admin, Author at The Abundant Life Center

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Posted on Jul 13, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, July 13, 2017

“Just As You See Your Own Face”

by Dona Hake

Proverbs 27:19 (ERV) “Just as you can see your own face reflected in water, so your heart reflects the

kind of person you are.”

This portion of scripture stirs my heart to think about the true spiritual condition of my heart. If I were to stand over a crystal clear pond and look in, my reflection would answer back at me or in other words I would see myself in the reflection of the water.I would see myself for exactly what I am because the reflection does not lie. When you stand in front of a mirror you can not stand there and say, “this is not me!” or “I do not look like that!” Our reflections are speaking to us and telling us exactly what we look like. So it is when we look into God’s Word, He will reveal to us our need for Him and all that He wants us to be. If we permit Him, He will show us the kind of person we are, and also the condition of our heart.

James 1:22-25 Amplified Bible (AMP)

“”But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it,

betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it

and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully

at his [own] natural face in a mirror;

For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes

off and promptly forgets what he was like.

But he who looks carefully into the faultless law,

the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres

in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets

but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed

in his doing (his life of obedience).”

There will be those times in which we hear the Word and we may feel a bit convicted and we need to give heed, and be an active doer as this scripture tells us to do. This tugging at our heart is the Holy Spirit speaking to us to make changes, and this kind of change really is a good thing. This scripture is clear that we need to give heed to the Word we hear and read, and the living water of the Word will truly reveal to us the condition of our heart if we permit it to. The Lord is loving, and He will help us to make the adjustments we need to be molded into His image. Let us look carefully at ourselves in light of God’s Word and allow Him to work in us.

Lord, we ask You this day to show us the true condition of our hearts. Help us to be reminded of the importance of remaining humble before You that You will have free reign in our hearts. Help us to be doers and not just hearers of Your Word. We thank You that You are able to do a wonderful and transforming work within us. Help us also to be patient and persevering as we walk through times of change that You are desiring to work within us. In Jesus Name we ask, amen!

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Posted on Jul 12, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, July 12, 2017

“Lord, Help Us To Be Examples For You”

by Dona Hake

I can remember once standing in the grocery line loading my groceries on to the belt for the young lady to ring me up. I heard her sharing with the customer before me how an individual took a $10 bill, and made the number one on the bill into a five, it was done so artistically and strategically that the sales clerk passed it for a $50 bill. When I stepped up to talk to this young lady I commented to her how it is so sad that people can be so deceitful. This young lady began to share how she saw someone steal someone’s coupons one day. In less than a minute this young lady shared out of the abundance of her heart. She said, “You know, you reap what you sow…” In that split second we were both on a roll sharing truths with each other, and it was beautifully evident that she was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Many times we do not need to say many words, it is that light that proceeds from our countenance.

This young lady began to share something with me that really touched my heart. She said, “You know there are those people out there that have been saved their whole life, they’ve never done drugs, they have never done anything really all that wrong, I think that is really neat because they are examples. But you know what I want? I want someone out there that is older than me to just be an example for me to follow.”

As I walked away from her I thought about how her words and they really touched me. It made me realize that there are many young believers just looking for someone to be there to call their friend, to mentor them, and just be a shining example of living life and God’s wisdom and purpose. I can remember as a young believer having that same desire, and the Lord provided that for me. As I began walking away from this young lady after I paid for my bill I said to her, “Thank you for sharing your refreshing words with me, and being a blessing to me today.” She got a big smile across her face, and then proceeded to ask me my name, and then she introduced herself to me. We are both hoping we would cross each other’s path at this grocery store and we would be able to build each other up once again.

Lord, help us all to realize that You desire to use us to touch the lives of people around us. We ask that You would help us to see the seriousness of the day in which we live because there is much to be done. There are people out there that need us. They need the light of Your Word, they need Your love, and there are those that are looking for guidance, wisdom and counsel. Help us to be mindful to walk uprightly and in the integrity of Your Word that we may be good examples to those that are looking for help and guidance. In Jesus Name we ask, amen!

