Video Devotionals

Friday, April 3, 2020

Give Up Control

| 1:12 MIN READ |

Many times in the trials of life, we want to control things. The way the current pandemic is impacting the world right now is revealing what we can and cannot control. Of course, control is not a bad thing. God has given us the ability to make our own choices, and that’s good. Often bad things happen when we make poor choices or when we don’t handle things well.

On the other side of things, there are things that we cannot control. When we try to handle things we cannot control, all sorts of problems come into our lives, and we experience stress. The best way to handle things we cannot control is by giving them to God. While we have limited ability and capacity, God has unlimited ability and capacity. God is able to control and handle everything we cannot.

In the book of Romans 8:28 (NLT), we find one of the most reassuring promises of God, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

While there are things in life we cannot control, we can release them to God and take hold of His promise. God is faithful, and we can trust Him to cause everything to work together for our good!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Near And Available

| 1:19 MIN READ |

Have you seen little children being reluctant to jump into the swimming pool, even when in the water their father is stretching his arms to catch them? We often behave the same way with our Heavenly Father!

When we face the unknown and we’re filled with anxiety, we too can be reluctant to make God our first resort. There are several reasons for this. There are times that we forget that God loves us and really cares for us. Other times we are too proud and think we can handle things on our own or put our trust on other people. Yet other times, we may feel that we can’t or don’t know how to pray for ourselves.

In the midst of his crisis, David came to the moment when he recognized his weakness and realized that God cared and was near to him. God is not far away, He is near to us in our most difficult times. What does it mean to draw close to God? It means that you are able to reach out to Him. You don’t need religious rituals, you don’t even have to know a lot of the Bible. You simply need to know there’s a God who loves you and cares about you. God promises in James 4:8 (NLT), “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.”

I encourage you today, just as David did in the terrible crisis he was facing in his life, to turn your attention away from your distress and say as he did, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Go to God

| 1:06 MIN READ |

In the midst of distress, anxiety, and worry, going to God is not always our first response. King David, in the Old Testament, gives us an example of how to respond the right way in adversity.

When David faced a time of crisis, he did what he had learned to do earlier on in his life. As a young shepherd, while taking care of his father’s sheep in the hillsides of Judea, he understood the power of going to God and drawing near to his Heavenly Father. In Psalm 18:6 (NLT), he wrote, “But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help…”

Every time we go to God, His presence begins to push away the darkness that stress, hopelessness, worry, and anxiety brings. David declared in Psalm 36:9 that God was his “fountain of cascading light” because he understood that when we go to God in our darkest times, His light brings us back into light again.

During these unprecedented times, be encouraged that you have access to your Heavenly Father. Make a decision to go to God with whatever you are feeling, whatever is going through your heart and mind, and He will take care of you.

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

We Lack Nothing

| 1:16 MIN READ |

In the midst of everything happening in the world around us, we are all experiencing stress. King David, in the Old Testament, understood what it meant to experience stress.

In 2 Samuel 15:13-14, a messenger tells David that his son Absalom is leading a conspiracy with the people of Israel to take the kingdom away from him and that he should flee Jerusalem. Can you imagine the stress David began to experience when he received this news? In the midst of his stress, David decides to leave. 2 Samuel 15:30 describes David to be weeping and mourning as he travels away from Jerusalem. His very own son was trying to take the kingdom away from him and forced David to flee the city. David is in tremendous distress.

It’s in this stressful situation where David makes this declaration in Psalm 23:1 (NIV) “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Though David was experiencing severe stress in his life, he understood and declared that God was his shepherd and provider.

As we all walk through this unprecedented season of our lives, remember that the Lord is our Shepherd and our Provider. With the Lord as our Shepherd, we lack nothing. We can put our full confidence and trust in God. He gives us what we need as we walk with Him through this season.

Pastor Dale

Monday, March 30, 2020

A Way Out

| 1:31 MIN READ |

The last few weeks have been full of unprecedented moments. Fear about COVID-19 is everywhere. There’s a lot of turmoil around us. One of the things we are all experiencing right now is stress.

Stress can work for you, or it can work against you. When stress overwhelms and weighs you down, it disables you. When stress leads you to grow, it helps you develop into the person God wants you to be.

This dynamic of stress and its impact on us it’s seen throughout the Bible. In Psalm 31:9 (NLT), we see the effects of distress in our lives, “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away.” Jesus Himself describes the impact of stress in our lives in Mark 4:18, 19 (MSG) “The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.”

Worry, distress, and stress do have an impact upon us. We can choose to let them render us unproductive, or we can choose to grow through them. This week we will focus on a familiar passage of Scripture that describes a very stressful time in the life of the psalmist David. Psalm 23:1. We will learn from David what we need to possess to overcome stress.

God doesn’t expect you to have your life altogether all the time. When you feel stress, there’s always a way to come out if we look in the right direction and do the right things!

