The Abundant Life Center

by Dona Hake

I love being with little children.  I love their energy and imagination as well as appreciating their personalities in development.  Today I had an experience that caused me to walk away thinking about why Jesus said we need to be like little kids.

I was shopping and I noticed this little girl that was about four years old trying to push her mommy’s cart through the store.  As I was standing in line to check out, this little girl and her mommy were in front of me.  I said to the little girl, “Wow, you have really been such a great helper to your mommy today!”  The precious little thing looked into my eyes but did not respond one word to me.  I totally understood what was happening but the poor mother was so embarrassed.  This little one was purposely letting me know that she was not going to acknowledge me.  Her mother began to apologize and she said, “Oh my, I am realizing why she is doing this.  She is not talking to you because I have told her she is never to talk to strangers.”  I immediately began to affirm the mother and let her know that this is a good and  important thing to teach our children. Sadly in this day and age we need to be ever so careful.

I learned from this little incident and walked away once again reminded that Jesus desires we be as children.  I thought about how this little girl immediately recalled the teaching of her mother and she obeyed what she had been taught.    She knew in her little heart that what her mother taught her was to keep her safe.

God has set up his commandments and things for us to live by in His Word.   They are there for our protection and to live a life of full of blessing and abundant peace.  In our times in which we think we know better than God, we can stray from His commands because we think we are “too grown up” for such rules.  Let us look at a scripture that will reinforce what I am sharing.

Proverbs 4:3-6

(ERV)

by Dona Hake

There is much torment in feeling guilty.  It kind of feels like a prison because you are no longer free from the inside out.  Memories and thoughts of the wrong you may have done seem to have voices, and they continue to haunt and remind you of what you think is irreparable.  If you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, you can partake of His wonderful forgiveness.  Let us treasure within us how wonderful it is that the Lord will forgive us when we mess up and He will always cleanse our hearts.  As we humble ourselves to Him admitting our wrongs and shortcomings, He is desiring so much to bring you back to that place of feeling clean again.

Let us look at David in the Psalms.   His plea to God was for restoration of his heart in a time in which he majorly messed up and  his heart was heavy with guilt and anguish.

Psalm 51:7, 8, 10

“Remove my sin and make me pure.” 
    Wash me until I am whiter than snow!
Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again.
    
God, create a pure heart in me,
    and make my spirit strong again.”

Today let us treasure the power of forgiveness from the One who is able to cleanse.  I love how verse eight says “Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again.”   This is what restoration  is about.  When we experience freedom from guilt we are able to experience the joy that was robbed by our sin and guilt.  Only God is able to create within us a pure heart, pick us back up, and cause us to continue on in His will.  Thank God for the power of forgivenesss!

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by Dona Hake

I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing with my granddaughters about how the four seasons affect the things around us. For the past year every time I pick them up we pretty much travel the same route, and we began to take notice to a maple tree that stands all alone in the middle of a corn field. At the end of last fall when the corn was harvested and the tree had lost all of it’s leaves, I mentioned how the tree looked kind of lonely. Out in the middle of this corn field is standing a tree that once had tons of leaves that turned glorious colors and now it stood naked and all alone.

We named the tree “Mr. Lonely Tree.” This tree has turned into a fun and interactive time of teaching the girls about  what happens to a tree during the different seasons.  One day I said, “Poor Mr. Lonely Tree can hardly wait for spring so he can have his leaves back!” As we would drive by each week I kept telling them that it would not be long that the tree would have so many leaves growing all over it.   With the winter that we had it seemed like forever that the tree was going to bear leaves.  I can still remember their little faces lighting up when they saw all the beautiful leaves FINALLY adorning the limbs of Mr. Lonely Tree.

Even though I have been sharing these facts with the girls, my heart has also been ministered to as I see this tree standing. It seems that no matter what season it is, Mr. Lonely Tree  remains strong. Even though things are constantly changing all around it, the tree just continues to flourish inside and out. Even in the barrenness of the winter, I knew that there were deep things going on in the root system of this tree.

As we continue to abide, thrive and grow in the Lord, we also will go from one season to the next in our lives. Some seasons seem like they are never going to end. Other seasons seems like sand slipping through our fingers. We just wish we could hold on to those moments just a little bit longer.  There may be seasons in which you feel you are standing alone yet you have blossomed in great strength as a result of  that season which appeared to be a time of barrenness.  Let us be reminded that God is the God of perfect timing and we must continue to trust His judgments.

