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Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Posted on Sep 12, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, September 12, 2017

“Release Your Care

That You Can Release Your Faith”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 55:22 (AMP)

“Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it]

and He will sustain you; He will never allow the

[consistently] righteous to be moved

(made to slip, fall, or fail).”

This translation brings an interesting take on this scripture. Many times in this life we will walk through various trials and circumstances that are not pleasant. Remember….Jesus said, “In this world you WILL have trials and temptations…” He warned us didn’t He? Just because you are facing something may not necessarily mean you are doing something wrong but rather something that may be beyond your control. It is what we do when our heart begins to feel heavy that is so important. Here in this translation it brings to us the words “releasing the weight of it” or in other words as we hand over our problem to Jesus, He will relieve us of the pressure or the burden that is making our hearts and mind seem to feel heavy. Trying to live with a heavy heart and anxious thoughts is a wearisome thing. When we release our cares, He begins to work on our behalf, and we must believe that HE IS moving as we are not only releasing our care to Him but also releasing our faith.

Release and He promises to sustain. If we choose to hold on to our cares and burdens, how shall He help us? How shall He bless us with the answers that we need if we choose to try to figure out our problems on our own? How shall our burden be lifted if we keep picking it up and trying to bear the weight of it? Our human nature will sometimes tempt us to entertain thoughts that we are able to do things in our own ability yet once we experience His strength and provision that we need, it exposes how we need Him desperately. Remember…He wants to be in every detail of our life, no matter how big or small.

Today I want to encourage your heart to take anything that has weighted your heart down, and just surrender it to Him. He promises He will sustain you which means that He will support, hold, or bear up from below. He will bear the weight of whatever you are trying to manage yourself. No matter how big or how small, take it to Him in prayer! Today if care tries to grip your heart release it to Him and then release your faith in Jesus Name!

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer

is to small to be made into a burden.”

Corrie ten Boom

Monday, September 11, 2017

Posted on Sep 11, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, September 11, 2017

“Where Is Your Hope?”

by Dona Hake

Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. I find this truth to be so comforting in the world in which I live today. Everything around us is changing constantly. Some change is good and some change has proven to be bad and has hindered us. I thank God for the living HOPE and His Name is Jesus!

I can remember once seeing a group of youth being interviewed on TV. He began to ask questions, and one young lady answered apprehensively. It was so sad to hear her share that anymore she feared sharing her views for fears of what would happen to her. Our “politically correct” society is so sad isn’t it? The gentleman interviewing asked for a show of hands. ”Who here has the hope that their future will be better than their parents? Very few hands went up for the majority did not believe that their future would be better. I thought this to be so sad, and my heart was so grieved by this.

We need to keep our hearts full of expectation and faith but it can only be in God, not in how well things are going on around us. Let us that desire to influence our youth exhibit to them that their hope must be in the Lord. The condition of this world and it’s happenings cannot dictate our faith and hope. I believe that we need to always keep our hearts in check with the truth of God’s Word. Where is your hope really resting? What are your expectations and are they realistic? There may be times that you can recall that your hopes have been shattered and you wondered how to go on. I want to share this wonderful scripture with you.

Psalm 62:5 (ERV)
“I must calm down and turn to God;
he is my only hope.”

In those times that your heart may be void of hope and it is full of anxiety, know that there is a living hope and it is in Jesus. He is the one that has promised to give us a future and He is well able to breathe life back into your dreams. Today I encourage you to quietly wait upon the Lord. Let Him renew your strength throughout the day, and my your hope be upon Him.

Psalm 62:5 (AMP)
“My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him”

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Posted on Sep 10, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, September 10, 2017

“But Their Delight…”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 1 :2-3 (TLB)

“…but they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.

They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper.”

Oh that our true delight in this life would be to do all that our Father wants us to do. This my friends is His will for our life here on earth. There is great reward for being diligent in embracing the Word of God and being about His business for the Kingdom of God. As you daily follow Him and purpose to put His teachings first and foremost in your life, He has promised that your life would be prospered. It is then that we will stand as trees along God’s riverbank seeing an abundant of growth and prosperity in our life. and Let us always be mindful that our fruit is not for us alone to survive in this life but rather to be a blessing to those around us. Let us purpose to be used by Him and to be willing to bless those He puts in our path as we live and abide in Him. As we proclaim His Word many will be blessed and nourished from the fruit that our lives bear.

Proverbs 10:21 (NIV)

“The lips of the righteous nourish many…”

May we purpose to meditate upon His Word continually and think about ways to follow our Lord more closely. Let us speak His Word and do His Word that we may nourish those that are needy in spirit. I love that He has promised that our life would bear fruit all the seasons that we live, and all that we put our hand to shall prosper!

