admin, Author at The Abundant Life Center

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Posted on Jun 20, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, June 20, 2017

“…and Nothing Shall Make Them Stumble”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 119:165 (HCSB) “Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your instruction; nothing makes them stumble.”

When you purchase something brand new, it is a very wise idea to pull out the instructions and follow them closely so your product works as you wished for it to. The person that tries to figure things out on their own apart from the instruction manual usually ends up frustrated. I thank the Lord that He has provided us with the Ultimate Manual and that is the Word of God. He has given us every instruction for this walk called life, and all we have to do is abide by it, and follow it closely. We need to love His Word more than our own opinions and past experiences. When we love His Word and instructions, He promises that our peace will be abundant. On top of abundant peace we receive the promise that we will be spared from messing up and “tripping” over things that could potentially hinder us.

I thought it would be interesting to share some definitions I found on the word stumble. Remember…as we love His Word NOTHING will make us stumble…

Stumble defined:

* to strike the foot against something,

as in walking or running, so as to stagger or fall; trip,

to walk or go unsteadily: to stumble down a dark passage.

* to make a slip, mistake, or blunder,

especially a sinful one: to stumble over a

question; to stumble and fall from grace.

* to proceed in a hesitating or blundering

manner, as in action or speech.

I am thanking God today that He has made provision that we do not have to stumble. Have you ever walked into a place of business to find a “Wet floor” sign or “Caution Ahead” signs on the road? Those words are there to warn us of possible danger, and as we heed to them we can proceed in safety, and confidence. The Word of God also provides words of caution, admonishment, and great instruction for us to walk in. I do not know about you, but I find great peace in knowing that God has provided every answer I need in His Word. His Spirit is here to guide us into all of His truth, and He will teach us things that we do not understand. As we abide in this great instruction,our peace will be great, and we will be kept from stumbling. The tricks of the devil will clearly be exposed, and we will remain guarded with His abundant peace.

I encourage you today that He has provided everything you need in His Word that your life can be permeated with great peace. I thank God for those times that He has reached down and lifted us back up when we have stumbled in our way. Great is His forgiveness and faithfulness. Great is His peace. Purpose to seek these things, enjoy them , and possess them as you serve Him everyday!

Monday, June 19, 2017

Posted on Jun 19, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, June 19, 2017

“Laying Down In Green Pastures”

He Makes Me to Lie Down in Green Pastures

by Dona Hake

Yesterday’s devotional was focusing on David’s crying out to the Lord when he recognized his soul was cast down. He responded to his own question to the Lord, and spoke to his soul and ask it “Why are you disquieted within me? Hope thou in God!” Our loving Shepherd tends to us with His loving eyes and He knows how to remedy every problem. In those times that our soul is troubled and disquieted we need to command our soul to be still, and remind ourselves that our hope is in God. I believe it is those times that God knows how to make us lay down in His green pastures and partake of His goodness and peace. Let us look at this analogy of the sheep and green pastures…

You would think any animal would absolutely love the inviting green grass on a warm day. You would never think that one of the greatest hindrances for a sheep to lie down is their fear within. Sheep are actually restless and creatures that are easily intimidated. I have read that a single jack rabbit can scare one sheep and cause a whole flock of hundreds to flee in fear. Because they are on guard and nervous, it is only the shepherd that can assure them that it is safe to lay down in the beautiful, lush, green pastures that he has led them to.

What I see here is the beauty of the shepherd’s keen oversight over his flock. In my reading on this subject the three other things that keep sheep from laying down in green pastures is friction within the flock, tormenting flies, and parasites, and they cannot be hungry. Any of these things will hinder them from basking and resting in the green pastures.

Within these facts we can see a beautiful analogy of our Good Shepherd. It is only He that alleviates fear, helps us work toward unity, helps us with the irritations of life, and is faithful to feed us His good Word. There is no substitute for His keen awareness of every area of our life.

Psalm 4:8 (CEB)

“I will lie down and fall asleep in peace

because you alone, Lord, let me live in safety.”

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Posted on Jun 17, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, June 18, 2017

“Praise Him For the Help Of His Countenance”

by Dona Hake

God desires that we stay in His presence, and speak with Him about anything that concerns or is bothering us. In our time of trouble if we neglect communing with our Lord our soul will be burdened down. Today I am sharing a scripture with you that David wrote during a time in which his soul was burdened and disquieted. Let’s read and meditate upon how he took his burden to the Lord.

Psalm 42:5

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and

why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for

I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

I picture in my mind David writing the Psalms in the quietness of the night while his eyes were diligently watching over his flock of sheep. I am sure that his days were long days, and some were more challenging than others. There are a handful of Psalms where David used the term “cast down”. This is a term used for a sheep that had turned over on it’s back and could not get up again. Sheep have a way of getting themselves in trouble, and they can be helpless as well. A good shepherd seeks to understand every aspect of the care of his sheep, and today we are looking at how our Good Shepherd seeks to lovingly care, protect, and lift us up when our souls are down.