Pastor Dale

Friday, March 27, 2020

Stronger

| 1:03 MIN READ |

What are some of the benefits of stress?

Yes, it’s true, not all stress is bad. Some stress in life is good for us. It makes us sharper, more focused and energized. It helps us learn, grow and change. It develops strength of character and stronger spiritual, mental and emotional roots. Good stress helps people excel.

If we spend our time running from all stress, we’re actually running from something that can make our lives better. We’re fleeing from one of the things God designed for our health and increase. We’re failing to build inner muscles of spirit and soul that will not only improve our lives but will also allow us to become more useful to God and others.

Before you see stress and an enemy, see it first as a friend. Find out what you can learn from the difficult moments in life. Let them stretch you and grow you. Don’t run! Dig in, hold on and pray through. Persevere! James the apostle said it this way in James 1:4 (NIV) “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Pastor Dale

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Honorable Life

| 1:03 MIN READ |

This week we’re talking about a very important topic—our relationships. There is nothing that can cause more joy or pain in your life than your relationships. God cares about the quality of your relationships. The Bible is a relationship book. It not only teaches us about how to have a relationship with God, it also shows us how to relate to other people.

The best quality to have in a relationship is peace. Peaceful relationships make life far more pleasant. They also will make your life far more productive. Peace with people doesn’t just happen. You have to choose to think, act and speak in ways that create peace. You have to value peace above conflict. You must realize that developing peace with others is a truly honorable way to live. Look at Proverbs 20:3 (NLT) “Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.”

Do you want to be known as a person of wisdom and honor, or as a foolish person? Wise, honorable people avoid fights. Fools create them. Choose to be honorable and wise by avoiding unnecessary fights!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Stop Arguments

| 0:53 MIN READ |

This week we’re talking about a very important topic — our relationships. There is nothing that can cause more joy or pain in your life than your relationships. God cares about the quality of your relationships. The Bible is a relationship book. It not only teaches us about how to have a relationship with God, it also shows us how to relate to other people.

The greatest joy in a relationship is an atmosphere of peace. Peaceful relationships are a pleasure. But peace doesn’t just happen. It is something that we must purposefully seek and create. How? By stopping conflicts before they start. Look at Proverbs 17:4 (NLT) “Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.”

The best time to stop an argument is before you start it. Once it’s started, it takes a life of its own. What can you do to stop arguments before they get started?

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Gentle Answer

| 1:01 MIN READ |

This week we’re talking about a very important topic — our relationships. There is nothing that can cause more joy or pain in your life than your relationships. God cares about the quality of your relationships. The Bible is a relationship book. It not only teaches us about how to have a relationship with God, it also shows us how to relate to other people.

The greatest blessing in any relationship is peace. When conflicts stop and peace reigns, good things can happen. Trust grows and communication improves. To create peace in a relationship there are certain wisdom principles you must apply. One is found in Proverbs 15:1 (TLB) “A gentle answer turns away wrath [anger], but harsh words cause quarrels.”

What is your response when you’re confronted with someone’s angry words? Do you add fuel to the fire, or do you respond softly and kindly? Your choice in the face of someone’s anger is either “gasoline” or “water.” You make things better or worse. Choose to make things better. Promote peace.

Pastor Dale

Monday, March 23, 2020

Inner Peace

| 1:07 MIN READ |

This week we’re talking about a very important topic — our relationships. There is nothing that can cause more joy or pain in your life than your relationships. God cares about the quality of your relationships. The Bible is a relationship book. It not only teaches us about how to have a relationship with God, it also shows us how to relate to other people.

What do you want more than anything else in your relationships? What makes a good relationship? One word — peace! When we have peace with others, life is easier to handle, trust flourishes, and conversations are more fun and fulfilling. God wants you to experience peace with the people in your life. To have peace, you must be a peacemaker. It’s important to understand that peace doesn’t start with the other person, it starts with you. It starts with you being at peace internally, and it starts with you being willing to make peace with people.

Here’s today’s question: How peaceful are you? Are you a stormy person, always creating disturbances with others, or does your presence bring peace. Find peace in God, and make peace with others!

Pastor Dale

Friday, March 20, 2020

Darkness or Light?

| 1:33 MIN READ |

Most of us have experienced some of the wounds of darkness. You’ve likely gotten up from sleep in the middle of the night and had a few of the “toe against the bedpost” accidents. Maybe, like me, you’ve walked into several walls or stepped on a few legos left on the floor by your kids. Walking around in the dark is dangerous.

While these accidents aren’t super-serious, there are other kinds of accidents of darkness that wreck lives. Spiritual darkness causes lots of bad life accidents.

