The Abundant Life Center

by Dona Hake

Psalm 55:22 (AMP)

“Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it]

and He will sustain you; He will never allow the

[consistently] righteous to be moved

(made to slip, fall, or fail).”

Release and He promises to sustain.  If we choose to hold on to our cares and burdens, how shall He help us?    How shall He bless us with the answers that we need if we choose to try to figure out our problems on our own?  Our human nature will try  to tempt us to think that we are able to do things in our own ability yet once we experience His strength and provision that we need, it exposes how we need Him desperately.   Remember…He wants to be in every detail of your life, no matter how big or small.

by Dona Hake

Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. I find this truth to be so comforting in the world in which I live today. Everything around us is changing constantly. Some change is good and some change has proven to be bad and has hurt us. I thank God for the living HOPE and His name is Jesus!

As I was searching the scriptures on the thought of expectations, I walked away from my computer and went to brew a cup of coffee. As I was waiting there was a gentlemen on the news interviewing a group of young people. It was so sad to hear this one young woman share that anymore she feared sharing her views for fears of what would happen to her. The gentleman interviewing asked for a show of hands. ”Who here has hope that their future will be better than their parents? Sadly the majority did not believe that their future would be better.

We need to keep our hearts full of expectation and faith but it can only be in God, not in how well things are going on around us. I believe that we need to always keep our hearts in check with the truth of God’s Word. Where is your hope really resting? What are your expectations and are they realistic? There may be times that you can recall that your hopes have been shattered and you wondered how to go on. I want to share this wonderful scripture with you.

Psalm 62:5 (ERV)
“I must calm down and turn to God;
he is my only hope.”

In those times that your heart may be void of hope and it is full of anxiety, know that there is a living hope and it is in Jesus. He is the one that has promised to give us a future and He is well able to breathe life back into your dreams.

Psalm 62:5 (AMP)
“My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him”

~~~~~♥~~~~~

by Dona Hake

by Dona Hake

~Isaiah 41:10 (CJB)

” Don’t be afraid, for I am with you;
don’t be distressed, for I am your God.
I give you strength, I give you help,
I support you with my victorious right hand.”

One translation says “Fear not, for I am with you, do not look anxiously about you.”  Many times when fear grips our heart our mind goes into a tail spin and it seems like confusion is well able to permeate your soul.

Psalm 94:19   (TLB)

“Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart

is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer.”

The Lord has been quietly speaking to me in my heart a particular thing.  It is only a few simple words yet they are full of power and comfort, and they are “Return to my peace.”   I have just been stirred to make sure my dwelling place is in His presence and that is where I will always find the peace I need along with anything else my heart desires.

Many times we can get too caught up in  the daily routine of our lives and God’s peace and strength  can slip away because we have allowed it to.  When we are confronted with fears, we must make a real effort to look toward Him knowing that His mighty hand is well able to support us.  I encourage you to return to His peace whenever you feel that you are being brought down by the anxieties of your mind.  Know that in turmoil He is able to quiet your soul and renew it with hope to go on!

~~~~~♥~~~~~

by Dona Hake

Lamentations 3:22-23 (VOICE)

“How enduring is God’s loyal love;
the Eternal has inexhaustible compassion.
Here they are, every morning, new!
Your faithfulness, God, is as broad as the day.”

There is nothing so loyal and beautiful in this life like the love of God.  Whether we deserve it or not, He sheds His love toward us and He is a faithful God.  I love how this verse says that His loyal love is enduring and it is inexhaustible.  As He shows His love to me, it challenges my heart to love the same way.   He desires that the love that flows from our hearts to be loyal, enduring and inexhaustible.  After all, we were created in His image therefore He can enable us to love like Him.

There may be people in your life that you find very easy to get along with and yet there are those that just seem to drain you of energy.  Allow this scripture to challenge your heart.  Seek to draw upon the love from above that never runs out of energy and it endures anything.

Also remember that every morning you wake up He is seeking new ways to show His love to you. Everything about God begins afresh each day and His compassion is NEVER limited.  This thought also challenges me to draw upon that fresh new compassion each day.  Everyone of us has a day ahead of us and each of us will face different challenges.  Know this, the God of all love is able to help you endure anything with the love that flows straight from His heart!

by Dona Hake

Psalm 23:3 (VOICE)
“He makes me whole again,
steering me off worn, hard paths
to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.”

He lovingly steers us away from worn, hard paths yet how many times do we return to them. Those worn, hard paths could be habits and patterns in our lives that have ultimately gotten us in trouble. These worn paths are those have developed because of doing the same thing over and over again. God is calling us to allow Him to step in and guide us on the paths of His desire for us.

