Video Devotionals

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

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Filled and Overflowing

| 1:28 MIN READ |

You can’t give what you don’t have. This is a simple, obvious fact. To share something with others, you must first have it yourself. It is as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the material realm. When you’re bankrupt, depleted, drained, or emptied of resources, it is hard to be generous to others.

This is often seen in our relationships. An absence of love in our own lives usually results in a lack of love in our relationships. People lacking love can’t effectively give love. People with low love levels in their souls have nothing to draw from in their interactions with others.

For our relationships to improve, our personal love levels need to rise. We need a source, a supply of love continually flowing into us, filling us, and ultimately overflowing from us. When our love tanks are regularly replenished, our relationships benefit.

John, the apostle, described this principle in 1 John 4:7 (TPT) “Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another because God is love. Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of him.”

No person will ever love you the way you need to be loved. We’re all broken and often love-starved. We can’t give to others what we don’t have ourselves. There is a Source of love that supersedes human love—an abundant, unending Source. He never runs dry. When you are secured by and filled with God’s love, you’ll have love to give away—overflowing love!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Think about His Love

| 1:43 MIN READ |

Your thoughts are powerful. They affect your emotions and actions. It’s important to make sure our thinking is healthy.

The best way to improve your thinking is by reflecting on God’s love. Take some time to read and reflect on one of the apostle Paul’s prayers about the love of God:

Ephesians 3:14-20 (TPT) “I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God! Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Now we offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through Jesus Christ—and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen!”

Think about His love!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

A Gift for You Today

| 1:11 MIN READ |

Throughout the year, most folks have gift moments—birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, anniversary gifts, and the like. Receiving a gift is a blessing. It reminds us we’re valued. It makes us feel special. It creates gratitude for those who were thinking of us and generous toward us.

God has gifts for you too. He loves you and provides a new gift for you every day of your life. Jeremiah, the prophet, spoke of this gift in Lamentations 3:21-23 (Msg) “But there’s one thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!”

What a difference it would make if every morning we remembered what Jeremiah remembered. What if we started each day with the awareness that God is giving us a gift—the gift of His “loyal, merciful love.”

Every day is a gift day for you. Each morning when you arise, God delivers a fresh package of love and faithfulness to you. But like any gift, it’s of no value unless it’s received, unwrapped and enjoyed. Reach out and take the gift of a new day, new mercies, new beginnings, new hopes, new starts—today!

Pastor Dale

Monday, March 9, 2020

Power Lines

| 1:06 MIN READ |

Throughout the year, we usually experience one or more power outages in our home. Whether it’s from a snowstorm, thunderstorm, or some other weather event or accident, suddenly the power goes out. When this happens, we realize how dependent we are on electricity. Frantic calls are placed to the utility company to make sure repairs and restoration of power are in motion.

Just as your home needs electrical power to function, your life needs power also—spiritual power. Many people live without any spiritual power source or a sufficient and effective one.

To live your best life, you need a Source of power that is entirely reliable, more than sufficient, and continually available. God is the power Source needed. The psalm writer said it this way in Psalm 62:11 (TPT) “God said to me once and for all, ‘All the strength and power you need flows from me!’ …”

How do we receive this power? Connection! Communication with God, responsiveness to Him and faith in Him connects you to all the power you’ll ever need to live the life God designed you to live. Take time today and connect!

Pastor Dale

Friday, March 6, 2020

Lean on God

| 1:21 min video |

Pastor Dale

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Wisdom in Relationships

| 0:57 MIN READ |

This week we’re going to talk 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. God knows how to make all or your relationships better.

Proverbs 24:3-4 states, “A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge, its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.”

It takes wisdom to build relationships. There are principles, truths, practices that, when learned and applied, make relationships grow, and when ignored, cause them to fail.

What are you doing to increase your relationship wisdom? The more wisdom you gain, the better they will be. Make a decision to increase your Relationship Quotient!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Managing Your Anger – Part 3

| 1:21 min read |

Has anger ever gotten the best of you? The answer is likely, yes for most, if not all of us.

Anger is one of the most dangerous and destructive emotions we can experience. It produces bad actions, poor decisions, hurtful words, and broken relationships. The effects of a brief moment of anger can impact us for a lifetime.

How do we handle anger so that it doesn’t get the best of us? Overcoming anger involves seeing it coming and proactively addressing it before it takes control of your emotions. It involves delving into its causes — answering the question, “why am I feeling this way?”

Conquering anger also includes learning to resolve the issues that are causing it. This requires us to take responsibility for settling our anger before it damages us or others.

Look at Paul’s words warning us about the impact of unresolved anger in Ephesians 4:26, 27 (NLT) “And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”

Here we’re reminded that we need to resolve our anger positively and productively. How? Through prayer, through forgiveness, through reconciliation, and by removing ourselves from situations that are fueling the fury in our soul.

Don’t give the devil a foothold in your life. Resolve anger before it ruins you!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Managing Your Anger – Part 2

| 1:27 min read |

Has anger ever gotten the best of you? The answer is likely, yes for most, if not all of us.

Anger is one of the most dangerous and destructive emotions we can experience. It produces bad actions, poor decisions, hurtful words, and broken relationships. The effects of a brief moment of anger can impact us for a lifetime.

How do we handle anger so that it doesn’t get the best of us? It’s helpful to learn to sort through our anger.

When anger shows up in your life, it’s much like a garbage truck backing up and dumping piles of emotional trash into your soul. In these moments, we’re overwhelmed with frustration, irritation, and offense. Our initial angry thoughts multiple into a barrage of bad thoughts and feelings. In a very short time, we’re lost in the mess or these emotions and begin reacting in hurtful ways.

