Tuesday, June 5, 2018

 
 
 
 
DEVOTIONAL for Tuesday, June 5, 2018
“TAKE HEART AND FEAR NOT”
 
by Dona Hake
 
On our last devotional we looked  at how we will remain steadfast and strong  as we set the Lord before us. This will challenge our hearts to  live our life with Jesus as Lord over everything. Our Lord never fails and He will never let go!  As He goes before us,  who can come and stand against us? We are to purpose to give Him all control for in Him we trust. This Proverb I share today is counseling our hearts to permit Him to lead and guide our steps.   He knows the path so we should never try to figure it out without Him.
 
“Everyone of our steps is directed by Him; so how can we attempt to figure out our own way?” Proverbs 20:20   The voice translation
 
Oh how our imaginations and fears can create such overwhelming and maybe even hopeless scenarios. This is where the battle begins in our minds and causes us doubt and unbelief. May we walk by faith and not by sight. Oh Lord, help us to see when we are attempting to live in our own efforts or seek to undertake problems in our own ability for Your thoughts and ways are higher than ours. May we receive a deeper revelation today that You truly desire to lead every one of our steps, and we rejoice in that!


Devotional for Friday, June 1, 2018

 

DEVOTIONAL FOR JUNE 1, 2018
“Always Before Us We Have Set You Oh Lord!”
 
 
 
 
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
Psalm 16:8     (KJV)

“I have set the Lord always before me:

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”

 

Many times in life we all will need direction. The direction we seek should always be from our Lord, His Word, or those that are speaking by the direction of the Holy Spirit. As we keep the Lord before us He has promised to get us there safely. He promises to show us His wisdom. Again, that direction may come from His Word or a wise person He has placed in your life. There are so many ways He comes along side of us when we do not know how to get to where we need to be. Remember….He sees the light at the end of the tunnel when we are disoriented by fears and anxieties.

As we stay aware of His presence in this journey we can trust Him, He is well able to get us there safely. Trusting Him in the journey is so vitally important because He may just take us a different direction than what we expected. I believe those are the times that we get an even greater revelation of “All things work together for the good to Him that loves God.” May we keep our Lord always before us, and WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED.

