The Abundant Life Center

by Dona Hake

What a special day this should be in the heart of every American that loves the freedom  we partake of here in this country.    Today is the day which is set to remember the men and women who died while serving in the country’s armed forces.    Let us also keep in prayer those that live with the pain of the loved one they lost in war, for they too have sacrificed.

I read something interesting regarding the history and different traditions of Memorial Day and I wanted to share with you.  One of the traditions that some may do  on Memorial Day is the flag of the United States is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.  The half-staff position remembers the men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon, their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.

Let us keep the “noonday” attitude within us and determine not to let these sacrifices be in vain.  Let us rise up in their stead and resolve in our hearts to fight the good fight for freedom.    Let us vow to pray like never before for our country and support our troops and veterans in every we can.  We hear it said, “Freedom is not free.”  This is a very powerful statement and I pray it does not become just a cliche to us .      Today I encourage you to give honor to those that went into battle with hearts that were resolute as they fought for the cause of our freedom.  This courage and sacrifice deserves the greatest and highest respect.   God bless America!

MAY WE NEVER FORGET!

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by Dona Hake

I have been pondering yesterday’s devotional in my heart.  I love how Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego were so strong in their faith and they embraced worshiping only the Living God.  Let us look again at the scripture I shared with you and how they communicated with King Nebuchadnessar.  I love how they addressed the king with boldness of faith yet respect as well for the king.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not worried about what will happen to us.  If we are thrown into the flaming furnace, our God is able to deliver us; and he will deliver us out of your hand, Your Majesty.  But if he doesn’t, please understand, sir, that even then we will never under any circumstance serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have erected.”

First of all they understood that God was well able to deliver them from this horrible death yet they took their love and worship of God a step further.  I am going to paraphrase this…”Even if God does not deliver us, please understand this one thing, we under no circumstance will serve your gods nor will we bow down to them.”   They were rock solid in their faith and nothing was going to move them.

Even onto the death they proclaimed their unmovable faith in the Living God that they believed and served.  Let us learn from such examples of faith that are in the Bible.  Because of what Jesus did for us at the cross, our faith can also be unshaken in the face of any circumstance. To God be the glory who strengthens and establishes us in our faith!

Psalm 34:15
“The eyes of the Lord are toward the [uncompromisingly]

righteous and His ears are open to their cry.”

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By Dona Hake

 The resolute heart is the one firmly resolved or determined.  This heart of faith is set in purpose and will follow  God no matter what.  The heart that is resolute in serving Him is the one that realizes that serving half hearted  is not an option.

 Today we will look at three young men that were resolute in serving their God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood that they could not bow to the god that was created by the King.  As the King commanded all the people to do so, these three continued to stand and not bow to this man made god.   The King was made aware of those that would not bow…

Daniel 3:12-13-14

“There are some Judeans who you made important officials in the province of Babylon that ignored your order, King. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They don’t worship your gods, and they didn’t bow down to worship the gold idol you set up.”

 Nebuchadnezzar became very angry. He called for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they were brought to him. And Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t worship my gods? And is it true that you didn’t bow down and worship the gold idol I have set up?”      Daniel 3:12-13-14 

Today as I read this Bible story my heart admires these three who served their God with a heart of resolve.  They well understood that there would be punishment for their decision to refuse to bow to a man made god.

 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not worried about what will happen to us.  If we are thrown into the flaming furnace, our God is able to deliver us; and he will deliver us out of your hand, Your Majesty.  But if he doesn’t, please understand, sir, that even then we will never under any circumstance serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have erected.”

Daniel 3:16-18

These three that were resolved in their heart were now going to be tested.  As their hands were bound they were thrown into the hot furnace.  The king was so angry at them that he commanded the furnace be made even hotter.  The flames were so hot it killed the soldiers as they were throwing them in the furnace.   I love how this story ends because it is a triumphant victory and the king was astonished at what he saw.  The conversation of the king and those around him was this.

 The king said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire. They are not tied up and they are not burned. The fourth man looks like an angel.”    As they walked out of the furnace the King was convinced that they served the living God above.  There was strong evidence of the mighty hand of God for the fire had not even singed their clothing.  Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their God has sent his angel and saved his servants from the fire! These three men trusted their God and refused to obey my command. They were willing to die instead of serving or worshiping any other god.”

I love these testimonies that are in the Word to remind us to live uncompromisingly before the Living God above.  God is still at work and He desires to show Himself in mighty ways as we too serve Him with resolute hearts!

