admin, Author at The Abundant Life Center

Monday, May 7, 2018

Posted on May 7, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, May 8, 2018

“Confident In His Work”

by Dona Hake

“God began doing a good work in you, and

I am ·sure [confident; persuaded] he will

continue it until it is ·finished

[completed; perfected] ·when Jesus Christ comes again

[ on the day of Christ Jesus;  

the final day of judgment and reward].”
Philippians 1:6 – EXB

That which our loving Creator and Lord has started in us is a wonderful work. We were fearfully and wonderfully made for specific assignments while we live in these bodies here on earth.

Our God is loving, faithful and relentless as He watches over us. When we set our hearts to run the race, and be pleasing to Him, He runs along side of us infusing us with the strength, needed for the moment. While others may not notice what He is doing in us, it matters not for God is steady at work. I love how the Voice translation has worded Philippians 1:6…

“I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you…”.

We are all a work in progress by the hands of a Creator that understands our weaknesses, When we mess up He does not give up…He will never stop for He has given us His wonderful grace to draw upon. His Word, His wisdom, His strength…all help us continue as He continues His work in us. He knows all of our tomorrows, and He knows the beginning from the end. Praise God He will not stop in mid-design as we continue to set our eyes on Him to finish this race!

These thoughts and meditations that I shared with you today were inspired by this
quote …

“I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.“
Michelangelo

Our loving God sees beautiful things and great potential. He sees gifts that we are not even aware of…they are for appointed times and purposes in our lives . Praise Him today for His wonderful work in you!

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Posted on May 5, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Saturday, May 5, 2018

“God Does Not Look At How Much We Do…”

by Dona Hake

As we are obedient to the voice of the Lord let us give what we have been given for He will surely bless it. Along with obedience in our giving let us always be mindful to do it in a heart of love. No matter how small or great the deed may be, if God is speaking to us and we are obedient, our heart and the work of our hands will be blessed.

Mother Teresa understood the working of God’s love. She said it beautifully “God does not look at how much we do, but with how much love we do it.“.

The Scriptures speak to us in Luke 6:38 Easy to Read version “Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands – more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.“

So He has placed within us hearts with the capacity to give, and He will provide opportunities as we seek Him. Let us have a heart to pray that we can be vessels to meet the needs of others.

May we have ears to listen to His voice that we may speak words to encourage as we share God’s revealed wisdom within us. Proverbs 18:4b “…The fountain of [mature, godly] wisdom is like a bubbling stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].” May we walk in obedience to the Lord when He speaks to us to give of ourselves. He will fill our hearts with the needed wisdom for the moment. All that we need will be poured into our hands – more than we can hold. This my friends IS the life of abundance! Today I encourage you to open your hands and heart to God to receive from Him that you can give to those around that which the Lord has so graciously blessed you with.

Friday, May 4, 2018

Posted on May 4, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, May 4, 2018

“The Contrite Spirit”

My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit;

A broken and contrite heart [broken with

sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent],

such, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 – Amplified

Psalm 51 so precious as David wrote, and pleaded for God‘s mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing. I especially love verses one and two of this chapter. David asks for mercy according to God‘s great compassion. This stands out to me as I am meditating upon this scripture because David‘s plea was in accordance to him knowing and understanding deep within his heart the loving and faithful nature of his God. He knew the heart of his God! He understood how badly he messed up, yet in his brokenness, once again he looked to his God and sought to be right with him. David was a man after God’s own heart!

Today as I meditate upon this scripture my heart is reflecting and thankful for the privilege and blessing to be able to stand before a loving God in the good times and in the times I mess up. I know I can ask and expect Him to cleanse me whenever I need His forgiveness in order that I be back in rightstanding with Him. Also when He pursues His search in our hearts… you know those unseen and untouched places that I have been sharing about… let Him have His way. He longs to touch the smallest of things that would hinder us from serving Him. God looks for us to willingly permit Him to humble us by His Word.

