Video Devotionals

Monday, December 9, 2019

Guidance 101

| 1:27 MIN READ |

Every form of transportation requires a guidance system. Whether walking, driving, sailing, or flying, we need guidance. In ancient days, direction was discovered through the movement of the sun and stars. Over time people invented the compass and developed maps. Now we have sophisticated GPS systems on our smartphones! You can only get where you need or want to go when you have clear directions.

Unfortunately, far too many people wander through life without a reliable guidance system. They drift along, based upon their feelings and the flow of the influences around them. These are poor maps for life!

The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah described the poor choices of the people of Judah during one season of this nation. Look at his words found in Jeremiah 7:24 (NIV) “But they [Judah] did not listen or pay attention; instead they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.”

To understand guidance, we need to understand this—the worst guide for your life is you! You need a better guide than yourself. The direction of your life needs to be determined by something more reliable than your emotions or the tug of the crowd around you. You’ll never make forward progress when you’re listening to such voices.

Stop for a moment, and think about your personal guidance system. If you’re not satisfied with your life location, perhaps it’s time to use a better map!

Pastor Dale

Friday, December 6, 2019

Where Are You Going?

| 1:34 MIN READ |

Where you end up is always determined by your heading. You can’t get to a location north of you if you’re driving south!

Too often, people say they want to get to a specific place in life while living their life in an entirely different direction. Sometimes they are sadly surprised by their destination, never realizing that they are where they are because they failed to properly plan their journey.

There’s a very simple solution to getting to the right place in life. Be careful about selecting your friends. Your friends are the biggest influence in your life. Get friendships right, and you likely will get life right.

The first friendship essential to choosing all other friends well is your friendship with God. When you’re pursuing a friendship with God, you’ll add and subtract people from your life. Your love for Him will become a filter for the others you’ll embrace as key influencers in your life.

David, the psalm writer, gave us a good reminder about the power of choosing the right friends in Psalm 1:1-3 (NCV) “Happy are those who don’t listen to the wicked, who don’t go where sinners go, who don’t do what evil people do. They love the Lord’s teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night. They are strong, like a tree planted by a river. The tree produces fruit in season, and its leaves don’t die. Everything they do will succeed.”

Stop for a moment and look around you. Where’s your life going? If you don’t like what you see, strongly consider changing your friends. Start by making God your #1!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Pay Day

| 1:59 MIN READ |

Pay day is the day you get what’s coming to you. It’s the day you receive compensation for what you’ve done.

Most often, we think of pay day as a very good thing. When you have a job, you expect to get paid for the work you’ve performed. Pay day is that day.

However, in the arena of relationships, pay day can take on a whole new meaning. It becomes a part of dealing with hurts and offenses. It’s an internal decision to make someone pay for the pain they have caused you. We think, and sometimes say to the offending person, “Your day’s coming!” It’s called revenge, a grudge, retaliation.

Jesus gave a story in Matthew 18 about the right way to deal with relationship pain. He described a servant who owed a king millions of dollars. The king called in the loan, but the servant had no means to pay. This servant begged for time and mercy, and the king graciously forgave all the man’s massive debt.

Then the story takes an ugly turn. The forgiven servant left the king’s presence and immediately headed to the home of another servant who owed him a few hundred dollars. He grabbed his fellow servant by the neck, choked him, and demanded immediate repayment, offering no mercy or debt forgiveness. The greatly forgiven man refused to forgive a significantly lesser debt. When the king heard about it, he called the first servant back, sentenced him to prison, where he was tormented, all because of a merciless heart.

Jesus concluded the story with these words found in Matthew 18:35 (NIV) “This is how my Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Think about your life for a moment. How has God handled the great debt your sin created with Him? He sent Jesus to pay for it so that you could be forgiven. Our responsibility is to extend the forgiveness God has given us to others. Let’s stop making others pay for their failures toward us. Let’s give people the same forgiveness God freely and graciously gave us!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Save The Drama

| 1:35 MIN READ |

Sometimes the messages on tee shirts are quite funny and can be extremely profound. Several years ago, I noticed the words on a young lady’s shirt that made me chuckle and also drove home an important point. In bold letters was the phrase, “Save the Drama for your Mama!”

