admin, Author at The Abundant Life Center

Monday, October 16, 2017

Posted on Oct 16, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, October 16, 2017

“It Is Following You…”

by Dona Hake

God is good all the time and all the time God is good… A wonderful thing that I hear people say often! But what about the times that the circumstances around us are not so good? Do we stop in those times and exclaim that our Lord is good no matter what things look like around us? Do we exclaim Him as good when our heart is troubled, and our plans are not turning out as we thought they would?

One morning I was having my coffee, and I was watching the news. They were interviewing a couple that was returning to their home in Texas after the severe floods that resulted from the hurricane. This woman was entering her home for the first time or should I say the remains of her home. She stood before what she once called home, and a reporter ask her, “What would you tell us is your first thoughts as you stand here?” As she welled up in tears she said, “God is good all the time even when things are bad… set your priorities and hold loosely to your earthly possessions.” Her words touched my heart and ministered to me deeply.

We take so much for granted, and we can never assume things are always going to be the same. One thing we can always take to the bank, and that is God is always the same, and God is always good. Today I encourage you to meditate on the truth that God‘s goodness and mercy follows you everywhere you go all the days of your life. Let us do as this woman suggested, and hold loosely to your earthly possessions. Let us set our eyes on the things that are above, grow more in love with Jesus each day, and walk closely beside Him just as He has promised to walk beside you. So if you ever feel like you are being followed…you are! Look behind you…it IS His goodness and mercy!

Sunday, October 14, 2017

Posted on Oct 15, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, October 15, 2017

“The Lord Our Valiant Supporter”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 54:4-5 (VOICE)

“But see now! God comes to rescue me;
the Lord is my valiant supporter.”

God desires to help us to be more than overcomers in this life, and He promises supernatural strength to us as we lean upon Him in our day of battle. Thank God that in our time of trouble He desires to rescue us for as this scripture says, He is the valiant supporter. The word valiant means: boldly courageous; brave; and stout-hearted. Even if one is alone in the natural they really are never alone if God is on their side! It is so wonderful to know that the God of ultimate strength and wisdom is standing with us, and He is on our side.

May our only concern be that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are standing on the side of God in all matters. Here is a powerful quote by Abraham Lincoln that fits perfectly with our devotion today. In the time of battle and the concerns of it, he spoke these words….

“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side;
my greatest concern is to be on God’s side,
for God is always right.”

Father, help us to stay aware that we are always abiding in You and walking in Your truth. We know that You are all truth, and that brings us strength in our day of trouble. Help us as well to have the courage to speak the truth even when it may not be the most popular thing to do. Help us to be mindful to stay on Your side, the side of truth, and cause us to speak truth in Your Spirit of love for You Lord God are always true and right! It is by Your all consuming power that we live and move and have our being.

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Posted on Oct 14, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Saturday, October 14, 2017

“Praying Continually”

by Dona Hake

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to hold fast to our joy and continue to maintain a heart that prays and gives thanks in all circumstances. Whether circumstances are sweet and lovely or not so good and pleasing to our hearts, we are to maintain joy and a thankful heart as we abide in His presence. We are to do this and make it a lifestyle for this is God’s will for us as we live our lives for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us not over complicate the thought of having a heart that seeks to continually pray. Of course we can not sit and pray all the time for we have jobs and responsibilities that would not permit that. There will be those times in which we may have opportunity to sit quietly and pray with no interruptions. Then again there may be days in which those blocks of time may be more challenging. I love talking with the Lord as I clean, wash my dishes, do my laundry etc….He said He would be with me always, why not speak with Him at any of those times?

I love to meditate on the fact that Jesus is my best friend, and He has promised to never leave nor forsake me. I know that His presence is felt throughout my day no matter what I am doing for this is my Friend that sticks by me through thick and thin! I like to speak to Him about the simplest of things as well as the things that may be troubling my heart.