I want to make emphasis on the fact that when a sheep is cast down it cannot get up again by itself. A cast sheep is a sad sight. It lays on its back, and as its feet are in the air, it struggles frantically to get back up again. Sometimes it will make little bleating cries for help and just lays there frustrated. If the shepherd does not arrive on time, the sheep will die. Since a sheep that is cast is in such a helpless state, it is also vulnerable to attack by predators. We can certainly see the parallel here as to how we too are more vulnerable for the attack of the devil in our lives when we are weakened spiritually. Remember…the devil seeks whom he may devour. Praise the Lord for He is our good Shepherd and He is the One that upholds us and strengthens our soul. Let us praise Him for the help of His countenance.

Psalm 37:24 Amplified Bible

“Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down,

for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.”

Friday, June 23, 2017

Posted on Jun 17, 2017 in Uncategorized |

by Dona Hake

This is written in scripture and has become cliche…”It’s the little foxes that spoil the vine.” These eight words carry much truth and can be powerful to our souls if we heed to them. Something can be in full bloom, and looking beautiful and healthy, yet if a little fox if permitted to roam in the vineyard, there is going to be trouble.

I had an upsetting experience on yesterday morning. While preparing my oatmeal, I was pouring in some raisins, and one raisin fell on the floor. My German Shepherd was standing right beside me and gobbled that raisin up in no time. I immediately got on my iphone and checked for what I should do. For those of you that do not know, grapes and raisins are extremely toxic to dogs. It can cause kidney failure. I googled it into my phone, and I just felt I needed to give my vet a call. As soon as I told the technician that my 75 pound dog ate one raisin, she was quick to put me on hold and get right to the doctor. She came back to me, and said that I needed to induce vomiting on Aasha right away. The vet felt that as big as she was that the raisin probably would not affect her, but we were not taking ANY chances on it. I heeded to their advice and induced vomiting.

Now let’s look at the old saying, “It’s better to be safe than sorry.” I almost was not going to call but I just wanted to be on the safe side of the whole thing. My vet felt the same way. How could something so small be such a potential hazard? Yet it can be, and I have knew of a pet owner losing her dog to kidney failure from ingesting grapes. I have got to say that inducing vomiting on Aasha was extremely unpleasant for me to do. Honestly, I did not want to do it, but I love her too much not to have taken this measure. She looked at me with those beautiful sad eyes as she kept vomiting all over my kitchen floor not once, but five times. Even though it made me upset to have to do it, sometimes in life you just gotta do the right thing no matter how unpleasant it is.

Now, can we look at this and use it as an analogy of how the smallest of things can be poison to our hearts and minds. How many times do we feel we can afford one little thought, one little word to escape our lips. Seems harmless to us, yet that one little thought or one little word could be poisonous to our soul, and cause us great pain in the end. We must be aggressive with ourselves, and go to what ever measure we need to and rid of poisonous things in our life.

Today, I encourage you to guard the vineyard of your heart and mind. Guard it with all vigilance and care. It is those times that when all is blooming beautifully that we can be deceived and miss those “little foxes” that are assigned to destroy us. God is able to cause His wisdom, grace, and all that we need to keep our hearts guarded.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Posted on Jun 17, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Saturday, June 17, 2017

“Lean Not On Your Understanding”

by Dona Hake

Proverbs 3:5 (AMP)
“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart

and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.”

Some days it can be tempting to just see things as you are perceiving them to be. Many times our experiences of the past may be dictating how we are viewing things today. We can tend to view things from the “glasses” of our formed opinions and thoughts and we can fall short of seeing things as God sees them. If we are leaning on our own understanding we are limiting ourselves from believing God to do the great and impossible things in our lives. We need to remember that God is always seeing the bigger picture and He sees how all is working together for the good if we trust in Him.

Now if we are leaning on God and trusting in Him, it is truly a wonderful thing. Leaning upon God will bring rest to our souls. Sometimes in the midst of life’s hard blows it can cause us to be weary and tired. Now let us think about those times you may have been tired, and you stopped to lean against something to take a break.

Psalm 37:7
Amplified Bible

“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him…”

The psalmist was encouraging us to stop and lean on God and do it with patience. Today I encourage you that if you are needing rest and refreshment in your soul to STOP, BE STILL, AND PATIENTLY LEAN YOURSELF UPON HIM! Wait patiently and as you do so, expect for Him to refresh you and cause new strength to rise up from within you. God is good!