When this happens, we need to engage our emotional emergency brakes and quickly sort through the trash we’ve allowed into our hearts and minds. We need to think through what is causing our anger. Are we angry because:

• Our pride has been offended?
• We’re not getting our way?
• We feel threatened or intimidated?
• We’re hurt?
• We’re jealous?
• We’re misunderstood or judged?
• We’re blocked from our objective or desires?

It’s amazing how few people take the time to analyze the roots of their anger. When you know why you’re angry, you are better prepared to know how to overcome it!

Pastor Dale

Monday, March 2, 2020

Managing Your Anger – Part 1

| 1:28 min read |

Has anger ever gotten the best of you? The answer is likely, yes for most, if not all of us.

Anger is one of the most dangerous and destructive emotions we can experience. It produces bad actions, poor decisions, hurtful words, and broken relationships. The effects of a brief moment of anger can impact us for a lifetime.

How do we handle anger so that it doesn’t get the best of us? We need to see it coming! The best time to conquer anger is before it’s expressed!

Many times we’re blind-sided by anger. It sneaks up on us, unnoticed, and unacknowledged, and hijacks our emotions. Before we recognize what’s happening we’re heading down a pathway that causes problems and pain for us and others. We’ll never conquer anger until we are better able to detect its potential presence. We need to become proficient in sniffing out the presence of anger when it is sparked in our soul before it turns into a raging, destructive force.

The Bible warns us about the presence of anger. Look at what James, the apostle, said about it in James 1:19, 20 (NLT) “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”

Conquering anger happens best before it ignites and explodes. Becoming more aware of the signs that anger is creeping into your soul is something worth developing. What do the early signs of anger look like in your life?

Pastor Dale

Friday, February 28, 2020

Born Again?

| 1:37 min read |

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase before. Unfortunately, it’s a term that is sometimes misunderstood, but it is in the Bible.

Here’s the setting. A very nice, religious, respected and moral man named Nicodemus came to Jesus one night for a conversation with Him. Take a look at the story in John 3:1-3 (NIV) “Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’ Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’”

While Nicodemus didn’t initially understand what Jesus was talking about. He later grasped that Jesus was speaking of a moment when a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ, and God responds by sending His Holy Spirit into the heart to give spiritual life. It’s the moment when, by faith in Jesus, we’re born again!

Being “born again” is something we all need. Why? Because our sinfulness creates a condition of spiritual death in us. The Bible says that in our natural condition we are “dead in our transgressions and sins.” We need to be “born again” into spiritual life.

How does this happen? In the conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus told us. Jesus answer may be familiar to you. It’s found in John 3:16 (NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Have you been “born again?” If not, put your faith in Jesus Christ today!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Comforting Others

| 1:07 min read |

You are called to ministry. God wants to use you to help people in pain and need. There’s no greater pain than the hurt people feel in times of loss.

How do you help someone who is broken-hearted? How do you provide meaningful support to someone who is going through grief?

The psalmist gives us insight into how to help others in times like these. Take a look at Psalm 23:4 (NIV) “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” While this verse refers to the Lord as our Shepherd, it also teaches us something about helping others through their darkest moments.

Often the best support you can be to someone in their grief is by simply being with them. Your comforting presence can give them the reassurance and hope they need to make it through their trying time of loss. They don’t need a sermon from you, they need the quiet strength of your presence.

Sometimes the greatest ministry you’ll ever have is simply a loving, listening ministry. This kind of care makes far more of a difference than you can imagine!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Who Are You Becoming?

| 1:34 min read |

The most important questions in life are not “Who are you?” or “What do you do?” The greatest question you’ll answer about yourself is “Who are you becoming?”

No one can change their past. The only things we can change in life are our present and future. We do this by choosing to become better, stronger, holier and healthier. We improve our lives by making wise choices about who we’re becoming.

The apostle James wrote about this process of becoming in James 1:2-4 (TLB) “Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you’ll be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.”

As you go through the various trials and temptations in life, you have an opportunity to develop—to grow—to continually become better, stronger, holier and healthier. Your day-to-day challenges are designed by God to help you become the person He created you to be. The problems that show up in your life can actually be the fertilizer that causes your life to bloom and produce incredible fruit.

The key is choice—we must choose to let our difficulties develop us. Instead of fighting them, resenting them or running from them, we can rejoice in them and let them make us better.
Stop worrying about your past. Focus on who you’re becoming today. Remember that who you’re becoming is far more important than who you’ve been!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Successful Relationships

| 1:21 min read |

Great things are produced by great processes. The best way to improve a product is by improving the process that creates it.

This is true in relationships. Relationships are the product of processes. Good ones are formed and developed by intentionally adding the right ingredients.

What is the most important ingredient in a successful relationship? Simply stated, great relationships begin with bringing God into the relationship. Whatever God is a part of, He strengthens. It’s true of a marriage, a friendship, and a business partnership. When God is invited into the relationship, and honored in the relationship, there’s a better opportunity for harmony, cooperation, peace and, productivity. The improved product comes from the right process!

Jesus gave us this basic principle in Matthew 6:33 (NIV) “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

When and where God is first, and His Kingdom is first, His blessings flow!

Do you want a stronger marriage, better friendships and more productive partnerships with others? Begin putting God first in your relationships. Actively invite Him to be a part. Jointly live by His commands and principles. You’ll discover that when you do, you’ll experience His blessings, and your relationships will be better!

Pastor Dale