 

~~~~~     ♥      ~~~~~~



Devotional for Thursday, May 31, 2018

 
 
Devotional for Thursday, May 31, 2018
“What Is Important…”
 
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
 
Jesus said, ” I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee.”    Oh the power of His unfailing love.    He has promised to be with us no matter what.  
 
 
“What is important is that you are
holding on, 
that you have a grip on Christ and
He will not let your hand go.”
Mother Teresa
 
 
May we have  a determination to hold a tight grip on our Lord because His strength never fails, He will not let go of us.   The scripture I want to share with you today is from 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 from the Easy-to-Read Version.
 
 

“We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us.  We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up.  We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.  So we constantly experience the death of Jesus in our own bodies, but this is so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies.”

 
 
…and praise God He will never ever let go of us!    Today let us meditate upon how we have been molded for the use of the Master.   We are as beautiful and fragile clay jars that hold the treasure which is to show His glory amazing and wonderful things to all around us.   Let us not be discouraged by what our eyes see or do not see but rather let us determine that we will hold  on to Jesus’ hand, for He and His unfailing love has promised to never let go!   We are more than conquerors!


Tuesday, May 29, 2018

 
 
Devotional for Tuesday, May 29, 2018
“The Blessing of Fond Memories”
 
 
by Dona Hake
 
Today I am sharing one of my fondest memories of my first trip to Wales to visit Arthur Burt with Pastor Bill and some members of our congregation. I have been sharing many of his quotes that have blessed my heart in some of my most recent devotionals.
 
One morning we had just finished our breakfast, and we were heading out to do some sightseeing. Brother Arthur’s home was so quaint and beautiful! It was a perfect day… a crisp cool beautiful morning by the North Sea.  I was excited for we were going to see a beautiful castle. We gathered out front of Arthur’s home waiting for all of the group to come together and leave. I happened to be standing alone, and Brother Arthur slowly moved toward me. He leaned up and whispered very quietly into my ear. “Sister I have to tell you something…”. “What Brother Arthur?” I said. He continued… “They keep following me, they follow me everywhere I go!“. At first I was not sure what he was talking about and what was going on. I said, “Brother Arthur …Who? Who is following you?“His precious face lit up with joy as he exclaimed “Goodness and mercy!!! They keep following me all the days of my life!”   We giggled together and fellowshipped about the blessing of God’s goodness and mercy in our life.  I just loved his sense of humor and wit, and even in fun he was proclaiming the Word of God!
 
Brother Arthur has since gone home to be with Jesus, and I will forever hold fast to that special memory. He followed the Lord all the days of his life. What a testimony that he left as he traveled the world in his old age and continued to share God’s Word, and the depth of God’s wisdom he carried in his heart. As we follow our Lord all the days of our life we too can exclaim His goodness and mercy are following us everywhere we go, and we can joyfully dwell in Him!
 
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”
Psalm 23:6 – KJV
 
“How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who [reverently] fear You, Which You have prepared for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of man!”
Psalm 31:19 – AMP
 
“Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
Psalm 107:15 -KJV


Monday, May 28, 2018

 
 
 
Devotional for Monday, May 28, 2018
“Fill Me Lord”
 
 
by Dona Hake
 
“Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s Word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.” 
Philippians 4:8-9 – AMP
 
Today I am pondering the importance of challenging any thought or opinion that would try to rob me of my peace.  Is that thought that crossed my mind pure and wholesome? Does it bring peace or cause me anxiety? Is it confirmed by God’s Word and His thoughts or is it my opinion?   Have I made it a practice of my daily life to center my mind on that which is right and true?   These few questions help me to take unworthy and impure thoughts captive that I may enjoy the peace and well being He desires for me.   May we encourage one another to keep our minds guarded of anything that would rob our God given peace.
 
Paul exhorted us in the book of Philippians to center our minds on only good things and implant those good things in our hearts. Then we will experience the peace and well-being that our Lord desires for us. In addition to purposing to guard my thoughts, I leave you with two things that I try to pray over my heart as much as possible.  I have these words written in my prayer journal, and they always minister to my heart.  When we do what we are required to do to guard our hearts the Lord will be faithful to fill us with His strength and give us the peace that passes all understanding.
 
 
“Lord, Fill me with strength and quiet energy.
Keep my mind quiet that I may practice peaceful thinking.”
 
 


Friday, May 25, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
Devotional for Saturday, May 25, 2018
“…and You Will Yield”
 
“The value of the field is in the yield.
The hard stone does not yield.”
Arthur Burt
 
Oh that our hearts would remain broken and humbled that the great words of our Lord are able to take root and yield  its eternal potential. The psalmist cried out in one of the psalms… “Oh God! Create in me a clean heart!” I believe as this is the cry of our heart we will be able to recognize when we are resisting the work of our Lord in our hearts. There are many reasons that hearts get hardened  but the important thing to know as a believer is  if we are diligently guarding our hearts that this will not happen.   Our Lord spoke in simple stories to deliver profound truths about the Kingdom of God.   This portion of scripture describes the different conditions of one’s heart and how it affects the yield of the Word in us.  Let us read…
 
“You then, hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one having been sown along the road. “The one sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root himself but lasts only a short while; and when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. “But the one sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word; and the worries of the world and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. “Now the one sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands. He indeed bears fruit, yielding a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”  Matthew 1318-23 TLV
 
 
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].”
(AMP)
 
These scriptures show the simplicity of how to live before God with a heart that yields according to His plan and will for our life. Delight in God‘s Word, and meditate upon it, be a doer and we will be blessed.    We will  be firmly planted and continually fed as we draw upon the Living Water. We will absolutely yield fruit, and our  leaves will always be green and flourishing. Whatever we put our hands to will not only prosper but will come to maturity and we will be a field of great value to our Lord.
 
 