Maybe you have walked the path of a habitual worrier. Maybe your worn, hard path has been one of constantly walking in fear and anxiety over your future. Regardless of what it is we can make the choice to walk on the path that is guided by His hand. His hand deals only in truth and right things. His path does not make provision for us to walk in our own ability but rather draw upon
His.

There is a world around us looking for hope and answers. I love thinking that my walk in the Lord would echo His truth and righteousness!  How about you?

by Dona Hake

Proverbs 3:5 (The Message)

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.

I am very sure that if you are truly honest with yourself you would admit that there may be times that you try to figure things out on your own.  At a very young age even little ones begin to want to do things their own way regardless of how they have been told the right way is.    In an age of much information it is very easy to turn and trust the information that is all around us.   I believe that God wants us to seek to use our minds as we purpose to fill it with good things.  Knowledge is good but be careful that you turn to Him that He can help you rightfully sort through your thoughts and what you are to do specifically in a matter that you may be facing.  Here is another translation of Proverbs 3:5:

Proverbs 3:5 (GNT)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Never rely on what you think you know.”

God desires that we trust Him in every area of our lives.  He desires that we keep our focus upward to Him so that we can discern when our thoughts are opposing His voice desiring to speak to us from deep within.  The voice of the mind can get way too loud especially if you are in trouble.   Many times we can overlook the fact that God may be seeing our situation in an entirely different way and it would do us good to throw everything into reverse, be quiet and consult with Him. I think the most common mistake we can make is only turning to Him with  difficult matters .  Remember…He cares about every detail of your life!  Today I encourage you to learn of Him and lean on Him in every area of your life!

~~~~~♥~~~~~

By Dona Hake

Isaiah 64:8 (the Voice translation)

“Still, Eternal One, You are our Father.
We are just clay, and You are the potter.
We are the product of Your creative action, shaped

and formed into something of
worth.”

Purpose defined:  the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.  Today I want you to think about the purpose and reason that you are alive. If you believe that there is indeed a Creator and you know that He formed you  within your mother’s womb then you well understand that His hands are loving and they work with purpose. Some days we might not feel all that great on the outside and things may be a bit stormy on the inside but know this…God’s loving hand is at work in your life.  He sees you as one of great value and worth!

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.”

THE MESSAGE’s translation is wonderful and I love the way this reads.

“Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and

sensitive before God. That energy is God’s energy,

an energy deep within you, God himself willing and

working at what will give him the most pleasure.”

Many times in life we can feel His loving hand molding us.   Sometimes it feels like we are being stretched.  Let us never resist the work of His hand.  His hand is at work in our life with a purpose and that purpose is that we bring great pleasure to Him!  Let us keep watch over our hearts that we remain humble and workable that His hand may continue to work!

~~~~~♥~~~~~

by Dona Hake

Philippians 4:13 (CEB)

” I can endure all these things through

the power of the one who gives me strength.”

What a blessing it is to know that we have all that we need for anything that we face.  Let us look at this verse and as you read it emphasize the first two words, “I can.”   Many times when we are faced with adversity or we are feeling weak, the first words that we may be tempted to entertain in our minds are “I can’t do this.”

In preparing for this particular devotional my original focus on scripture was John 10:10:

John 10:10 (AMP)
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill

and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy

life, and have it in abundance

(to the full, till it overflows).”

In this life we all face the thief, and he is the devil himself,   He diligently seeks to steal and rob from you.  He will try to kill your dreams, weaken your faith, and more than anything try to convince you that “you can’t” be an overcomer.   He seems to sometimes have the mysterious ability to make the smallest of things look gigantic, yet we serve the one that can bring all problems down to size it only we keep our eyes on Him.

Let us look to One that came that we might win in this life.  Let us look to Jesus, the One that has given us all the sufficient strength, wisdom, and everything that we need.  It is Him that desires that we enjoy life and live it to the full till it overflows and spills out to those around us!

by Dona Hake

Recently during the snow storms there were so many in this area that lost their electrical power but we never lost it one time during the storms here in my neighborhood. It was odd though, one evening while I was home alone, the electricity went down. I mean to tell you that in a split second my home went to being all lit up to pitch dark. No storm, no wind…it just did not make sense. The reason for it happening did not matter, I just needed to move toward where I knew the light was. I knew exactly where our two emergency lanterns were and I carefully made my way to them. Just a little bit of light from those lanterns illuminated my darkness to help me find everything I needed until the electric came back on.

Life is like this at times. Everything seems to be going fine and out of no where a storm hits and it takes you off guard. It is important to always hold fast to peace and move toward what you know is the good and right thing to do. What a blessing it is as we go to His Word and receive insight and understanding which brings light to our situation.

As we stay full of His Word we will be presented with opportunities to be a light for someone else’s darkness. Many times we may not even realize that we are reflecting the light of God’s Word for someone else that needs help. They may be going through a dark time and just hearing you express words of life will give them the light they need to know what their next step is.