The Abundant Life Center

by Dona Hake

Ephesians 2:10   (AMP)

“For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), [a]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].”

As we were born anew this should cause us to  anticipate the great Workman at work in our life.  Each one of us is a work in progress!  This should encourage your heart knowing that the God that created the heavens and earth is molding us and preparing us for another day.  Each day our feet hit the floor we should be anticipating how He is going to use us.  Let us be mindful though that we do it with His strength and ability.  Let our steps and plans be directed by Him.

Philippians 2:13   (AMP)

“[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while [a]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 [b]delight.”

He delights in using your ears to listen to those around you.  As you speak words, let them be words of edification to the one that may be down in their heart.  May your hands be those that work heartily unto Him!   I am looking forward to what He is going to do in my life today as His loving hands continue to mold and make me for His purposes!

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by Dona Hake

“I feel like I’m on track!”  Have you ever said that?  I love the feeling that I know I am doing the right thing and all is flowing smoothly.  God desires to lead and guide us each and everyday of our lives.  He also desires that we seek Him first and that we purpose that His Spirit is leading us.

Galatians 5:16   CEV

“If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires.”

Many times we can fall to the weakness of following our own way or our own selfish desires.  We can also be guilty of knowing the Lord’s direction but trying to make things happen in our own ability.  As we trust Him for answers and direction He will always be faithful to direct us and keep us on track.

Have you ever heard the saying spoken when someone is needing to make a decision…”Maybe you just need to sleep on it.”  I have had times where I have received answers to a particular need or leading in what I needed to do during the night.  The Lord has a beautiful and tender way of quietly speaking in the quietness of the night.

Psalm 16:7 (ERV)
“I praise the Lord because he taught me well.
Even at night he put his instructions deep inside my mind.”

I praise God that He so tenderly desires to come along side of us in this life that we can know we are going the right direction!

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by Dona Hake

Matthew 6:11 (CEB)

“Give us the bread we need for today.”

We all understand that we need to eat and drink to keep ourselves healthy.  Proper nutrition is vital in order to feel good and have the energy we need to get us through each day.   It is equally important that we are staying aware of our spirit being fed and nourished by the Word of our Lord.    We all are dealing with different things and different demands, therefore we need to be diligent to read His Word and meditate upon it daily in order that our spirit, soul and mind are thriving on the Bread of Life.

God’s Word is our sustenance, and as we ask for Him to give us our daily bread we will certainly receive from Him.  His bread is our means of sustaining life and nourishment.  I encourage you today to seek Him for that which you need.  Is it a specific answer or need for direction?  Is there emptiness in your heart and pain?  Anything you need God is well able to give to you and He will give you nothing less than what you need to be sustained this day.

Matthew 7:7-10(ERV)

“Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you.  Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.

“Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock?  Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not!

~~~~~♥~~~~~

by Dona Hake

Serving Jesus is serving the one that has promised abundant life!  John 10:10 “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”  Forty one years ago today, at nineteen years of age  I surrendered my life to Jesus.  I was a stubborn person and I had a way that I could argue with any Christian till they were blue in the face.  Nothing seemed to convince me because all I seemed to encounter was hypocrisy and I hated it!  Then finally I saw the real and I allowed the Lord to take hold of me.  The most important decision I ever made and might I say the joyous!

Has every day of my life been victorious and has everything gone perfectly?  Absolutely not!  My skin crawls when I see or hear anyone of faith that tries to portray that life is a bed of roses  just because they are a believer.  Jesus told us that in this life YOU WILL have trials.  In the book of Romans, chapter 8:31 “What, then, shall we say in response to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will not also, along with him, graciously give us all things.”

God has made it possible to fill our cup to the full!  Let us be careful though to realize that He desires to  fill us to the full in order that we have Him to draw upon in our times of test, trials, pain and suffering.  The life of abundance is that of always having His all sufficiency to draw upon, and NOTHING can separate us from Him.

Romans 8:39

“…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the

love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

~~~~~♥~~~~~

by Dona Hake

Matthew 5:7 (TLB)

“Happy are the kind and merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.”

The Lord has so freely shown us His mercy.  Even before we knew Him, even before we realized we needed Him, He was desiring to forgive us and redeem us to Himself.  As we look to Him and behold how beautiful His love is, and how merciful His heart is , we will come to realize to beauty of being merciful to others.

Micah 6:8 (GNV)

He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord

requireth of thee: surely to do justly, and to love mercy,

and to humble thyself, to walk with thy God.

“Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.”  Deep down we could all admit that we want to be treated fairly especially by our family and friends.  Yet we know there are times that people will mess up.  I love this quote because it reminds me that there will be times that I will mess up and in those times I hope that those around me will forgive me and I can be reconciled if I have hurt them.   It makes me think before I react to those around me if I feel they are wrong.  It reminds me that I need to be quick to forgive and forget.

Lord, help us all to be merciful and see those around us the way You see them.  Help us to realize that we cannot forgive in our own ability but only with Your help and strength.  Help us to walk humbly before You, do justly to those around us,  and to love your mercy.  Amen.

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by Dona Hake

Psalm 84:11 (AKJV) |

” For the Lord God is a sun and shield:
the Lord will give grace and glory:
no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

As we walk uprightly before the Lord our God there should be expectation in our heart everyday we rise.  No matter what we face and how “dreary” our day may be, we can expect the Lord God to be our Sun and our Shield!

I am thanking Him today that He has promised that He will never withhold any good thing from me because all good and perfect gifts proceed from Him.   He will not refrain from giving me that which I need to get through my day.

I found it interesting that the antonym for withhold is the word *advance*.  Interesting thought isn’t it?  The more you walk with the Lord you begin to understand more and more that He always knows exactly what you need and what you are going to face.  Therefore His grace is always sufficient and right there for you when you need to draw upon it.  Praise God that He is our Sun and our Shield, the God who is pouring out His grace and glory to all that walk uprightly before Him!

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by Dona Hake

Proverbs 25:4 (ERV)

“Remove the worthless things from

silver to make it pure, and a worker

can make something beautiful.”

 You are so valuable and He loves you so much.  Yet as we read this scripture we can see that there is a process that we are all walking through as we grow in Him.  There is a refining and purification that is taking place in our hearts as we deeply humble ourselves to His Mighty life changing Word.

One version of Proverbs 25:4 is translated like this:

“Remove the impurities from the silver,
and the smith has material to make a vessel.”

The Lord our Refiner desires to  bring us to a fine or a pure state; free from impurities.  As our Purifier He will cause us to be free from anything that debases, pollutes, adulterates, or contaminates our hearts.  God wants every bit of us so He can use us in wonderful ways to glorify Him on this earth.

In the forty one years that I have known the Lord I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have heard people share from the depths of their hearts as they walked through a difficult trial.  Many at the end of the trial admit that they experienced  God removing things from them that positioned them to be used in a greater way.  Many times those difficult situations can actually cause us to do the soul searching we need to do and God is able to work in such a wonderful way.  As we keep our hearts humble before Him I believe He will continue to refine and purify us that we can serve and be used by Him in greater ways.  Praise be to the God who is the Refiner and Purifier!

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by Dona Hake

How great is our God!  It is by His power and strength that we are able to live for Him.  There have been times in my life that all physical strength seemed to be gone.  As I looked to Him who NEVER grows faint or weary, I am always reminded that He can give me the strength that I need.

I can remember during the entire birth of our second son I had a worship tape being played  and right when he was being delivered “I Exalt Thee” by Phil Driscoll was playing.  I was feeling totally exhausted right before our son was born yet quietly in the background I could hear Phil speaking the following words and those words infused me with strength and joy in a time in which my body felt weak.

” For Thou O Lord art high above all the earth
Thou art exalted far above all gods
For Thou O Lord art high above all the earth
Thou art exalted far above all gods

I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee
I exalt Thee O Lord
I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee
I exalt Thee O Lord”

Today, let us exalt Him in our hearts as we give praise to Him that never tires nor grows weary of anything.  He is the everlasting God!!

~~~~~♥~~~~~

by Dona Hake

Hebrews 6:18-20  (ERV)

by Dona Hake

When I think about a sanctuary, I think about a place of refuge. Yesterday I shared that He is our hiding place so this goes hand in hand with that meditation. Have you ever had times where there may be confusion and stress all about you and you wish you could just escape it? I know we have all been in those situations yet as a believer we can humbly bow our hearts in prayer and escape to that place that He has prepared for us to abide in. We do not have to run away from problems, we can be in the midst of them and maintain complete peace.

Many times people wait until they are so stressed out and their body has become worn down physically before they decide to seek God’s direction and comfort. I believe that God desires for us to be on top of things and He desires that we desire to live in a constant state of peace and serenity.

Throughout your day I encourage you to stay aware of His precious presence. I believe that the place He has provided for us is a place of perfect peace and no matter what goes on about you that peace need not be disrupted.

Isaiah 8:14 (KJ21)

“And He shall be for you a sanctuary…”

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