Dayle's Blog

I want to be like the man who built His house on solid rock so that regardless of what “storms”  come, they will not cause my house; my life, relationships, marriage, family, and purpose in life to fall.

I’d hazard a guess most people also want their lives to “work” and to not fall in a big heap of rubble.

The good news is that Jesus gave comprehensive insight and advice on how to have a life that “works” when He said, “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them will be “okay”, (actually rock solid), regardless of what happens around them” (Luke 6:46)

Jesus wants our lives to reflect Him because not only us but also the rest of the world desperately needs to see how love works. He said, behave like a follower of me, instead of yourself. “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.” (Romans 12:9-10)

Today, practice building the kind of life that Jesus promises will establish a life built on a foundation of love and preferring others before yourself, and which causes you to withstand any storm.

Jesus said, “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against the house, and it could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock”. (Luke 6:46)

Prayer: Lord, help me build foundations in my life so I can stand firm and be fruitful in every season of life. Please help to choose to prefer and love others today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

There is an essential ingredient to staying balanced and healthy in life regardless of what is happening. It’s the art of keeping the basics as a key foundation to what we believe, value and consistently build our life upon.

When we allow ourselves and our everyday lives to get too busy and complex, we can easily lose focus on the core essentials of who we are and what we believe and stray from our foundational truths, practices and beliefs.

Then when we face a challenge or experience a “faith hit”, we find ourselves on shaky ground, feeling much like we are on “quicksand”, sinking fast and frantically needing to reach out for something or someone to grab hold of.

Today, if you feel like you are sinking or feeling shaky and trying to get yourself onto solid ground, know that help is available.

Stop what you are doing, reach out and grab hold of the hand of Jesus. Life is not meant to be complicated and full of toil and burdens. Jesus said, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. (Matthew 11:30).

That means when you are attached or yoked to Him; it’s easier to move in time with Him, go where He goes and able to do what He does. His way is “light and easy”. Let him teach and remind you of the basics of spending time with Him, reading His words in the bible, talking to and listening to His voice and then doing what, and only what He says.

Keep it simple and determine to surround yourself and to listen to people who encourage you, know God and His word and whom God will use to help you.

“Get back to basics” today and plant your feet and future on solid ground.

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand”. (Psalm 40:2)

Prayer: Jesus, please grab hold of me today and help me get back to basics so I build and continue to establish my life and future on a solid foundation that will see me through every phase of my life. In Jesus name Amen

“May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)

“If you have the foundations right, the rest you can build on”. It’s a quote from the movie Money Pit, about a house that seemed to have everything wrong with it. However as the painters, plumbers and carpenters were leaving from their renovation work the head builder said those words to his owners because the core of the house had always been there. They’d simply built and rebuilt upon good foundations.

I think our lives are like that too. Every relationship, belief and pursuit we have can only be successful and stand the test of time and pressure it will inevitably come under, if the foundations are strong and built right in the first place. Without basing who we are, what we do and whom we choose to share our lives with on core, solid essentials eventually we are going to find ourselves on shaky ground and face inevitable collapse.

My husband and I have been together for over thirty years and we have definitely weathered some storms together. However our relationship and who we are together and separately always seems to be able to bounce back and just get stronger. That’s because from the outset we recognised God’s hand and calling upon both of our lives.

When we chose to build our life upon His promises and the way He asks us to do things we soon discovered that we would always have a steadying and guiding hand to come back to. The base is there and regardless of any pressure from family, finances, health issues, work or just life in general we know that we’ve built our “house” strong and we can always rely upon and lean on those solid foundations.  Even if our life get buffeted about or perhaps needs a coat of paint or some renovations done on it, we have the core of who we are right, so we can always just keep building, cleaning up and tweaking things if necessary to move forward.

Take the time and effort to build your “house” right from the beginning, whether that is in your character, relationship, career, studies, friendships or future plans. Build solid foundations, put in the work now, pray lots and follow God’s building guidelines found in His Word, and you will build something that has far more chance of standing the test of time and the pressures of life.  If you need to go back and firm up any areas of your life and strengthen and correct unstable core values, practices and beliefs, rather than trying to hide weaknesses or flaws, for eventually the cracks will show and whatever you’ve built will likely fall over.

Remember, “If you have the foundations right, the rest you can build on!” 

Jesus said it this way, “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”  (Luke 6:47-49)

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2)

Prayer: Lord I’m choosing to make you my final authority and to base my life upon who you are and what you say about me. Please help me to build, and if need be to strengthen my foundations in you so that I can continue to build strongly regardless of what may be going on around me. In Jesus name Amen.

