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Good morning. Yesterday, sitting contemplating the "normal Christian Life", my (Mike) mind went to what Jesus thought the normal life of His followers should be. When Jesus sent His disciples out He had a few interesting things to say to them. In Luke 9:1-2 we see the directive Jesus gave to His disciples. He gave them power and authority to: • drive out a demons • cure diseases • proclaim the Kingdom of God • heal the sick If that's Christ's understanding of the normal Christian life, where does that leave us? We may share the gospel now and then. Even pray for the sick. But drive out demons and cure diseases!! We are reminded in Romans 8:11, "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." Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you ..." There are times when we may feel this is a step too far. But as we go deeper in our relationship with the Father we become bolder in living the normal Christan life. Psalm 34:7 reminds us, "Take delight in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart." As we go deeper with God, He will give us the desires of our heart to live a normal Christian life. Have a wonderful Wednesday. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Recently, in one of His daily devotional readings, Nicky Gumbel wrote about intimacy with God. "You cannot develop an intimate relationship with God without setting aside time to communicate with him." God spoke to the Israelites through Moses whom He spoke to face to face. (Numbers 12:8) This was the pattern: "The Lord spoke to Moses... So Moses told the Israelites... The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses." Their whole way of life was built on obedience to what God had said to Moses in the place of intimacy. The lesson to be learned from this is our intimacy with God needs to overflow into the way in which we live our lives. We need to put into practice what God shows us in the place of intimacy. There will be times when we are not clear on what God is saying to us. Moses set the example for us when he was faced with questions he could not answer. He said, “Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you.” (Numbers 9:8) When we are unsure, we should wait, (stand still) take time to pray and to find out from God what the way forward is. In the busyness of life, stand still and listen what God wants you to do. Have a special day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. I, Mike, am always challenged when I read how much Paul prayed for other followers of Christ. In his letter to the Romans he says, "God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times." (Romans 1:9‭-‬10) To the Corinthians he says, "I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus." (1 Corinthians 1:4 ) Writing the the Ephesian church Paul tells them, "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." (Ephesians 1:16) "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy" is what he says to the Philippians. (Philippians 1:3‭-‬4) When we look at Paul's prayers, we find thanksgiving and joy in them. This week make time each day to pray for your family members, the folk in your Life Group and your work colleagues. If you are unsure of what to pray for, pray the words of Paul: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9‭-‬11) Have a super week. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” (Exodus 33:17) Each time I, Mike, read this verse I become quiet before God and wonder if He would say the same about me. Is He pleased with me? After all, there are some character traits that I have which I'm not proud of. I remind myself that I am a child of God. "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ ..." (Romans 8:17) And, because "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6), "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." (Ephesians 3:12) The Father said to Jesus, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11) Because I'm His child I know that I am loved with an everlasting love and I imagine my Father saying, "you're the apple of my eye. I am pleased with you." It is not about our sinful nature. It is all about being accepted by the Father because of what Christ has done; Him being in us and us being in Him. "God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) Today as we worship Him, remember we have direct access to Him. He knows you by name. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Over the years we have seen many folk battling with "hurt". The good news is that God can heal us from our hurts. How do we live healed? • Put the past to rest - 1 Corinthians 13:11 • Stop making excuses - Luke 14:16-24 • Deal with today's issues today - Hebrews 4:7 • Focus on the future - Matthew 26 • Don't personalize opposition - John 15:8, 25 • Make the right decisions - Jeremiah 23:18 • Recognize the uncontrollable • At all times forgive - Luke 6:37 • Take time off - Matthew 11 28 The weekend is upon us. Take time aside and ask God to heal us from any hurts we are carrying. Having done this, thank Him for healing you from your hurt and enjoy the weekend with your family and friends. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Have you ever been in a situation where you really needed supernatural intervention? No doubt that is exactly how all of king Nebuchadnezzar's magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers felt when the king demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed and interpret it for him. “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! What the king asks is too difficult" they declared. This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon, including Daniel and his friends. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. He urged his friends to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven Daniel was presented to the king for a second time. The king asked Daniel, “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” Daniel's response in the situation where he and his friends faced detain death is mind blowing. "Daniel replied, 'No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.'" (Daniel 2:27‭-‬28) No matter what you may be facing today, remember "there is a God in heaven" who is with you and who has the answer in every situation. Have a great day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:29) We all know these words were spoken to Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus. But how many of us accept that these words apply to each of us, individually? Mary was greatly troubled at the words and wondered what kind of greeting this was. What is your response to being told that you are highly favored? Take a moment to let the reality of these words sink in let this truth move from your head to your heart. God demonstrates this by giving His Son. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God demonstrates this by giving us an amazing promise. "And this is what he promised us—eternal life." (1 John 2:25) God demonstrates this by setting His seal on us with the Holy Spirit "with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30) God demonstrates this by being with us through thick and thin. "because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5) So, no matter what life brings your way, remember that you are highly favoured. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. As we draw to the end of the "Gifted" series it is good to remind ourselves that "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." (Romans 12:6‭-‬8) Last night in our Life Group we discussed the gift of leading diligently. A good leader will • Seek out wise counsel - "if you want to lead, you must be willing to follow." • Be a team player • Be willing to be under authority A good leader will, to a greater or lesser degree, exhibit all of the gifts of the Spirit Paul writes about in his letter to the church in Rome. He will have prophetic insight, be an encourager, display servant-leadership, teach by setting an example to His followers, give generously of his time, talent and treasure and will dispense mercy. Let us do our best to emulate the greatest leader to have walked on the earth, Jesus Christ. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Reading Paul's final greetings to the church in Colossea highlights the diversity of gifting displayed by the followers of Christ. Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke and Demas, and Nympha. Paul ends the list by giving Archippus a message which is applicable to us all. “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.” (Colossians 4:17) Having spent the last 6 weeks exploring the grace gifts of the Spirit, we have learned that the supernatural spiritual gifts we have each received are for the benefit of others. This precisely why the words to Archippus are relevant for us today. We have been given the gifts of the Spirit for a purpose. We have a responsibility to complete the ministry we have received through Holy Spirit. In so doing, we will hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant! ... Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:21) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. During the "Gifted" course we as GraceCov have been going through since the begining of February this year, we have heard about our natural talents and the grace gifts of the Spirit. It is quite easy to confuse our natural talents with the gifts of the Spirit. We may excel in certain areas, which God may use for His glory. God may require us to work outside our natural talents to carry our His work together with others within our church family. Don't you like the account in Nehemiah 3 where priests, sons of communuty leaders, goldsmiths, perfume makers and levites worked together to rebuild the gates/walls around Jerusalem. God, through Holy Spirit, endows us with spiritual gifts for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ. We have seen that Paul reminds us of some of these in Romans 12:6-8 - prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, generous giving, leading and mercy. As we use the spiritual gifts we have been given, we must remember that they are to be used for building others up and for God's glory. Let's go into the week ready and prepared to build up others and glorify God. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

"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." Good morning. This is the day that the Lord has made. "let us rejoice today and be glad." (Psalm 118:24) What better way to spend Sunday than worshipping the Almighty, Sovereign God with other followers of Christ. As Matt Redman says, "I'm coming back to the heart of worship. It's all about You. It's all about You, Jesus " Have a supernatural day being naturally supernatural. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning The weekend is upon us. It is time to relax. Despite the break from the work routine, this does not come easy to many folk. To be able to truly relax we need peace of mind. To assist us in having peace of mind it is helpful to remind ourselves of who we are in Christ. • I am adopted as his child (Ephesians 1:5). • I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). • I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20). • I am assured that in all things God is at work for good (Romans 8:28) . • I have been established, anointed and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). • I have purpose (Ephesians 1:9 & 3:11). • I have hope (Ephesians 1:12). • I am included (Ephesians 1:13). • I am sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). • I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). • I am a member of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19). • I have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18). • I have peace (Ephesians 2:14). • I am secure (Ephesians 2:20). With all this in mind, enjoy a relaxed weekend in His presence. Blessings. Mike and Daphne