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Good morning. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." (Proverbs 13:12) Jesus was born because God fulfilled a long-deferred hope? Abraham and his wife Sarah longed for a child for decades, but Sarah was unable to conceive. When Sarah was 90 years old, God appeared to Abraham and promised that Sarah would give birth to a son, and that through this child, He would establish an everlasting covenant between Himself and Abraham's descendants. Jesus Christ, our Savior became the fruit of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah. God fulfilled the desire of Sarah's heart. He planted a seed that would reconcile mankind to Himself thousands of years later. Sarah’s ability to give birth in her old age gives us another reason to be in awe of the miraculous story of Jesus’ birth. When facing deferred hope today, rest assured that God is at work and will bring about a greater return than you can imagine. Though we can’t see the purpose in it now, in due course we will. Hold on to God’s promises! Like Sarah, we too will experience that, “a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The first promise God ever made was about Christmas? In Genesis, we read that when Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden, mankind was separated from God’s presence. This separation broke God’s heart because He loves us more than we could ever know. From the very beginning of human existence, Jesus was going to be a part of the story. God let Satan know that day what was to come. He said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” (Genesis 3:15) Christ's birth, which we celebrated at Christmas, marks the beginning of God’s process to restore our relationship with Him through the promised Saviour. As we enter this Advent season, we recognize that God, in fulfilling His first promise, is true to His Word. Remember that God loves you so much that He sent His perfect Son to be born into a sinful world so that He could have a relationship with you. Have a great day celebrating His love for you. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Where do we need Jesus today, right now? Where are our thoughts falling short of His life-giving truth? Are our minds stuck in a negative, hurtful, and poisonous rut? What should we do? We have created mental ruts through repeatedly thinking the same thoughts, which in turn trigger our automatic response to external stimuli. To change a behavior, we need to remove the lie behind it and replace the mental ruts. We need to dig truth trenches. How? By renewing our mind with God’s truth. Instead of becoming fixated on what we see, we fix your thoughts on Jesus. He made us. He will sustain us. He can carry us, strengthen us, and empower us to do what He’s called us to do. We are more than conquerors through Christ. God is more than enough. And nothing can separate us from God’s love. Let God change your thinking. He will change your life. "So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Insecurity! I'm not good enough. He/she is better at it than I am. Many folk see other people's success as their own failure. Even those people we consider successful have moments of feeling insecure. We feel insecure because of what has been spoken over us; words of discouragement, and degradation, words that have fractured our identity. The words that are spoken over you matter. "The tongue has the power of life and death" (Proverbs 18:21) God's words for us are greater than the words that have been spoken over you that have molded, shaped, and crafted your identity. God says you are precious. You are His prized possession. "for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye" (Zechariah 2:8) As we face the day today, remember what Paul says in Romans 8:33. "Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies." And by the way, what God says carries far more weight than all the negative things said to you. Have a blessed day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Life happens! When we are faced all that life throws at us, when we face those tragic moments, how do we respond? When you find out someone you love has cancer or that your child is on drugs or that your spouse is cheating on you, in those tragic moments, what do you do? Paul sets the example for us when he and his friend Silas were in prison. "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16:25) • They were praising God for the who, not the what. There wasn't any “what” that they could point to. Nothing good was happening, but their God was still good. They weren’t praising God for the what. They were praising Him for the who. You can do that too. Your circumstances may be bad, but God is still good. • They were praising God before the provision. So often we hold off on praising God until He provides what we want. • They were praising God and then He showed up. They did not praise God because He showed up. God showed up because they praised Him. When we praise Him, He will show up. When He shows up, it will change our thinking. If we change our thoughts, we change our life. Today, whatever our circumstances might be, let's like Paul and Silas praise God for who He is and see God's hand on us as we overcome. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "Come, now is the time to worship Come, now is the time to give your heart Come, just as you are to worship Come, just as you are before your God Come" (Brian Doerksen) Here are a few scripture verses to meditate on as we prepare to join with fellow followers of Christ to worship God today. "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker" (Psalm 95:6) "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) "Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs." (Psalm 100:2) "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." (Psalm 29:2) "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe" (Hebrews 12:28) Be blessed as you worship God today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We frequently hear the expression "Hold your plans lightly." This is wise advice. Growing up we are told to study hard. We thought "if I just get this degree, I will get that job." You got the degree, but you did not get the job. You planned on being married by now, but you have not found Mr. or Mrs. Right. Paul was in that same situation - circumstances he did not want and could not control. When he wrote to the Philippians he effectively said, “I had a plan, but God had a better plan!" "Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear." (Philippians 1:12‭-‬14) Paul effectively applied the "Reframe Principle". Reframe your mind, restore your perspective. We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we frame it. God is moving and I (Mike) can’t wait to see what He does next. Enjoy your weekend. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The Bible speaks to all our problems. God’s Word gives us truth that empowers us to break out of the old ruts of destruction and onto a new path that leads to life. When we open our minds to what God's Word says about dealing with our individual set of problems we are able to rewire our minds based on the truth contained in His Word. This is another tool for changing our thinking. The Rewire Principle: Rewire your brain, renew your mind. God will meet us at our point of need no matter what the devil is wanting us to believe as we face our circumstances. Paul reminds us; "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) As we go into the day, apply one of my (Mike) favourite verses that has helped me through many tough, confusing times. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Our lives move in the direction of our strongest thoughts. What we think shapes who we are. Both the Bible and modern science provide evidence that this is true. Psycologists use cognitive behavioral therapy in treating their patients. They have concluded that many problems are rooted in faulty and negative patterns of thinking. Treating those problems begins with changing that thinking. We need to learn to apply the Replacement Principle, i.e. Remove the lies and replace them with the truth. Jesus, when tempted by satan, responded by saying "it is written." Three times, in three separate instances, Jesus exposed Satan’s lie and engaged the truth of God’s Word that He had been memorizing since He was a young Jewish boy. Paul says: "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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8‭-‬9) In this passagePaul moves from • thought (“think about such things”) to • action (“put it into practice”) to • experience (“the God of peace will be with you”). Paul tells us that our thoughts shape our lives. With God’s help, we can transform our minds. We can stop believing the lies that hold us back. We can renew our minds by being saturated with His unchanging truth. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. When reading through the psalms of David we see that he battled with the varying circumstances in his life. We may even wonder if this is the same guy who faced Goliath and believed with his whole heart that the Lord “will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37). David didn’t always rest in God’s goodness. Sometimes he wrestled with his circumstances. But in those times, he was again reminded of the truths he knew about God’s character. What began as uncertainty quickly turned to the everlasting fact that God is always good. Even as we mark God’s goodness in our hearts as Ebenezer stones, there will still be moments when we forget. In our human nature, God doesn’t always feel good at that moment. It's in those times that we need to choose to focus on the goodness of God. Sing songs about God’s goodness. Let the truths of who God is and who He has shown Himself to be in the past reframe our feelings in the present. David had a good Lord, even in those moments when he and others couldn’t see it. And so do we. Let God’s goodness help build our faith. The truth is, God is good, even when your circumstances are not. Remember the words of Psalm 3:3. "But you, Lord , are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high." Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. David’s show of bravery in facing a terrifying giant is one of the first Bible stories children learn as a lesson about faith and courage against all odds. David didn’t approach King Saul thinking he had something to prove. He simply saw a need and believed in God’s goodness to meet that need. The fact is Goliath and his army stood against God’s purpose and will for His people. There was simply no question in David’s mind and heart about joining God in that purpose and will. "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” (1 Samuel 17:37) God had already proven His goodness to David and David had marked those events in his heart as an "Ebenezer". That memory led him to believe God’s goodness wouldn’t end in the present moment. It's easy for us to forget God's goodness for fear of our present or future circumstances. But when we look back, we see God was always there. He has always met our needs, and He won’t stop now. Let's face today with the assurance that we have the victory over the "giants". "For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:4) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12) All through the Old Testament we read of how easily people forget God. Time and time again we read of memorials being built by their leaders to remind the people of God's goodness, of His provision. We too need to remember what God has done. We are no less forgetful today. God has rescued us above and beyond what we can ask or imagine through His Son Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. And even when we know this in our heads, we often forget it in our hearts. We are tempted to live as though God’s goodness doesn’t apply to our present circumstances. We too, need to create Ebenezers, monuments to His faithfulness. In our hearts, we need to make each of those moments a marker of God’s goodness that draws us closer to Him. We often move on to whatever is next far too quickly. We need to pause and ask ourselves what has God done in our life lately that we need to remember as a marker of His goodness. Today, pause, remember, and then thank God. Blessings. Mike and Daphne