Video Devotionals

Monday, February 25, 2019

Stepping Away

| 1:55 MIN READ |

Who are your friends? The impact of a person’s companions can’t be overstated. So much of our lives is determined by the kind of people we surround ourselves with. Choosing friends wisely is perhaps one of the most important things you’ll ever do in life.

When you hang around with someone, you become like them. Their attitudes and thoughts influence yours. What they do, you often begin to do. This can be very good if the friend inspires you to be and do better. However, more often the result is the opposite.

If you hang around a gossiper, you’ll become one. If you spend significant amounts of time with a cynic, you’ll become cynical. If you become a close friend with an angry, resentful person, it won’t be long before you’ll start thinking, looking and acting like them.

There’s an interesting story in the Old Testament that reminds us of the power of companions. When Elisha sent one of his servants to anoint Jehu as the king of Israel, he gave his servant some specific instructions recorded in 2 Kings 9:2 (NIV) “… Look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat … Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him to an inner room.”

Before God could anoint Jehu, he had to be separated from some unsavory companions. Without the separation, there would be no new anointing.

Sometimes this is true in our lives. The people we’re hanging around with can often be a barrier to the next good thing God wants to do in our lives. Without the separation, there’s no fresh operation of God in us. Sometimes there are some folks you need to step away from to move forward in your walk with God.

I am not suggesting that you reject people meanly or coldly. People who aren’t following God need your love, care, and witness. I’m talking about the importance of choosing wisely your closest companions. Be selective. Be careful. Choose wisely. Their influence is more powerful than you might imagine.

Pastor Dale

Friday, February 22, 2019

The Power of Resolution

| 1:45 MIN READ |

It’s a great relief any time a knotty problem or a relationship tension is resolved. It’s a weight lifted from our souls. It frees up energy we were expending, consciously or unconsciously, on the situation.

Far too often we live with internal closets filled with unresolved issues. We have lingering pressure from unresolved family situations, work problems, unwise financial decisions, struggling friendships, painful losses and all kinds of other things. The lack of closure keeps us brewing and stewing on the inside. We keep trying to push the problems out of our minds, but like a beachball being pushed underwater, they keep popping up in our thoughts, emotions, and conversations.

I’ve heard it said that it’s not problems that destroy you, it’s unresolved problems. There’s a lot of truth in the statement.

What should you do with the unresolved issues in your life? Resolve them! This is especially true when it comes to lingering relationship issues. Life is too short to let grudges, hurts, misunderstandings, and past pain to continue draining our spiritual and emotional energy.

Jesus spoke of the importance of resolving relationship issues speedily. Look at His instructions in Matthew 5:23, 24 (TPT) “So then, if you are presenting a gift before the altar in the temple and suddenly you remember a quarrel you have with a fellow believer, leave your gift there in front of the altar and go at once to apologize with the one who is offended. Then, after you have reconciled, come to the altar and present your gift.”

Jesus taught us that offenses toward others should be dealt with “at once.” Nothing should delay resolution of them! The longer they linger, the harder it is to resolve them. Be a resolver!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Worrywart?

| 1:55 MIN READ |

Have you heard the term before — worrywart? It’s an interesting word that goes back to a 1930’s comic strip. The cartoon contained a character that went by this name. According to one source, the name was originally used to describe a child who constantly pestered and frustrated other people. It is used today to describe someone who is always worrying about something.

The truth is, when it comes to life, most people are inclined to be a bit of a worrywart. Our senses search for things we perceive as potential threats or dangers. Our minds ruminate on what painful, terrible things could happen to us or people we care about. We’re prone to reach out into our future, project and predict doom and gloom! No one teaches you to worry. We have to learn not to worry!

Corrie ten Boom, an incredible follower of Jesus who lived through the Holocaust and was herself sent to a concentration camp for hiding Jews attempting to escape capture by the Nazi’s, understood something about the temptation to worry. Among her many wise statements she penned these words, “Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.” There’s no better definition of worry!

Worry does nothing good for us and lots of bad to us. Over and over again in the pages of the Bible, you will find the phrase “fear not.” God repeatedly reminds us that worry and fear never do us any good. They are counterproductive and ineffective.

