Dayle's Blog

I ate some salad today which I’d grown myself, but as began to eat I realised I was out of salad dressing and as a result I had to eat it without dressing. Which is when I discovered something…. I didn’t like the lettuce that I have planted, watered and even prayed over. I’d never noticed before because I’ve always put dressing all over this particular type of lettuce, but on having to eat the raw food I found out I really really don’t like it.

My salad today made me think that we often do exactly the same thing in other areas of our lives too. Whether it be our job, relationships, church community, places we live or any other circumstances we find ourselves in. We can very easily avoid seeing the truth or what is the raw material in our lives because we’ve been busy dressing up everything to make it palatable or the way we want it to look. However when we are honest and strip things back some of what we’ve been surrounding ourselves with and consuming isn’t actually real, can be quite toxic to us and not beneficial to to help us become all God desires us to be. We’ve just been dressing life up to make it seem okay.

I’m not saying we should suddenly cut off all our relationships, quit our jobs or leave our church, but perhaps all the energy we spend “dressing up” our lives to try and make them less distasteful and draining to us would be better spent putting our effort into finding out and being who God has made us to be, seeking Him more, cultivating healthy relationships and choosing to walk in the purpose He has destined for us.

Today I discovered that even though I’ve spent time, money and energy on growing rows of lettuces, I actually don’t like that type of lettuce… and that’s okay. I don’t like bitter, and prefer the type growing along side it. Now that I know that about myself I just won’t grow that type of lettuce again, and I’ll save on salad dressing.

In the same way we are all created and called by God to be who He has made me to be. Yes we are to be open to change where God is working and molding us to be the best version of ourselves. But let’s be real in the journey and not ignore, hide from, or dress things up all the time to make them palatable and bearable in our lives when they are not as they should be or don’t belong in our lives.

Today I encourage you to take an honest look at your life. Is God trying to point out some things to you that you haven’t wanted to see about your life and behaviour, or the people and circumstances around you? Allow Him to speak to you today so He can move whatever is needed so He can then bring blessing and purpose into every area of your life.

Prayer: Lord thank you that you desire for me to be real and honest about who I am and the relationships, calling and purpose on my life. Please help me to see people and situations for what and who they really are, and to have wisdom to know what should remain and what I have simply being dressing up to convince myself it should be in my life. In Jesus name Amen.

Prayer is the legal right to ask God to supernaturally intervene on our behalf. “We can stand in God’s presence without fear, without a sense of inferiority, without a sense of guilt, because of all that Jesus has done for us. It is our legal right to come boldly before God to request heavenly intervention in this earth on our behalf.” (Charles Capps)

God doesn’t want us to tell Him the problem; He wants us to seek Him and then ask for the solution. He already knows our problems and what we need before we even ask Him. (Matthew 6:7-8) God wants us to learn to pray with authority, by lining ourselves up with what He has already spoken in His Word so we will release by faith His ability into every situation and circumstance.

I’ve learnt that there is no point reinforcing the problem we are facing by talking over and over about it. Instead we are encouraged to go to God’s word and find out what He says about our situation so that we can then pray as we put a demand upon what God has promised

“A prayer accurately formed and stated from the Word of God will absolutely move heaven and earth, and the things under the earth on our behalf.” (C.Capps)

Let’s not keep telling God and everyone else our problems, when we can far better use our time to ask God for His wisdom and search out His word for the solution. Whatever it is; whether it is physical, financial, your relationships, a need for healing or direction for your future, determine to go to God and His word. Don’t rush it, but search to know His will, so you can pray with faith and boldness, basing your prayer accurately on what He has spoken and promised.

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Prayer: Lord please help me to have understanding and wisdom as I spend time in your presence and reading your Word, so that I can know what your will is for every situation I face. Thank you that prayer is my key to have you supernaturally intervene on my behalf. In Jesus Name Amen.

I have discovered something important from so-called failures – they can actually be the making of us and why I choose to call them “Failing Up”.

The seasons where I have been most confused or have hurt the most are also the occasions where God has caused me to step up into another place, opportunity and deeper connection with Him.

I’ve learnt in those seasons where it looks like I’ve experienced a setback or failure to keep moving forward and to be really honest, open and vulnerable to God. In my so called failures I’ve been faced with a choice to either give up in defeat or to choose to lean not simply on my strength and wisdom, but on God’s. It’s how we ‘fail up” – we may have failed in our strength and ability, but in doing so we get the chance to step up into a new realm of possibilities with Jesus where His grace is sufficient for us, for His power is made perfect in weakness.” For when we are weak, then we are made strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Today I want to encourage all those who feel they are or have failed. For those who have studied and then realised they don’t want to do the job they’ve trained for. For those who’ve stepped out and did something and it didn’t work out as planned. For those who put it all on the line and believed for great things and then achieved little, and for those who have a dream and it hasn’t come to pass yet – my advice would be, “Don’t give up, Fail Up”.

