Video Devotionals

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

A New View of You

| 1:40 MIN READ |

Most likely you carry around some photos of people you love. Whether in your wallet or on your phone, most folks have handy pictures of important people in their lives.

Whether you realize it or not, you carry another picture with you. It’s a mental photo or image of yourself. It’s called a self-image. A healthy self-image is important because it affects our personal decisions and our relationship with God and others.

There are two dangerous extremes when it comes to self-image. The first is an over-inflated image of ourselves. It’s called pride. A prideful person is preoccupied with self-importance. In their relationships, they’re usually arrogant, self-centered and stubborn.

The other dangerous trap of self-image is insecurity. Many folks are dominated by self-hatred, shame, and a haunting sense of inferiority. They suffer from a lack of confidence. Fear and inadequacy rob them of personal peace and productivity.

How do we avoid the dangerous traps of self-image? The apostle Paul reminds in 1 Corinthians 1:30 (CEV) “You are God’s children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy.”

Deliverance from pride and healing from insecurity both come from a right relationship with God. A healthy self-image comes as we open our lives to God’s loving affirmations, as well as His loving discipline. It happens as we allow God to paint a realistic portrait in our hearts of who He says we are. When we listen to His opinion of us, knowing that we’re loved by Him even with our imperfections, we experience true humility, gratitude, security, and confidence.

Maybe it’s time for you to get a new view of you!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Getting Better

| 1:05 MIN READ |

What’s your skill set? Skill sets are important in life and work. The more skills you have and the greater honed they are, the more opportunities likely come your way. Growing your skill set is a valuable thing to do. It separates you from the majority of people who settle for mediocre and average. The more competent you become the more life possibilities appear.

The Bible is clear about the rewards of improving your skills. Take a look at Proverbs 22:29 (NLT) “Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.”

We’re told that increased competence leads to increased opportunities. Competence isn’t a destination, it’s a journey. Competent people continually develop their abilities. They are consistently working on their skills. They’re never satisfied with average and ordinary. They set their sights on improvement and excellence. They’re always getting better at what they do.

How’s your skill set? Are you growing in competency? As you do, look for amazing new opportunities to open for you!

Pastor Dale

Monday, April 22, 2019

Word Power

| 1:21 MIN READ |

How’s your vocabulary? The greater your vocabulary, the greater your potential for communicating thoughts and comprehending information. Many studies have pointed to increased vocabulary as a critical ingredient in personal achievement and success. It pays to grow your word power!

The Bible has a lot to say to us about our words and their impact. Take a look at Proverbs 18:21a (NKJV) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” Today’s English Version translates this verse, “What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.”

Words are dynamic and powerful. They have great capacity for both good and evil. They take life or give life. They have consequences. Our lives and relationships improve dramatically when we speak life-giving words.

Speaking life-giving words isn’t complicated. It simply requires thought and discipline. It happens when we speak words of hope, encouragement, and blessing to others. It occurs when the tone of our speech is gentle, compassionate and kind. It happens when we look for ways to build others up rather than tearing them down. It’s adding value to someone’s life by the words you speak and the way you talk to them.

God has given you the power to impact people with your words positively. Use your words today to be a blessing to others.

Pastor Dale

Friday, April 19, 2019

Let’s Do This!

| 1:11 MIN READ |

“Let’s do this” is a popular phrase today. It communicates excitement, enthusiasm, and passionate action. Having a “let’s do this” attitude is a great way to live. It is living life with a readiness to do what needs to be done with gusto. “Let’s do this” people are action-oriented people. They don’t wait around for things to happen; they make positive things happen!

This is called proactivity. Proactive people do the positive things that are in their power to do. They step up and take responsibility to make things better. They are contributors and investors. They are not pushed around by circumstances. They choose to act and to act wisely and purposefully.

The Bible refers to this quality as diligence. Diligent people get things done. God places a high value on this trait. Look at the promise connected with diligence in Proverbs 13:4 (NKJV) “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.”

God wants you to be a diligent, proactive person. When you take the initiative in fulfilling your responsibilities and making the most of your opportunities, you enrich your life and the lives of others. Let’s do this!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Kinder is Better

| 1:14 MIN READ |

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

I would suggest that one of the biggest wins we can experience in life is improving our attitudes. It’s likely that some of your biggest problems can be traced back to a needed attitude adjustment.

An attitude is your mindset about something. It’s the way you think about God, yourself, others and life. Your attitudes drive and direct your behavior.

In many different places in the Bible, we find lists of attitudes that are critical to spiritual, psychological, relational and work success. Here’s an example in Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

One attitude we’re told to develop as Jesus followers is kindness. What is kindness? Kind people are generous, friendly, considerate, helpful and warm. They treat others with respect and stand ready to assist in practical ways. Kindness is an attitude before it’s an action. When kindness is in your heart, it will come out in your words and actions. Kind people are rare. When you are kind, you set yourself apart. You also help others get to know God. Kinder is better!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Improving Your Harmony

| 0:51 MIN READ |

All successful and productive relationships have one thing in common — a real connection. The lifeblood of fulfilling human connections is meaningful communication.