One verse that reminds us of this is Isaiah 43:1-3 (MSG) “… ‘Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end — because I am God, your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Savior …’”

What are you worried about? Resign from being a worrywart and choose to trust God. He’s got you!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Alone But Not Lonely

| 1:48 MIN READ |

There’s a big difference between solitude and isolation. The first is healthy and necessary. The second is unhealthy and destructive.

Isolation is detachment from people. It’s a choice to separate yourself from meaningful relationships and connections with other people. Isolation breeds loneliness, discouragement, and depression. It locks us into the world of our own thoughts and emotions without anything to check or correct their validity. Isolated people are never happy people.

Solitude is quite different. It’s a vital part of becoming healthy and strong. Solitude is the decision to periodically pull away from people, and dependence on people, to grow your relationship with God, and to reflect on your personal life journey; spiritually, emotionally and relationally. It’s time alone with God, and with your thoughts.

Jesus showed us how to live in proper relationship with others while maintaining regular times of solitude. So much of the Gospels describes the significant amount of time Jesus spent with His disciples and with people who needed His love and power. Yet we also see Jesus’ alone moments. Take a look at Mark 1:35 (TPT) “… Jesus got up long before daylight, left the house while it was dark, and made his way to a secluded place to give himself to prayer.”

This is only one example of Jesus’ commitment to solitude. He demonstrated by example a life of meaningful relationships and connections, along with a daily commitment to solitude with His Heavenly Father. He was able to be alone without being lonely!

What about you? Are you isolated from others? If so, get connected! Or perhaps you’re a “people junkie.” You seldom dedicate time to be alone with God. Balance your life by committing to community with others and communion with God!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Happier and Healthier

| 1:51 MIN READ |

Your body is an amazing creation. God designed it to work in wonderful ways. But it only works well, when we do our part in taking care of it.

One of the key parts of your body’s functioning involves chemicals like serotonin and adrenaline. Serotonin helps regulate your moods, impacts your social behavior and does lots of other important things. It’s a “feel good” hormone.

Adrenaline helps your body respond to threat. It’s sometimes referred to as the “fight or flight” hormone. When stressed or threatened, the adrenal glands kick into gear ramping up your heart-rate, heightening your senses, and releasing glucose into your system. It’s preparing you to stand your ground or run for your life! It’s meant to be an emergency chemical.

Unfortunately, when we don’t take good care of our bodies through proper nourishment, rest and renewal, our serotonin levels can be depleted, and adrenaline can be unnecessarily released into our system. When this condition continues, the hormone meant to help you in emergency situations creates trouble for you. Generally, and simplistically speaking, a stressed-out life is the result of a body running low on serotonin and running high on adrenaline.

This is why rest is so important! Rest brings renewal — of spirit, soul, and body. It replenishes the good things you need to be happier and healthier. And the best rest starts in your spirit and soul! It’s hard to experience a rested body with a troubled mind!

If you’re stressed out, living on adrenalin, hear the words of Jesus today found in Matthew 11:28, 29 (TPT) “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me.”

What a promise!

Pastor Dale

Monday, February 18, 2019

Filling Up

| 1:59 MIN READ |

Have you ever run out of gas in your automobile? Some folks are notorious avoiders when it comes to visiting a gas station. They keep driving as long as possible. They drive on, even after the needle on their gas gauge reaches empty. They push the edge of the fuel envelope, refusing to fill up until the very last mile or minute. Sometimes they’re forced to re-fill after they stall on the roadside, completely out of gas!

While most people operate their vehicles with more caution and prudence, many of us push the edge of the envelope when it comes to our spiritual and emotional fuel. We run around on empty tanks. We’re constantly risking a stall out because we haven’t learned how to refuel, or we refuse to take the time and invest the effort to do so. It’s a dangerous way to live.

When spiritual and emotional resources are depleted, lots of bad things can happen. When your spiritual and emotional tanks are empty, you make bad decisions. In these moments you’re more vulnerable to temptation, more prone to distraction, and more likely to fill your tank with the wrong fuel.

Spiritually and emotionally drained people often attempt to fill their tanks with unhealthy relationships, destructive substances, food-binges, excessive entertainment and activities, and a variety of other things. The results of these choices are short-term highs, followed by increased emptiness. This can become a cycle of frustration, pain, and defeat.