How many relationships are cursed by the continual presence of unneeded drama? Uncontrolled emotions, exaggerated hurts, angry temper tantrums, superlative-laden comments, and theatrical looks. Drama, drama, drama!

High drama in relationships damages trust and shuts down healthy, mature communication. It creates an atmosphere of attack and react. It keeps people stuck in childish patterns of blaming and defaming one another. Problems and pain are never truly resolved in the unreal world of drama.

To deal effectively with relationship conflict, you need emotional maturity. You must shut down the child in you and embrace the adult you’re called to be. Look at the way God tells us to handle our relationships in Colossians 3:12-15 (NIV) “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

When you’re tempted to bring drama into your family or friendships, stop it. Step back from the situation and remember the tee-shirt, “Save the drama … !” It might save your relationship!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Who Are Your Real Friends?

| 1:41 MIN READ |

Who are your friends? Take it deeper, who are your real friends? There’s a difference between someone who claims to be a friend and people who are real friends.

It’s been said that a real friend is someone who walks into your life when everyone else walks out. Real friends are there for you in the sunshine and the rain. They are consistent, reliable, encouraging, and forgiving. They also want the best for you, and work to bring the best out of you.

The Old Testament character, David, had a real friend. His name was Jonathan. The story of Jonathan and David’s friendship is exceptional, especially when you understand its background.

Jonathan was the son of King Saul, the king of Israel. As Saul’s son, he was also the Prince of Israel, next in line for the throne. However, God had different plans. God had chosen David to become the next king. Both Saul and Jonathan knew this and responded quite differently.

King Saul developed deep jealousy and animosity toward David. An angry, murderous spirit entered him. For Saul, there was only one solution to what he perceived as David’s threat — to kill him.

You would expect Jonathan’s heart to mirror his dad’s. Instead, Jonathan embraced David as his friend. He saw the calling of God on David’s life and decided to do everything he could to protect David from his father, so he could reach his God-desired destiny.

This is a real friend! He put his life on the line for David. He was present, supportive, and committed.

The Bible speaks of the blessing of this kind of friend in Proverbs 17:17 (NIV) “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

Choose to be a Jonathan-kind of friend to others!

Pastor Dale

Monday, December 2, 2019

Did You Hear About…?

| 1:51 MIN READ |

Part of the ugly side of human nature is the insatiable appetite people have to seek out and share negative information about others. It’s called gossip. The Bible describes it as sinful and destructive, to others and to us.

Here are a few strong reminders:

Psalm 15:1-3 (TLB) “Lord, who may go and find refuge and shelter in your tabernacle up on your holy hill? Anyone who leads a blameless life and is truly sincere. Anyone who refuses to slander others, does not listen to gossip, never harms his neighbor.”

Proverbs 11:13 (TLB) “A gossip goes around spreading rumors, while a trustworthy man tries to quiet them.”

Proverbs 20:19 (TLB) “Don’t tell your secrets to a gossip unless you want them broadcast to the world.”

Proverbs 26:20 (TLB) “Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and tensions disappear when gossip stops.”

What makes gossip so attractive to us?

Often the need to spread rumors and damaging words to others about others is rooted in pride. In a strange way, when we put down others, we elevate ourselves. Gossip gives us a sense of moral, intellectual, or professional superiority. We feed the monster of ego by tearing into someone else.

The truth is, gossip says more about the person doing the gossiping than it does about the person who’s the focus of it. And you can be sure if you have a “friend” who gossips to you about others, it highly likely that they’re gossiping to others about you!

Gossip is bad for many reasons. A primary reason is that it runs counter to the nature of God. God is a Redeemer. Gossip is never redemptive, it’s always destructive. It never builds, restores, and heals. It tears, erodes, and diminishes.

The next time someone says to you, “Did you hear about… ?” pause. Make sure your conversations are always redemptive and never destructive. Let God’s nature be your nature!

Pastor Dale

Friday, November 29, 2019

Birds Of A Feather…

| 2:03 MIN READ |

You’ve probably already filled in the rest of the phrase—flock together. From what I read, it’s a statement going back to the mid-1500s. It proves something interesting; likes have been attracting likes for centuries—for all of human history.

