Monday 23 February 2015

The SWAG Christian | What's the fuss about?

Ever wondered why it is cool to be part of SWAG Christians, and are you aware of the benefits? 

To be SWAG is to be Someone Who Adores God. How can you as a Young Person be SWAG?

10 Things To Consider
  1. Read your Bible every day and Obey the gospel of Christ. 
  2. Keep yourself pure.
  3. Build a Christian personality and character.
  4. Serve God and use your talents for God.
  5. Lead others to Christ.
  6. Encourage and help others. 
  7. Be faithful throughout your life.
  8. Avoid godless chatter.
  9. Prepare to have a Christian home.
  10. Prepare yourself to have a decent profession; to be the best in your career.

Have you identified any of the above points that you need to improve? Make a list of ways that you need to increase being SWAG.



Are you wondering what the fuss is about being SWAG? (You will gain a lot if you read/click/open the Bible scriptures below):

To be SWAG means
 
  • You are confident in your choices and decision making as God will be leading you. He will be directing every step that you take (Ps 37:23)
  • You will be wiser than your age (Ps 119:98)

  • God will be revealing the hidden and secrets things to you (Jer 33:3). How awesome is it for you to be privy to information that others do not know?

  • God will be rewarding you and favouring you on a daily basis (Deut. 28)

  • You won't have any guilt or shame in life (Rom 8:1-2)

  • You won't allow anyone to control your emotions (2Tim 1:7)

  • You have the assurance of making heaven regardless of when you die (John 14:1-3)

  • You are quick to identify your weakness and work on it (Heb 12:5-8)

  • There won't be a secret that you are ashamed of (Phil 3:7-10)


Be a SWAG Christian.

- Myss Lafunky

Photo credit: http://www.chrisheinz.com/

Monday 16 February 2015

Caution: Slow Down

Happy Monday to my wonderful readers and followers, 

How is your week going? 

Today's post is about being hasty.

God's wisdom says that it is dangerous to have zeal without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily makes poor choices (Proverbs 19:2). 

Did you know that being hasty is not a virtue that we are to have, except to obey God's Word and to finish an urgent task? Only in such things should we hurry (My opinion). Otherwise, wisdom and caution are required before a decision is made so that you don't make a mistake or fall into an error.

If you make a decision in a hurry without taking your time to research, it is called ignorance. 

God condemned being ignorant and hasty as traits of the fool. In the book of Proverbs, the author stated that before decisions are made and actions are taken, a careful study and a good acquisition of knowledge need to be undertaken. Ignorance is no bliss. Therefore, gather all the relevant information that you need before you make a decision. 
 
If others tease or criticise you for being cautious before you make a decision, ignore them. There is no honour in rushing decisions without adequate preparation and research. I have been in several situations where I was in a haste to make a decision (and yes, I made those decisions) but I ended up facing the consequences. I have also been in a situation where I was not in a hurry, by the time I did my research, weighed up the pros and cons, I made a better decision, which paid off.

It could be argued that many people would have gotten along as friends if they had slowed down to consider the consequences of their actions. Also, many homes would not have been wrecked if individuals considered the consequences of their choices.

Some people enter into conflicts because of their lack of patience. The Bible says that it is folly and shame to answer a matter before fully grasping the issues (Proverbs 18:13). This suggests that in the place of correcting an issue or solving a problem, you must not be too quick to make a decision or judge a case without fully understanding the issue.

A wise person questions everything (Proverbs 14:15) before he or she makes a decision in order to avoid future trouble.
 


 
To my dear Readers and Followers,

Do you prove facts before acting or deciding on an issue? 

Do you join a church in a haste without finding out about the church? 

Do you preach a message in a haste without taking time to plan? 

Do you enter a relationship in a haste without taking your time to find out about the person and ensure that where you are heading is what you want and what God wants for you? 
 
Do you think carefully before you commit your finance into that project or supposed investment?

The Bible condemned ignorance. God wants us to prove all things and examine all directions from all angles before we make a decision.

Don't be in a haste to make a decision. I understand that this generation likes to make a decision in a quick manner, however, this is dangerous as the likelihood of making a mistake is high.
Only be quick to make a decision if it is in relation to obeying God's Word or when you are running away from sins.

Enjoy the rest of your week


- Myss Lafunky

Tuesday 10 February 2015

What Men Really Want

Below is a guest post from one of my Readers and Followers. Please, read and leave a comment and also share it with your friends. I learnt a few things from the post.  I guess nobody is above learning.