The first step to breaking any negative cycle is seeing and admitting it. Look at the prayer the psalmist prayed in Psalms 19:13 (TPT) “Keep cleansing me, God, and keep me from my secret, selfish sins; may they never rule over me! For only then will I be free from fault and remain innocent of rebellion.” David understood that seeing his sins was the beginning point for overcoming them.

How about you? In what ways are you trying to fill your spiritual and emotional tanks? Are they healthy or unhealthy?

Pastor Dale

Friday, February 15, 2019

By faith, I expect greater results

| 1:39 MIN READ |

Faith is a powerful force. It’s a quality that lives in us and is expressed through the way we live and the words we speak. It’s something that needs to be nurtured and grown within us.

Speaking words of faith is one way to increase faith and put it to work. The Bible teaches us this principle in many places. One is found in 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NIV) “It is written, ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak …”

You can’t divorce faith in the heart from words in the mouth. They go together.

This week we’re looking at five faith declarations that will change your life. Believing and declaring them will set you free to experience the life God wants you to experience, and more importantly, to be the person God wants you to be.

Today’s declaration is: By faith I am going to see bigger possibilities, set bigger goals, attempt bigger things, put in greater effort and expect greater results.

I am convinced that, when we get to heaven, we’re all going to be surprised to see some of what could’ve been with our lives. Perhaps this is why the Bible says that in eternity Jesus will “wipe every tear from our eyes.”

One of the ways to avoid any regrets is to see and believe in the true nature of God. Our lives improve when we live with confidence in God’s greatness, His largesse, His power, and His willingness to demonstrate His kindness, grace, and favor to us.

How do we live this way? Rise every morning and declare, “By faith I am going to see bigger possibilities, set bigger goals, attempt bigger things, put in greater effort and expect greater results!”

Pastor Dale

Thursday, February 14, 2019

My pain will not restrict the development of my potential!

| 1:47 MIN READ |

Faith is a powerful force. It’s a quality that lives in us and is expressed through the way we live and the words we speak. It’s something that needs to be nurtured and grown within us.

Speaking words of faith are one way to increase faith and put it to work. The Bible teaches us this principle in many places. One is found in 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NIV) “It is written, ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak …”

You can’t divorce faith in the heart from words in the mouth. They go together.

This week we’re looking at five faith declarations that will change your life. Believing and declaring them will set you free to experience the life God wants you to experience, and more importantly, to be the person God wants you to be.

Today’s declaration is: My pain is not going to restrict the development of my potential!

You are full of potential. Most people never come close to reaching the heights of possibilities in their lives. For many different reasons, we often settle for a life that is much more limited than God desires.

One of the reasons we fall short of potential is pain. Internal, emotional pain can put a cap on our growth. It can take over and dominate us, dictating our limitations.

This was the case of a man during Jesus’ day. For 38 years he had lived in the pain of physical paralysis. His life was severely limited by his disabilities and pain. One day Jesus came along and changed everything for this man. With a simple command, recorded in John 5:8 (NIV) this man’s potential was released. Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

Hear Jesus speaking these words to you today and declare, “My pain is not going to restrict the development of my potential!”

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

My disappointments will not rob me of my destiny!

| 1:40 MIN READ |

Faith is a powerful force. It’s a quality that lives in us and is expressed through the way we live and the words we speak. It’s something that needs to be nurtured and grown within us.

Speaking words of faith are one way to increase faith and put it to work. The Bible teaches us this principle in many places. One is found in 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NIV) “It is written, ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak …”

You can’t divorce faith in the heart from words in the mouth. They go together.

This week we’re looking at five faith declarations that will change your life. Believing and declaring them will set you free to experience the life God wants you to experience, and more importantly, to be the person God wants you to be.

Today’s declaration is: My disappointments will not rob me of my God-desired destiny!

Everybody has disappointments. When something we hoped for doesn’t happen, we feel the letdown. Many times, our letdowns turn into major spiritual and emotional setbacks. If we’re not careful, we can allow our disappointments to define our expectations for the future.

You will never be able to avoid all disappointments, but you can decide that you will not allow your disappointments to rob you of your destiny. God is bigger than your disappointments. In fact, God is able to redeem your disappointment and weave them into a beautiful part of your life story and future. Some of the most painful disappointments can become the most powerful part of your testimony of God’s love and grace.

Declare today, “My disappointments will not rob me of my God-desired destiny!”