Friday, June 16, 2017

Posted on Jun 16, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, June 16, 2017

“Recounting His Deeds In Our Life”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 145:5-7

Young’s Literal Translation

” The honour — the glory of Thy majesty,

And the matters of Thy wonders I declare.
And the strength of Thy fearful acts they tell,

And Thy greatness I recount.

The memorial of the abundance of Thy goodness

they send forth. And Thy righteousness they sing.”

The other day I shared a funny memory with our Granddaughters about something that happened on a family vacation many years ago. The oldest Granddaughter laughed and laughed as I told the story! That evening we were gathering as a family to celebrate our oldest son’s birthday, and she said, “Grandma, please share that funny story again….PLEASE!!!” I proceeded to say that I think Grandpa should share for he remembers some details that will make that story even funnier. As a family we sat and listened and we laughed together. I am convinced that she will ask me to tell that story again and again for it amused her and made her giggle! It is a precious and good thing to share special and fun memories, and we should never tire of listening to such fun and precious memories over and over again. We also need to do the same with sharing our testimony and the many things the Lord has done for us. This scripture I am sharing with you today says, “…and Thy greatness I recount…” Let us look closer at that word recount. It means to tell in detail; to give the facts or particulars of. May we recount or tell in detail the many works and deeds of our Lord OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

I love this scripture for it reminds me that daily I should be like a fountain pouring forth to all around me proclaiming that I am blessed, and I serve a God of abundant blessing! May I be reminded by the Holy Spirit to recall and speak of His greatness. Today I am thinking about looking for opportunities to speak about the blessings in my life. May my life show that I am blessed going in and blessed coming out! Let us NOT only speak of blessings when all is going well but let us speak of His blessings no matter what is going on in our lives.

Today I just want to put the challenge out that we always humbly return to Him the thanks and praise that He deserves, and live in a place that our eyes are always on Him from whom all blessings flow. The greatest blessing that we can give thanks for today is that His life is flowing like a mighty river within us. Dear friend, it is not there for us alone, but that abounding life of all that God is, is there for those around us. Let us share and testify of His wonderful works. Recount the many deeds He has done for you, and you will be that spring of life spilling over !

John 4:14
Amplified Bible (AMP)
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.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Posted on Jun 15, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, June 14, 2017

“Your Life…A Garden of Refreshment!”

by Dona Hake

Isaiah 58:11 (ERV)

“The Lord will always lead you and satisfy your needs in dry lands.

He will give strength to your bones.

You will be like a garden that has plenty of water,

like a spring that never goes dry.”

As we draw upon the living water from above each and everyday let us be mindful to share that water that gives life with those around us. Let us be thankful that the water He gives is the only water that will quench our spiritual thirst. I love how this scripture in Isaiah says that we will be “like a garden that has plenty of water, a spring that never goes dry.” No matter how much we draw upon it, those waters will continue to flow toward us to meet our every need! The only requirement is that we continue to seek Him and draw upon that river of life that proceeds from Him.

This type of abundance is not just for our survival alone but it is there for us to give. God desires to see us active in doing good for others from a heart of faith and love. Today I encourage you to think about the abundance in your life. Seek opportunities to look to be a blessing in someone’s life. I pray that the life of Jesus within you may touch and bless the dry places of someone in need. Think about the many times He has rescued you from a problem that seemed unsolvable. Thank Him for those times that your anxiety tormented you and His peace permeated you beyond your understanding. We have so much to be thankful for, and as we focus on those blessings and abide in Him we will be in a position to refresh those around us. God bless you!

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Posted on Jun 12, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, June 13, 2017

“Without Him We Can Do Nothing”

by Dona Hake

John 15:5 The Voice

“I am the vine, and you are the branches.

If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit.

Without Me, you will accomplish nothing.”

Today we are meditating on our Lord our Vine! We are the branches, and without Him we can accomplish not one thing. Think about it… without Him we can do nothing and with Him ALL things are possible! All means all, and that little word with three letters contains big possibilities. Whether we are trying to do things for Him or the things that involve our daily accomplishments, it would do us good to know that we are pulling ALL of our strength and wisdom from His resources.

Yesterday I shared about the light of our Lord. The light of His Word brings us strength and direction. There is only one thing though….we must stay hooked up to Him and be drawing upon Him for that Light to illuminate our path. This summer I have been having fun working with the arbor in our backyard. In the arbor are different pretty potted flowers, a bird feeder and bird bath. I bought two strings of solar lights to string through the arbor and it looks so pretty and magical at night. Last week we had a handful of days in which it rained and it was overcast. It the evening the lights would come on but they were very dim, and they did not last long at all. The solar batteries need that beautiful sunshine to recharge them so when darkness falls the beautiful little lights are illuminated.