For sometimes our so called failures are in fact God rescuing us from ourselves and our choices. Or perhaps even though things might not have worked out as we initially planned, we now know how to do new things. We’ve overcome a fear or inadequacy and increased our skills, which is never a bad thing, and in God’s hands won’t be wasted.

Other times we quite simply have to make a choice; do we allow our so called failures to limit us and be the stick we use to beat ourselves up over, or do we take our disappointments to God and trust Him to make something good out of them, just as He has promised, so we can dust ourselves off and get back out there again.

“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Today I recommend the latter and for you to take what you have learnt, achieved, believed for, studied and worked at to Jesus and ask Him to show you what to do next. Go up not down. Look heavenward rather than back and determine to focus upon the next stage in your journey, being newly equipped with what you have learnt from your experiences as you lean into Jesus and Fail Up!

Prayer: Lord thank you that the things that we think could break us in actual fact in your loving hands can be the making of us. Help me to trust you today to take my life and to do something amazing with it. I choose to “fail up” into you today. In Jesus Name Amen.

One thing most of us struggle with is the unknown’s in life. The uncertainty of what’s ahead or knowing completely how everything is going to play out in our life.

It’s these unknown’s in our journey that can really stress us out and undermine our confidence, cause us to get stuck or to become fearful.

Abram (later to be renamed Abraham) in the bible faced many such unknown’s when God told him to “Leave his people and his father’s household and go to the land God would show him. God said He would make him a great nation and would bless him and make his name great. “I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-7)

So Abram left, as the Lord had told him, taking with him his nephew Lot, his wife Sarai and all the possessions they had accumulated.

The amazing thing about Abram is that until God spoke to him that day Abram had not known God at all; He had been a sun worshipper until God revealed himself. Yet as Abram responded to God he suddenly went from not knowing God at all to to someone who boldly and confidently started following Him. In doing so he also became a prosperous nation and greatly blessed in the land God brought him to.

God still wants to make Himself known to us; to bring revelation and understanding of who He is, what He has provided for us and His plans for the future. Abram had to leave behind comfortability, familiarity and his past and step into an unknown territory to take hold of the promises of God. Likewise we too are asked to trust and follow God’s leading and directives even when we are not sure where we are going or what may happen – that’s what faith is and why Abram is called the Father of Faith. Because faith trusts in God’s goodness, faithfulness and hand to guide us even in the unknown’s.

Paul in the bible prayed a prayer I pray often in that we would have the spirit of revelation and wisdom in the knowledge of God and the hope of our calling. That the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened (Ephesians 1:17) As a result of this knowing we can walk in confidence, having a new boldness and hope to step out in trust and faith even when we face the”unknown’s” in our life. Just as God spoke and revealed the path ahead for Abram to walk in, He will always illuminate our hearts and the way forward enough for us to take our next step.

Whatever unknown’s you may be facing right now I encourage you to firstly consider what you do know about God and his nature as a starting point for your faith. What new facet of Himself might He be wanting to reveal to you as you step out and trust in Him.

For it is often in the unknown’s, where we simply have to trust in God’s character and goodness that we come to know Him in a new and deeper way. Our unknown’s become the perfect vehicle for knowing Him more.

Today as you face any unknown’s in your life I pray that you would be reminded of all that you know of God already. May He increasingly enlighten your heart and the eyes of your understanding as you step out in faith and follow after Him. (Ephesians 1:17-18)

When things aren’t going well, you feel attacked and repeated negative things are occuring in our life it’s a good idea to stop and check what may be is going on behind the scenes, rather than accepting less than God’s best.

There are often forces at work we may not be fully aware of and at times we are not exercising our spiritual power as God intended. As a result we grow discouraged and wonder what we have done wrong and where is God in our circumstances.

Jesus is always present with us and will never leave us, but He also wants us to walk in the authority that is ours. He used the phrase “binding the strong man” to describe dealing with spiritual forces that come against us. When you bind someone you are essentially limiting their influence and threat and rendering them powerless.

We are not victims but overcomers for, “greater is He that is within us than He who is in the world. No weapon formed against us will prosper and all those who rise up against us will fall.” God says, “resist the devil and He will flee from you”, but we will have to resist and not just sit back and throw our hands up in despair and defeat. (1 John 4:4; Isaiah 54:17; James 4:7)

When things aren’t going well or as they should in our lives the best thing we can do is stop, pray and ask God to reveal the source so we can then deal with the cause accordingly.