Do you agree with Sage's views of what men want in a woman? Readers and followers are welcome to contact me via trulymakingadifference@gmail.com if you would like to write a female's perspective of what women want from Christian men.

So I came up with this title when driving home one day from work. I decided on this title because I felt it’s high time our young ladies had an idea of what a man wants from a man’s point of view; not women magazines or health books like TD Jakes once said (I’m paraphrasing him here). So this is my attempt, albeit amateurish and solely based on experience, to paint a picture of what men really want.


While researching for this article, I Googled the phrase ‘what men really want’ and to no surprise Google turned up articles that took the physical angle of sex, dirty talk and looks. I doubt nobody will go "what!?" Nothing on character!!! So how are women to know the characters that are dear to men and better still, born-again men?



Before we get into it…..WARNING! This is a no holds barred article. Now that’s sorted, let’s start with sex. Sex was created by God to be enjoyed in marriage between two people. Sex is truly a pleasurable experience…don’t ask how I know LoL. Someone told me/old things have passed away/#speakingforafriend. Herein lies the problem; let’s stop by 1Pet.2:11 (GNB): "I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul". As a born again single or about-to-be-married sister, does it then mean you can’t please your man before marriage?

Then we have the other part……dirty TALK! If you can’t engage in fleshly desires as a born again single sister then what is the purpose of talking dirty to your boyfriend or soon-to-be married man? That brings us to Eccl. 1:2: "vanity upon vanity, all is vanity". Then you swing by Timothy (1Tim6:20 & 2Tim2:16) and we are warned to abstain from idle talk.

That leaves us with looks. There is this belief among girls of nowadays, especially the bodied ladies… if you’ve got it, flaunt it. My sister undeceive yourself (Pro 31:30)…less is more. Let’s see what the Bible says in Gen.24:64-65 (NKJV): "64. Then Rebekah lifted her eyes and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel. 65… the servant said, “it is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself." As a guy, it isn’t an easy task staying with a pure heart and mind…especially those of us that used to be in the world. As Myss Lafunky once said: "Sisters lets dress to save not dress to kill." Now I’m not saying you should go caveman and not take care of your looks but I’m saying as a born-again brother, the only way I can be attracted to you as a lady is when you dress decently. Rebekah had that understanding.

So, if these things aren’t meant to apply to us as born-again Christians what does? The answer is simple…character and attitude, meaning your behaviour. Now, I can definitely tell you, there is no point dressing like an Esther or Rebekah and having the behaviour of a Jezebel or Vashti…..you will definitely lose your place as a Queen in the home.
 
For the mathematically inclined sisters let me give you a simple equation:

S + E + X= 48%

B + E + A + U + T + Y = 74%

Take an average of BEAUTY and SEX= 61%

That leaves 39%. Know fully well that this average will decrease with time. Why? Prov. 31:30: "Charm is deceptive and beauty disappears……"

H + A + R + D + W + O + R + K = 98%

A + T + T + I + T + U + D + E = 100%

Take an average of HARDWORK and ATTITUDE = 99%

That leaves 1% which can be easily filled by all the extras (that can fade away or change: looks, style, fashion sense etc.)

In my own opinion, there are three things in no exact order of importance that can make a man love you to the extreme and make you the queen of his heart and home.

  1. Respect
  2. Loyalty
  3. Attention
Respect: I know I said in no order of importance but hey… power of the pen. Why is respect important in a woman’s character? Well, as always the Bible has the answer, let’s check it out. Est. 1:11 tells us how the king ordered for Queen Vashti and surprise she refused. How dare her refuse the call of the king? The man in charge of the home. Guess what happens next? Typical manly behaviour (no time to understand why… just what is the next step)… the king spoke to his guys and of course you know what his guys suggested. Ladies I can tell you, if you do not respect your man he will never put you in his home. Even the mother (wonderful women they are) would refuse such a union. Let’s also stop by at Luke 7 and read the story of the woman that washed Jesus feet with oil. Hey NO THKS oh! Let me make my point; her sins were forgiven because of the respect she showed our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Then we’ve got Eph. 5 which tells us about what men and women of God are expected to do. When a lady respects her man, she respects his authority and submits to him. Submission to a man’s authority is not a sign of weakness but instead a sign of strength. You may be wondering how….I’ll tell you. Nowadays, we have much more successful and career-oriented women that in some cases are doing better than their men. How easy is it for such a woman to submit to her man? Prov.31:25 says: "She is STRONG and respected and she is not afraid of the future." For every Vashti, there is an Esther. May you be an Esther in Jesus name.