We too need to stay connected to Him by fellowship in prayer and reading His Word. As we fellowship with other believers this also strengthens and recharges us as we share what the Lord is doing in our life. Let us remember how important it is in knowing that without Him we can accomplish anything yet by Him the impossible is made possible! Let us abide in Jesus the Vine!

Monday, June 12, 2017

Posted on Jun 12, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, June 12, 2017

“Understanding the Light of Our Lord”

by Dona Hake

So much has changed in the world of photography, and it continues to develop and improve as the world of digital shooting continues to advance. I can remember being adamant in not wanting anything to do with a digital camera. I knew nothing but film and working in a film lab for almost ten years made it even harder for me to switch. I worked in so many departments of the photo lab but my favorite was working with the printing of black and white negatives. Each negative had to be carefully read. The printing machine did not tell me what to do, I had to make the decision to administer light or less light for a quality image. Light, dark, whites, grays, blacks…it all had to be perfect to create the perfect black and white image. After printing I would take my huge roll of paper to the darkroom for processing. In the darkroom where your prints were processed you could stand and watch the images you printed. The paper passed from one chemical to the next and was being transformed as it reached its destination of completion. I would stand there anticipating if I made proper judgements or not. Honestly, I am glad I had that experience because it has benefited me even in the use of digital and making judgements while shooting manually.

I often think about photographers back in the day of film shooting that photographed weddings. I cannot imagine capturing an iconic shot not knowing that my settings were completely off, and the image was irreparable. As I did wedding photography for seven years and shot over eighty weddings, I cannot tell you how thankful I was to be able to check myself with those very important shots.

In this age of digital shooting I hear many say they just shoot on their automatic setting. In other words they just let the camera figure it out the settings. I learned a valuable lesson from a photographer that I had the opportunity to work with. One day he said to me, “Dona, you need to shoot manually. It is what creativity is all about with photography.” My response, “Wow! that is too scary to me! What if I miss a good shot because I did not figure out settings correctly?” His response, “Dona, it is more scary to me to shoot on automatic for I know I am not getting the best shot I can get.” From that day forward I have been shooting manually almost 99% of the time.

I embrace the opinion that photography is all about understanding light. How much or how little you need. It has to be perfect. So it is when we encounter situations in this life. We need to have God’s perfect light at work for us in everything we do! First you need to know what kind of outcome you desire and you need to know what to do to make it happen. Along with our desires we need to desire to understand how to get to where we are going. God knows what we need, and His Word has every answer for anything we face. He knows the light we need to bring us the proper understanding in a situation. Thank God that if we do mess up, we can start over with His help and reach for His light. God is the God of ultimate light that can illuminate anything we need in our life.

Psalm 18:28

“For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my

God will enlighten my darkness.”

I am ever so thankful that God is a God of all light. There is nothing I face that He cannot go before me and show me the way and instruct me how to get there safely. Today I praise Him for being a God of perfect light!

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Posted on Jun 11, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, June 11, 2017

“The Loyalty of Our Lord”

by Dona Hake

Loyalty is characterized by faithfulness to commitments and obligations. God has promised to be loyal to us with His love, forgiveness, help, …oh my!…there are so many things that He promises to be to us. Jesus said in His Word that He would NEVER leave us or forsake us. Our Lord has promised to remain faithful, from one generation to the next. The loyalty of our Lord should be precious to us for He can always be depended upon.

At the end of many days I may look back on my day and wished that I would have said or done things differently but praise God He faithfully forgives me, and He promises to help me do better as I lean upon Him for all wisdom and strength. Because of His loyalty and steadfast love, He promises to be there for me tomorrow and give me the wisdom that I need to do better. One of the first things I try to do each morning as I greet Him is remind myself and thank Him that His mercies are new every morning. My day is a fresh canvas, and I try to purpose myself to walk closer to Him than the day before, and seize the opportunities He prepares just for me!

I have a decorative slate in my kitchen. Every so often I will write a thought or scripture on it and it reminds me of something I am meditating on. I can remember one evening I was trying to do some different cursive handwriting with the chalk and I kept messing up. I was glad I could just erase it and start over and work at it till I had it exactly the way I wanted it. This made me think about how my Lord helps me in my mistakes, and blesses me with fresh new opportunities if I do not get it right the first time around. So it is with the Lord’s mercies, they are new and fresh each morning. Thank God we have fresh starts each day and we can learn from our yesterdays. He is there to help us to keep working out those things that we are trying to get right in our lives. Thank God that our mess ups are forgiven and wiped away with the blood of Jesus! Praise the Lord today for His loyalty to you!

Lamentations 3:22-23

“How enduring is God’s loyal love; the

Eternal has inexhaustible compassion.