This adage describes the law of attraction. Like attracts like. You like to be around people you like, who are like you! Got it?

This is all well and good if you’re a spiritually and emotionally healthy person. This means you’re more likely to attract friends who are the same. This is how healthy relationships get healthier. Two spiritually and emotionally healthy people create healthy relationship momentum. You spiral up together, instead of down together.

The opposite is also true. When we’re not healthy on the inside, or have destructive habits, similar people will show up at the doorsteps of our lives. Usually, this isn’t a good thing. As surely as health feeds on health, dysfunction feeds on dysfunction. The first place this shows up is in our friendships!

So here you go. If you don’t like your friends, if you need to change the kind of people you have in your life, start by looking in the mirror! Yep, this is the hard but helpful truth. You can’t change the law of attraction; it’s a law. You can change the thing doing the attracting! This would be you!

There’s Someone who is able and eager to help you become more healthy, spiritually, and emotionally. His name is Jesus. He specializes in changing people from the inside out. Paul, the apostle, reminded us of this in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB) “When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” And 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.”

Birds of a feather… The best way to attract better friends is to become a better person. Jesus will help you!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Like Me

| 1:16 MIN READ |

And boy, do we like the likes! They’re addicting. It’s true. I read the summary of a research study comparing likes on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter feeds to highly addictive substances such as cocaine. Every like you see on your media page stimulates the release of a shot of dopamine, also known as the pleasure hormone. It’s the same hormone release associated with certain “recreational” drugs. We get hooked on the likes and the biological pleasure shots that come with them.

To add to this interesting phenomenon called social media, we now have a new definition of an old word—friend. It used to be that you had to be acquainted with someone to be their friend. Not any more. You can be friends with thousands of people without actually knowing a single one of them personally!

Am I on the warpath against social media? Certainly not. I’m just pointing something out. Friendships and likes have been diluted in today’s culture because of it. We need a true “friend and like” revival!

Remember, a friend isn’t a label or a like. Friendship is a relationship. It’s demonstrated by your commitment to others. It’s based on caring, serving, sharing, and growing together.

Let’s break the like addiction and discover what real friendship is all about!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

What Friendships Are Made Of

| 2:21 MIN READ |

I am privileged and blessed to have some great friends. They bring joy, provide counsel, and make life more meaningful. If you haven’t done so recently, stop for a moment and thank God for your friends.

David, the well-known character in the Bible, had a great friend. His name was Jonathan. It’s helpful to know a bit about the backstory of David and Jonathan’s friendship.

Jonathan was the son of King Saul, the first king of Israel. Therefore, Jonathan was Israel’s prince, the next in line to take his father’s throne.

Very suddenly, the landscape of national popularity in Israel changed. It happened the day David defeated Goliath. David immediately became the talk of the town. People were singing about him in the streets. He was the champion. His name was likely on everyone’s lips. It was evident that this young man was remarkably different from King Saul. David had courageous faith. Saul didn’t. The political tide was turning in Israel. David’s stock was rising rapidly.

Saul’s reaction to this was quick and severe. He became very jealous of David. He decided the best thing he could do was kill him. In Saul’s twisted mind, failure to get rid of David would possibly mean the loss of his throne. It would certainly mean the forfeiture of his son, Jonathan’s reign.

Jonathan had a different take on the success of David. Unlike his father, Jonathan saw the hand of God on David. Somehow, miraculously, Jonathan understood that his calling in life wasn’t to become Israel’s king but to keep David alive so he could become the next monarch of God’s nation. Incredible!

The Bible describes the moment this divine friendship between David and Jonathan happened.

1 Samuel 18:1 (Voice) “By the time David had finished speaking to Saul, Saul’s son Jonathan was bound to David in friendship, and Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.”

1 Samuel 18:4 (Voice) “He took off the robe he wore and gave it to David, and also his armor, sword, bow, and belt, symbolically transferring to David his right to ascend the throne.”

Jonathan modeled real friendship to David. He put himself in the background and supported God’s person and God’s plan. He laid down his interests for the benefit of his friend.