Let us keep prayer as a priority in our hearts, and may we learn how to walk and talk with Him throughout our day for He is always with us and eager and ready to hear our voice! I leave you with this precious writing that is one of my many favorites. It fits perfectly with our devotion today. These words remind me how easy it is to pray as often as I desire as I abide in Him!

Prayer is so simple.
It is like quietly opening a door and slipping into
the very presence of God
there, in the stillness,
to listen for His voice,
perhaps in petition
or only to listen,
it matters not,
just to be there,
in His presence
Is prayer.

Anonymous

Friday, October 13, 2017

Posted on Oct 13, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, October 13, 2017

“Choose His Teachings”

by Dona Hake

Today we will look at the importance of choices in a scripture from Proverbs 8. Within this scripture the writer exclaims that we are to choose God’s teachings, His instruction, and His discipline. He states that the value of these things are more precious than silver, and His knowledge is greater than fine gold. Think about it…whatever you could ever desire can never be compared to His precious gifts.

Choices are a part of our life each and every day. We can choose to walk in His way or walk in our own way. We can choose to receive His discipline through His Word or we can choose to reject His Word. We may choose to walk in love as 1 Corinthians 13 instructs us to do or we can choose to become angry or impatient. The choices we make will affect how we live and sadly our wrong choices may bear consequences that are unpleasant. Oh that we remain humble and quiet before Him choosing His ways over ours. Today we ponder that choosing His ways, His teachings and His wisdom are more precious than a fine beautiful stone.

Proverbs 8:10-11 Expanded Bible

“Choose [Take] my ·teachings [instructions; discipline] instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than ·the finest [choice] gold.
Wisdom is more precious than ·rubies [or pearls].
Nothing ·you could want is equal to [is more delightful than] it.”

There are many things in this life that are able to tempt us to lust. Let us be discerning and guarding of our hearts and eyes for the devil seeks to devour us in this matter. May we continue to be grateful for every blessing that we have, and may we remember that it is only the eternal things that have the greatest of value. Let us value His Word above anything this world has to offer. Let us purpose to choose His teachings and receive the discipline that His Word brings to us.

We can read scriptures and daily partake of His wonderful mercies yet fail to continue to keep a grateful heart that He has brought us out of darkness into the light of His kingdom. Let the Word of our Lord never become mere cliches to us, and may we never grow tired of hearing certain truths over and over again. God’s Word is fresh, alive, and it is exactly what our spirits needs. It is His Word that is the light that caused our blinded eyes to be open. For this we need to be thankful and grateful to the Living God! Today I encourage you to guard your heart that you are diligently making choices that are blessing your Heavenly Father.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Posted on Oct 12, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, October 12, 2017

“Each Day Gives Us New Reasons”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 5:3 (CEB)
” Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
In the morning I lay it all out before you.
Then I wait expectantly.”

I thank God that His mercies are new every morning and we can wake with the expectancy of a new day with fresh opportunities to serve our living God. Today let us look to Him as we lay our day out before Him, and with hearts of expectancy, let us give Him praise! Let us look to Him with faith to do His will.

Psalm 145:2 (AMP)
Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You
[affectionately and gratefully praise You];
yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever.

I love this scripture especially the words that imply that each new day gives us new reasons to bless Him. I want to challenge you today to think about something the Lord has done special for you over the past few days. Maybe He has blessed you with an answer to a prayer, or He gave you strength when you thought you could not go on any longer. I love pondering how He has faithfully answered me so many times with His sweet wisdom and how it is always so timely. Really my friends, there is always something to praise the Lord for. Just the fact that our day is new…a fresh slate for Him to write upon…how awesome is that? God is so good, may we bless Him with our praise from the depths of our hearts.

Lift your eyes toward heaven and lay your heart open to Him and wait expectantly for Him to guide you throughout your day. All of us have reasons to bless His Name and be thankful. Take time to call out the blessings that you possess because of the goodness of God that flows toward you. Today, with it’s new beginning and new reasons, choose to praise and bless His Name for all the good things you embrace because of His goodness in your life!