The root word for “communication” is “common.” Communication is interacting with someone in ways that create common connections, building harmony. Harmony is a beautiful thing!

Good human connections and communication start with a relationship with God. The more you harmonize with God, the more meaningful your relationships with others will be. Take a look at this verse in Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God wants you to know His heart, and He wants to know what’s on your heart.

Take time today to open your heart to God. Let your heart harmonize with His heart, and all your other relationships will improve!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Are You Connected?

| 1:02 MIN READ |

How connected are you? In the world of modern technology, connection is something we’re familiar with. It’s also something we struggle with. With easy communication access to others, some psychologists tell us that we’re lonelier and more isolated than ever.

Real connection has to do with developing meaningful relationships. You were created by God to be connected to other people. We’re social creatures. We flourish, grow, and work best when we’re connected.

God made this observation about humanity following His creation of man in Genesis 2:18 (NIV) “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”

After all affirmations of His creation, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone!” The absence of relationships is the only thing God said wasn’t good! God created us to be connected!

You were created by God for connections with others. You need people, and people need you. This is the reason connecting with a church family is so important. Are you connected?

Pastor Dale

Monday, April 15, 2019

Loving and Serving

| 1:43 MIN READ |

All of us have unique ways of letting people know that we care. Caring is a vital part of good relationships. Caring is often shown by serving.

Jesus showed us how to love and care for others. One example of this happened on the night before Jesus was crucified. That evening Jesus called His disciples together in Jerusalem for a special dinner. After the evening meal, Jesus showed them what love and caring are all about. John 13:4-5 (NIV) “So He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.”

Jesus noticed a need in the room that evening. No one had volunteered for the customary washing of feet. It was apparent that none of the twelve disciples felt it was their responsibility. They thought it was too menial a task for such “important” people.

Jesus handled the situation differently. In humility, He got up from the table and did what no one else was willing to do. He washed everyone’s feet! Why? Because He understood the connection between loving and serving. He wanted His disciples to learn this lesson too.

Once the foot-washing was over, Jesus summarized the lesson for His disciples. It applies to us also. Look at His words in John 13:14-15 (NIV) “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

What’s the lesson? Loving others isn’t complicated. It’s merely a matter of taking time to humbly serve people in practical ways. That’s something you can do, and you’ll be blessed as you do!

Pastor Dale

Friday, April 12, 2019

Healthy Habits

| 0:55 MIN READ |

Every new year, we often start new and hopefully healthy habits. According to an article by Forbes, studies have shown that less than 25% of people actually stay committed to their resolutions after just 30 days, and only 8% accomplish them. We need a reset when good, healthy habits have been neglected.

The good thing about good habits is the incredible blessing they are to your life. The bad thing about good habits is that they must be managed and maintained if we’re going to benefit from them. As surely as we can gain good habits, we can also lose them.

The Apostle Paul worked hard to keep good habits as we see in 1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT) “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

Sloppiness in our habits is a pathway to problems.

When good, healthy habits are neglected, it’s time for a reset!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Are You Hurting?

| 0:43 MIN READ |

Human hurt happens in many ways. We are hurt by the evil and meanness of people, misunderstandings and misperceptions with people, disappointed expectations with people and circumstances, losses in life and deferred or denied dreams.

Any time hurt happens to us, we’re in a very vulnerable and potentially dangerous place. Hurts can propel you into great growth, or they can send you into a downward spiral of anger, resentment, bitterness and despair.

Look at what God says about this in Hebrews 12:15 (NIV) “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

To grow through your hurts you must learn how to reset your spirit and soul when they happen.

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Spiritual Antivirus

| 1:09 MIN READ |

As we go through life, our attitudes are continually exposed to contamination or poison. Your perspective can be warped and poisoned. Attitudes are the way you think that affects the way you feel, relate, respond, and react. In computer terms, think of viruses, malware, etc., that get into your system. Many times we “download” things into our thinking through unguarded thinking & influences.

If we don’t have the right filters in place, our attitudes and perspective — our thinking — is contaminated Spiritual contamination in us creates spiritual “diseases” in us, and is spread to others.

The Bible describes how the minds of people can be poisoned. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) Paul warns us “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

When your attitudes and perspective have been contaminated, it’s time for a reset!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Spiritual Memory

| 1:25 MIN READ |

One of the main reasons computer operating systems need to be reset is because of user errors! Some mistakes are minor. They leave no lasting damage.

In life, there will be moments where we will need a reset when debilitating mistakes have been made. Mistakes are part of life and we all make them.

Similar to computers, mistakes often don’t have a major impact on our life “system.” There are other mistakes that are debilitating and even potentially destructive to us and others. They weaken us.

Peter needed a reset after his big failure of denying Jesus. Here we see how Jesus resets Peter’s life in John 21:15-17 (NIV) “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.””