I think you would agree; everybody needs some “Jonathan-like” friends. The best way to have one is to be one!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

BFF’s

| 1:47 MIN READ |

I vaguely recall the first time I heard the term—BFF. I had no idea what it meant. When I inquired, someone educated me on the language of web life. I didn’t know at the time that it’s short for Best Friends Forever. As far as I understand it, it’s used to describe the friends who are the nearest and dearest to you.

I hope you have some BFF’s in your life. They’re a blessing. They’re also human. This means the best BFF’s are going to come up short on occasion. There’s no perfect and completely reliable human friend. This is why we need to find a higher form of friendship, friendship with God.

In the wisdom book of Proverbs, we are reminded of this need to look beyond earth for a heavenly Friend.

Proverbs 20:6 (NLT) “Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?”

Proverbs 18:24 (TLB) “There are ’friends’ who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

We all need a heavenly Friendship. We need the divine Friend who will never leave us, never stop loving us, always be available to listen and help us. We need a 24/7, 365 Friend. His name is Jesus!

Look at what Jesus said about this in John 15:13-15 (TPT) “For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends. You show that you are my intimate friends when you obey all that I command you. I have never called you ‘servants,’ because a master doesn’t confide in his servants, and servants don’t always understand what the master is doing. But I call you my most intimate friends, for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.”

Do you have a friendship with Jesus? If not, start one today. He desperately wants to be your heavenly BFF!

Pastor Dale

Monday, November 25, 2019

Friends

| 1:54 MIN READ |

Who are your friends? Friends are a big deal. The real ones are a great blessing. The phony ones, well, they’re trouble.

The difference good friends make is invaluable. They’re with you through thick and thin, the good times, and the not so good times. They don’t leave you behind when wounded on the battlefield of life. Someone said that a true friend is someone who comes into your life when everyone else walks out.

As much as we all appreciate and long for great friends, the truth is, they’re hard to come by, and even the best ones aren’t perfect. Well-meaning friends can let you down, drop you in a moment of need, and forget you during your life storms. Why? Because people are human! Humanity is plagued by sin, weakness, and self-centeredness. Most, if not all of us, have been disappointed by someone we thought we could count on. And it’s highly likely that we’ve let others down along the way.

Jesus reminded us of the fact that people are fickle. Look at what He said about naïve trust in people in John 2:23-25 (TPT) “While Jesus was at the Passover Feast, the number of his followers began to grow, and many gave their allegiance to him because of the miraculous signs they had seen him doing! But Jesus did not yet entrust himself to them, because he knew how fickle human hearts can be. He didn’t need anyone to tell him about human nature, for he fully understood what man was capable of doing.” And in John 2:23-25 (TLB) “Because of the miracles he did in Jerusalem … many people were convinced that he was indeed the Messiah. But Jesus didn’t trust them, for he knew mankind to the core. No one needed to tell him how changeable human nature is!”

What’s the point? Is Jesus telling us never to trust anyone? Certainly not. He’s reminding us that people are going to let you down at times. If and when they do, don’t be discouraged. It’s part of living in a broken world.

Pastor Dale

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Life Legacy

| 1:29 MIN READ |

What do you want to be remembered for? Think about some of the greatest men and women of history. Great people leave positive and lasting legacies.

There’s a difference between destiny and a legacy. Destiny is the potential ahead of you. Legacy is what you leave behind you. Both are important. Discovering your destiny and pursuing it well leads to a positive lasting legacy.

What is David, the ancient biblical character remembered for? At the top, or certainly near the top of most people’s list would be the amazing faith that empowered him to fight and defeat the giant, Goliath. Almost everyone knows the David and Goliath story! It has inspired perhaps millions through the millennia and continues to inspire people today. That’s the impact of a positive legacy.

This story is recorded in Scripture for our benefit. It happened because David saw and seized a God-given opportunity that others refused. David was the only fellow on the battlefield that did so. Because he saw and seized this opportunity, we’re still learning from David today.

Handling God-given opportunities well is important. Look at the words of Paul, the apostle, found in Ephesians 5:16, 17 (NLT) “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

Your destiny and your legacy are determined by what you do with your opportunities. As Paul reminded us, let’s “make the most of every opportunity!”