The Lord is calling us to walk through each season of our life and embrace it’s purpose.  When He chooses to end that chapter, we need to be willing to go forward into the next. With each season He is seasoning us and working deep within us to continue on, His hand is at work even when we feel like nothing is happening around us or inside of us. I encourage you to love and enjoy each God given season of your life,be blessed and know that He who has begun a good work in you is completing it!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (DARBY) 
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens.”

by Dona Hake

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

When we love the instruction of God’s Word , we WILL have great peace.  As my husband preached  yesterday he admonished us…”The spirit of this world is trying to drain us.”  This is so true, and this truth needs to be heeded to.   No matter how much we love and live for the Lord, we must continue to keep ourselves strengthened by the truths of God’s Word so that our souls are not drained and pulled down.  Many times when we are lacking peace, it is then that we are most vulnerable to offences.

The second part of Psalm 119:165 says that “nothing makes them stumble.”   When we are so full of God’s peace, we will be able to rise above things that would be trying to pull our hearts into being offended and stumbling.    Offense can have power over our souls as it can cause us to be unforgiving and we could end up a bitter person.

This great peace that the psalmist is speaking  of is not the peace that the world gives.  This peace comes from the God of still waters that lives within you, and He promises to flood your soul with it.    This peace is the peace that passes all human comprehension. It is  above and beyond all we dare imagine.  Today I encourage you to think about the God in Heaven that desires for His abundant peace to permeate your soul!   As you love His instruction you will have abundant peace.

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by Dona Hake

Psalm 139:1-6

“Lord, you have examined me.
You know me.
You know when I sit down and when I stand up.
Even from far away, you comprehend my plans.
 You study my traveling and resting.
You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways.
There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord,
that you don’t already know completely.
 You surround me—front and back.
You put your hand on me.
 That kind of knowledge is too much for me;
it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it.”

Let us ponder how awesome it is that the Lord knows each of us inside and out.  He knows exactly what makes us tick.  He understands our emotions and our fears.  He knows every thought that runs through our minds and before we speak a word, He already knows what it is going to be.

This strikes me as so amazing and it makes me even more aware of how much I need to reverence Him in every aspect of my life.  You see, He not only looks at our heart, but He sees what is there that is good and those things that should not be occupying our hearts.  He sees things no one else sees.  Let us also embrace this thought when we are being tempted to be critical of others.  Many times people may be walking through something that you do not know of.    It is a good rule to be praying for people rather than trying to figure them out.   God knows and sees their hearts as well, and He is well able to deal with them.  Let us keep our eyes on Him and our own hearts.

“God does not see as humans see.

Humans look at outward appearances,

but the Lord looks into the heart.”

2 Samuel 16:7

As we walk closely beside Him and stay in close fellowship we can be sure that He will speak to us about things that we did not even know are going on inside of us.  Awesome thought isn’t it?  The God that so lovingly created you understands it all.  In those times that you feel you are not being understood, know this…the God of Heaven and Earth understands you.

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by Dona Hake

Sometimes our eyes can deceive us.  We can think we are perceiving things properly but truth is we are seeing things from the wrong perspective or improper thinking.  There are many things that can cloud our eyes from seeing things how God sees them.

Here is an example of seeing things incorrectly.  We have heard it said that worry casts a big shadow on small things.  Really when you think about it worry causes us to perceive “His  light”  and the truth of the matter incorrectly.    Worry has the ability to magnify things and distort the truth.  When there is a problem and we allow the light of His Word to shine on it, we will always be able to embrace an attitude of victory and not worry.

God desires that we see everything in proper perspective and the only way that will happen is if we see things through His eyes.    I guarantee you that as we ask Him to help us see, our perspective on everything will be correct.  Today I encourage you to ask Him to fill your eyes with light…His light.

Psalm 119:18 (VOICE) 
“Let me see clearly so that I may take in
the amazing things coming from Your law.”

There are so many wonderful things in His Word for us to learn.  We can never think we know it all for all that we do know He can continue to increase by taking us to greater depths.  Let us pray that we see more clearly that we can take in all of God’s awesomeness that He is and Has provided!  He desires that every part of our being to  be full of light.

Matthew 6:22-23
(TLB)
 “If your eye is pure, there will be sunshine in your soul.”

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by Dona Hake

We all need to be reminded of things.  Sometimes even the most important things can be forgotten.  We get too busy, our minds are full, and we just forget.  Today I want to remind you to keep looking up.  This is something you have to do and no one else can do it for you.  I want to share several scriptures to cause your eyes to stop focusing on that which is not important and focus on Him.

 Psalm 143:8

“Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I LIFT UP MY INNER SELF TO YOU.”