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Posted on Oct 11, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, October 11, 2017

“Knowing the Lord’s Purposes”

by Dona Hake

Proverbs 19:21 (AMP)

“Many plans are in a man’s mind,

but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.”

We can all have our plans that are for a specific day and then there are the plans and dreams that live in our hearts about our life and our future. Today I want you to ponder the following questions as we meditate upon our Lord’s purposes in our lives:

What would the Lord have me to do today to bless Him?

What does the Lord desire for me to do with my life? Am I in His will?

Are my plans fitting His purposes that He has for me?

A purpose is the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc. It is such a good and fulfilling feeling when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are flowing in the perfect will of God. There may be times we are doing something that seems to be a good thing yet it is not God’s perfect will at that time. I have heard it said, “Just because it’s good does not mean it is God.” So true isn’t it? The Lord desires that all our good deeds proceed from a right heart and not one of feeling obligated. Let us be careful that all we do is instructed by the Lord for His purposes and His glory.

As we begin our day let us seek Him and know that our heart is toward Him and our ears are as well. He desires to speak to our heart while we are at work, home or whatever we may be doing. Maintain a readiness of heart at all times to be used by Him. I must share something I overheard once while I was shopping. It made me giggle to myself for my Mother used to say this to me a lot. I was in a store and a mother was struggling trying to carry something and she looked at her child (with empty hands) and said, “Don’t just stand there, make yourself useful!” How true this is for us as spiritual children! Let us make a conscious effort to have our “hands full” being helpful to our Lord, and doing His will. He desires that we be about His business accomplishing His purposes for He has a great work He desires to do through us. As we stay aware of how He desires to use us, we will not stand empty handed, but we will allow Him to make us useful as we do His will and give Him glory! May we always be aware of His divine purposes for our life.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Posted on Oct 10, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, October 10, 2017

“Extending His Mercy”

by Dona Hake

Today let us meditate upon the mercy of our Lord. Each morning we arise we should thank Him for His new mercies that He extends to us, and we need to be merciful to others just as He so freely extends it to us. It is so easy at times to fall short of patience and mercy with those around us especially those we are closest to. After all, there is always the tempting thought that they love us so much that they will just put up with us no matter what. Let us desire to be reminded to be merciful to everyone around us.

Matthew 5:7 (ERV)

“Great blessings belong to those who show mercy to others.

Mercy will be given to them.”

In those times in which someone is behaving in a fashion that is unkind, rude or hurtful it would be good to stop and remind our self that we do not know what they are going through. I can remember many years ago standing in a line waiting to place my order in a fast food restaurant. The young lady taking the orders was being extremely harsh and rude with each of the customers before me. When she went to take my order I asked softly, “How are you today?” She looked at me and sighed deeply, and shared that a friend of hers just committed suicide. It was a moment in which I was taken back but I just looked into her eyes and expressed how sad that suicide is. I spoke words of comfort and I left her saying “I will be praying for you.” She thanked me. Never underestimate the power of calmly listening and expressing to someone that you will pray.

I was so glad that I overlooked her behavior , and l extended to her understanding and comfort. We need to be careful that we are not missing God opportunities to speak His life into hopeless situations. Let us be on the look out for opportunities for people to see Jesus in us. God’s Word tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that “love believes the best…” Sometimes in this life it is not so easy to believe the best of people but Paul’s writings show us the importance of doing so. As we do this we are choosing to be merciful and walk in our Lord’s love. May His precious Holy Spirit remind us today to seek ways to be merciful and walk in His love in a deeper way. Remember…great blessings belong to those that extend His mercy!

