive. Ask God to empower your mind to think on positive thoughts..

It is my prayer that God will help us to love people unconditionally.  Lord Jesus, teach us to be tolerant of others, let us always remember that we are human beings, thus, we are prone to fall in our words and actions. Lord Jesus, help us to make room in our hearts for offences.

Prayer
Dear Jesus, I present myself to you. Please, send your Holy Spirit to renew my mind, give me a clean heart, and transform my thoughts that I may grow and love (Amen).

- Myss Lafunky

Photo Credit: https://divinewalls.com

Celebrating 3 Years of Blogging

How Do You React to Unusual Situations as a Christian?

When something unusual happens, something beyond our human comprehension, something you and I can't explain with our own understanding, do you know that it's very easy for us to vilify the individual that is going through the unusual situation?  

No wonder Joseph wanted to put Mary away secretly because of the unusual thing (miracle) that had occurred. Imagine Mary became pregnant without having sex.  As a matter of fact, Joseph was so concerned about the unusual situation that he wanted to divorce Mary quickly and quietly.  The book of Matthew 1:18-20 states:

18.Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed[b] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit (English Standard Version)

How do you react to unexpected situations in your life? Does the Word of God play a major role? 

In the place of unusual circumstances, God expects you to:

- Seek Him for wisdom to understand the situation (James 1:5).

- God expects you to control your tongue, and for you to act with gentle and godly wisdom. 

- God expects you to be swift to hear from Him, slow to speak to others and slow to getting angry (James 1:19).

- God expects you to call upon Him and ask for help (Jeremiah 33:3).

- While you may sorrow, God expects you to consciously respond with joy and believe He will see you through (James 1:2-4).

- God expects you to persevere under testing, and for you not to blame Him for it (James 1:12-18).

- God expects you to take necessary actions in line with the direction He tells you.

- God expects you to practice humility by depending on Him through prayers (James 5:13-18).

- God expects you to be careful of the counsel that you receive.

- God expects you to trust in Him and not in humans. Although He raises humans to help and guide us (Jeremiah 17:5-9).

How do you react to other people's unusual situations? Are you quick to vilify them?

What should be your role?

If God has not specifically told you why the individual is going through an unusual situation, do not use your earthly wisdom to comprehend it.  Your role should include: 

- Praying for the person. Ask God to give them the wisdom to deal with the situation.

- Ring them, send a text message and tell them that you are praying for them and ensure you pray for them.  

- Do not pass negative information around, do not ask the individual inappropriate questions in line with your own understanding. Be led by the Holy Spirit in the place of asking questions. 

- Maintain their confidentiality except their life is at risk.

#Christmas season# #ShowtheloveofGod# #EmbraceHislove#

- Myss Lafunky