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

God is bigger than my problems!

| 1:40 MIN READ |

Faith is a powerful force. It’s a quality that lives in us and is expressed through the way we live and the words we speak. It’s something that needs to be nurtured and grown within us.

Speaking words of faith are one way to increase faith and put it to work. The Bible teaches us this principle in many places. One is found in 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NIV) “It is written, ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak …”

You can’t divorce faith in the heart from words in the mouth. They go together.

This week we’re looking at five faith declarations that will change your life. Believing and declaring them will set you free to experience the life God wants you to experience, and more importantly, to be the person God wants you to be.

Today’s declaration is: God is bigger than my problems!

Problems are part of life. All too often we magnify our problems by the way we think and talk about them. While we shouldn’t ignore problems or treat them as though they don’t exist, we should view them in the light of God’s greatness, power, and love.

No matter how big your problems are, God is bigger. I am reminded of young David when he visited the battlefield dominated by the giant, Goliath. Israel’s army was intimidated by the size and words of this big man. David had a different perspective. While the army of Israel saw a giant, David had his eye on God. The presence and promises of God dwarfed Goliath!

What about you? Are you seeing some problems in your life today? Do they seem gigantic? Begin declaring with your mouth what the Bible clearly teaches, “God is bigger than my problems!”

Pastor Dale

Monday, February 11, 2019

What has been in my life will not determine what will be!

| 1:35 MIN READ |

Faith is a powerful force. It’s a quality that lives in us and is expressed through the way we live and the words we speak. It’s something that needs to be nurtured and grown within us.

Speaking words of faith are one way to increase faith and put it to work. The Bible teaches us this principle in many places. One is found in 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NIV) “It is written, ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak …”

You can’t divorce faith in the heart from words in the mouth. They go together.
This week we’re looking at five faith declarations that will change your life. Believing and declaring them will set you free to experience the life God wants you to experience, and more importantly, to be the person God wants you to be.

Today’s declaration is: What has been in my life will not determine what will be!

God’s will for your life is to give you hope for your future. It’s to help you realize and understand that no situation from your past needs to be a hindrance to your present and future.

All too often we allow our past to define us. We allow our past to become a prophecy of our future. When we have experienced difficulties and disappointments in the past, we can easily begin to believe that what has been always will be. This belief undermines faith and confidence in God and His ability to help us change. It undermines the expectation of a better future.

Take a stand today. Open your mouth and declare with confidence, “What has been in my life will not determine what will be!”

Pastor Dale

Friday, February 8, 2019

Delivered from Disappointments

| 00:58 MIN READ |

Some of the lowest moments in life are times when someone or something deeply disappoints us. We expected loyalty, love, and fidelity from someone, and their words or actions disappointed our expectations. We anticipated the fulfillment of some promise or hope, and it didn’t happen. These situations are painful. If we’re not careful, they can be devastating and debilitating.

What do you do when someone or something disappoints you?

Here are a few choices we can make in these moments:

• Praise God anyway.
• Believe that God will work in and through your disappointment.
• Forgive anyone you need to forgive.
• Re-focus your trust to God, and Him alone. Only God is fully trustworthy.
• Learn lessons for your own life.
• Refuse to live in the past; keep moving forward.

When you’re disappointed remember and practice this command found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Pastor Dale

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Losing the Labels

| 1:33 MIN READ |

Labels are all around us. Walk into any grocery store and you’ll see labels. Labels define what’s on the inside of the package, the container or the can. When you open the product, you expect to find consistency with the label.

We all live with personal labels. While these labels can be accurate, they can also be inaccurate. Often people place labels on themselves that are inconsistent with who and what they really are. We may over-estimate who and what we are, or perhaps under-estimate our identity, skills, and character. Either way, it’s not good.

We need an honest assessment of who and what we are to live well, to grow and to be the person God created us to be. And the only “person” who can truly label us is God because He knows us thoroughly.

The psalm-writer David understood this. Look at his words:

Psalm 139:1-4 (GW) “O Lord, you have examined me, and you know me. You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away. You watch me when I travel and when I rest. You are familiar with all my ways. Even before there is a single word on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord.”

Psalms 51:4 (NCV) “…You are right when you speak and fair when you judge.”

David understood that no one knew him like God — the good, the bad and the ugly! The only label that mattered to David was God’s label on his life!