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by Dona Hake

I went out to my front garden this morning to photograph a stepping stone  that lays in my garden…spring, winter, summer and fall.  It is old and not very pretty anymore, but the words always minister to me. This stepping stone serves to remind me of a very important truth.  It says,

“Set your mind on things above.”

Yesterday was the first opportunity I had to get down on my knees in my garden and as much as I would like to say I was praying, I was not!  Weeds all over the place and they are just flourishing.  My attitude was to just get as much done as I could and I am not going to let it get to me.  You see, there was something much more important going on by my garden.  My granddaughters once again had a blanket laid out with their stuffed animals, books, and baby doll strollers.  They were enjoying another breakfast donut picnic.  It was precious observing them having fun with their princess crowns on and all their “bling” sparkling in the morning sun and it just made my heart smile.

I am finding that the more I keep my eyes on things above that I enjoy the simple joys even more and things like weeds just do not matter.  I kept saying to myself “this will get done when it gets done.”  Sometimes our hearts can be snagged so easily by things that really do not matter.  Of course I want my garden to look pretty but weeds are always going to be.  Weeds just remind me of how I need to be diligent over the garden of my heart.  The good news is that the more our eyes are on things above, WE WILL be diligent to watch over our hearts.  Today I encourage you to look up and also keep an eye on  your heart within.  Keep check on your heart with the help of God that you are diligent to do what really matters!

Colossians 3:2  (TLB)
 “Let heaven fill your thoughts;

don’t spend your time worrying about things down here.”

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by Dona Hake

Today I heard a gentleman says this and I found it interesting.

“Don’t believe everything you think.”

Simple yet profound.  Of course we all have the right to our own thoughts and opinions but they may not be worthy of believing or speaking.  If we do not keep ourselves humble, we can think that all that goes on between our ears is right.  If we do not keep our thoughts in check with what the Word of God says, it will not be long that our thoughts become opinions or actions that could cause us some big trouble.

We would keep ourselves guarded well  if we would vow to live by what the Word says about maintaining our thought realm.   In 2 Corinthians, Paul said if your thoughts exalt themselves against the knowledge of God…get rid of them!  Such words are not worthy to keep residence in your mind and you clearly cannot trust them nor believe them.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (ERV) “…and we tear down every proud idea that raises

itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture

every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”

The secret to tearing down proud ideas and thoughts that are bad are KNOWING what God’s Word says about your situation.  As we stay full of His Word we can look  to the Lord and ask Him to help us to rightly discern our thoughts.  Those thoughts that are not worthy of residing in your mind will quickly leave as you replace your thoughts with His.  This reminds me of how it is so vitally important that we be in tune with Him and know that we are totally immersed in His Word and His peace.  The mind that is full of His Word and peace is the guarded mind.

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by Dona Hake

I have some very special memories of teaching lower and upper elementary children the skill of drawing in the art classes that I taught.  I can remember how important it was to stay very keen in my observation of each child’s strengths and weaknesses.  There was one thing my students always well understood and that was they were not permitted to say “I can’t do this!”   I would quickly correct them and say that we will never say “I can’t!” but rather we will say, “I will try to do my best.”

I would always try to help them understand that I was there to help them learn and I will do my best to develop them.  The biggest thing I would observe is that if a child was teachable and did not give up that they would always master what I was teaching them.   Many a times I can remember students totally thrilled and proud of themselves as they completed a project in spite of them thinking they were incapable of mastering the art of drawing.

Today we are looking at this wonderful scripture that reminds us to keep a humble, teachable heart. There may be times that we are well aware that He is endeavoring to teach us how to do something and we  feel we cannot do it.  This scripture can serve to remind us  to never give up because He is watching to strengthen us as we draw upon His strength.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (GW) 

“The Lord’s eyes scan the whole world to find those

whose hearts are committed to him and to strengthen them.”

Today I encourage you to remember that He is looking to strengthen you and He watches for the smallest of details that need strengthening.    He cares about you more than you will ever know!

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by Dona Hake

Lamentations 3:24  (CEV)
Deep in my heart I say,
“The Lord is all I need;
I can depend on him!”

Sometimes it really bothers me when I see TV commercials that are presented and they tend to try to bring anxiety fear to the viewer. The purpose of the fear that is laced through such products will cause people to think they have to have what is being sold. Presently there is one commercial and it is relative to financial security. I cringe every time I hear this gentleman speak a particular sentence. He says, “If you are not worried about this, you should be…” I have wondered how many have seen this commercial and their hearts have been tempted to fear and worry because of his words. Words, both good and bad had a tremendous amount of power and we need to be careful what we believe.