When debilitating mistakes have been made, we need a spiritual, emotional reset. There is a spiritual “trash can” that needs to be emptied, spiritual “files” that need to be deleted, and a spiritual “memory” that needs to be overwritten!

Pastor Dale

Monday, April 8, 2019

More Abundant Life

| 1:22 MIN READ |

God has an amazing plan for your life. Jesus described it in John 10:10 (NIV) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. Jesus came so that you could experience a “more abundant life.” Experiencing this life requires our cooperation with God. To cooperate or experience this, sometimes we need a reset.

Most of us are very familiar with resets with electronic devices. Practically every device has a reset button or a reset process. According to one source in electronics a reset, “clears any pending potential errors or events and brings a system to normal condition or an initial state.” (Wikepedia) It’s also used to describe the process of restoring a gem in a piece of jewelry. In a spiritual sense, a reset means, “a new life; a fresh start.”

When you hit the reset button or initiate a reset process you wipe away the old and begin a new journey. You will never experience your best life Jesus has for you without learning something about resets.

You must learn when and how to reset your life. This is part of your life management responsibilities. If you don’t recognize the signs your “system” will continue to grind away with no results, or it will eventually crash.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we dive into the different times you will need a reset in your life.

Pastor Dale

Friday, April 5, 2019

Simply Complex

| 1:38 MIN READ |

Relationships are both simple and complex. They are “simply complex!” One of the major myths of relationships is that if they are real, meant-to-be, they will just happen. We have put relationships in the category of the unexplainable. When a relationship “works” it’s because of some mystical, magical kind of chemistry and “soul connection.”

While it certainly is true that chemistry and compatibility sometimes exist in relationships, and these elements make the relationship require less maintenance, not all relationships will have these elements, or should have them. The majority of relationships in your life will not happen automatically. They will require effort to build and maintain. Connecting with others in a relationship requires something from you!

God gave us relationship principles, truths, guidance, and wisdom. He told us how to build, grow, develop healthy relationships. In the book of Colossians 3:12-15a (NIV), the Apostle Paul notes, “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. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”

The sooner you recognize and admit that good, strong relationships do not just happen, somewhat mystically and magically — the sooner this romantic deception is broken in your life — the more prepared you will be to build healthy and fulfilling relationships.

Pastor Dale

Thursday, April 4, 2019

How Maintenance-minded are you?

| 1:26 MIN READ |

Maintenance is a very important activity. To “maintain” something is, “to preserve it from failure or decline; to sustain it against opposition or danger; to uphold and defend.” But because maintenance involves work it’s often avoided. Many people would rather go for “low-maintenance living.” We like low maintenance homes, low maintenance cars, low maintenance jobs, and low maintenance relationships. The less maintenance the better!

Lack of maintenance comes at a cost. It’s the “pay now or pay later” principle. When we neglect maintenance, we pay through problems, pain and repairs. Neglecting duties and ignoring responsibilities will lead us to miss wonderful opportunities. How many marriages, friendships, businesses and careers have slowly decayed and disintegrated because of a lack of maintenance?

Great blessings come when we are maintenance-minded people in all areas of life. God calls us to live this way in Proverbs 27:18 (NIV) “He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit …” Notice that the rewards of enjoying the fruit of a tree goes to the one who tends it. Tending is maintenance work. It’s unglamorous, daily, routine, mundane work. But without it, forget enjoying the benefits. Investment always precedes increase!

What areas of your life, your marriage, your work, your health — your life — are suffering from a lack of maintenance? Start tending the “tree” and you’ll enjoy some fresh, new fruit!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

What’s Burning in You?

| 1:45 MIN READ |

What’s burning in you? I’m talking about passion. Passion is an important part of life, and a commonly misunderstood concept. It’s often mistaken as something only associated with romance or with someone’s strong feelings.

Actually, passion is all about deep dedication and devotion. It’s about rock solid commitment to something or someone. It’s a kind of fire that burns in us for people and causes us to genuinely love. Passion is very much like fire. It can wane with neglect. It can also be rekindled with purposeful care and attention.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about rejuvenating his spiritual passion in 2 Timothy 1:6, 7 (NLT) “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Timothy had real faith, and his faithfulness to God was unquestionable, yet, Paul realized that this young man was losing something essential. He needed to fire up his passion for God. Fear and fret had thrown water on the flames in his soul. It was time to get out the spiritual bellows and rekindle his passion!

If this happened to Timothy, it can certainly happen to you and me! We can lose our fire for God. Our passion for the Kingdom of God can be compromised and contained by our life choices and experiences.

How’s your spiritual passion? If it’s less than it should be, go ahead and start fanning the waning embers in your soul. Remember God’s calling and purpose for your life. Live a life of integrity with God and keep short accounts with Him, quickly repenting of sins and failures. God will add His breath to your efforts, and your passion for God will blaze brightly again!

Pastor Dale