Video Devotionals

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

Friday, February 1, 2019

Speak Words of Faith into Your Life

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Change Your Words, Change Your Life

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Your Words Set Your Direction

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Your Words Shape Your Life

Monday, January 28, 2019

The Power of Your Words

Friday, January 25, 2019

Curing A Bitter Heart

| 1:54 MIN READ |

Have you ever bitten into something intensely bitter? The moment you do, your taste buds tell you. Your mouth usually reacts by automatically rejecting the item. Your body is telling you, “Don’t eat this!”

Bitterness can happen in the heart too. Life experiences and relationships can be bitter and can make us bitter. Unfortunately, our internal systems are not as quick to react to it or reject it as our mouths are. Far too often, bitter thoughts and feelings lodge in our soul, and slowly leach their poison into our choices and interactions with others. Over time, bitterness in the heart wreaks havoc on us; spiritually, emotionally, relationally and even physically. Sadly, there are lots of bitter people in our world.

The Bible warns us about bitterness in Hebrews 12:15 (TPT) “…And make sure no one lives with a root of bitterness sprouting within them which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many.”

Bitterness is dangerous, not only because of what it does to you, but because of what it does through you to others. It’s contagious!

What’s the cure for bitterness? Bitterness is purged from the soul by a choice — a decision to release. Bitter people hold on to things that have hurt or angered them. They carry grudges, and often are still seeking revenge. They ruminate over their pain and imagine the pleasure of a potential payback. They’re storing up poison in their hearts that seeps into their thoughts, conversations and interactions. Bitterness can only be cured by forgiveness.

Look at these words of guidance from Paul, the apostle in Ephesians 5:31, 32 (NLT) “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Let go of your bitterness today. Forgive. It will cure your soul!

Pastor Dale