Friday, September 8, 2017

Posted on Sep 8, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, September 8, 2017

“The Name Of the Lord Deserves To Be Praised”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 42:8 (CEB)
“By day the Lord commands his faithful love;
by night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.”

This scripture reminds me that from the time I awaken till I lay my head down to sleep that I should simply praise His Name. As I ponder this I think about all that we could possible face in a day’s time. There will be those days that we will encounter difficulties or difficult people that make it hard to keep praise to Him in our hearts. These distractions and difficulties can tend to distort our focus on Him. The Lord desires that there is an offering of praise proceeding from our hearts no matter what is going on around us.

Psalm 113:3 (CEV)
” From dawn until sunset
the name of the Lord
deserves to be praised.”

Things not going the way you planned for your day? Circumstances? No my friends….NOTHING can keep us from offering praise to the Living God! From the rising of the sun till it’s going down our Lord’s Name is greatly to be praised!

Romans 8:39 (The Message)

“I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way

that Jesus our Master has embraced us. ”

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Posted on Sep 7, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, September 7, 2017

“Words Matter”

by Dona Hake

Proverbs 21:23 (MSG)
“Watch your words and hold your tongue;
you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.”

Have you ever walked away from a conversation and the thought crosses your mind… “Oh my…I can’t believe I just spoke those words!” If you have lived on this earth for any amount of time, and you are honest with yourself, you can raise your hand and say “yes, I have done that!” I believe the more we ask God to help us in the area of keeping our mouth out of trouble, the more sensitive we will become to the words that proceed from our lips.

1 Peter 3:10 (NASB)

“The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”

From our mouth we can speak words that bless people but if we are not guarding our tongue our words could also hurt someone, and cause them to possibly be upset with us. Words can destroy relationships or words can heal and strengthen a relationship. Today I encourage you to watch over your words. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you keep a check on your words that they be full of love, truth and mercy ministering grace to the hearers around you.

Psalm 19:14 VOICE

“I’ll be careful on life’s journey not to sin with my words…”

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Posted on Sep 6, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, September 6, 2017

“Reverence, Obedience and Trust”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 111:10 TLB

“How can men be wise? The only way to begin is

by reverence for God. For growth in wisdom comes

from obeying his laws. Praise his name forever.”

Today we are looking closely at reverencing, obeying, and trusting our Lord. Here in Psalm 111:10 the psalmist writes of the beginning of wisdom coming by reverencing and obeying God. Let us couple with reverence and obedience the power of trust. In Proverbs 3:5-6 the writer admonishes us to trust in Him and lean NOT on our own understanding. Let us look at that scripture…

Proverbs 3:5-6Easy-to-Read Version

Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your

own knowledge. With every step you take,

think about what he wants, and he

will help you go the right way.

Our human nature can find it hard to trust at times. We live in an age where information is so easy to get our hands on. This convenience at times can be the enemy of our soul for it draws us away from simple trust in our Lord, and His Word. Sometimes it is just so easy to find peace in information, and man’s opinion. Honestly, I have found at times the more I know about things sometimes it can actually hinder my faith. The tendency to trust in what man says above what God says about a particular thing can keep us from totally trusting in Him.

Leaning and trusting on God for all that we need is so vital. Sometimes we want so badly to understand things that we are walking through and there are times we put too much focus on figuring things out. I have found that simply obeying Him and knowing that I can trust Him to be in charge of my life keeps it simple enough. Today I encourage you to meditate upon these three words. REVERENCE, OBEDIENCE AND TRUST IN YOUR LORD.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Posted on Sep 5, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, September 5, 2017

“Our Cup Runs Over”

by Dona Hake

If one lives solely for the joy that this world has to offer their desire and lust for things will never be satisfied. The Lord knows us inside and out, and He knows that He is the only one that can satisfy every need in our life. Only Jesus can satisfy the thirst of our souls. It is understandable when an unbeliever is trying to be satisfied by the things this world has to offer but oh how sad it is when a believer tries to serve the Lord yet draw upon the poisonous temptations that this world has to offer. He wants us to come to live in that place of drawing only upon His wellspring of life. Let us read in the book of John where Jesus explained to the woman at the well the meaning of the true spring of water that only He gives.

John 4:13-14

Amplified Bible

“Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again.

But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.”

When you feel life’s problems and this world draining you of your strength and peace, stop and drink of His water that will strengthen and refresh your soul. Guard your heart at all times that you are not seeking to meet your needs through anything but Him. As this scripture translation says, His water “shall become a spring of water welling up, flowing, bubbling, continually…” This gives such a beautiful image of His living water within us. It truly is the life flow from which we can draw upon whenever we meet uncertainty and overwhelming problems. God is gracious and He ever lives to pour forth that living water to you!