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Posted on Oct 8, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, October 8, 2017

“Entrusting Our Life To Him”

by Dona Hake

“Trust the Lord!” I hear it often and I am sure you do to. These are precious and powerful words that cause one to remember that their life is in the hands of the One that created the Heavens and the Earth. This all powerful God in which we are trusting has done great and mighty things. I will share a small portion of scripture with you of the power of His first words that He spoke for this is the all powerful God that we serve and trust with our life.

Genesis 1:1-3 (AMP)

The Creation

“In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.”

Today I just want you to ponder and meditate upon the great and mighty God that you have entrusted your life to. Let us think upon His miraculous ways and works. Ponder the many times He has blessed you, and put a testimony upon your lips when you thought your circumstance seemed hopeless. Praise Him for the many times He has showed Himself faithful to you. May these three words “Trust in the Lord” never become just a cliche. He desires that we trust Him with ALL of our hearts and never lean and rest upon our mere understanding of any given situation.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 GOD’S WORD Translation

“Blessed is the person who trusts the Lord.
The Lord will be his confidence.
He will be like a tree that is planted by water.
It will send its roots down to a stream.
It will not be afraid in the heat of summer.
Its leaves will turn green.
It will not be anxious during droughts.

It will not stop producing fruit.”

Enduring trust brings enduring fruit. As we continue to trust, He WILL show Himself faithful! Praise Him today for His wonderful greatness, and trust Him with all of your heart!

Friday, October 6, 2017

Posted on Oct 6, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, October 6, 2017

“His Wisdom-A Gushing Stream”

by Dona Hake

What a wonderful thing that God’s wisdom is. Yesterday I shared with you about the power of one word. Our loving Lord’s wisdom will help us to speak those perfect words that are timely and they will minister grace to the hearer. As we seek the Lord first before any task, and ask Him for His sweet wisdom we can know that we are doing the right thing and it is in accordance with His will. Today let us meditate on how wonderful it is that godly wisdom is as a spring, a gushing stream with life giving power! As you draw upon it, it will flow to you and from you to others.

Wisdom may be in one word or it may be in a deed. Sometimes the Lord’s wisdom may call upon us to just be silent. He will make a perfect place and time for you to speak the words that He desires to order to proceed from your mouth. We can probably all testify of times that words have been spoken to us apart from His wisdom. Those words can hurt you, leave scars and divide the closest of relationships.

Proverbs 18:4 (AMP)

“The words of a [discreet and wise] man’s mouth are like deep waters [plenteous and difficult to fathom], and the fountain of skillful and godly Wisdom is like a gushing stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].”

The wisdom of God will always be full of peace, easy to be entreated and without hypocrisy. Wisdom will always be in line with the truths of God’s Word, and there is no wavering in the words or actions of wisdom. Let us seek to be vessels of those that speak His wisdom offering words and actions that are life giving and pure. God bless you!

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Posted on Oct 5, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, October 5, 2017

“One Word”

by Dona Hake

Have you ever had the greatest of days, all was going well, and one person said a negative thing to you, and all you did was focus on that one negative comment or word? OR… Have you ever been discouraged in your heart, feeling like giving up, and someone spoke the most encouraging word to you , and you felt like your world was turned right side up again? That one word made you feel like once again you could pull up the boot straps, stand strong, and go forward! I am sure everyone of you that just read these two questions can totally identify with where I am going today.

One word has the power the lift up or bring down. Isn’t it amazing to think that one word is able to carry so much influence on those around us?

Proverbs 12:25 (AMP)

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

but an encouraging word

makes it glad.”

The Voice translation of Proverbs 12:25…

“The weight of worry drags us down,

but a good word lightens our day.”

Today as you encounter people, study before you speak. Give out GOOD and ENCOURAGING words today! Think about how your words are able to minister grace to the hearer, and possibly change the way they are thinking about themselves. Kind thoughts and kind words cost not one penny for you to give yet the hearer may be receiving a wealth of encouragement that their money could never buy.

Proverbs 18:21 (Good News Translation)

“What you say can preserve life or destroy it.”