1. Check your heart and attitudes. Deal with any unforgiveness, strife and hurt so that the enemy has no place to gain a foothold in your life. Jesus bore it all for us and His work on the Cross covers every part of our lives.

2. Ask God to reveal if there are any spiritual forces or a demonic strongman behind what is going on in your life or in the lives of those around you. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor 10:4)

3. Bind the strongman and any other demonic forces at work in the name of Jesus and declare God’s promises and protection over your life as you determine to walk in all that God says is yours.

“How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”

Jesus said He gave us “authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 12:29; 18:18)“

Jesus has given us authority and the weapons of warfare to bind and loose whatever is necessary for us to experience breakthrough and to take hold of the inheritance that God says is ours as a member of His family.

Today don’t settle for less than God’s best in your life. Bind the strong man and start walking in the authority, presence and power that rightfully belongs to you.

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

“Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the plunder of a tyrant will be retrieved; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.” (Isaiah 49:25)

Prayer: Lord please reveal to me any area of my life I need to step up in and take authority over. Thank you that I have all I need in you to walk in victory. In Jesus name Amen.

Over the last few days I have been remembering back to before we had our eldest daughter. I had just suffered a miscarriage and was feeling confused, hurt and wondering what God was doing. One day my Mum came to visit and invited me to go shopping, and while out we passed the baby section where she encouraged me to go and look at the baby clothes, which to many would have seemed a strange thing to do as I had just lost a baby. But my Mum knew something about how faith and hope work, which is that we must keep hope alive because it helps activate our faith to believe God. I returned home from that shopping trip with a tiny pair of pink fluffy baby booties, which over the weeks that followed I would regularly take out, hold and visualise on tiny little baby feet. Not long afterwards I fell pregnant and nine months later I was able to place those pink booties on our healthy, beautiful, baby girl Anna.

The principal I learnt through that time was that when we are praying and believing for what we sense God is speaking to us we often have to activate something in the natural realm to bring these promises and Words from God to pass in our lives. The simple act of buying baby booties was a statement of belief that I was going to have a baby; it was a natural act, which was placing me in agreement with what God had said.

We see this countless times in the bible. Jesus called to Peter to come and walk on the water. He spoke and said “Come walk out on the water – a supernatural thing, but Peter had to do the very natural act of stepping out of the boat to cause the supernatural to impact his life. The lame man who was lowered through the roof had to do a natural act in response to Jesus’ words of “pick up your mat and walk”, of obeying and picking up his mat and walking. Without his act of faith to respond there would have been no activation of faith and therefore no miracle. (Matthew 14:22-31;John 5:8-9)

Today if you believe you have heard from God, I encourage you to ask how does He want you to respond to the Word He has spoken to you. What act of faith does He want you to take to release to hasten the supernatural into your life and situation? Then as He prompts you just do it, and then keep speaking and standing on His promises as you watch God’s answer unfold.

Prayer: Lord I thank you that nothing is impossible for you and that all you ask is that we trust in you and your goodness. Please help me to put wheels on my faith and to not just speak your promises but also to act where and when you lead me. In Jesus name Amen.

If you just met someone and they said, “Tell me about yourself.” What would you say? What would you tell them defines you as a person and matters to you the most?

There are the big events in our lives that are defining moments such as graduating and gaining our degree, our first real job, falling in love, getting married, a successful business deal, the birth of our children, the death of someone close to us, memorable trips, finding success and experiencing failure. The list goes on. These moments are often what we share with others and what we use to define ourselves to others.

But what exactly defines us to ourselves?

From a very young age we dress and act a certain way, play sport or perhaps pursue an artistic hobby. We constantly long for our defining moments to be something lasting and our existence to be remembered and to matter. As a result we go through life trying to get to these big defining moments and they are often the driving force behind our decisions and actions. Yet in the process we can forget that it is the journey and experiences we travel through that God uses to shape and define us the most. He is in the midst of all our moments and He desires to speak and share with us who He has created us to be.

When we choose to invite Jesus into our life there is one thing that is paramount to our relationship and identity. It is that we find ourselves and who we are in what Jesus says about us above anything else. His words and truth are to be what sets the scene for the rest of our lives, for it’s in belonging to Him and His family that helps us become the best version of ourselves.

Today who do you say you are? What experiences and words have you permitted to shape you into the person you have become, and whose voice are you allowing to define you? Because God, the who created you, wants to be the loudest voice and the one who defines you the most.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old man has passed away, behold the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.“(1 Peter 2:9)

Prayer: Lord thank you that I am a new creation in you and that I can discover who I am and my purpose through knowing you. Please help me to be defined only by what you say about me rather than the voices of the world around me or my past. In Jesus Name Amen.

