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Good morning. We get frustrated because somebody is not doing what we want. We get discouraged because of a disappointment. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God ..." This implies that when we’re upset, frustrated, and worried, we’re not going to know that He is God. Most of the time when we’re frustrated, we’re trying to change things that only God can change. We’re trying to be God and fix things over which we have no control. If we are trying to control everything, we're going to get frustrated. We need to stop trying to change what only God can change and we need to stop trying to fix things over which we have no control. When we turn it over to God, and let Him take care of it, we will experience His peace, with the assurance that He is in control. "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." (Isaiah 26:3) Have a peace filled day as you trust God. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. All too often we find ourselves so caught up in our own little world that we frequently miss the opportunity to share the love of Christ with someone who is in desperate need of it. My (Mike) friend Paul says, "... in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3‭-‬4) We can only do this when we take time to find out what is going on in their lives. A friend of mine sent me a message that contained helpful suggestions on how we can put action to Paul's words. • Be genuinely interested in others - Romans 12:15 • Be upbeat - Proverbs 15:13 • Be kind and courteous when we speaking - Proverbs 29:11 • Be reliable. Character is measured by actions not words. - 2 Timothy 2:2 • Be an encourager, a simple smile can make a difference - Job 29:24 Let's see how many of the above we can be today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning to you. Tyrone Daniel, the leader of the NCMI translocal team, in a recent message posed the question: "Is Jesus Christ ornamental or fundamental in our lives?" The answer to this question is dependant on the relationship we have with Him. Our relationship with Christ began when He became our Saviour and Lord, but it did not end there. We need to intentionally walk with Him daily. When we do, it will be easy to look back on our lives and see that He has us in the palms of His hands. It is because of our relationship with Him that the truth contained in Psalm 91:1-2 becomes a reality. "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Have a blessed day pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning and welcome to a new week; another day to allow God to shine through us. There are days when the last thing we feel like doing is letting the world know that we are a follower of Christ. We feel like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. It feels like everything, everybody, the whole world is against us. This is surely how Job felt when he said: "How long will you torment me and crush me with words? My relatives have gone away; my closest friends have forgotten me. All my intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against me." (Job 19:2‭, ‬14‭, ‬19) Notwithstanding this, he said, "I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes" (Job 19:25‭-‬27) For followers of Christ, the words of Andre Crouch's song "Through It All", say it all: "I've had many tears and sorrows, I've had questions for tomorrow, there's been times I didn't know right from wrong. But in every situation, God gave me blessed consulation, that my trials come to only make me strong. Through it all, through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God." Despite how we may be feeling about life at this point in time, let's keep our eyes clearly focused on our Redeemer. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Life in the Spirit is like a river. At times, the water is calm, the sun is shining, and the only thing to do is soak in the sweet air and scenery. At other times, the pace accelerates, obstacles come in quick succession, and intense focus is required. On this river we are utterly dependent on the voice of our Guide for what lies ahead. He has the wisdom to get us safely through. As we witness His expertise and learn to trust His voice, we gain confidence in His commands. In following His commands, we learn His techniques, which yield a peace and certainty far beyond any map we could possess. When we let Him lead, it becomes second nature to navigate difficult stretches without fear. When we see the water swirling, we know where to place our oar, our focus, and our confidence. What a beautiful journey it becomes as we learn to listen and follow the voice of the one who knows us, who knows how to get us where we need to go, and who delights in sharing the adventure. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are those who are right.” For the sake of peace, sometimes you have to let the other person think they’re right, even when you know they’re wrong. Our natural response is, "I’m right, and I’m going to prove it and win this fight." Being right is overrated? We can win every battle, prove our points, but our relationships suffer damage. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9) As we go about life today, let's make it our aim to be peacemakers. It takes the frustration out of our lives while it brings joy to all concerned. Enjoy your weekend. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. It is easy for us to see the turmoil in the world; even in our own personal space, in the privacy of our private thoughts. We look around for peace and love. We look for peace in our relationships. To have peace, we first need to have peace with God. Only then will we experience the peace ofGod. When we have God's peace our perspective changes. It allows us to see things from a heavenly perspective, which will infiltrate our earthly relationships. Jackie DeShannon's song is the cry which is echoing throughout the world: "What the world needs now is love, sweet love It's the only thing that there's just too little of What the world needs now is love, sweet love No not just for some, but for everyone." Because of the grace, mercy and peace of God, followers of Christ are ideally positioned to share that love, the love that the world desperately needs. It is through us that the love of God is shed abroad. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34‭-‬35) Have a good day passing His love around and enjoy His peace. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. There is much to learn by looking at the record of the relationship between Jonathan and David; the son of the king and the shepherd. The real hero of this relationship was Jonathan. Despite Saul behaving poorly from the belief that David was a threat to his kingdom, the truth is that David wasn't a threat to Saul because Saul was already King. In truth, David was a threat to Jonathan, the king in waiting. Yet Jonathan responds to a victorious David returning from battle by giving David his royal robe and weapons. (1 Samuel 18:4) This is a wonderful picture showing us that we aren't in competition with someone we are rooting for. We aren't threatened by someone we are celebrating. And this is why Jonathan was able to live with joy and peace as the people celebrated David. Jonathan didn't secure his identity to being the future king. He secured his identity to being who God said he was at that moment. And, at that moment, he was the son of the King. He was a servant of God. And he was David's friend. Jonathan knew a truth that many of us forget. No man or woman is a threat to the purpose God has placed within you. We don't have to measure ourselves against someone else because there is no comparison. Their purpose is unique. God doesn't create duplicates or extras. So stand firm in who you are and live free from comparison. Blessings Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Most of us at sometime or other have had feelings of inadequacy. We've struggled with feeling left out, overlooked, and unwanted. "Why wasn't I invited?" "Why was I left out?" "Why wasn't I good enough?" We have good news for you today. You were hand picked by God. He says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart ...” (Jeremiah 1:5) Before we were formed in the womb, God knew us. Before conception... God knew us. God set us apart before we were born. In other words, there was purpose on our identity before we were conceived. How incredible is that? Yet despite the truth of this miraculous wonder, many of us are born originals but spend our lives as duplicates because of toxic comparison. We feel inadequate because we are not perfect. But here's the thing; perfection isn't in the eye of the beholder; perfection is in the eye of the Creator. God had designed us perfectly for the purpose he had for us. Even our flaws and imperfections serve a purpose in God's hands. And this is why dealing with comparison requires learning to see our deficiencies as intentional gifts from God. When we fall into the trap of comparison and feel inadequate ask the question, "Does it matter?" Remind yourself of what David says in Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made ..." Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. It is easy for us to lose ourselves in difficulty. We somehow lose our joy, our perspective, and even see our faith shaken. We become very self-focused and develop tunnel vision, unable to see beyond what is troubling us. It doesn’t, however, need to be like this. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, as we abide in Him, we are changed from the inside out. As Holy Spirit conforms us more closely into the image of Christ each day, our perspective on difficult circumstances and trials begins to shift. When Paul was in jail he wasn’t focused on his chains but on his blessings. • God - the blessing of personally knowing the Father, Son, and Spirit is more than enough to produce joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment. • Grace and peace afforded to him through knowing God. • He had gratitude for the people in his life. Paul knew it was a blessing to be used by God to point others to Jesus, to be used to bring people to salvation; whether on the mountaintop or in the valley, or in a palace or prison cell. May our testimony be the same as Paul's, "Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel." (Philippians 1:12) Have a wonderful day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Paul writes: "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now" (Philippians 1:4‭-‬5) and again in his letter to Philemon, "I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ." (Philemon 1:6) Yesterday evening we attended a City Celebration where churches partnering with NCMI across the city of Pretoria joined together to worship God. Tyrone Daniel, who leads the NCMI Apostolic team, shared about the church and in particular, the significance of the local church. We, the church, need to ask, "What is God's will and how do we fit into it?" We need to see what God is doing. • Realign with God. He releases us into greater things. • The church is a people who are all about Jesus. • Jesus is the foundation of the church. • True measurement of the church is its likeness of Jesus. • Keep coming back to the Jesus of the Bible. • Does Jesus take first place in everything?If it's next to Jesus, it will take the place of Jesus. • Keep the main One, the main thing. Have a good day. Take time, in the days ahead, to think about these truths. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "Lord , you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." (Isaiah 25:1) Isaiah had an optimistic outlook for the future. He knew that God had greater plans for those who put their trust in Him. Isaiah offers a message of hope: trust God with the future and everything will fall into place. God acts in perfect faithfulness and works in perfect timing. We don’t know what he has in store for our future. One thing we do know, that when we try to control what he has already planned for us, we create problems for ourselves. As children of God, let’s maintain a hopeful spirit looking towards a future full of things so marvelous that we can’t imagine it. Blessings. Mike and Daphne