Psalm 63:4
“So will I bless You while I live;  I WILL LIFT UP MY HANDS in Your name…”

Psalm 121:1-3
Amplified Bible (AMP)

“I WILL LIFT UP MY EYES to the hills  —From whence shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 123:1
“I LIFT UP MY EYES…”

I want you to take note that in all of these scriptures “I Will” proceeds the lifting up of our inner self, our hands, and our eyes.  You see, it is an act of our will to look up and lift up.  He promises that as we make a decision to look away from all that is trying to hold us back and hold us down that He WILL lift us up!!

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by Dona Hake

It is when we are full of God’s courage that we feel we are able to accomplish anything with His help.  The opposite of courage is discouragement.  Discouragement has the power to paralyze someone from moving forward.  It has the power the keep you unmotivated to move forward and wallow in the past.  Today we will look at how we must guard our hearts against discouragement.

Abraham Lincoln wisely said,

“Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed.”  

Courage is that thing that empowers us to do what we may be afraid of.  It helps us go forward into things we  thought was too big for us to handle.   Let us with determined hearts to never  allow discouragement to prey upon our hearts.

Many times discouragement will be birthed as a result of being preoccupied with cares in your life.  We are commanded to cast all our care over to God.   As the scripture says below, we need to keep our minds clear and alert because the devil is watching for those opportunities to pull you down.

1 Peter 57-9
Names of God Bible
“Turn all your anxiety over to God because he cares for you. Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour.  Be firm in the faith and resist him, knowing that other believers throughout the world are going through the same kind of suffering.”

If your heart is in a place of discouragement, I want to encourage you today to look up and know that He is well able to pull you out of that place and bring courage back to your heart.  Release your care and hold fast to His loving hands and you will be made courageous!

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by Dona Hake

We overwork our bodies at times and more than likely our minds are overworked on a regular basis. Daily responsibilities and cares can just take it out of us. Where do we run when this happens? Are we supposed to run when this happens? Of course God wants us to run to Him when we are in trouble. May I humbly submit to you that if you run from your problems that you are going the wrong way?

I think God’s real deal for us is to stay in a place of rest for it is there that we are able to live refreshed and drawing upon Him. It is there that our hearts, minds and bodies are kept in check. It is there that there is strength and peace beyond any comprehension exists. If we are honest with ourselves we need to admit there are times when we are pushing the boundaries of our bodies and minds to the point of pointlessness, and we need to return to His rest that He desires for us.

I am totally sold out in believing that God wants us to live in a place called rest that ONLY He provides. So what is this rest? Here is one definition that I loved…
relief or freedom, especially from anything that

wearies, troubles, or disturbs.
Let us abide under the shadow of His wings and I mean abide…live there, hang out, stay there….God wants us to remain before Him. He does not desire we come and go as we please. He does not desire that we come to Him when only when problems come up, but He desires we stay put. It is as we rest in this place that we really do experience His rest!

“Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him,”
Psalm 62:5 HCSB

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by Dona Hake

Many of you know well that I have a love for birds, and I love feeding them.  I have so many different species that come to my feeders and I love watching and observing their behavior.  Recently, I have welcomed Catbirds and I am really enjoying them.   I was having my morning coffee and I heard a hard bang on my deck window and as I walked over to see, I was holding my breath that I was not going to find a dead bird.   I dreaded going to glance out the  window because I hate seeing anything suffer or lose it’s life.   I was surprised to find one of the little Catbirds sitting on the deck looking around quite dumbfounded and you could tell she did not know what hit her.  She saw me and glanced my way, and I just stood and observed her.  She just stayed quiet and little by little looked around.  She sat there observing other birds coming and going and did not move.  Finally, she lifted up her wings and flew away.  Whewwwww!  I took a deep sigh of relief!

This little incident blessed me with  a little analogy to share with you today.  Sometimes we too can think we are perceiving that we are going the right way to find ourselves running into “windows” or dead ends.  Things like this can blindside us especially if we feel we are on the right path, yet it happens.    Sometimes our wrong perception of things could get us into trouble.  Maybe we are not paying as close attention to things as we should and we  end up being stopped suddenly without warning.   We can learn from this because there will be  times when we are taken off guard in life or hit hard with circumstances beyond our control.

A little observation I made of my little recovering “feathered friend” was how she sat so quietly and was cautious not to move until she knew she could.  She just kept still, observed quietly what was going on and waited till the right moment.  She knew exactly the right time to try and fly again.   It was almost like she instinctively knew when it was safe to take flight  again.  Let us learn as well in those situations that cause us confusion or when we feel we lack wisdom in a situation .     Let us be still, patiently wait and when we get our strength and direction back, He will cause us to soar again by His strength and He will keep us strong.

Psalm 17:4-5 (MSG)
” I’m not trying to get my way
in the world’s way.
I’m trying to get your way,
your Word’s way.
I’m staying on your trail;
I’m putting one foot
In front of the other.
I’m not giving up.”

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