Loyalty: Just as respect is an important trait, so is loyalty. How many men do you think will want to marry a disloyal lady? Swing by Prov.31 and let’s see what I mean. As a woman, there are certain commitments that men expect their woman to be faithful to; now we’re not asking for a superwoman but a woman who stays faithful to her commitments. As a single woman, your loyalty can be judged by how you keep to your promises or better still the way you apply yourself to the things you are committed to. When you read about the Prov. 31 woman, she is a woman who is faithful to her commitments and in verse 29 it shows the reward for loyalty.

You want a man that will treat you like a Queen? Be loyal to him….don’t jump ship whenever his faults turn up or whenever he doesn’t react the way you expected him to react. Even for my fellow men in the world, loyalty is a big deal…I’m sure we know the Chris Brown song "these girls ain’t loyal" (I listen to the radio lol). How much more for us brothers in Christ. When you see your boyfriend or fiancĂ©e going through a tough time, there is no better time to prove your loyalty to him than by sticking by him and encouraging him. Mal. 2:15 warns men against treating the wife of our youth wrongly; the Bible is clearly on your side.


Attention: Now on this issue, I would like to dispel the myth that men don’t need attention. Ladies, forget about it. If you don’t pay attention to the man, Ekaette will take your place in the blink of an eye. The more attention you shower on a man the more he would love you and praise you. Ladies I repeat, MEN LOVE ATTENTION. FACT! How do I know this? Lets look at Luke 7 again, the lady in the story paid attention to Jesus and He forgave her sins. You may be asking, how do I combine school work with church duties and still give my man attention? Well, you need the grace of God. You also need to learn how to manage your time and priorities.
 
As a man, it would be unfair if we don’t understand your busy schedule but that understanding is on the basis that at some point such a schedule will not last forever. If it does, the understanding will instantly go out the window. This is one of the things that made Vashti lose her crown to Esther; the king called for her attention and she denied him; but when Esther went without been called, look what happened (Est.5:2-3). Prov. 31:27 is a good example and see what verses 28 & 29 said of the woman who paid attention to her man and family. See what the King was willing to do in Est. 5:6 just because of the attention she gave him.

In these times of the feminist movement and more career-oriented ladies, these traits are even now more important than ever. May God give you the grace to be a Proverbs 31 lady because it is there and then alone would a brother-in-Christ want to make a fellow sister-in-Christ his Queen.
 - Sage
 
Sage is a graduate of human resource management and a 24/7 salesman. A clay in the hands of the Potter, he is on a journey to knowing God and becoming the man God has called him to be. He has a passion for football and society at large. In his quest for knowledge, he has recently restarted his passion for reading books. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
 

Wednesday 4 February 2015

Am I right? Or Am I wrong?

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in sin and death (Proverbs 14:12 NLT)

Which paths are you following? 

Why do you believe what you believe? 

What is your source? 

Can your source be trusted? 

Is there any information you are struggling to believe? 

Do you know the end of the current life choices that you are making? 

 
The path our life takes is the result of our choices and circumstances. We choose the path we believe and we are influenced by our society, environment, culture and religion when we make our life choices.



 

When I was growing up, I was in an environment where it was cool to read horoscopes. I was told about my star sign by friends; on a regular basis, I had checked the newspaper or a magazine for predictions of my behaviour for the day. I never knew it was wrong to believe in horoscopes, I was oblivious to the danger, nobody had challenged me about it, in fact, it was a cool thing for you to know your horoscopes when I was a teenager. 
 
As I learned more about my faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit taught me that, it was an abomination to God for His children to believe in horoscopes. The Word of God says in Deuteronomy 18:10-14 that, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. For anything that I needed to know about my life, the creator of my life had put an answer to it in the Bible or alternatively, the Holy Spirit would teach me.
The Bible and the Holy Spirit have brought peace of mind, positive thinking, and re-assurance about my future in comparison to horoscopes.

I was able to establish that the choice that I had initially made when I read horoscopes was wrong. My question to you readers and follower is: "How would you know if the choices that you are making are right or wrong?"

How would you discern whether the choices that you are taking are true and pure? You need the help of something that is greater, higher and wiser than you to know if the choices that you are taking are the right choices for your life. 

You need Jesus Christ, He knows everything, including the hidden and the secret things.

Why not let Him guide you in your values, opinions, choices and in the decision that you are taking so that you can be the best in life.

- Myss Lafunky

Photo Credit: http://shelbycollinge.com/