When our second daughter was a little girl she was covered with chronic eczema.  She had regular hospital and specialist appointments and would often have infections all over her body. Several times a day we would have to bath her in special medicated lotions, then cover her from head to toe in ointments and moisturizer. After soaking bandages in warm water we would then have to wrap her up like a mummy, finally putting on top of those wet bandages (called wet dressings) a set of dry clothes. She would have to stay in this state for close to an hour.

We chose to do this process 4 times a day instead of her having to be hospitalised, and there were many days I fought back tears as I carefully applied ointments to her infected, sore little body.

It was in those years that I learnt to hold onto God’s promises. I learnt that to survive and win you can’t look at external circumstances or suffering, but only at the promises in God’s word. I had to decide to hold onto what God said about our daughter and stand on that.

We also taught her God’s promises; we prayed, spoke what God said, and refused to give up. I  would tell her, “find a spot without eczema no matter how small; that beautiful clear smooth skin is what you are going to have all over you.” I would speak over her, “people are going to look at you and say “look what beautiful skin you have”. I was speaking those things that are not, as though they are.

“Abraham acted in faith when he stood in the presence of God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that don’t yet exist.” (Romans 4:17)

In the natural it seemed ridiculous but I was looking through the eyes of faith and God’s promises.

Our daughter is 25 now and you would never know except for two small scars on her arm what she went through as a child. It’s 15 years since she was discharged from the hospital as an outpatient and I remember the day she was discharged and her specialist who had cared for her all those years standing back with tears in her eyes and saying, “just look at you”, “look how beautiful you are and how clear and smooth your skin is”.

Yes I agreed quietly to myself, God is so faithful and we can hold onto His promises!

There are times in life when in the midst of the battle our circumstances will not look like they are lining up or at all what we had planned. We can be left with more questions than answers and feel confused and disappointed. However it is really important in this space to acknowledge that we don’t know everything and to seek God for His wisdom and the next steps to take on our journey. I’ve learnt that setbacks are temporary and that even though we may lose ground in a skirmish we are not going to lose the war.

Today I encourage you to hold on. You may be facing temporary setbacks or even “faith hits’ but this is not the end. Reach out to Jesus, lay hold of His promises, dust yourself off if need be, but don’t concede defeat. It may look impossible, but look again through the eyes of faith and God’s promises and see and speak your breakthrough!

Prayer: Lord I hold onto your promises. I thank you that you are faithful to your word, and even if I have temporary setbacks I will not be defeated. I believe what you say about my circumstances – I win. In Jesus name amen.

Goodness and favour surround us and when we start seeking out and looking there is evidence of God’s goodness towards us everywhere. Even when it seems that no good can come of a situation, God if we seek Him will surprise us by revealing just how He has been working behind the scenes on our behalf and with our best in mind.

It however does take practice and a renewed mindset to begin to look for the good, rather than to focus upon the negative. Some people may think that’s just “putting your head in the sand” and not facing facts, but when we know God and what He promises then any contrary circumstances must line up with the truth of His Word.

A key to being more positive and to see the good is to begin to retrain yourself to focus and expect to see God’s favour and goodness towards you everyday.

Some other helpful ways to look for the good are:

1. Keep your eyes and ears on God’s Word to build your faith and expectation for God’s favour and blessings to be poured into your life.

^“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17)

2. Give God your cares and concerns and then leave them with Him. It’s hard to see the good when you are weighed down with burdens and worries.

^“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

3. Spend time talking to God in prayer and then declaring what He says about your life, rather than focusing and repeating the negatives or what others say about you.

“And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14: 13-14)

4. Honour even the smallest good and positive thing in your life. Don’t take God’s blessings for granted.

“Give the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendour of [His] holiness.” (Psalm 29:2)

“Honour the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce.” (Proverbs 10:9)

5. Look for the “silver lining” in situations and remember that God has promised that all things work together for good for those who love Him. Somewhere, somehow good will come.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28)

Today even if it is only a tiny sliver of joy and goodness that you can see choose to acknowledge and honour God for it. As you do you’ll start to see goodness all around you as you train your eyes, heart and mind to focus on the positives and to expect God’s daily favour to be made evident in your life.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

“He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. ” (Psalm 33:5)

“Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.“ (Psalm 31:19-20)

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your help to retrain my eyes, heart and mind to see all the good. Please help me to grow to easily be able to see the positives so that it becomes an everyday expectation to daily experience your favour and goodness being revealed in my life. In Jesus name Amen.