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Good morning. Many of us gave grown up with the habit doing things to please people, especially our parents. We wanted them to feel that we are their favorite. When we apply this habit to our Father, to delight in pleasing him, a shift takes place. David reminds us in Psalm 37:4 that as we do this He will give us the desire of our hearts. King David, the psalmist, shows us over and over in the psalms, that a heart of worship is one of the ways we please the Father. A lifestyle of worship. But this does not mean all we do is to sit singing worship songs the whole day. Paul puts it this way: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" (Colossians 3:23) So, today let's resolve to live to please Him in all that we do. It is all about Him. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Jesus’ time in the wilderness took him away from the distractions of life so he could focus solely on communing with the Father. There was no music playing, no disciples asking questions, no one texting him; no FaceTime, or TikTok. For forty days. Can you imagine? Silence is a discipline; it doesn’t just happen naturally. But when we choose silence and make room for it in our lives, we enter into communion with God. Satan hates nothing more than for us to commune with God because he recognizes (probably even more than we do) the power of soaking in God’s healing presence. He comes loud and proud with distractions and temptations. Silence can be a time of communing with God, but it can also be empty space for pity parties and negative self-talk. This is exactly why we must take every thought captive, as Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 10:5: "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Silence is a precious gift from God. Practicing the discipline of silence ushers us into his presence, where we find the peace and restoration our souls desperately need. Take time as we head into the weekend to spend time in silence communing with God. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." (Isaiah 60:1) Disobedience is dangerous! As a child I, Mike, found this out the painful way, often feeling the consequences of disobedience. In South Africa we have all experienced loadshedding and I'm yet to meet somebody who rejoices when they are hit with loadshedding. As followers of Christ when we obey God’s Word, we experience victory and live as overcomers. It is like we are in the light. When we disobey Him, we experience defeat. It is as if we step out of the light and start stumbling around in the darkness. That’s not a wise thing to do. We want to stay protected and on the victory side. We want to walk continually in God’s power and manifested presence by communing with Him in His Word and keeping His command of love. "Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble." (1 John 2:10) Let's turn the light on for someone living in darkness by bringing the Light of the world to them. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. 2023 is truly upon us and as we put 2022 behind us we are faced with a head full of ambivalent thoughts. We are excited about what lies ahead ahead of us, while at the same time wondering how we are going to deal with all life will throw at us in the year ahead. Paul reminds us: "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." (2 Corinthians 3:12) Being uncertain about the future, followers of Christ will frequently say, “My hope is in the Lord.” Of course it is, but it is not only a future hope. God is here, in the present, with comfort. God is so much bigger than anything we will ever face. We don’t have to be strong enough, because He is. He is with us in every step of the way. Allow Paul's words to remind you just how much He loves His followers. "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" (Ephesians 3:16‭-‬18) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. How do we respond to those in need? It may be the car gaurd, the beggar at the traffic light or the next door neighbour. How do we respond? In Acts 3 we read of the account where Peter and John were entering the grounds of the temple when a beggar asks them for money. Peter's response gives us a hint of how we should respond to those in need. The man wanted to relieve his financial burdens. But Peter saw he needed a deeper healing. Walking with Jesus, Peter had learned from his Teacher that poverty is more than just a lack of material wealth. Poverty is also physical and spiritual bondage. Jesus taught the Good News and healed. So the early Church followed Jesus’ example. So Peter proclaims the name of Christ. He takes the man by the hand. And the lame man begins to walk and leap. They immediately entered the temple courts praising God together. As we seek to share the love of Christ, we have the example of Peter and the early Church to follow. We proclaim, and we act. We bring healing of hearts, minds, and bodies. We do lavish good deeds while we boldly share about the amazing grace found in Jesus Christ. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept." (John 11:33‭-‬35) Strange verses to highlight at the beginning of a new year. On the contrary. These verses show us that God "feels" with us. What a portrait of compassion: a God who weeps, a God who cares, a God who loves. Jesus, though He knew the outcome, wept. He was deeply moved by the pain and hurt the sisters were experiencing. We serve this amazing God of the universe, the Creator of the heavens and earth, who weeps for us when we hurt. I, Mike, am thankful for a Saviour who conquers death. I’m thankful for a God who walks with us daily. I’m thankful for a God who weeps when we are weeping. I'm thankful for a God who also rejoices over us. As we go into 2023, let us remember and be encouraged by the words of the prophet, Zephaniah: "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. I, Mike, came across the following last year and think it is appropriate for us as we launch into 2023. A Puritan's New Year's Prayer: O LORD, Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in thy presence, in thy service, to thy glory. Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour, that I may not be one moment apart from thee, but may rely on thy Spirit to supply every thought, speak in every word, direct every step, prosper every work, build up every mote of faith, and give me a desire to show forth thy praise, testify thy love, advance thy kingdom. I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year, with thee, O Father, as my harbor, thee, O Son, at my helm, thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails. Guide me to heaven with my loins girt, my lamp burning, my ear open to thy calls, my heart full of love, my soul free. Give me thy grace to sanctify me, thy comforts to cheer, thy wisdom to teach, thy right hand to guide, thy counsel to instruct, thy law to judge, thy presence to stabilize. May thy fear be my awe, thy triumphs my joy. May 2023 be filled with joy and God's blessings. Blessings. Mike and Daphne P.s. The Puritans were members of a religious reform movement that arose within the Church of England in the late 16th century. They believed the Church of England was too similar to the Roman Catholic Church and should eliminate ceremonies and practices not rooted in the Bible.

