Tuesday, 28 March 2023

God knows your home address

Hello Readers & Followers,

How are you doing? I hope you are keeping well. I have a question to ask you. Keep reading...

Do you believe that God knows the exact house location you are at whenever you are praying? God also knows what you are praying about. That's right, God knows.

Let me share what Jesus said to Ananias with you. In the Book of Acts 9:11, Jesus said to Ananias that "The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying."

Jesus said to Ananias, go to the house of Judas on Straight Street, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. How reassuring is it for you to know that whenever you are praying to God, God is right there with you, He knows the exact location you are at and He knows you by name?

I hope this encourages you to keep creating time to connect with God through prayers.

Have a lovely evening!

I love hearing from you in the comment section. Please take a minute to say hello in the comment section.

Yours in Christ,

Mysses Lafunky

I have a free e-book for you. The book (15 Women of the Bible: How they lived a Purpose-Driven Life). This e-book was written by my Bible Study Group. To download it on Google Drive for free, click here.

Wednesday, 15 March 2023

3 Lessons from the Story of Philip and The Ethiopian Eunuch

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are keeping well. Last week, at our House Group from church, I equipped us on the story of Philip in the Book of Acts 8:26-40. I shared 3 lessons from the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Man.

The Bible tells us how God led Philip to a high-ranking Ethiopian official to help him understand the Gospel.

Who was Philip?
Philip was among the first deacons ordained by the early church in Jerusalem. He was also one of the seven men chosen to serve at the table in the daily distribution of food to the widows.

Philip was not only a man of service, but he was also a man of evangelism.
After the death of Stephen, Philip went to Samaria and preached to the people there. The people were receptive to his message, and many were baptised.

While in Samaria, in Acts 8:26, an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

Philip obeyed and, on the road, he saw a man from Ethiopia who was a Eunuch. He was reading from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. The man was not able to understand what he was reading. Philip approached the man and asked him if he understood what he was reading.

The man said he did not understand what he had read and he asked Philip to explain it to him. Philip then began to preach Jesus to the man, and as they rode along in the chariot, the man believed and was baptised.

Who was The Ethiopian Eunuch?
Acts 8:27 recorded that The Ethiopian Eunuch was of great authority under Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. He was on his way back to his country.
He was in Israel to worship the Lord at the temple, which means he was probably a Jewish convert. On his way home, God planned to change his life for good.

3 LESSONS FROM THE ACCOUNT OF PHILIP AND THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH

1) Be quick to obey God's instructions for you

When the Spirit of God tells you to do something, obey quickly.
Acts 8:26 - 27 says " When the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip to arise and go towards the south along the road down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the Bible says that ”he arose and went.”

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip to arise and go to a particular area, Philip rose and went immediately. This time around in Acts 8:29 -30, the Spirit of the Lord spoke to Philip, and Philip obeyed immediately.

Acts 8:29-30 say "Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Philip was quick to obey God. He didn’t doubt the incomplete instruction; instead, he obeyed.
How many opportunities have you missed because you failed to act on God’s instruction and nudging?

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Sometimes we may not know why God is asking us to do something, but we can trust that He knows what He’s doing.

2) The GOSPEL IS FOR EVERYONE

The Ethiopian Eunuch was a man of great authority. Sometimes, we think someone that has gone far in their sin, or someone of a particular faith/beliefs or non-beliefs, or someone that is way too far from God won't want to know Christ.
We may even think someone may not need the gospel because they are wealthy and well respected, or they have an honourable position in society. Do you know these views are not Biblical?
The Ethiopian Eunuch was a Royal official with a high rank. He belonged to another culture but responded to the Gospel and Salvation. The Gospel does not have a bias toward personality or status. The Gospel is not only for the poor or the wealthy; the Gospel is for all!
The Gospel must be preached to everyone, regardless of status, race, tribe, position, colour, or language. We must take the Gospel everywhere and preach it to everyone.
Acts 8:30-31 say "So Philip ran to him and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him."

While this is telling us that the gospel is for everyone. It is also telling us that we need the help of others to understand the Bible. Who are the people that help you gain insights into God's Word?

3) The role of God is important in whatever we do, and in evangelism

The Bible says in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

We need God to lead us. The angel of the Lord and the Spirit of God led Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch.

God sent His interventions to help with the evangelism but Philip had to play a role.

I trust you have gained insights from the above lessons.

I love hearing from you in the comment section. Please take a minute to say hello in the comment section.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Yours in Christ,

Mysses Lafunky

Monday, 6 March 2023

3 Lessons I learnt from Watching the Biopic of Enoch (Pastor E.A Adeboye)

Hello Everyone,

I hope you had a lovely weekend. I watched the Biopic of Pastor E.A Adeboye, the General Overseer (G.O) of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

Pastor Adeboye is fondly known as Daddy G.O while his wife is fondly known as Mummy G.O.

I thought to share 3 Lessons that I learnt from watching the Biopic of Enoch:

1) Don't let the fear of what people would say hinder you from doing what God tells you to do

Papa Akindayomi (The Founding Pastor of RCCG) followed God's instruction even though he knew some people would not be happy with his decision. The Bible says in Psalm 56:11 "In God, I put my trust and I will not be afraid."