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Posted on Jul 11, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, July 11, 2017

“Seek and You Will Find Him”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 105:4 (AMP)

“Seek, inquire of and for the Lord, and crave Him and

His strength (His might and inflexibility to temptation);

seek and require His face and His presence [continually] evermore.”

Along with this scripture I would like to share with you a quote to stir your heart relative to prayer and seeking the Lord.

“No man ever prayed without learning something.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

As we ponder the scripture from Psalm 105:4 along with this quote we can see that as we truly seek the Lord in prayer, reading, and the hearing of His Word that there is much to be found. Even if you have read a scripture many times over, there is always freshness and newness of life that can be brought to your heart, mind and soul. The truths to be found in our Lord have endless depths, and as we pray and seek Him, He will take us into deeper revelation of the truths in His Word.

Today I want to stir your heart to think about your desire to seek Him? May we never seek a comfort zone in our walk with Him. Of course our rest and contentment is Him, but just as our bodies crave food and water each day, so our desire to draw upon Him must also be.

Today I encourage you to crave Him and His strength. Think about those things you love to eat. Sometimes it will hit me and I will start craving a particular food because I love it so much. So it should be with our love for our Lord and everything about Him! The more we seek Him the more we will find ourselves needing to seek Him more. The more you experience HIS strength and HIS ability, the more you will crave to turn your face to Him and receive all that He is! Remember that all that He is, and all that He does is brand new everyday. He desires to teach you continually and answer all the questions of your heart. Crave Him, step into His presence, and prepare yourself to learn and receive His portion for you today. God is good!

Jeremiah 33:3 (CJB)

“Call out to me,
and I will answer you —
I will tell you great things,
hidden things of which you are unaware.”

Monday, July 10, 2017

Posted on Jul 10, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, July 10, 2017

“Let God’s Word Stir Your Heart!”

by Dona Hake

I love the Word of God and I love having encouraging and inspirational words displayed in my home. Any words that inspire my heart are a good thing and I love being surrounding with reminders of God’s Word. I have a journal/notebook with the following words on it, and honestly I bought the book just because of these words. They were:

In the happy moments

PRAISE GOD

In the difficult moments

SEEK GOD

In the quiet moments

TRUST GOD

In every moment

THANK GOD

I would like to share some thoughts and scripture with you relative to these words. I believe they will encourage and stir your heart as they did mine.

IN THE HAPPY MOMENTS…

let us give Him praise.

Let us ever be mindful that all good things are from Him and when we are happy and rejoicing, let us praise His Name.

Psalm 9:2 (AMP)

“I will rejoice in You and be in high spirits; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High!”

IN THE DIFFICULT MOMENTS …

let us seek God.

When we are walking through troubles we need to be mindful of

making sure we are drawing close to Him. Let us never run away

from His presence or seek refuge in worldly pleasure.

Psalm 27:5-8 (AMP)
“For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;

in the secret place of His tent will He hide me;

He will set me high upon a rock.
And now shall my head be lifted up above my

enemies round about me; in His tent I will offer

sacrifices and shouting of joy; I will sing, yes,

I will sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; have mercy and be

gracious to me and answer me!

You have said, SEEK My face [inquire for and require

My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You,

Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for,

and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].”

IN THE QUIET MOMENTS

let us trust God.

It is so awesome to know that no matter how busy things get or the noise of this world tries to trouble our hearts, our rest and quiet is in Him. It is all so common if one is troubled that their sleep can be hindered by the anxieties of their mind tormenting them. It is in the quietness that He gives that we can calmly trust in Him.

Psalm 4:8

In peace I will both lie down and sleep,

for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

IN EVERY MOMENT

let us thank God.

Oh that we would remind ourselves to stay in His presence every moment we breathe. It is in His presence that there is fullness of joy.

Psalm 30:12

“To the end that my tongue and my heart and

everything glorious within me may sing praise

to You and not be silent. O Lord my God,

I will give thanks to You forever.”

Today I encourage you to let God’s Word stir your heart to remembrance of all the wonderful things He has done and is going to do for you. His Word is the provision by which we live. Let us praise Him for that!