An anchor is used to hold an object to a fixed point and represents safety, stability and a hope for the future.

We need anchor points in our everyday lives, too, especially when we are busy or under pressure because those anchors hold us steady.

As long as we’re anchored to something solid and reliable, we’ll remain steady even if things feel out of our control or we’re being buffeted about by lives circumstances.

The key is to know what our anchor points in our life are. For me, Jesus and what He says in His word, daily quiet time, exercise and spending time with my husband and family are some of my main anchor points on which I secure my life.  

Primarily if I keep my focus and heart anchored on these I know I will be okay because all my choices are anchored on a firm foundation and everything I do and am are attached to these anchor points.

Today I encourage you to determine your everyday anchor points to have a firm foundation to hold you steady as you move forward.

“God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which God can’t lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. “(Hebrews 6:18-19)

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

“He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.” (Psalm 62:2)

Prayer: Lord, thank you that you are in control and you; all things hold together. Please help me have the wisdom to know who and what my anchor points are and secure my life to those things so that I am not buffeted around by life but instead will catch the wind in my sails. In Jesus name Amen

Every year my husband takes time to reflect on the past year. It’s his yearly thing to do, and as a family, we are now pretty used to this annual event.

Reflection is not a bad thing to do as it means thinking, considering, studying, pondering, meditating, and contemplating. This is interesting because, for the most part, our fast-paced, production-focused world doesn’t give much time for reflection.

But when we do take time for reflection it helps us ascertain how we are travelling through life. We consider our health, relationships, spiritual journey, whether we are dealing with our hurts and disappointments or carrying them around with us. As we reflect, we can readjust and refocus on our goals and the dreams God has placed in our hearts.

The bible says, “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.” (Proverbs 27:10 ESV)  Yet without reflection, we can miss what is buried within our hearts and therefore push aside issues that need our attention and God’s plans and purposes and strategy to fulfil them.

Today ask yourself, why don’t I stop and take more time to reflect? Is it because I am afraid of what I might have to face, or of my disappointment because of the course my life has taken? Or am I so rushed and exhausted I don’t stop long enough?

A solution is to prioritise some time to reflect on Jesus. He will help and enable us to see the hidden things of our hearts and our lives through His perspective and plan. Where we feel we have failed or have disappointments and frustrations. He will, if we ask Him give us the wisdom to make better decisions, heal our hurts, energise us to keep on going on our journey and direct us in the right paths to take. We are achieving our dreams and goals. He will encourage us to dream bigger and teach us how to inspire others to do the same.

I encourage you to schedule in some quiet space to reflect: ponder, contemplate and consider all that you are thinking, feeling and doing so that you continue to grow.

“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards”. (Soren Kierkegaard)

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this day and your hand upon my life. Please help me to take some time to stop, reflect and listen to your guidance so that I can continue to grow into all that you created me to be. In Jesus name

There is a condition that can attach itself to our lives if we are not careful called Fomo or “the fear of missing. It’s the modern-day terminology for an age-old problem of thinking that “the grass is always greener on the other side“.

Fomo shows up at inopportune moments such as:

• When you are with friends or loved ones and you have to check your phone to see what is happening because you don’t want to miss something.
• You can’t commit to an invitation, relationship, or event because you might get a better offer.
• You start to feel depressed or get puffed up with pride as you compare your life with others, rather than just “running your own race” well.
• You miss important parts of conversations, little things your kids or people close to you say and do, or the wonder of experiencing what’s right in front of you because you have stopped living in the moment.

The fear of missing out can often cause us to take our eyes off our dreams, aspirations, and the wonderful plans God has for us because we’re focusing on what everyone else may or may not be doing.

However, Fomo does not have to steal from our lives. Suppose we discipline ourselves to live in the moment, be in the room, and refuse to fall into the comparison trap. In that case, other people’s stories and accounts of their lives can positively influence us and be what God can use to inspire and motivate us.

We can choose to take the fear out and instead replace it with faith and a renewed focus to “get out there” and live our life to the absolute fullest, rather than merely sitting back and watching everyone else live theirs.

When we remove the “fear of missing out”, then when we see others lives:

• We receive inspiration to explore and adventure out of our comfort zone because if others can do it we can too. 
• We gain encouragement to begin to seek more after God and His plans for our life.
• We become more focused on being the best we can be, with our eyes fixed firmly ahead.

