Monday 28 July 2014

God Is Asking: "Where Are My Mentors?"

Happy Monday to my committed readers and followers, 

I also want to use this medium to welcome our readers that sometimes stumble on Myss Lafunky's blog via Google/other search engines. Please, remember to visit us again.

This is a sequel to last week's post about mentoring, click here for that post.

This post is to expatiate on spiritual mentoring and to highlight examples of biblical characters that mentored others.



Where are my Sarahs? My Deborahs? Where are my Naomis, Ruths and Hannahs?

Where are My Esthers? Where are my Abigails and Jehoshebas?

Where are My Priscillas and Marys? Who are the people that will join me on this journey? Or have you already started mentoring (whether formal or informal mentoring), congratulations!!!

To the people that need encouragement, kindly read the biblical characters below:


Naomi won Ruth to faith. She gave Ruth wise counsel to win the heart of Boaz. She helped nurture Ruth's son - Obed.

Deborah also guided Barak into battle. She accepted Barak's call for help. She celebrated the victory in song.

Elizabeth encouraged Mary, she offered Mary hospitality and refuge.

Priscillia, with her husband Aquila, received spiritual preparation from the apostle Paul. They patiently shared their understanding of Scriptures. Priscilla kept her home open to believers.

God wants to make you a Deborah, a Naomi, an Elizabeth out of His daughters. He is looking for sisters and mothers in the kingdom to arise.


What are the rewards for you as a Mentor?
  1. You get the opportunity to impact another person's life positively.
  2. Gives you a sense of fulfilment because you're carrying out God's word.
  3. You reap the same rewards of  good mentoring for your children because of the positive seed you've sown in the lives of others.
Above all, God will reward you and crown you with righteousness.

Are you willing to be a Ruth, an Esther, an Abigail?  If You are, He will use you to reap the harvest. He will reveal His glory through you.

Are you wondering if this post is only for women? Well, God has also called men to be mentors! Watch out for the post on mentoring for our male readers.

- Myss Lafunky

Sunday 20 July 2014

What Happens When Older Women Do Not Mentor: God's High Calling for AllChristian Women

Hi readers and followers,

I have been reading a book by Shirley Sustar (Become a woman of Power), I would like to share my learning and thought provoking points that were discussed in the book with you.


What happens when older women do not mentor younger women? Ask yourself, am I mentoring younger women? Or are you thinking "I must be 70 before I am considered an older woman". Not at all, as long as you have people younger than you, the ministry of mentoring young women can start.

Throughout the Church today, perhaps through ignorance rather than disobedience, many older women are not answering the call of God to mentor the younger women. Due to traditions, mind-sets and insecurities, this is simply the way it has been. Some feel that they don't have anything to offer, some are of the view that they need to be given a special title in church before they can undertake the calling, and some feel that the role is only for the Pastor or the Pastor's wife.

Because of this, it has been far too common for male ministers to counsel, reach and train young Christian women concerning relationships and ministries. When this happens, an inherent danger raises its ugly head: the danger of sexual sin.

I'm sure most of us have heard of stories of great men of God who were called to look after the flocks but along the line, they fell into sexual sins.  

Majority of this men who are servants of God minister to women out of a sincere love and devotion to God's service and many pastors do not have older women who are mature and able to train the younger women of their churches. Or it could be argued that, some pastors want to carry out all the role of mentoring by themselves.

Is it really the role of men to minister to young women? No!! Paul admonished Titus to tell people of Crete that older women are to counsel younger women.

Why is it dangerous for men to counsel young women?

Women whose hearts have been misunderstood or broken often crave tender understanding from the opposite sex. A male minister who is gentle and compassionate toward her could unknowingly capture her heart and from one thing to another, the minister and the young woman may stumble. In majority of cases, the personal ministry from a man to a woman without the presence of another woman that joins in the mentoring does more harm than good.
 
It is TIME for OLDER WOMEN to mentor the YOUNGER WOMEN.


What does it mean to mentor?

It means to be a wise and trusted person. A person who is a teacher, an educator, an instructor, someone who can counsel, who can lead and train others, a godly woman, a woman who lives by example of what she teaches.

God is calling you to lay aside every fear, every anxiety and He wants you to take on the role of mentoring by being a Titus 2:3-5 woman.

There are young women who need a mentor, a mentor who not only shows them the way but rather encourage them and praise them for what they are doing right.

Undertaking this task will bring young women into maturity in Christ, it will also motivate you as an older woman to live a life that is right before God.

The role encompasses spiritual and practical teachings.

Are you a Titus 2:3-5 woman?

I want to use this medium to thank all the women that have undertaken the role of Titus 2:3-5 woman in my life. Some are still undertaking the role in my life. God will reward you for all your labour. The blessing will be passed to your children as well. Your children will find people to mentor them in the way of the Lord.
I also thank God for the Grace that He has given me to also be a Titus woman to other people's lives.

Jesus said, "The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the labourers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust labourers into His harvest".

I pray God will grant women the boldness to become a Titus woman.
 

Tips on becoming a Titus woman ...

Build relationships with younger women. Get to know them.

Ensure that your life is worthy of emulating and the lives of your family. You must be working towards being temperate, self-controlled, not quarrelsome, available, teachable, trustworthy, have a good reputation, you must be sincere, you must be able to manage your household well, you must be caring, you must be humble, and your life must be dedicated to honouring God.

Ensure that you are not quick to judge or condemn.

You must be friendly and approachable.

You must be a giver.

You must devote time to prayers.

You must follow-up on people.

You must be able to tame your tongue and not gossip and share private issues with others.


Do you have any tips that can help us in being a Titus 2:3-5 woman?
 
- Myss Lafunky




Monday 14 July 2014

How To Endure Sufferings and Trials

Happy Monday readers and followers,

What's the weather like in your area?  In England, it's very sunny and lovely, I guess it's summer time.

Today's post is to encourage anyone that may be facing any kind of sufferings and trials. This post is written from a Christian perspective.


                                Right Ways of enduring trials and sufferings


1)      Be content to know WHO is in charge.  Romans 8:28 says that: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

2)      Acknowledge that God is with you and talk to Him at all times.  Hebrews 13:5b states that, for God has said: "I will never leave you; I will never abandon you".

3)      God wants you to leave all your worries with Him because He cares for you and He wants to sort everything out for you. Are you wondering why? It's because He loves you.

4)      Keep fellowship with other Christians. Do not isolate yourself. In the midst of storms, God usually sends the right people to encourage you. Ask God to also help you to sift the counsel that comes your way.

5)      God said that, let us be concerned for one another, and help one another.  And let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more (Hebrews 10:24-25).

6)      Know that God sets and knows your limits. The Bible says that there is no temptation that has overtaken you except such as is common to human beings; but God is faithful, He will make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

7)      Wait for His perfect timing. Sometimes, God's time may appear as if it is taking too long but during the waiting, we develop patience, we rely more on God, we trust in Him more, and at the perfect time, God grants our requests. 

8)      The book of Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that, "To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven". This tells us that, we don't all live in the same time and season. You should never be jealous of others when they have what you are waiting on God to have. Wait for your time.

9)      Trust in the Lord to guide you. God wants you to remember Him in everything that you do, He wants you to rely on Him and He will show you the right way. Pro 3:5-6

10)  Wait upon the Lord. God said if you wait for Him to guide you, He will strengthen you and never make you weak. Isa 40:31

11)  Seek the truth.  In the place of trials and suffering, God does not want you to consult other gods, false prophets, divinations or witchcrafts. He wants you to seek the truth from Him. God said, "Call upon me and I will answer you and I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3). God may use people to guide you in the necessary steps to take.

12)  Keep pure.  God wants you to stay pure in your thought, action, conduct and in your words in the place of trials and sufferings. He wants our actions to be so good so that we won't be accused by Satan (1 Peter 2:12).

13)  Master the anger.  God said it is only the foolish that get angry easily. God wants you to be slow to getting angry, slow to speak and He wants you to listen more to what He is saying concerning your trials and sufferings.

Have you found this useful? Why not share it with others . . .

Next week post is going to be about wrong ways of enduring trials and sufferings.

- Myss Lafunky

Monday 7 July 2014

Let Go Of Your Past: Do Not Dwell On The Past: Forget The Past

Happy Monday to my lovely readers and followers,

This post is about moving forward from past mistakes, wrong decisions/choices and old setbacks. Myss Lafunky recognises that some of us might have made wrong decisions/choices in the past. I hope this post will encourage you.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
(Isaiah 43:18, New International Version)

The Bible tells us that every person, no matter how much faith they have or how good they are, will face disappointments. It may be something simple like not getting a promotion you hoped for, or not achieving your target, disappointed by some foolish decisions that you made.

Maybe something more serious happened like a relationship not working out, pre-marital sex, the death of a loved one, or some kind of illness in your body. Whatever it may be, the reality is that we’re all going to suffer some setbacks. No matter what has happened, one of the main keys to overcoming disappointments is learning to let go of the past.




If you feel “stuck” today, you may want to examine what you’re holding on to. 

Be willing to let go of past disappointments by choosing forgiveness. 

Who hurt you? 

Who wronged you?

Release it to God. 

Do you need to forgive yourself?

Do you need to receive God’s forgiveness? 

Let go of the past so that you can overcome disappointments and experience the bright future God has in store for you! There is freedom in forgetting!

What’s happened in your past is not nearly as important as what is in your future. 
Where you’re going is much more significant than where you’ve been. But if you stay focused on the past, you’ll get stuck where you are. 
This is the reason a lot of people don’t have joy or enthusiasm for life. They’re dragging around all of this negative baggage from the past. Somebody offended them last week, and they’ve got that stuffed in their resentment bag. 
Do you carry around bags of regrets? Do you focus on the things you wished you would have done differently? Do people around you remind you of the wrong choices that you made in the past?



Life is too short to live that way. Let go of the disappointments and your old setbacks.
Start every morning fresh and new. God did not create you to carry around all that baggage. Let it go and move forward in the life of blessing He has in store for you.
The Bible says in Philipians 3:13 that "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before".

Make a decision to move forward. When the thought of the past comes, change your thought, distract yourself and say the below prayers.
Say this short prayer
Lord Jesus, I choose to shake off the past, shake off disappointment and forgive those who have hurt me. Lord, I also need you to help me forgive myself, for wrong decisions and choices that I made in the past.
Heal my heart as I release everything that would try to hold me back in Jesus’ name! 
Search my heart and mind today Lord Jesus. Show me any area where I may be holding on to the past. 
Help me receive Your forgiveness so that I can extend forgiveness to others and forget the former things and move forward in Your blessing in Jesus’ name. 

Myss Lafunky's Monday Quote: Whatever you become involved in, will follow you in your memory # Start making good choices/decisions#
- Myss Lafunky

This post was coined from my personal experience, daily devotional (Joel & Victoria Osteen) and the Word of God.

Tuesday 1 July 2014

Girlfriend or Fiancée? | Boyfriend or Fiancé?

Hi Myss Lafunky,

While I was at uni, it was a taboo for a Christian lady to say she has a 'boyfriend'.  So any lady in a relationship claims to be automatically engaged. I would like to know your opinion on that.


Dear beloved readers and followers,

Please kindly offer your views in regard to the above. I will offer my views in due course.

- Myss Lafunky