My wife and I had the wonderful opportunity for the past several days to keep our 2 year old grand-daughter. As she played and interacted with us, one phrase became quite common. Over and over again, whenever she did something she was proud of or considered noteworthy, she would turn her little head toward me and say:

“Look at me, Papa, look at me!”

While some might think of such a request as an indicator of the natural egocentic behavior of all young children, I saw it as something different. For me, her request for my attention brought pleasure and joy. I was thrilled to stop whatever I was doing to acknowledge and affirm her. I knew she was giving me the privilege of pouring resources into her emotional love tank!

In reality, all of us are very much like Jadyn. No matter what our age might be, we long for someone special to notice who we are and what we do. We hunger for attention and affirmation. We look for people who will pour resources into our emotional love tank.

God understands this human need. Over and over again in Scripture He reminds us that He is watching us; attending to every aspect of our lives. He repeatedly tells us that He loves us; that we belong to Him; that we are the “apple of His eye!”

Carry the confidence of your Heavenly Father’s love, affirmation and attention with you every day!

Pastor Dale

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Choices, decisions, actions, responses — every day is filled with these things. The quality of our choices in work situations, relationship interactions and in our personal responsibilities determine the quality of our lives. All it takes is one bad decision to derail our lives and undermine our destiny.  How many people wish they could recall something they said, did or failed to do. In retrospect, they realize that their lack of wisdom, discretion or discernment cost them greatly.  Because of bad decisions many folks are living in a world of regrets.

Regret is a vicious. loud-mouthed monster. It demands that we live life through the rear-view mirror.  It hounds us with”what if” and “if only” scenarios.  Like emotional termites, regret eats away at us with guilt, shame and frustration about our failures, our missed opportunities and our poor choices.  LIke a horrible prophet of doom, our regrets predict a pitiful future using our past record as proof.

How do we deal with this ugly enemy called regret?

We have to aggressively go after it.  We must be relentless in driving it out of our lives.

Here are a few suggestions for dealing with regret:

• Recognize it for what it is — a lie.

While it may be true that you have made some bad decisions, and perhaps done some regrettable things, your past does not have the right to predict your future!  Change is possible!

• Ask for and receive the full forgiveness of God for all your sins and failures.

Forgiveness is a powerful thing.  When we know we are forgiven, we are free to move forward.  Forgiveness breaks the chains of guilt, shame and regret.  It de-fangs the serpent of condemnation.

To experience forgiveness we must first ask for it — from God, and when necessary, from others.  Once we have asked, we must then receive and accept the forgiveness given.  Many people ask God for forgiveness, He grants it, but they still refuse to receive and enjoy it.

When God forgives, He forgives completely.  Accept His grace, enjoy and appreciate His forgiveness!  Once God has forgiven you, forgive yourself!

• Commit your life fully to God.

Learn valuable lessons from your regrets.  Our regrets should lead us to repentance AND to a new commitment to live life God’s way instead of our own way.  Our regrets should point us to God’s grace AND God’s truth.  God’s grace wipes away the failures of the past, while God’s truth, found in His Word, gives us a solid foundation for building the right way in the future.

Take a look at what the Bible says about God and His willingness to give us new beginnings:

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. —  Psalm 86:5 (NKJV)

Don’t let regret ruin your life!  Your past doesn’t have to determine your future.  Get a new start with God today!

Pastor Dale

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What is the best way to get through tough times?

In the Old Testament we find a great reminder of the right thing to do when facing challenging and threatening situations. The story is found in 2 Chronicles 20.

Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah at this time. He found himself in a bad situation. Three huge armies were poised to attack the little nation of Judah.

Feeling very afraid and vulnerable, Jehoshaphat called a time of fasting and prayer. During this time of seeking God, God spoke and gave His people the assurance that He would take care of the situation for them. God instructed them to fight their battle with thanksgiving.

Take a look at Jehoshaphat words in response to God’s instructions:

” … As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.’ After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.’” — 2 Chronicles 20:20, 21

God’s people were instructed to go to battle against three military forces that were much stronger than they were, and their primary weapon was a simple song of thanks!

The Hebrew term for “give thanks” used here is “yadah.” This word is one of the main words for worship, praise and thanksgiving in the Old Testament. The word has a very specific meaning.