Don’t be a victim of the fear of missing out! Take the fear out and choose to trust God to guide and direct your steps into all that He has planned for you. Thank Him for the inspiration of those around you, and also seek Him for where you can best make a positive difference in someone’s else world today.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” (Psalm 37:23)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the fantastic people around me and the experiences I can have every day. Please help me not fall into the trap of comparisons and fear but instead be inspired by others. Help me every day stay motivated and continue to focus on the abundant life you have for me. In Jesus name Amen

I’ve discovered that it’s experiencing God’s kindness that continually leads us back to Him, even when we’ve messed up or failed. Receiving His kindness and love also helps us reach out with that same kindness to others. 

God especially wants us to share kindness with those around us. Why? Because many people can go through the day never feeling the effects of kindness, hearing an encouraging, positive word or smile. They are surrounded by negativity and hopelessness and are struggling.

To be honest these people are often the people we retreat from and avoid, because they seem to be grumpy or difficult all the time. But kindness has the power to change lives and simple acts of kindness can soften even the most hardened heart and work to heal a broken one.

The bible says “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Kindness is powerful to effect change and healing in people’s lives.  Medical studies have found that there are huge benefits to us being kind. Not only does it make us and others feel good, studies have demonstrated that the psychological benefits are actually reflected in the circuitry of our brains. Being kind increases happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem and works for young and old, regardless of race, religion or social status.

Another interesting study revealed that kindness is found to be more attractive to people than good looks. So perhaps if you are looking for a date, partner, friend or even spouse, think about practicing kindness.

When we are being kind, even if they are a stranger, we’re saying your life matters. And in what can be a hectic world, even a small gesture of kindness can help lift a bad mood, brighten someone’s day and open hearts up to the goodness of God.

Today make the time to show kindness to those around you. It’s good for your health, your brain and mood. Plus you may just make someone’s day and even meet your soul mate or next best friend.

Prayer: Lord thank you for your great kindness towards me. Help me to share that kindness with others today and to look for opportunities to make someone else’s day. In Jesus name Amen.

We’re not made to live in contention and strife, and medically, emotionally and spiritually, it damages our health, relationships, and the essence of who we are.

Most living things like sweet substances and peaceful environments, and as the old saying goes, “you can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar”. In other words, we can attract, impact and have a significant affect on people and the world around us when we choose to be agreeable, kind and not always on the defensive and ready for a fight.

The bible has some wisdom on how to handle strife and disputes, and if we want to live peacefully, be taken seriously and have healthy relationships with others, we would be wise to heed God’s words.

God says, “a gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare, and to “have nothing to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels” (Proverbs 15:1; 2 Timothy 2:23-24).

Next time you face a disagreement or you’re tempted to vent your feelings in an unproductive way, take the time to pause and ask God to help you get your heart, mind, and mouth under control before you act and speak. Then choose to respond and express your thoughts and feelings respectively and gently, remembering a gentle answer deflects anger, while harsh words produce quarrels.

Prayer: Lord, please help me to respond to people and situations with grace and gentleness. Let my words and actions be one’s that defuse a fight and deflect anger today. In Jesus name Amen

For the most part anything we do in life is an investment. We invest in our finances, education, homes, and our relationships with God and others.

But it’s so easy in the thick of things to look at our circumstances with a short term view. We fixate on the immediate while negating to see with perspective the long term view of things.

If we take a short-term view we can easily become discouraged at down turns or the hiccups along the way. We tend to become focused on the negative, our fears, and on what is going on in the immediate. This causes us to forget that life is actually a long-term investment strategy and it pays to stay focused on who and what is most important and our ultimate goals.

With God’s wisdom and help the longer we stay invested the smaller the likelihood we will lose out both in our finances, relationships and goals.

However even in the down turns and when things might not go to plan, if you view your life in the long term you’ll continue to learn and grow from every season and circumstance you go through. The key is to stay invested and not give up when things get tough.

Just as in our finances the golden rule of investing is to allow our investments sufficient time to achieve their potential, we too will benefit from giving adequate time and patience to allow our education, ventures, relationships and the call and purpose of God to be fulfilled in our lives. “It’s by faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God” (Hebrews 6:12).

Today be encouraged to take a long term view of life. That new fitness regime, budgeting plan, business venture, a relationship with your partner, children and family, and most of all the time you spend with Jesus will take investment of your time, finances, heart, mind and actions.

Don’t get discouraged by any down turns or uncomfortable challenging circumstances. Remember your goals, that God is with you and your life is not a short sprint but a long term investment into those things that truly matter.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Prayer: Lord help me to see life with a long term view more. Please give me the wisdom to know where and when to make long term investments so that I will see the results of my time, prayer and efforts, and most of all to make the investment into my relationship with you. In Jesus name Amen.