We can never please God with outward actions -no matter how good we are – if our inward heart and attitude is not right, we must seek to make it right. Again, no matter how big or small or wrongs may be, may we seek the Lord‘s hand upon us to be ever molding and making us into his image that we can serve Him and bring forth His glory.

Devotional for Thursday, May 3, 2018

Posted on May 3, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, May 3, 2018

“His Work and Ways In the Unseen Places”

“But You, Eternal One, wrap around me like

an impenetrable shield. You give me glory

and lift my eyes up to the heavens.”

Psalm 3:3 – the Voice

Even though we walk through valleys at times, He wraps around us like an impenetrable shield, His glory is upon us, and He takes His loving hands and lifts our face towards the heavens for HE IS the glory and the lifter of our heads!

It is in the valleys of life that a deep work can take place within us…if we permit Him to do so. Yes…we can walk through trials and come out with a testimony, and our spiritual roots in spite of the trial become deeper in Him.

Now I will share with you once again from my notes from a Friday evening in North Wales many years ago. If we desire to be used by God, He will work deep within us, He will lovingly go after anything that would hinder Him working purely and powerfully within our hearts. He works His ways in His divine wisdom as He changes our hearts and works in the unseen and untouched places of our hearts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(notes I took from the ministry of Arthur Burt)

The cross is married to the crown. If you want to go to the mountain tops, He will take you to the valley. If the purpose of His glory is one thousand feet up, He will take you one thousand feet down. If at one thousand feet down you begin to squeal “Why am I going through this?” or “Where is God in all of this?” This is the point in height that you may be tempted to take God’s glory, and be tempted to pride. To the degree or depth you have allowed God to crucify your flesh, this will be the degree of glory that He will allow you to carry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our Lord desires that we exhibit His light and glory in every word and deed we do for Him. May our hearts always be…”To God be the glory!” Yesterday I shared with you from Psalm 51:6 “… In the unseen places deep within me You show me wisdom.“ It is many times when we are in the valleys and we have no more strength, that just like Paul we acknowledge our weakness and begin to feel His strength, His glory, and His wonderful work with in our hearts. Yes!!! it is in those times that we can declare that He is working in the unseen places deep within us, and it is a good thing. He is working in areas and growing our roots deeper into the ground, and our height in spirit will give glory to His Name!!

Today I encourage you to continue to permit the Lord to work a deep work in your heart in those unseen places that He may reveal His glory through your actions and words in Jesus Name!

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Posted on May 1, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, May 1, 2018

“….In Unseen Places…”

by Dona Hake

“But still, You long to enthrone truth throughout my being;

in unseen places deep within me, You show me wisdom.”

Psalm 51:6 (The Voice)

Many years ago I studied a book by Watchman Nee. He shared a truth that made an impression and impact on me. He shared an analogy of our souls receiving the light and truth of our Lord. He spoke of our souls, and likened them to the virgin caverns of a cave. These are caverns that have not yet been touched therefore they have not seen light and still remain undiscovered. He was likening the caverns of our soul as deep places within us in which God‘s light and life flow freely yet there are caverns within our souls that have not yet been touched with God‘s truth and light.

There are places within each of us that desperately need touched by the life changing words and hand of our Lord. There are also those places that you have been touched deeply, and you have been changed miraculously. But even with that said He still wants to work deeper in every area touched or untouched within us.

My next thought as I ponder this brings me to sharing the truth of the importance that each of us seek God with all of our heart that He would show us those areas within us that still need touched by His Word so He can continue to mold us with His loving hand.

So the scripture in Psalm 51:6 speaks that He longs to enthrone truth throughout our being. Oh Lord! Permeate our being with the truth that we need to continue to be transformed by Your loving hand. Let us be reminded that the truth that we know should be guarded and not compromised by what we feel or do not feel like doing. Truth must reign or be enthroned above our feelings, emotions, and it should not moved by what is going on around us.

