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: 1 Chronicles 14:8-15:29
+ 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 10:12-18
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 13:20-33
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…
Do you have someone who always gives you the best advice, someone who never steers you wrong? I was giving this a good hard thought as I was reading the verses. I mean, my parents always tried to guide us with advice on how to live our lives. But in reality, let's face it - people are people and have their own perspectives on things. It hit me that God is the only one who, when He tells you something, you can completely believe Him. In the 1 Chronicles passage, we see David getting ready to fight the Philistines. In verses 9 and 10, we see what David had in mind; “Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” The Lord answered him, “Go, I will deliver them into your hands.”   And that is exactly what happened - not just once, but twice. God told David exactly what to do, and each time He guided David to beat the Philistines. David was smart to ask the only one he knew who would give him expert advice. For you see, everything the Lord says He will do, He does. You can’t go wrong believing every word from the Lord is exactly true and trustworthy. Now, His answers might not be exactly how or what we want them to be, but His ways are always better. His timing is not necessarily what we expect, but He has a reason for when and how He is working things out.
These passages really hit home for me - my word for the year last year was to relax, basically to stop worrying about everything and trying to “fix” everything. He reminded me numerous times throughout the year that He had me covered. This year He told me to surrender - to lay it all at His feet, to remember HE HAS ME! As I said, His word is true, His advice and guidance are solid. In Acts 13: 20-33, Paul is speaking in the Synagogue in Antioch, where he is reciting the history of the people leading up to Jesus and His resurrection. Paul is reminding them all that God foretold every one of these events through the prophets. That is a reminder even for us, that every word of the Lord will come to pass and everything He says is true. So this year, surrender your will unto Him, and trust that He will make straight your paths and care for you, because He told you He would. - Dawn Custer

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!