Good Morning!
Let’s focus our day by spending some time with Jesus before it begins.
If you’re new to the Daily Focus, read this first, & use as much or little as you’d like.

GET FOCUSED | Start by simply thanking God for who He is & what He’s done.
+ Practice gratitude while singing/playing some worship music from Paradox on Spotify.
+ Spend a few moments meditating on today’s Old Testament Scripture: 2 Chronicles 18
+ From your reading, finish the sentence “God, you are ___.”
Take time to thank & worship God for the ways you’ve seen Him be/do that in your life.

MORNING PRAYER FOCUS | Prayer involves both talking and listening to God.
+ Pray the Lord’s Prayer, or slow down to pray it using this Lord’s Prayer guide.
+ Use “Lectio Divina” to listen to God in this morning’s Psalm: Psalm 22:22-28
Reading 1 = Focus. What is one word or phrase that Holy Spirit puts on your heart?
Reading 2 = Feelings. Focus on that word or phrase while you read. What do you feel? What specific situation in your life today relates? Reflect and talk with God about it.
Reading 3 = Invitation. What is God’s personal invitation to you from the Scripture?
Take time to journal anything you feel the Lord might be saying to you.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth.
Today’s New Testament reading is from Acts 21:17-30
Highlight verses that capture your attention, and ask three simple questions as you read…
Observe. Pay attention to what the text says. Ask who, what, when, where, & why.
Interpret. What’s the main point or meaning? What does it teach about God? Yourself?
Apply. Apply this truth to your own life. What can you put into practice today?

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING…
One line stuck out to me from the OT reading today: “As the Lord lives, I will say whatever my God says.” This is what the prophet Micaiah said when asked to give a false prophesy to the kings of Israel and Judah. It seems very simple to say a prophet would share accurately what God says, or that we who desire to follow the Lord’s will would actually do what he says. I mean…he is GOD. We would be foolish to be disobedient. However, life is seldom so straight forward. What happens when what we think God is saying to us (through his word, his Spirit, or the counsel of other believers) is at odds with what we think is best? What if what he seems to be saying is much harder, might make others upset, makes us uncomfortable, will take a long time, etc? Wouldn’t God want his children to have an easy path? Be at peace with others? Be comfortable? Etc?
Not necessarily.
Remember what God’s goal is: eternal relationship with all those who will receive his love. Often the decisions that lead to greater success by worldly standards are not the ones that God is leading us towards. The paths that force us to rely more on him and listen more closely to him are the ones he usually calls us to. So should we just always choose the harder thing? No! God does want to bless us at times and his paths are not neccessarily the most uncomfortable.
So how can we know what God wants us to do? Well we need to learn to listen…to hear his voice. Most often, we KNOW the answer. Think back to king Jehoshophat who sought out Micaiah’s advice. He and king Ahab of Israel already had a plan to attack Ramoth-gilead, and they had already heard from all their advisors who UNANIMOUSLY agreed with the plan. So why send for Micaiah? I think it is because there was a part of the king that KNEW this was a bad plan, and the Lord was not with them.
We would be wise to listen to that voice inside of us. If we are trying to walk with the Lord, that voice is most likely his Holy Spirit and we would be wise to listen closely. “As the Lord lives, I will say whatever my God says.” - Mike Nank

EVENING PRAYER FOCUS | Re-Focus on Jesus by returning to prayer each evening.
Replay = Replay your day. What made you happy, joyful, anxious, or burdened?
Rejoice = Give thanks to God for the small and the significant things from the day.
Repent = Ask God for forgiveness where you need. Receive His forgiveness afresh.
Refocus = Ask to see God’s presence more clearly & walk w/ Him more closely tomorrow.
+ Practice hearing from God by asking questions like, “Father, what do you want me to know about you?” or “Father, what do you want to say about your love for me?” Simply be still and listen, or journal anything that comes to mind. Learn more about hearing from God using the Tending Your Heart guide.

SHARE THE FOCUS |
+ Pray a Ripple Prayer or use Nations Prayer to pray for the nations & those serving them.
+ Text someone an encouragement, or share a thought/question with us in the Forum.
+ Invite someone to read the Focus with you. Text “FOCUS” to (586) 200-6277.
+ Who can you share what you’re learning with today personally?

That’s all for today.
Stay focused on Jesus, and make it a great one!