The obedience of Papa Akindayomi has led to the expansion of the Body of Christ and God's kingdom.

2) It is never too late for anyone to come to Christ

Daddy G.O's past life did not hinder him from coming to Christ and being saved. Please, don't stop standing in the gap of prayer for your family or parents or your community. You can use Acts 26:18 to pray for them on a regular basis.

Acts 26:18 says "Open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in Christ.”

3) It is rewarding to follow Christ but it comes with a price

Mummy and Daddy G.O sacrificed a number of things to follow Christ. From emptying their bank accounts as an act of obedience to God, to Daddy G.O giving up his dream of becoming the youngest Vice Chancellor in Africa to Daddy G.O prioritising evangelism and allowing his support network in the village to watch over his sick mother rather than himself.

Mummy and Daddy G.O Adeboye sought the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things were added to them. The honour, the spiritual children all over the world, the material riches, and many more things have been added to them.

I trust you have gained something.

To watch the movie/biopic, please click here.

I love hearing from you in the comment section. Please take a minute to say hello in the comment section.

Have a lovely week!

Yours in Christ,

Mysses Lafunky

Thursday, 2 March 2023

Don't let Anyone Hold You Back

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are well. How is your week going? I'm just remembering the story of Michal in the Bible, how the devil used her to intimidate David by saying his style of worship to God through dancing was too much. She wanted David to tone it down.

Did David tone his style of worshipping His Almighty Father down?

No!

David said to Michal in 2 Samuel 6:21-22 that “I was dancing to honor the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and his family to make me the leader of his people Israel. And I will go on dancing to honor the Lord, and will disgrace myself even more. You may think I am nothing, but those women will think highly of me!”

Like David, the worshipper, please do not allow anybody to stop you or intimidate you or tease you to tone down the assignment the Lord has ordained you to do.

Like David, make sure you serve the Lord from the knowledge of who God is to you and what He has called you to do on this earth.

Set your mind on God.

Give the best service to God. Keep fulfilling purpose in the way the Lord would like you to fulfil purpose. Don't be distracted.

Finally, don't let anyone hold you back.

I trust you have gained something.

I love hearing from you in the comment section. Please take a minute to say hello in the comment section.

Have a beautiful day!

Yours in Christ,

Mysses Lafunky

Monday, 13 February 2023

Having An Accountability Circle Is Helpful

Hello Everyone,

I hope you've had a lovely weekend and you are off to a great start.

Psalm 1:1-3 says:

"Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the Lord,

meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do."

As Christians, God expects us to seek counsel by following the advice of a sound Christian or those that would point us on the right path. It is godly wisdom for you to follow the advice of those that will lead you on the right path while it is foolishness to listen and follow the path of those that will lead you to engage in things that are wrong or in things that aren't God's plan for your life or in things that compromise the truth of God's Word or your integrity.

In your life, do you have access to people that you can seek spiritual guidance or business or financial guidance or career guidance? For parenting guidance? For emotional well-being support? For wisdom in general? Someone, to offload to? You need to have wise people in your life that you have given permission to speak into your life.

One thing you need to realise is that anyone that you are accountable to or anyone that you would like to be accountable to would expect you to be the one coming to seek counsel and to update them on how you are getting on. Who are the people within your accountability circle?

You need good advice in life to succeed. Proverbs 24:6 says "So you need advice when you go to war. If you have lots of good advice, you will win."

Most importantly, I'd like to encourage you to ask God to lead you and show you the right path to follow, and for God to lead you to the right accountability circle that you need in your life per season.

I love hearing from you in the comment section. Please take a minute to say hello in the comment section.

Have a lovely week!

Yours in Christ,

Mysses Lafunky

Thursday, 9 February 2023

You Will Give Account of Your Skills

Hello Everyone,

How is your week going? Thank you for your positive feedback on the last article that I wrote regarding God being the God of all nations. If you missed the article, click here to read it.

At the beginning of the week during my time alone with God, and at my workplace Christian fellowship, I reflected on the Scripture in Matthew 25:14-28 where Jesus described His kingdom.

Jesus said His kingdom is like a man who gave three servants money (he gave one servant, 5 pounds, another servant, 2 pounds, and the third servant, 1 pound) to spend and invest wisely. Two of the servants spent the money and invested wisely. They were faithful with the money they were given and their master blessed them. Their master was impressed by how they had produced more from the little he had given them.

What about the third servant?

I haven't forgotten about him:)

The third servant did not do anything with the money he was given, he preserved it and didn't do anything with it. The master wasn't pleased with what the third servant had done as he expected him to have generated more money with what he had been given. Not doing anything is actually doing something.

How can we apply this teaching to our present-day Christianity?

Let's start by changing the word 'money' to talents/ special gifts/abilities/skills. The Lord gave them special talents/abilities/gifts/skills. God has given each and every one of us special gifts/talents/abilities/skills for us to use as good works on this earth, to bless lives and to shine the light of God.