Let us ask Him today for continued wisdom and strength as we purpose to guard and keep the truth that we have embraced and enthroned within us. May we also keep open hearts that He can speak to us about those spiritual virgin caverns of our souls. May we long for His light to touch every part of our being, all those unseen places in Jesus Name!

Blessed and favored by God are those who keep His testimonies, And who [consistently] seek Him and long for Him with all their heart.
Psalm 119:2 – Amplified version

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Posted on Apr 28, 2018 in Uncategorized |

Devotional for Saturday, April 28, 2018

“The First Thing…”

by Dona Hake

“The first thing about being real is

facing the truth

where you are not real.”

Arthur Burt

If our hearts are not pure this will surely affect not only how we see things around us but how we see ourselves. While in North Wales visiting Brother Arthur, he was exhorting us to be real with ourselves that our Lord would be able to deal with us as He wishes. May we guard ourselves from being self deceived. We must be real. A pure heart does not have impure motives nor does the pure heart feel comfortable being a pretender.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10 – Amplified version

Let us purpose to be in pursuit of a clean heart before God. May we daily be renewed and refreshed by the power of His grace and the work of His Spirit. I love the word ~steadfast~ in this scripture from Psalm 51:10. That word ministers to my heart for it shows me that I need to be fixed in my direction, firm in purpose, and in resolution. As we desire clean, pure hearts, we will immediately recognize when the impure is trying to dwell within us. The humble heart will cry out for Him to clean and renew his or her heart.

It is when we are truly real with ourselves that the Holy Spirit is free to work in great depths within us. It is when we are truly real with ourselves that we will face, and receive the truth in every area of our lives. It will be liberating to us and we will welcome the work of the Holy Spirit that He desires to accomplish in us.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Posted on Apr 26, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, April 26, 2016

“God Is After Our Pride”

by Dona Hake

It was a Saturday morning in North Wales, and after breakfast our group gathered to sit, and be blessed by the words of Arthur Burt. Many times he would sit quietly before he would speak, and countless times his words of wisdom were so powerful that I just wanted to go in another room and ponder the one sentence he just spoke. I am sharing six particular things he shared throughout that morning. He was sharing on the danger of pride and the beauty of humility. Be blessed as you read these nuggets of truth…

“When one is in earnest there will be evidence.”

“If you are at a place that you take offense, you cannot move on. Jesus said, “I have many things to say, but you cannot bear them.” If you take offense in the natural, you will take offense in the spiritual. If you are too big to be corrected, you are too small to be led.”

“Humility is not a virtue, it is an obligation.”

“In humility, there is no humiliation.”

“God is after our pride!”

“You can only humble yourself under His mighty hand. 1 Peter 5:5
The only way righteousness comes is through humility.”

God desires that we purpose in our hearts to clothe ourselves in humility. He longs to see us flee from the evil one and resist pride. He desires that we be guarded, and able to recognize the many faces of pride for it will destroy us. Pride’s power is great, so let us humble ourselves under God‘s powerful hands, and He promises to lift us up. Paul warned us in 1Peter 5:9 to know and recognize our enemy, for he seeks ways to bring us down, and pride is one of his ways.

“Pride lands you flat on your face; humility prepares you for honors.”
Proverbs 29:23 – the Message Version

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Posted on Apr 25, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, April 25, 2018

“With Every Step You Take”

by Dona Hake

“Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Amplified Version

In an age of ever increasing knowledge and information, we need to guard ourselves and know that we are trusting in our Lord in every aspect of our lives. While it is always a good thing to attain knowledge and to seek wise counsel I believe we need to know we are always seeking His sweet soft voice in our spirits that we can sort through things as He perfectly desires us to. At this point I will mention also that our emotions have voices, and those voices can be very loud, they can cause confusion, anxiety, and lead us down a wrong path if we heed to them above His perfect direction.

Trust does not always come easy, especially when we feel our backs are up against the wall with difficult decisions. Yet if we read the scripture very carefully we can deepen our revelation of what trust is. May we know Him, acknowledge Him, and recognize Him. Remember my friends, the devil masquerades himself as an angel of light. May our hearts desire true discernment at all times that we be not deceived by this evil one.