Today I encourage you to lift your eyes and heart to Him. Permit Him to pour His refreshing life into you. Oh that our cups would spill over that we can refresh and lift up those around us!

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Posted on Sep 3, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, September 3, 2017

“Oh To Remain In His Presence”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 16:11 (CJB)
“You make me know the path of life;
in your presence is unbounded joy,
in your right hand eternal delight.”

I will share this story again about an experience I had while purchasing some fresh flowers at a flower shop. I picked out some real beauties, and one was very unique. As the florist was carefully wrapping them for me she asked me a question before one last step in wrapping them. “How long will it be till you will be home with these, for this particular unique flower cannot be out of water for more than thirty minutes” Since I was not sure she decided to do what is called a water wrap. She gently wrapped a sort of thin sheet of sponge around the stem and soaked it in water and carefully placed in a plastic bag. This special wrapping kept the flower nourished with enough water supply till I got it home in a vase of water.

Many times everyday experiences such as these make me think a lot about spiritual truths. Jesus taught in parables a lot because it brought spiritual truths alive through the earthly stories He would share with those that He was teaching. I began to think about how I valued these flowers and how pretty they were. I also realized that because they were so different that they required special care to keep their beauty and life preserved for as long as possible. It caused me to think about the importance of being mindful that I too am unique in the eyes of my God and He cares for me with His love and tender care and provision. I cannot afford to be out of God’s presence, not for one minute. The life He has given me is so special, and it must be guarded as well. Because He loves me so much, and created me so uniquely for a purpose, I need to value and heed to the truth that He desires that I remain in His presence that my spirit remained nourished and strengthened by Him.

As I ponder staying in God’s presence I bring to you this truth again… Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us. You see it is our choice that we must make to value staying in His presence, and doing whatever it takes to make that a lifestyle. I love how this translation is written. In God’s presence there is unbounded joy! Think about it, joy that has no limits, borders, or bounds. It is unrestrained, and uncontrolled. Let us also remember the scripture that says the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Lord, help us to be mindful that we are remaining and abiding wholeheartedly in Your presence. What a joy and blessing it is to know that You are with us always, and Your presence provides us a refuge and place of nourishment and refreshment at all times! We thank You for that, in Jesus Name! Amen.

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Posted on Sep 2, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Saturday, September 2, 2017

“Absolutely Nothing Can Get Between Us”

by Dona Hake

“I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. ”

Romans 8:39 (The Message)

I love this “…Absolutely NOTHING can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” Romans 8:39 Let us never forget that from the time we awaken till when we lay our head down to sleep that we should simply praise His Name and enjoy His love. Even in the daily duties and demands of our day our Lord can be ever present to minister His love, wisdom and strength if we permit Him to. Oh that we would purpose to remain in the presence of the One that eternally embraces us in His love!

Sometimes we can be guilty of permitting the distractions and difficulties to distort our focus on Him. It is in those times in which we are tempted to be distracted that we need to purpose to keep a conscientiousness that He has promised to never leave or forsake us. The Lord desires that there is an offering of praise proceeding from our hearts no matter what is going on around us. As we keep a heart of praise that does not cease, we will maintain an awareness that nothing can get between us and the Lord.

Psalm 42:8 (CEB)
“By day the Lord commands his faithful love;
by night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.”

Friday, September 1, 2017

Posted on Sep 1, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, September 1, 2017

“His Grace Upon the Works of Your Hands”

by Dona Hake

2 Corinthians 9:8 (CEB)

God has the power to provide you with

more than enough

of every kind of grace.

That way,

you will have everything you need always

and in everything to

provide more than enough

for every kind of good work.

I loved this translation of 2 Corinthians 9:8 but I also love how the word abound is used in other translations. This particular translation really sums up what the word abound means. Look closely at the specific words that I have underlined. To have more than enough…you’ll have everything you need ALWAYS for every kind of good work. He wants to bless and provide His grace for MANY KINDS of good works! This scripture just really blesses me. I love meditating on the fact that God is desiring to shower us with His all sufficient grace as we set out to do His will. He is watching over the MANY KINDS of good works that we have purposed to put our hands to. He wants to shower our works that are done according to His will with great grace!

Today, look let us look to Him with great desire to be a living example of excellence in all that we put our hands to. Draw upon His great grace, and wait expectantly for Him to shower it upon you. It is as we do this that we will demonstrate that He is the God that is more than enough! We shall be testimonies of being living trees planted by water, yielding fruit, and prospering in every good work!!

Psalm 1:3 (ESV)

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”