Ephesians 2:10 says "We are God’s creation. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good works. Long ago God prepared these works for us to do."

Are you using the gifts the Lord has given you to be a blessing to your church, community and surroundings?

While God has not given us equal gifts/talents/abilities/skills but He has given every person a gift/talent/skill/an ability to impact lives positively. This story about the three servants is a reminder that we are all going to give account to God for how we are using/used the talents/gifts/skills/abilities He has given us.

The unfaithful servant wasted an opportunity to produce much more with the money he was given. As a result, he was judged as a wicked, evil and lazy person. You probably won't have thought a wicked/evil person is someone who chooses not to do what the Lord had asked them to do.

You are responsible for what you do with the talents/gifts/skills/abilities that the Lord has given you, and you are also responsible for where you use the talents/skills/gifts/abilities the Lord has given to you.

Are you using the talents/skills/abilities where the Lord would like you to use them?

For your good works to be acceptable before God, you must use the talents/gifts/abilities where and when He wants you to use them at every particular time. Let me share a personal experience with you.

A couple of years ago, the Lord instructed me to leave a bubbly and big flourishing church where my husband (fiancé at the time) was part of the leadership team of the church, and I should go to a church in Sandwell to support them as they were crying in the spirit for help. I am a firm believer in doing whatever the Lord instructs even when it doesn't make sense.

I had a discussion with my fiancé and my best friend about what the Lord was asking me to do. They both said since the Lord was asking me to do this, I should go for it. I left the old church and committed myself fully to the new church in Sandwell, UK. The Lord said my service to Him was not going to be acceptable if I stayed serving at the old church even if I was using my talents/gifts/abilities really well, even if people and the leaders were praising me.

I took a courageous step and left the church immediately and I started attending the new church. I didn't burn any bridges with anyone as I told the Pastor of the old church and I still attended special events at the old church. In fact, they had a special programme for my husband and I when we were about to get married.

I grew so much in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of ministerial ethics and served joyfully during my time at the church in Sandwell. I also made new friends that I have continued to sustain. God also blessed me tremendously. After marriage, my husband and I relocated to another town. We were asked to plant a church in the town we were moving to but God didn't give us the go-ahead at the time. Nevertheless, a few years down the Lord, God gave us the go-ahead to plant a church.

Actually, I have only shared a positive experience with you. Let me share another experience in which I didn't take the right step before I eventually learnt from God about the importance of taking the right step at the right time.

There was a time when I moved to a new city and I ran away from a new growing church as I refused to commit. I wanted to be attending two churches at the same time and eventually decide where I would be. The Lord said you cannot serve two masters and I must choose to serve in 1 place. I chose the big church to serve. The Lord seriously told me off for not committing to the growing church where they needed help. I apologised to God and the Pastor for the wrong step that I had taken.

I went through a time of intimacy with God to learn what it means to serve God. I am immensely grateful to God for what He has taught me over the years. I also thank God for giving me another chance which I responded positively, with the help of my fiancé (now husband) and my best friend.

Why did I share my personal experience with you? I shared for you to know that where and when you use your talents/skills/gifts/abilities matters to God as you will give account to God about this.

Why not take a pause and say a prayer to God?

Prayers

Lord Jesus, grant me the awareness to know the gifts you have given me.

Lord Jesus, grant me the wisdom to know where and when you would like me to use my gifts.

Lord Jesus, let my service be accountable to you.

Lord Jesus, help me not to serve you in vain.

Lord Jesus, give me the courage to always do what pleases you.

Do any of the above resonate with you? Which ones, and why?

I love hearing from you in the comment section. Please take a minute to say hello in the comment section.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Yours in Christ,

Mysses Lafunky

Thursday, 2 February 2023

How Are You Sharing Your Christian Faith?

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are well. As a church, we are running an Evangelism Campaign to encourage Christians to share their faith with others. The thought that we may have people within our neighbourhood or within our network who do not know that we have the key to eternal life is worrying. How would your neighbours and colleagues feel if they knew you had the secret to eternal life but didn't share it with them?

Our God is a global God and He desires that people from every nation, tribe and tongue know and love Him. Jesus came for all! He died to atone for the sin of every person.

In Genesis 17:5, God said to Abram, no longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

In 1 Kings 8:60, when Solomon dedicated the temple to the Lord, he said a prayer ..."So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other."

In Acts 1:8, the Word of God says that when you have received power from the Holy Spirit, you are to tell people everywhere about Jesus, people in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and in every part of the world.

Let me dissect Acts 1:8. The Word of God says... And in Judea and Samaria, and every part of the world. This means you can be reaching the global audience concurrently, you don't have to reach your local community first before you reach the world. With my writing ministry (Mysses Lafunky's Blog), I have been fulfilling this Scripture for the last 11 years. Glory to God for the courageous faith to start this blog.

Let me ask you a question.

If you have 1 minute to share Jesus with others, what would you share with them and what approach would you use?

What would be your approach? If your approach isn't listed above, feel free to share. I'd love to learn from you.

I'd like you to take a pause and reflect on some of the global statistics about the Christian faith globally, provided by the team at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.