Pastor Dale

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Greater Things

| 1:15 MIN READ |

Maybe you have longed for greater things in your life. Sometimes we long for more opportunities or greater things. There’s nothing inherently wrong with desiring greater things if your motives are right. And there’s only one right reason to pursue greatness, and only one thing that will genuinely get you there—serving.

We can likely agree that David—the second king of Israel—was one of the greatest men who ever lived. He’s known as a man after God’s own heart!

The thing that made him great was serving. He served his father, taking care of his sheep in anonymity. He served his brothers, bringing food to them on the battlefield. He served Saul, playing music that calmed him in his madness. He served God, taking a stand against Goliath.

David ended up in a great place as a great man because he served. He fulfilled the instruction Jesus gave centuries later, found in Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV) “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Serving with the right motives is the pathway to greatness. Jesus taught it. David practiced it. It will work for you too!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Simple Obedience

| 1:47 MIN READ |

How does God lead people? Receiving God’s guidance is wonderful. It gives us confidence. It puts us on the right track. It leads us to our highest and best in life.

Discovering God’s guidance isn’t complicated. Sometimes it’s found in the simple act of doing something we’ve been asked to do—completing a simple assignment.

This was true for the Bible character David. David’s dad, Jesse, gave him a simple assignment to fulfill. Some of Jesse’s sons were in King Saul’s army, facing the Philistines. Jesse instructed David to take bread and cheese to his brothers and to get an update on how they were doing to bring back to him.

David didn’t realize how life-changing and important doing this simple thing would be. It led him to one of the biggest days and opportunities of his life. God was guiding David through his dad’s assignment.

David could have resisted. He could have lollygagged along and missed his moment — the incredible defeat of Goliath. Instead, he immediately did what his father asked him to do. Look at the story in 1 Samuel 17:17-20 (NIV) “Now Jesse said to his son David, ‘Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.’ Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.”

Sometimes the most significant things in our lives are connected to obedience in the insignificant things. It’s one of the ways God guides us!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Get The Ball Rolling

| 1:28 MIN READ |

Inspiration is a powerful thing. One way it happens is when we see someone else doing something great, awesome, or life-changing. Their example of success or positive action births something in us. It inspires us to do what we were otherwise afraid to do, or too lazy to do.

We see this all the time with kids. We have a swing set in our backyard for our grandchildren. I’ve watched one grandchild inspire another to get on the swing, climb the monkey bars, swing higher and faster, all because someone else did it first! Example is a powerful thing.

David did this for the men of Israel. After he chose to fight Goliath and defeated him, suddenly, these formerly fearful men got a massive dose of courage. Take a look at what happened in 1 Samuel 17:48, 49; 52 (NIV) “As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. …Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.”

The big question for us is, will we be “inspirers” or “inspirees” in life? Probably both. Find someone that can inspire you. Then find a way to be an inspiration to others. Get the inspiration ball rolling!

Pastor Dale

Monday, November 18, 2019

Blessings In Disguise

| 1:31 MIN READ |

Give me an opportunity! People complain about, beg for, are jealous of others—all because of their feelings about opportunities.

What is an opportunity? Webster defines it as “a good chance for advancement or progress.” Opportunities are moments in time, when if recognized and seized, take our lives forward.

Why do so many people feel frustrated about their opportunities? They are blind to them! They don’t recognize them when they show up. Why? Because they look different than we expected.

Opportunities—the best opportunities in life—come dressed up as a challenge, problems to solve, purposeful work we can do, or battles we’re willing to fight.

This was the situation with the Old Testament character David. When he showed up on the battlefield, Goliath was intimidating Israel’s army. David saw what others couldn’t or wouldn’t see. He saw an opportunity! How do we know? Look at the question he asked in 1 Samuel 17:26 (NIV) “David asked the men standing near him, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?’”

Dealing with this giant was an opportunity to glorify God and advance his future. He was wise enough to see his opportunity dressed as a challenge!

What opportunities are you overlooking that may be the key to your future? Don’t look for blessings falling from the sky. Look for work, challenges, and problems you can put your hand to!

Pastor Dale