Search Results

Good morning. A manager of a fast food outlet had a unique way of training his employees on how to recognize counterfeit money. He gave them a large stack of legitimate notes with only one counterfeit. They would flip through that stack and learn what a real felt like. As soon as they felt something other than the authentic currency, they stopped and recognized it. The same is true for understanding God’s voice. When we spend so much time hearing and reading God's Word, which is His truth, we will know it well. And anytime the accuser speaks a lie, we’ll recognize it and go back to what we know is true. The more time we spend in His Presence, the more we know Him. The more we know Him, the more we recognize His voice. Remember, God never changes. Whether we are sitting by ourselves in our lounge, or out having fun with our friends, or hard at work, He is with us. He is always speaking, guiding us on the best pathway for our lives. And He is always listening. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) Enjoy a good weekend. Be alert for the counterfeit. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. As we experience life, with all of its highs and lows, our perspective can shift and waver. All of our memories, feelings, and emotions can colour the way we see life. Our perspective influences how we interpret people’s actions and determines how we treat them. When we take the time to evaluate our perspective, we can correct the mindsets and behaviors that are causing us stress. Sometimes, we are the cause of our burdens. We put more on ourselves than we are meant to carry. How do we shift our perspective? By knowing who God is and by aligning our perspective with God and the truth revealed in His Word. When we realign our perspective with God, we remind ourselves of His promises and His faithfulness. It resets our approach to life. We must be willing to adjust our perspective when needed and keep Jesus as our focus. "He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:8‭-‬9) "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (Psalm 119:105) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Recently we were reminded that leadership is influence. Everyone has some level of influence, which is why John Maxwell points out that everyone is a leader. Would you consider yourself influential? Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and so many other platforms, we all have platforms of influence. Love it or hate it, social media is something that is impacting our world in a huge way. What would happen if we started using our online presence as a tool to declare and demonstrate the kingdom of God to a hurting world? Even if you don’t use social media, you carry influence in your family, workplace, and neighborhood. You can use these opportunities to be a light in the darkness, a voice of hope. In Acts we read of the church growing as people spread the gospel in their sphere of influence. Individually, they heard the good news of Jesus. They believed, obeyed, and as a result, many were saved. If they were able to impact a nation before the development of technology,think about the power we have to make an impact now! It is tempting to believe that our sphere of influence is too small to make a difference. But God can and will use us, you and me. All we have to do is believe and follow through. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mark 16:15) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Reflecting on the discussion had in our Life Group last night, the words of the song by Chris Tomlin come to mind. "The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty Let all the Earth rejoice All the Earth rejoice He wraps himself in light And darkness tries to hide And trembles at His voice Trembles at His voice How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God" David the psalmist writes: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1) Observing God’s creation around us should cause us to see how big He is. He deserves every aspect of our lives. He deserves our surrender. He deserves our worship. May we turn to God today, remembering how majestic He is, and seek to live for our Sovereign Lord and Saviour with the right perspective of His greatness. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. People matter to God. We matter to God. You matter to God. God loves each of us individually. God's amazing love: the expanse of his love is so huge that it covers the world. The focus of his love is so specific that it deals with individuals. Perhaps we could say, “God so loved the world that he values people individually. We can so easily minimize the value of the individual by focusing on the group, the church, the corporate. But each individual is significant to God. In Acts 8 we see God using Philip to make a significant impact upon the multitudes of Samaria (8:4-8). We would probably choose to stay and minister where God is obviously moving. Yet God’s calculation was a bit different. God moves Philip into the wilderness of Gaza to minister to one man, the Ethiopian eunuch. (8:26-39) We must always remember that individuals within the mass of humanity matter to God. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) As we go about our lives today, let's be alert to that one person who may need to hear about God's love for them. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. So how's your memory? As we get older our memories are not as efficient as our forgetteries. There is, however, an exercise that we can discipline ourselves with that will greatly improve our memories; one that helps to keep a significant part of our memories in good health - counting God’s gifts. David writing says, "Praise the Lord , my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (Psalm 103:2) Praising God daily for all He has done for us, enables us to remain in an attitude of thankfulness, of gratitude and humility. It brings us closer to Him. Not only that, it sets the tone for a positive day. For the past 40 months I, Mike, have posted on Facebook a post each day under "#thankfultoday" a different thought of thankfulness. Not only has it made me aware of how much there is to be thankful for, it has enhanced my praise-life. God is so good. Cultivating a thankful heart will protect us from bitterness and frustration. So, counting God’s gifts is good for our souls. It’s a good morning exercise to practice daily! Thank God with us right now. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water." (Psalms 63:1) What makes this psalm remarkable is that David is on the run, fleeing from his own son, fleeing for his life. Can you imagine his broken, grief-stricken heart? His own son. And yet here he is, pursuing God with all his heart. The whole kingdom is at stake, as is his very life. And yet here he is, seeking God with all his heart. Is this not David’s greatness, this passionate heart for God? Today as we join with fellow followers of Christ may this be our prayer: "Lord, give me this kind of heart for You. This thirst for You. This love for you." Have a wonderful time in His presence, today, worshipping Him. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning In the hustle and bustle of each day, we are faced with many common and often frustrating scenarios. We have a choice to make each time this happens - choosing joy or letting the frustration control our attitude. This choice of joy doesn’t mean we don’t feel the frustrations of those days. It means we learn to pull our joy from the love and grace of God and let your attitude reflect that. It’s important to learn how to choose joy in the simple, irritating moments in life. It is also important to choose joy when we are faced with more urgent situations like a financial crisis, health dangers, and the possible loss of life. We must know how to find that joy when our circumstances are grim. The key is found in the words of Jesus. "Remain in me, as I also remain in you ... I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:4‭a, ‬11) The prophet Habakkuk puts it this way: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord , I will be joyful in God my Savior." (Habakkuk 3:17‭-‬18) Be encouraged to find ways to choose joy no matter the circumstance. Whatever our situation may be, let's look at it with fresh eyes. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The trap of comparison causes us to compare ourselves with others - whether we have completed as much, excelled as significantly, or simply made as substantial of a mark on the world. President Theodore Roosevelt once said that “Comparison is the thief of joy.” How do we respond when we see what others are accomplishing and achieving? The biggest stumbling block of comparison is tgat it shifts our focus from God, who called and created us, to the person we are competing with (intentionally or not). We find our true calling and strength, when we look to the source of purpose, wisdom, and favour. Psalm 121:2 says, “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Everyone has a specific purpose, but comparison can deceive us into trying to hijack someone else’s instead of pursuing what has been assigned by God to us. We should not allow our gaze to wander to the achievements of those around us. Instead as we keep our eyes on Jesus, He will use us to accomplish what we were created for. And in that sweet spot of peace and rest, we will find our true joy and fulfillment, not in comparison. Enjoy your Friday. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Frequently we are asked by folk to pray for a new job which they have applied for. It is wise to ask God for His blessing. "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3) But what do we do when God answers this prayer by giving us the position applied for? Do we say thank you Lord and then proceed to work in the new job as if God's part is complete in getting us the job? Last night in our life group we discussed work and business ethics. How do we behave in our work environment? My (Mike) friend Paul has this to say. "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Colossians 3:22-23) As tough as it may seem, this should be our behaviour in our workplace irrespective of the environment - good or bad. Paul exhorts us with this: "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) This is not always easy. It is, however, how we as followers of Christ are called to behave in the workplace. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We’ve added a step-by-step process to just about everything in life. We have procedures to follow for just about every action. "Top Ten Ways To" - grow your faith, lose wheight, become more organized. We read articles, absorb all the information we can, and make a to-do list to tackle whatever that goal is. But when the time comes to take action, we get stuck and struggle to take the first step. The same thing often happens when we sense God place a calling in our hearts. When we first feel Him call us to something new, we get excited, and dream of what the outcome will be. We wait, and listen, and pray, and do anything we can to get more information, but we never do the one thing God has asked us to do - just start. God doesn’t need us to be experts in our calling. He just wants us to take the first step and rely on Him to show us what comes next. When we trust Him to guide us and spend time seeking His direction, He turns us into the person we need to be to start and continue the job. "The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." (Psalm 37:23‭-‬24) With God guiding our paths, we don’t have to be worried about failure. He is ready to catch us when we stumble, and He will put us back in the right direction. Remember the "Nike" slogan - "Just Do It". Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We face different seasons in our life. At this time of the year we are looking forward to spring. But before spring comes there is winter when much of nature is dormant. A plant's potential is locked up inside the seed and given the right environment, there will be a great harvest. Spring releases the amazing potential of nature. Nature comes to life - barren trees become lush and green with new growth. Lawns become green overnight. As followers of Christ, we too have amazing potential locked up inside of us. "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:11) Luke says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you ..." (Acts 1:8) The psalmist says, "the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, ... They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green" (Psalms 92:12‭, ‬14) As followers of Christ we should perpetually be living in spring; flourishing and bearing fruit. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne.