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 as little of this guide as you’d like.

GET FOCUSED | Worship can be as simple as thanking God for who He is & what He does.
+ Practice gratitude while playing or sing some worship music, or use a playlist from Paradox on Spotify.
+ Spend a few moments in silence, meditating on today’s scripture.
+ From your reading, finish the sentence “God, you are ___.” Take time to Thank God for the ways you’ve seen Him be/do that in the past, Worship Him for it, and Intercede (pray for) that truth for yourself and others.

MORNING PRAYER FOCUS | Prayer is a conversation that involves both talking and listening to God.
+ Pray the prayer Jesus taught his followers: the Lord’s Prayer, or pray it using this Lord’s Prayer guide.
+ Use the PRAY acronym to guide your prayer through a Psalm
P = Pause. As you start your time of prayer, begin by pausing and being still before the Lord.
R = Read. Read the Scripture Focus slowly and focus on words/phrases the Holy Spirit highlights as you read.
A = Ask. Ask God to come and speak to you. Open up your heart to Him as your heavenly Father.
Y = Yield. We want to yield our lives to the words we have prayed and commit to follow Jesus’s way.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FOCUS | Pray a simple prayer asking the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth.
Today’s New Testament reading is from Psalm 25:12-15; 2 Peter 1:5-11; Jude 20-25
Highlight verses that capture your attention, and ask three simple questions as you read…
S = Say. What is the main point? What does it teach about God (Jesus) & yourself?
O = Obey. What can you apply (practice) from this passage today?
S = Share. Who can you share what you’re learning with today? (see Focus on Others)

A THOUGHT FROM TODAY’S READING…
This verse, written by David in Psalm 25:12-15, refers to fearing the Lord. This idea of fearing God is also stated in Proverbs 9:10, which says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” So you may be wondering, if God is so loving and caring, why should we fear Him? Well, let me elaborate on this - when I was very young I thought this exact thing, but never voiced my confusion. Now that I am “older and wiser” (I know, I am laughing at me being “wiser” too), I have developed a deeper understanding of this concept. When we were children, our parents were the ones in charge. They taught us what was right and wrong, and what they expected of us. We knew very quickly that if we did not obey their rules that there were consequences. As we grew and learned to “know better,” those consequences may have become more severe. We developed a healthy “fear” of breaking those rules, and of our parents. Hopefully, we still knew our parents truly loved us, and only wanted what was best for us.
Those who have become parents themselves, then, know that as parents we only want our children to grow up to be respectful, responsible, kind, and loving adults. We need to remember that we ARE God’s children, He created us lovingly and longs for us to one day reside with Him in heaven. “Fearing” God ultimately means following His leadership in our lives - which boils down to basically what Jesus told us to do, Love one another, as He loved us. Think about this, Jesus did not lie, steal, cheat, spread false rumors, covet anyones possessions, or spouse, He only honored the Father and put no one above His Father. Understanding this is the beginning of wisdom - a life lived under God’s leadership. He has promised to care for us and to prosper us as we follow His commandments. Just like we are always ready to assist our children who are living an upright life. 2 Peter 1: 5-7 tells us, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and goodness , knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” So remember my dear friends, that as His children we are to love one another, continue to follow His commandments, and  remind each other of our divine mission. I pray that you will fear the Lord and increase in wisdom. Amen. - Dawn Marie Custer

EVENING PRAYER FOCUS | Re-Focus on Jesus by praying an Examen & Tending Your Heart each evening.
Replay = Replay your day. What made you happy or joyful? What made you 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 = Commit to walk with Jesus tomorrow. Ask for grace to see His presence more clearly.
+ For help or an audio prayer version, use the Lectio 365 app.
+ 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.

FOCUS ON OTHERS |
+ Pray through a Ripple Prayer or use Nations Prayer to pray for the nations and those serving them.
+ Text someone a prayer/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.

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