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Posted on Jul 9, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, July 9, 2017

“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, yet when we speak them, they turn out wrong or they just do not have a timely fit in the conversation. I can remember years ago getting my Granddaughter a kitty cat 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 tried to force it. Interesting analogy isn’t it?….we can feel our words are fitting and right, and we begin to force them on someone. 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 our words even with good intent are not to be spoken, and 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. Today I want to share with you about how important it is that our words are to be spoken and fitting for the moment. You see, even a right word spoken in a wrong attitude or wrong time just does not fit nor does it help or minister to the hearer. The following are translations of Proverbs 25:11 that I want to share with you. This particular scripture brings light to the importance of a word being spoken in it’s proper time.

(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 timing has it’s perfect place when it comes to words. Right timing which is God’s timing will prompt us when and how to speak. Silence also has it’s place, so do not feel you are doing wrong when you are feeling prompted to just be silent even in those times your heart is speaking that you have the answer. May our words bless and be as apples of gold in settings of silver!

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Posted on Jul 8, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Saturday, July 8, 2017

“Receiving From Our Father’s Hand”

by Dona Hake

“You open Your hand
and they are filled
with good things.”

Psalm 104:28b

Is your heart being kept full, strengthened and maintained by the power of the Holy Spirit? He desires to open His hands, and fill and touch us with many good things! Let us diligently watch over the gauge of our hearts and minds. Many times we are weakening simply because we are not drawing from the provision of our loving Heavenly Father. Pay attention to the warning signals. I know I say this often but it means so much to me, and that is Jesus desires to be our closest friend. He desires to be our Good Shepherd and provide our every need. His hands are full of good things for He desires that our life is lived in abundance!

We all know that our closest friend knows us all so well, and they will be the first to recognize if you are hurting, troubled, etc… A good friend will always be there to help us, and most certainly they will point out to us what they are observing so they can help us. Because Jesus is truly our Best Friend, may we honor Him with humble ears and hearts at all times for He desires to fill our lives with His good things and keep us strong in every area of our being!

Let us be watchful that we do not become weak or deficient in things that He desires

we be filled with. May we cautiously watch over the attitudes of our hearts. It can be so easy to slip into a place of endeavoring to do things in our own ability and strength. When we stop trusting God for the littlest of things, it eventually snowballs into every area of our life. God desires to fill us that we bubble over with hope as we trust in Him. As He fills us there will be new strength. Our youth will be renewed as the eagle. I encourage you to receive from His hand today. God is so good, trust in Him!!!

Romans 15:13 ERV

“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much
joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more
and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Friday, July 7, 2017

Posted on Jul 6, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, July 7, 2017

“The Lord’s Works Are Many and Varied!”

by Dona Hake

God’s works are many and they are varied according to

Psalm 104:24 (Amplified)

“O Lord, how many and varied are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all.”

Over the past few days I have shared with you about your purpose and how you were uniquely formed in your mother’s womb. The Lord desires to express Himself through us in ways we could never imagine. He desires to do great, many and varied works through us in such a time as this!

Today I am going to share a testimony that is so exciting and awesome. I recently got to meet this minister at our Armada Landmark Convention, and he shared this testimony with the Armada social network. I felt this would be encouraging to your heart to read, and I appreciate him encouraging me to share. I hope this blesses you as it did me and many others.

“I’ve been teaching all my congregation to do the work of the ministry.

Today I received a testimony from a man who installs furnaces for a

living that about blessed my socks off. He was working in the home

of a lady dying with cancer with no hope. He started praying in the

basement while he was working. She was totally healed with no sign

of the cancer. This is the third time in a year people with

cancer have been healed as he prayed in the basement. “Alan Adams

Isn’t this a wonderful testimony? This gentleman is being powerfully and uniquely used by his Lord for the purposes of the Kingdom of God. Today I encourage you to look for those opportunities for the Lord to use you in special ways in Jesus Name!

Ephesians 3:20Amplified Bible

“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and]

do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or

think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams],

according to His power that is at work within us,”

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Posted on Jul 6, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, July 6, 2017

“The Precious Possession of a Wise Man”

by Dona Hake

The diligent hand proceeds from the heart that desires to live productively in everything they put their hand to. It is so wonderful to experience the fruit of our accomplishment after we have done what we know we have set our heart to do!

A farmer or a individual that loves to do vegetable gardening understands the importance of diligently tending a garden in order that it be healthy and thriving. After of summer of faithful weeding and tending a garden or crop, the harvest is going to come. Once it comes one may desire to freeze or can the abundance of their fruits. Whatever the choice of preserving it, it must be done, and there is no time to waste. It is such a blessing to pull a vegetable out of your freezer or a canned veggie or fruit in the cold of winter. Oh the joy of enjoying the fruit of our diligent, hard working hands!

Our time is so valuable and precious, and we must purpose to never waste a minute of our day. I have a little hour glass and as the sand flows through it, there is a measure of time that passes. This little hour glass reminds me that once that sand flows through it that a particular “time” has passed and I can not get it back. Many times people fail to realize the time they are living, and they are missing opportunities for some reason or other. The time goes and so has the opportunity. Just as opportunities come and they call for our diligence in a specific time, there are also other things in life that require our diligence in order that we sow, reap, and enjoy blessings.

I encourage you today to desire the heart and hands of the diligent and be blessed. Guard you time and spend it wisely. Diligence is a good thing and it leads to abundant blessing!

Proverbs 21:5 Amplified Bible
“The thoughts of the [steadily] diligent
tend only to plenteousness…”

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Posted on Jul 5, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, July 5, 2017

“He Has a Purpose For You”

by Dona Hake

Yesterday we looked at the beauty of knowing that our Lord is molding us and making us for His plans and purposes. You may say, “But, what is my purpose?” God desires that we seek to know what His plans are for us for He most definitely has a special purpose in mind for our life. You see, all our days are numbered, He knows every hair on our head, and He desires to perfect all that concerns us!

Many times individuals struggle with why they are here, and what are they to do with their life. As people begin to age they may look back on their lives, and they need to feel that they have made an impact in this life or they desire to know that they have done great accomplishments. Only God can bring out of us all that He created us to be! It is so important to understand that God knew us before our mother gave birth to us. Every stitch and fiber of our being was uniquely knitted together as He formed us in our mother’s womb. Within us He has placed gifts and talents that are an expression of Him.

Psalm 139:13-15 (AMP)
“For You did form my inward parts;

You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the
awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works,

and that my inner self knows right well.
My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and]
intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in
the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].”

We need to confess and praise Him for how wonderfully He fashioned us for this life. Remember what I shared yesterday, and that is only one YOU! Deep inside you there may be something that needs birthed. It may be a gift, calling, or some type of creativity that is waiting for it’s awakening. I love how verse fifteen says that we were curiously wrought as if embroidered with various colors. I have never embroidered but I have always felt it to look as if it was a tedious craft. So it was with us as we were being formed within our mother’s womb. He gave great thought to every part of us, and how He fashioned us for the work of our life.

Today I encourage you to think about how you are a gift from the hand of God, and as you live for Him, confess that He leads and guides you into all truth, and He will indeed accomplish much through you as you seek and serve Him.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Posted on Jul 4, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, July 4, 2017

“He Is Working On You!”

by Dona Hake

Ephesians 2:10 (AMP)

“For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].”

Praise the Lord for He is the Great Workman, and His skilled hands work to form, shape and mold us to do great things for His Kingdom! Our hearts should be encouraged that the One that created the Heavens and the Earth is at work in our lives, we should be rejoicing in our hearts over the plans He has for us! I shared with you in the last devotional that when we have needs, and we call out to Him for help, He answers us with His grace. His grace is always there to help us to do His will. His grace is at work in us to accomplish the great works and live in the realm of His miraculous works that He desires to do.

I want to encourage your heart today in the fact that you are a work in progress. No matter how long you have known the Lord, whether it be a few years or many, He continues to work in your life. God sees our lives from the beginning to end, and He has the perfect plans to accomplish His will . Remember…there is only one YOU! He has a special and unique plan for you, and only YOU can do it as you look to Him and follow in His direction. He is the faithful one that will continue to work by His Holy Spirit in our lives no matter what weaknesses or inabilities we may have. Praise Him today for what He has done in your life. Praise Him for what you also expect Him to do, and remember to give Him all the glory as He dwells within you and uses you as He wills!

Philippians 2:13 (AMP)

“[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.”