To “yadah” is “to extend or throw out the hand; to worship with extended hand; the lifting of one’s hand in praise and gratitude to God.”

The uplifted hands of God’s people on the battlefield was a practical expression of their total trust in God. This practical expression of giving thanks brought breakthrough. Look at what happened:

“The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another. When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the LORD. This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah to this day.” — 2 Chronicles 20:23-26

The victory was so amazing and so complete that the name of the valley where the battle was won was changed to Beracah, which means a place of praise and blessing!

The valley that could have been their place of defeat became their place of blessing all because they trusted in God. Their trust in Him was demonstrated in a practical way through their offering of thanksgiving and praise!

What is the best way to get through tough times? We need to worship our way through tough times. Thanksgiving is more than a holiday on the calendar, it is a weapon that works in every spiritual battle!

Pastor Dale

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One of the toughest things to do is to wait. Generally, nothing in life happens as quickly as we would like. Human nature is demanding.

WE WANT WHAT WE WANT AND WE WANT IT NOW!

No one likes to wait.

To wait effectively, we need some “wait” training. We need to build our “wait” strength by understanding the value of waiting and the right way to wait.

There are two ways to wait:

• Patiently.
• Impatiently.

Impatient waiting has little to no value for us. We learn nothing through the process and our character remains unaffected. Impatient waiting becomes wasted time and a wasted opportunity.

Patient waiting is different.

Patience is an internal peace that accepts a pace that is different from our own preferences or plans. Whether it is the pace of another person, the pace of a situation we want changed, or the pace of God in answering our prayers or fulfilling His promises.

Patient waiting values the development that comes in the midst of delays!

Patient waiting also sees past present delays to the rewards and joys ahead.

It is interesting that in the Bible we frequently see the concepts of “waiting” and “hoping” used interchangeably. The right kind of waiting happens when we hold on to hope when things are not happening according to our schedule. Doing this builds inner strength and maturity that pay huge dividends throughout our lives.

Take a look at this familiar promise from God’s Word:

“ … those who hope in [wait on] the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” — Isaiah 40:31

How about you? What kind of “waiter” are you?

Don’t miss the benefits of God’s “wait” training plan in your life!

Pastor Dale

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“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.”   —  Unknown

” … I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation … ”  –  Philippians 4:11, 12

” … godliness with contentment is great gain.”  –  1 Timothy 6:6

Discontentment is a very common human condition.  Most of us are afflicted with this disease at some point in life.  Some have a chronic case that continually eats away at their joy and sense of fulfillment.

Discontentment shows up in many different ways.  Its symptoms include unsettledness, frustration, and a preoccupation with the things we believe we are missing from life and relationships.  Discontented people are complainers and grumblers; if not outwardly, certainly inwardly.  They live with an unhealthy, tormenting sense of dissatisfaction.

The cure for discontentment is contentment.  Unfortunately this word carries negative connotations.  Contentment is often thought of as a wimpish willingness to settle for something “less than the best;” a kind of abdication of drive and desire that leads to a passive mindset of resignation.  We mistakenly believe that contentment is an attitude that says, “I can’t do anything about my situation and I don’t like it, but I have to accept it.” Note the sarcasm in this statement.  While acceptance is acknowledged, it is still resisted.

Contentment really is about accepting certain things in life, some of which are challenging and even painful.  But this acceptance only becomes true contentment when it includes a spirit of gratitude.  It only becomes true contentment when we embrace our current state in life with a heart of appreciation.

True contentment is a very positive and powerful thing.  It is what makes life enjoyable.  It is the attitude that puts us in a position to grow.  As long as we are fighting, grumbling and complaining about our lot in life we remain stuck where we are.  Contentment is one of the secrets to forward spiritual motion and momentum.

Contentment doesn’t come naturally.  It is contrary to our natural, sinful nature.  The Apostle Paul reminded us that he had to learn this important life secret.  He also told us that once he learned it, great things happened to him.  When he developed a contented spirit, he gained a great spiritual and emotional resource.

Which word best describes you — discontented or contented?  Don’t let discontentment rule your life.  Learn and practice the life secret of contentment!

Pastor Dale

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