This is one reason why the coming of Jesus is so wonderful. He came as “the Light of the world!” John, the gospel writer, reminded us of this in John 1:4, 5 (TLB) “Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

Because Jesus came, died for the sins of the world, and rose from the grave, we no longer have to live in darkness. He is available to anyone who will call on Him and put their faith in Him. When we do, He lights up our life. He helps us to see things more clearly and make wiser decisions. He lights up our way so that we can avoid destructive hazards and pitfalls.

Has your life been a little dark lately? Has your spirit been suppressed under the shadows of discouragement or despair? Have you had a hard time seeing the sunrises of new tomorrows, new hopes, or new possibilities for your life? If so, call on the name of Jesus, with faith! Remind yourself that He’s your light. Put your trust in Him. He knows how to light up your life!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, March 19, 2020

What’s Your Impact

| 1:17 MIN READ |

Impact is real. You know it when it happens. Impact refers to a force that is not only noticeable, but transformational, either positively or negatively. It changes things.

One of the important truths Jesus taught His disciples is the truth of impact. Every follower of Jesus is called to make a positive impact on others.

Here’s one of the statements Jesus made about this, found in Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV) “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

The reality is, everyone impacts others, for good or bad. Jesus called His followers to pay attention to their impact. He reminded us to intentionally be a positive influencer. We are to be like salt, seasoning the world around us. We’re called to be light-shiners, brightening the world of people we encounter.

What kind of impact are you making with your life?

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Which Street is Your Street?

| 1:17 MIN READ |

What’s your address? Your address is the city and street location where you live. It’s unique to you, and those living in your household. It pin-points you.

In life, we have a spiritual address. Whether you realize it or not, you’re located on a spiritual street. The Bible describes only two potential spiritual addresses. Listen to what Jesus said about this in Matthew 7:13, 14 (NIV) “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Where you live physically involves a choice. You also make a choice about your spiritual address. You can follow the crowd taking the wide road most folks take, disregarding God. There’s also another option. You can turn onto a different road. This other road is narrow. It’s not crowded. It’s not popular. Taking it is a more challenging decision. It leads in an altered direction from the masses.

It’s important to remember whatever road you take; then it takes you! Roads go somewhere. Before you choose a street, it’s important to know where it leads. Jesus said, the wide road leads to destruction, and the narrow road leads to life. The wise choice is obvious!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Who Are You Listening To?

| 1:17 MIN READ |

Voices are all around us! It’s hard to go anywhere nowadays without the noise and voices. Even our gasoline pumps have screens!

Voices have power. Words impact us. What or who we listen to forms our thinking and determines our actions. With all the different voices, we must become better listeners — more selective in the voices we let into our souls.

The psalm writer David references this in Psalm 1:1-3 (NLT) “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”

David reminded us to be selective in our listening. He warns us about taking advice from people who ignore, reject, or mock God and His Word. He’s talking here about refusing to seek spiritual advice or life input and direction from people who fail to take into account God’s perspective.

Additionally, David points us to God’s promises for people who turn their ears to Him. Shutting out the God-rejecting voices and tuning in to the God-centered voices makes a difference in our destiny. It assures us of a better future!

Pastor Dale

Monday, March 16, 2020

In Style?

| 1:13 MIN READ |

Have you looked at any old photos of yourself recently? It’s an interesting process. Not only have your looks changed, but your clothing choices have too! When viewing the old you, you’ve probably said something like, “I can’t believe I wore that!”

Why do we wear the things we wear? It’s called fashion. It’s about being in style. As times change, the dress codes of the culture change, and we all tend to follow along.

While there’s certainly no reason to reject certain fashion trends purposefully, there are other cultural trends we would do well to question and reject. The Bible warns us about the culture of the world and how it often influences us in ways we’re not even aware of. The flow of the culture around us can imperceptibly take us away from God, His Word, and His will for our lives.

Paul, the apostle, wrote about this in Romans 12:2 (NLT) “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

It’s good to remember, no matter what style of thinking and behaving we see in the world around us, it’s always better to be in style with God!

Pastor Dale

Friday, March 13, 2020

Blessed!

| 1:10 MIN READ |

God wants to bless you! What a statement. It’s true. God is a God of blessing. He wants His blessings to be evident in your life.

The biblical word for “bless” means, “to pronounce a wish of happiness to one; to express a wish or desire of happiness; to make happy; to make successful; to prosper in temporal concerns; as we are blest with peace and plenty; to set apart or consecrate to holy purposes; to make and pronounce holy; to consecrate by prayer; to invoke a blessing upon.” (KJV Dictionary)

The first significant occurrence of this word in the Bible is found in Genesis 12:1-2 (NIV) “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing …’”

God promised Abraham a blessing. But the blessing on Abraham’s life was not for himself only. God wanted to bless Abraham so that Abraham could and would be a blessing to others!

God wants to bless you. Ask Him to bless you. But when you do, remember this, He blesses you for a reason—so that you can and will become a blessing to others!

Pastor Dale