Thursday, May 24, 2018

 
 
Devotional for Thursday, May 24, 2018
“Directed and Established in His Ways”
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
Over the past few days we have been meditating on reflecting the Son, and we looked at the work of our loving Refiner’s hand in our life. I love the prayer of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:5.   I feel it goes well with the meditations of our past few days.  This is taken from the Amplified Translation…
 

“Oh, that my ways were directed and established

to observe your statutes (hearing, receiving,

loving, and obeying them)!!”
 
Hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying God is all part of the refining process therefore reflecting it to those around us.   Have you ever heard something, and it went in one ear and out the other? I am sure we have all been guilty of that one.   May I mention that doing this is a choice…it does not just happen.  So our Lord  wants us to be very cautious that we never pick and choose when we are hearing the living Word of His truth.  The Word of the living God  should be revered and held at a standard above our thoughts and opinions.   May we hear it, take hold of it, and receive it to be our very own revelation.  As we hold fast to that Word, love it, and obey it, we will indeed reflect His degrees in the manner in which we live.  Let us be faithful to read and study His Word, and as we meditate and reflect upon the Word it will grow within our hearts.
 

“I will study Your commandments and reflect on

Your ways.“ Psalm 119:15 New Living translation
 
May our prayer be that the Lord would help us to remember that as we are here on this earth, we would desire Him to live in and through us in a bright and glorious way! May we be vessels that He is able to flow freely without hindrances.  Oh that we remain humble that He can always show us those things that would hinder us from reflecting Him in full capacity.  Let us be a people that always desire to be directed in all of our ways!
 

“You are good and kind and do good; teach me your statutes.“

Psalms 119:68 Amplified version



Wednesday, May 23, 2018

 
 
 
 
Devotional for Wednesday, May 23, 2019
“Jesus- Our Refiner”
 
 
 
 
 
by  Dona Hake
“Remove the worthless things from silver to make
it pure, and a worker can make something beautiful.”
Proverbs 25:4 (ERV)
 
As believers we are all in the process of change for the Refiner sees the beauty that is in us, He notices our great potential, and He also sees the things that are keeping us from our potential. He knows the things that have to be removed that He is able to refine His work in us.  This is the refining and purification that is taking place in our hearts as we humble ourselves to the awesome hands of our Lord. Another version of Proverbs 25:4 speaks of us as vessels.
 
“Remove the impurities from the silver,
and the smith has material to make a vessel.”
 
The Lord our Refiner desires to bring our hearts to a fine or pure state; free from impurities. As our Purifier He will cause us to be free from anything that debases, pollutes, adulterates, or contaminates our hearts.
 
Many times the pressures and trials of this life will also be used to help us see the things that are in us that either need strengthened or those things that must go for they are our hindrances.  Many testimonies are shared about how individuals go through pressures and hardships that they never walked through before. The victory they share is that they experienced God removing things from them that positioned them to be used in a greater way. It is those times of  difficultly that can push us to do the soul searching we need for God to work further spiritual growth in us. Again, His refining fire is able to remove anything that would be impure or a hindrance to our spiritual walk.
 
As we keep our hearts humble before Him He will continue to refine and purify us that we can be vessels that are used by Him in greater ways for the greater work. Praise be to God who is the Refiner and Purifier of our hearts.
 
 


Tuesday, May 22, 2018

 
 
Devotional for Tuesday, May 22, 2018
“Reflecting the Son To Those Around Us”
 
by Dona Hake
 
“How do you reflect the Son?”   I was driving by a church one day and these were the words on the sign in front of the church.   As I read these words  they exhorted and stirred my heart.   I began to think about the song I used to sing as a little girl…”This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…”  The song went on …”Hide it under a bushel, NO! I gonna let it shine!”  You know that God wants to use us to reflect the burning loving light of His love to a world that dwells in blinding darkness.  This is not a little light but rather a great light that we possess in earthen vessels!  This great light is His Son Jesus Christ!
 
I think the key word here in the song is ~Let~ it shine.    Let defined is rather interesting and also thought provoking.     
 
Let:   let out, to divulge; make known.
to release from confinement, restraint. 
 
How blessed and privileged we are  to carry the light, life, and love of our Lord Jesus Christ within us.   May we not be timid or feeling that the Lord cannot use us.   Let us make His light known, and release it in our words and in our deeds.  We are all lovingly and uniquely created and He uses us all in different ways as we permit Him to.  Oh that we would ask for and seize the opportunities to be used by Him for the glory of His Kingdom!  As we abide in Him, we can walk as He walked and conduct ourselves as Jesus did.   This is how we will reflect the Son.
 
 
 


1 John 2: 6 Amplified Bible (AMP)
“Whoever says he abides in Him ought as a personal debt to walk and
conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted
Himself.”

 

 
 


Saturday, May 19, 2018

 
Devotional for Saturday, May 19, 2018
“Capturing Every Thought”
by Dona Hake
 
 
“We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ…”
2 Corinthians 10:5 (Amplified Version)
 
“…and every ·proud thing [pretension; exalted opinion; L high thing] that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We capture every thought and make it obey Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 – EXB Version
 
We must hold fast to truth at all times, and at all costs!   Our lives must exhibit that we are a people that will live uncompromisingly, and we stand strong and anchored in the midst of  the strong currents of the evil of this world.
 
May we unashamedly hold fast to firm convictions, and judge and measure all things in our lives by the mighty, unmovable and unchanging Word of our Lord. When we rejoice in truth, and stand upon it firmly our hearts will be totally free. We will be wise and we will be bold in our faith.   We will continue to grow in discernment  because we have put truth above our opinions, our desires, our feelings, and emotions.   See any untrue , poisonous thought and wrong emotion as an enemy to your soul, and take them as prisoners and subdue them into obedience of the Anointed One!