I well understand that you cannot stick your head in the sand and pretend as if things are not going bad around me.  But I understand a greater truth and that is the Lord is faithful to me no matter how bad things look to my physical eyes.

Psalm 111:5 (AMP)
“He has given food and provision to those who reverently and

worshipfully fear Him; He will remember His covenant

forever and imprint it [on His mind].”

The Lord God has heart that has promised His children that He will remember His covenant and upon His mind He has imprinted that promise.  Thank Him for His faithfulness and His mighty provision in your life today!  He is so good.

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by Dona Hake

To reach a great height a person needs to have great depth.
Anonymous

May we stay  aware that the roots of our heart must continue to grow deep in Him.  This is a continual process of feeding and maintaining our strength through God and all the good things that He has provided us.    This does not happen just by going to church once a week, it is a lifestyle of living and drawing upon the Almighty God.    We have a vital part in the process of our growth in Him.  Yes, we live by grace but we must do our part of staying spiritually strong and staying obedient to Him.   If it is your heart’s desire to be used greatly by Him then the roots of your heart must go deeper and deeper.   If this is your heart’s desire, God is ready to take you there as you apply your heart to His commands!

Jeremiah 17:7-9

Amplified Bible (AMP)

“[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies

on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.
 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads

out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when

heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious

and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.”

This tree that Jeremiah speaks of is the man who has totally trusted on the Lord God above.  This tree thrives on the waters it is planted by.  Notice the scripture does say that THE HEAT WILL COME and SO WILL THE YEAR OF THE DROUGHT.  In our lives we too will face times where the heat is on yet we can know that because our roots of faith are strong,  we need not fear nor grow weary.  In the year of drought we can be free from care for we will NOT stop yielding fruit.  Praise the living God that has promised to sustain us!

Proverbs 12:3

“…but the roots of the righteous can’t be disturbed.”

by Dona Hake

Romans 8:28 ” We know that all things work together for good

for those who love God…”

This is a very familiar and popular scripture and I would like to share another translation I found that beautifully translates it…

Romans 8:28 (VOICE) “We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to

work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept

His invitation to live according to His plan.”

As we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ He invites us to live according to His plan for our lives.  When we lay down our own ways and thoughts about things, that is when God is able to work us through the good and the bad.   There are four words to this scripture though that are the key and the secret to God working freely in our lives.  Those words are “when we love Him.”

Loving God should be our lifestyle.  As a believer, loving Him should come as natural as breathing to us.  We should not have to think about it for the more we know Him and His ways, we should be overwhelmed at His love for us.  Loving Him should be a part of every detail of our lives.  Looking to Him should not just be when we are in trouble but we need to be looking to Him when every thing is perfect as well.  It is as we have a burning love within our hearts for Him that we will see how He will beautifully weave a tapestry of many wondrous things in your life.  God desires that His love be shown to a dark world.  As we love Him and walk in His presence, His joy will overflow for all to see.

“A joyful heart is the inevitable result

of a heart burning with love.

Mother Teresa 

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by Dona Hake

In this day and age of computers we are all quite aware of the importance of knowing that everything we treasure on our computers should be backed up.  I am especially aware of this because of photographing weddings and very special occasions.   For me to know that I have captured a day that is a once in a lifetime event, I must be diligent with the care of my client’s work.  I know that if anything were to happen to my computer, all my work is protected and has been backed up several times.  It gives me great peace of mind because I know that I have done what I know to do to protect myself from such a dreadful loss.    I have heard people say how they were heartbroken knowing their computer crashed and they lost everything.  All their precious memories were gone and never to be retrieved.

Today I just want to impress upon you to make sure you are building and strengthening your heart with God’s Word.     God promises us that as we are faithful to keep His Word that He will always back us up no matter what situations we face.  As we are diligent to  put His Word  into our hearts, we are making deposits of great value.  We are accumulating a treasure within us.  This treasure cannot be compared to any wealth on this earth.  Nothing or no one can take it from you for it is hidden deep within you.  You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if a situation arises that you are well prepared.  You are prepared to stand against any temptation that would tempt you to  leave down your guard and sin.

Psalm 119:11 (TLB) 
“I have thought much about your words and stored

them in my heart so that they would

hold me back from sin.”

I encourage you to value His Word and deposit into your heart for it is then that you are truly guarding your heart with all diligence.

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