Our lives get better when we seek to know how God labels us. When God labels us it is true, right, and good for us. It helps us grow, develop, and find security. Don’t build your life around false labels. Let God label you!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Stop the Blame Game

| 2:09 MIN READ |

Emotional pain is something everyone experiences. No one goes through life without some rejections, betrayals and hurts that happen in relationships.

The natural response to these wounds is pay back. When a person hurts us, there’s a desire to give them “a taste of their own medicine.” Emotional hurt fuels anger. Anger turns to resentment and bitterness. Bitterness feeds grudges and a desire for revenge.

Many people live life focused on their pain and the resentment they feel toward those who caused it, or who they perceived caused it. Their minds and emotions want to get even. They want to settle the score.

Resentment and obsession with revenge are dangerous and destructive. It causes lots of problems in our lives. It stunts our spiritual, emotional, and relational growth. It keeps us looking back rather than forward. It becomes a weight on our soul that hinders the flow of God’s grace in and through us.

Take a look at several Bible passages that warn us of the danger of resentment and how to overcome it:

Hebrews 12:14- 15 (TLB) “Try to stay out of all quarrels, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for one who is not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that not one of you will fail to find God’s best blessings. Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you, for as it springs up it causes deep trouble, hurting many in their spiritual lives.”

Romans 12:17-18 (TPT) “Never hold a grudge or try to get even, but plan your life around the noblest way to benefit others. Do your best to live as everybody’s friend.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 (TLB) “Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry. Quarreling, harsh words and dislike of others should have no place in your lives. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ.”

Here are the instructions — Don’t give resentment or bitterness any place in your life! Period!

How do we stop the blame game? Grace! Take the grace God has shown you, and show it to others. Grace-filled living changes everything! Let’s stop the blame game. Overcome the pain in your past by forgiveness!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Saved from Shame

| 1:40 MIN READ |

Shame is a painful feeling. It’s an emotion we feel over sins we’ve committed, mistakes we’ve made, and humiliating things we’ve experienced. Shame and guilt go together.

There’s a healthy part of shame. When we’ve genuinely done something wrong, shame can motivate us to address it. It can move us toward God for forgiveness and healing. It can help us seek reconciliation with people we have hurt. When we handle our shame this way, we’re freed from its presence.

On the other hand, if shame isn’t handled well, it haunts and harasses us. Shame drives people into a hidden life of fear and failure. Shame brings insecurity, self-hatred, and isolation. Unresolved shame fuels all kinds of bad things in people’s lives. Shame can cause people to run away from God instead of to Him.

One of the greatest lessons we can ever learn as believers is that our shame should move us toward God instead of away from Him. He’s a God who forgives, heals, restores and embraces people ridden with shame. When we bring our shame to Him, He frees us with His love. He saves us from our shame!

Take a look at the following verses. Psalm 103:2, 3 (NIV) “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your sins …” and Psalm 103:11, 12 (NIV) “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Are you struggling with shame? Is there any lingering, haunting guilt in your life? Run to God today in honesty and humility. Tell Him about your shame, and receive His love, grace, forgiveness, and healing. He saves people from shame!

Pastor Dale

Monday, February 4, 2019

Redeeming Your Regrets

| 1:26 MIN READ |

Do you have any regrets? One origin of the word “regret” means to weep. “RE” = continue. “GRET” = weep. We might say that regret is to keep weeping over something you have done or experienced, or some choice you have made. Regret is an ongoing reminder of a mistake or failure.

There are lots of people who live in regret. They continue to weep, perhaps without physical tears, but certainly in their hearts and minds, over certain decisions in the past. They regularly and painfully revisit their foolish moments and choices.

The reality is, everyone has regrets. No one has lived a perfect life, made perfect decisions, or been completely wise. Everybody has foolish moments, bad choices and experiences in their past. How do we move past our past regrets?

One of the names of God is the answer! The psalmist described a group of people who had some significant regrets and the remembrance that freed them from their regrets. Take a look at Psalm 78:35 (NIV) “They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.”

In the midst of their regrets, these folks remembered one of the names of God — REDEEMER! We need to remember this too!

God is able to redeem our regrets. He is able to take our failures and transform them into valuable lessons. He is the God who redeems the ashes of our lives and makes something beautiful out of them!

Do you have any regrets? Remember, God is your Redeemer!

Pastor Dale