His discernment will cause us to stop and think about the steps we may need to take. Ask him, “Lord, what do you want?“. Stand still , and trust until He instructs you in the next step. Maybe your prayer may be, “Lord, what do you desire in this matter for I do not understand which way to turn? “ May we patiently wait upon Him, and trust the pace that He takes us.

With this scripture I see a precious thought, and that is our Lord loves when we lean and rest upon Him for everything. Even though our path may seem straight now, He sees ahead, and He knows what is ahead of us. He prepares our hearts with deeper insights of His Word that we are armed and ready to walk victoriously in this life upon any path or change that we face as we trust in Him in all of our ways.

Devotional for Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Posted on Apr 24, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, April 24, 2018

“Sometimes…”

by Dona Hake

A few weeks ago when I woke up I was not feeling the greatest, and I was having somewhat of a challenging day. I was determined to keep moving and accomplishing what needed done. I set out to do errands but first I wanted to stop and get a quick lunch at a fast food restaurant. As I pulled up to pay for my order the clerk said, “The lady in front of you just paid for your meal!” I was so touched by this random act of kindness, and it could not have been at a better time. I think I realized at that point that I was dwelling a bit too much on the fact that I was not feeling well, and the thought of a complete stranger just being kind really encouraged my heart.

Sometimes when our days are not going to greatest or they are not as we have planned, it is amazing how sometimes God just moves in kindness and goodness in ways we were not expecting. I love when He surprises us when we need it the most! Oh to be thankful for the simple things in life.

As I sat and ate my lunch, I could not help but reflect and meditate upon how important it is to just go out of our way, and be kind to those around us. You never know how your kindness, love, a smile, or a random act of kindness could touch somebody’s heart especially if they are having a challenging day. As I prayed over my food, I made a special mention to the Lord to bless that sweet woman for just being kind. This stirs my heart to be thinking about, and asking my Lord more often “Lord, please use me today that I may touch the heart that needs touched.”

“Jump on opportunities to do small acts of kindness.“

Anonymous

“Sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference. “
Anonymous

Monday, April 23, 2018

Posted on Apr 23, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, April 23, 2018

“The Word Fitly Spoken”

by Dona Hake

Our words are like pieces to a grand puzzle. Many times we may feel that the words we are desiring to express will fit so well in our response yet when we speak them they turn out all wrong. You may walk away from a conversation feeling uneasy in your heart wondering if your words were received or misunderstood.

I can remember years ago buying my Granddaughter a kitten jigsaw puzzle, and she could not wait to try to put it together. Some of the pieces were a bit challenging for they looked so similar visually yet the shape did not fit. At one point she thought one piece just had to fit, and she began to force and try to squeeze certain pieces in. Interesting analogy isn’t it?….we can feel our words are fitting and right, and we begin to force them on someone or squeeze them in the conversation. We can even convince ourselves that because what we have to say is true that it just has to be spoken at that time. Sometimes words may seem to be of good intent yet they are not to be spoken. Oh that we would heed to the Holy Spirit before we open our mouths. God desires that our words bless, encourage, and produce, and very importantly, He desires that our words be fitting and proper.

(All translations of Proverbs 25:11)

“Saying the right thing at the right time is like a golden apple in a silver setting.” ERV

“An idea well-expressed is like a design of gold, set in silver.”GNT

“Timely advice is as lovely as gold apples in a silver basket.” TLB

“A well-spoken word at just the right moment

is like golden apples in settings of silver.” VOICE

Today let us be reminded that God’s timing has it’s perfect place when it comes to words. Sometimes silence may be God’s plan in some situations, so do not feel you are doing wrong when you are feeling prompted to just be silent even in those times you feel you have the answer. The Lord has a reason in all that He leads us to do or not do. Let us live by the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all our words and deeds. May our words bless and be as apples of gold in settings of silver!