Good morning. Imagine running a race with a heavy backpack slung over your shoulders. Performing well in that race would probably be difficult and painful. Similarly, when you hold onto the past, it weighs us down and prevents us from moving toward what God has called us to do. 2022 has been hard, even difficult for many, but moving on is necessary for our well-being. It can be challenging, but God has given us several approaches for moving forward. One way to approach moving on is to focus on the good. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8) We are reminded by Isaiah: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!" (Isaiah 43:18‭-‬19) Unfortunately, we can’t change our past. With God’s help though, we can start to move forward from what we’ve lost and focus instead on the healing He wants to bring. If we focus on what He’s doing, we have an opportunity to be a part of the good He has planned for us. On this, the last day of 2022, focus on the future. God has said that He has "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. As we reflect on your testimonies, we have been made aware of some of the difficulties 2022 brought with it for so many folk. When the Israelites were faced by the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh's pursuing army behind them, their hearts filled with panic, Moses tells them, "Be still." Talk about angst! When we look at the end of the story, we realize that if the Israelites had not done what Moses told them, they probably would have made the situation much worse. But Moses understood that it was best to trust in God and not in his own knowledge or power. "Being still" requires letting go of all control of a situation and trusting God to handle it. When we try to take control of a painful situation, our attempts to manipulate and force change are most likely going to cause more problems. It may feel uncomfortable to let go, and it may not make sense at the moment, but God knows better than we do. As we look ahead to 2023, we can still trust that God knows what He’s doing. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord . (Isaiah 55:8) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We've all come through 2022 with differing experiences. For some there has been wonderful breakthroughs while others have faced disappointment and sadness. What do we do when we feel we have reached breaking point? The account of Hannah, who had not been able to fall pregnant, is a model for us. Year after year she would go with her husband, Elkanah, and bring offerings to God and worship Him. But she was heartbroken because she did not have a child. We can follow Hannah’s example and pour our hearts out before the Lord. The reasons we do this is: • He Brings Comfort: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) • He Brings Joy: "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalms 16:11) • He Brings Healing and Growth: "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psalms 147:3) God wants to be near us no matter what our circumstances. The nearer we are to God, the more we are able to lean into Him. As we do that we are able to move forward and grow in our faith and relationship with Him. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt safe, loved, and known, and then to feeling vulnerable, unwanted, and alone. This is exactly what happened to Joseph (the one with the technicolour dream coat.) He was thrown into a pit because his brothers were angry and jealous. But his story didn’t end there. "the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour" (Genesis 39:21) God never abandoned Joseph, and we see that God redeemed his painful past and brought something good out of it. In the same way, when we experience heartbreak and rejection, it often isn’t deserved. And sometimes, like Joseph, we might not even see it coming. Then, suddenly, we’re at the lowest point in our lives feeling hurt, vulnerable, and alone. Rejection can lead to God’s redirection. When The good news is, the same God who stayed with Joseph is with us as well. allow our loving Father to redirect us, we will be able to look back one day and see all of the goodness God brought from the rejection we’ve experienced. The good news is, the same God who stayed with Joseph is with us as well. Take time today and look back and see God's hand on you as He has shown himself to be "Immanuel": God with you. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. As we head towards the end of 2022, we need to practice what Paul says in Philippians 4:4 - "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" We can immerse ourselves in the gladness and gratitude that comes from recognizing the immensity and indescribable nature of God's grace. We must be aware of this grace at all times. Once we recognize what God's grace means for our life and destiny, how can we not rejoice and give thanks in everything? How can we not live with a permanent attitude of gratitude? This does not mean being happy about every circumstance, nor does it mean that we can't experience grief, pain, or sorrow. Happiness is circumstantial, whereas joy is a lifestyle, it is an attitude, a way of approaching the world based on the understanding of who Christ is and who you are in Christ. So, today, tomorrow, and every day until God calls us home or the Lord Jesus returns, rejoice and be glad! Blessings. Mike and Daphne