The Abundant Life Center

by Dona Hake

Our yesterdays may have some wonderful and sweet memories. I know I have precious memories in my life yet there are some yesterdays that I would not want to walk through again. When certain yesterdays are with pain moments and hurt only the Lord can heal our hearts and minds.

1 Corinthians 13:5-7

“Love does not remember wrongs done against it. Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth.  Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits.”

When someone hurts us it can be painful. We can be assured that the Lord knows our frame very well and He absolutely understands our emotions, and our thought processes. He knows what it is like to be falsely accused yet He kept His mouth shut and He walked in forgiveness. His ability to do this caused Him to endure the greatest thing that mankind ever faced.

Ask Him today to help you deal with and forget any pain and hurts from yesterday. Only His love will cause you to forgive those that have hurt you. It is only His love that will cause you to see people through His eyes. He will be faithful to come along side of you and help you. The God of all love, peace and comfort is so good.

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by Dona Hake

The other day I had the Andy Griffith show on and Andy was caught in a lie by his son Opie. Andy proceeding to squirm out of the whole thing by using the excuse that it was just a “white lie.” “You should never lie Opie besiides what I spoke was a “white lie” and that is different.” As little Opie kept pressing what the difference was, Andy finally broke down and admitted how wrong he was.
I hear this “white lie” thing a lot and quite honestly it makes my skin crawl. I was a bit amused by it’s definition. It is no wonder that people live in confusion over what is right and what is wrong in a time of crisis. When you live an immerse yourself in truth, you will quickly discern truth from your emotions and opinions.

White lie:

“A minor or unimportant lie, esp one uttered in the interests of tact or politeness.”

When one permits ANY kind of untruths to dwell in their heart it surely is not a good thing and it will never produce good. As we permeate ourselves with God’s Word and desire all of His truth, we will embrace the importance to seek truth and nothing but the truth. It will become such a priority to us, and our hearts will be pricked at the very thought of thinking or speaking anything other than truth no matter how big or small it may appear.
I believe that the Lord desires that truth should reign above your opinions, desires, feelings and emotions. It is as we regard His Word that we will be able to sort lies from truths and you will live and speak in the freedom of truth.

2 Corinthians 10:5   (VOICE)

“We are demolishing arguments and ideas, every high-and-mighty philosophy that pits itself against the knowledge of the one true God. We are taking prisoners of every thought, every emotion, and subduing them into obedience to the Anointed One.”

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by Dona Hake

Psalm 32:8 (ERV)

” The Lord says, “I will teach you
and guide you in the way you should live.
I will watch over you and be your guide.”

The Lord desires that we have Him guide us in every aspect of our lives. Today I am sharing this scripture in light of how we treat others. I love this scripture because the psalmist is proclaiming that the Lord has spoken that He will teach us and guide us in how we should live.

Many times it can be easy to fall into the trap of focusing on people’s faults rather than the good things about them. God desires we LIVE to LOVE!!!! Criticizing is not showing His love in any way. The more you focus on anything negative in others the bigger it is going to become to you. Jesus admonished us with the following words from the book of Matthew:

Matthew 7:3-5 (ERV)

“Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own? Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.”

I think the Lord clearly understands that we will encounter the faults and shortcomings of others but He desires that we handle ourselves in His love. The fault of someone could make your life miserable but it all comes back to asking God to guide you, and help you to deal with such things.

Today let us focus on Jesus’ last words of these verses, “Look at yourself first!” As we continually give our hearts and minds to Him, He has promised to teach us about all that we need in this life. Many times He may begin to lead you to pray for that individual that really needs help. As we are obedient to His process, He will take care of everything that pertains to us and He will lovingly deal with those around us. Let us also remember that the Holy Spirit is a complete gentleman and He will not impose Himself on anyone. The more we pray for others, the more our heart will be enlarged to love and carry people in prayer rather than be critical toward them.

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BY DONA HAKE

What a wonderful feeling it is to know that we have been given everything we need to rise  above a storm and soar because of His living Word at work in our life.  Jesus gave us these words:

by Dona Hake

Proverbs 30:5 Expanded Bible

“Every word of God ·is true [passes the test;  is refined;
·He guards those [ They are a shield to those] who come to

him for ·safety [refuge].

God’s Word to us is flawless.  We need not try to analyze it,  we need only to believe that His Word is true.  He promises that His Word  is a shield to those that place their trust in Him.  In your day of battle you are promised that His Word will shield you and keep you.  It is in those times when the fiery darts of the enemy come to penetrate your soul that the Word of God that you believe and speak will be a protection, a refuge, and you will walk in victory.   Jesus stressed the importance and the blessing of living by the truth.

John 8:31-32 (PHILLIPS)

“If you are faithful to what I have said,

you are truly my disciples. And you will

know the truth and the truth will set you free!”

Oh that we would be diligent to know His Word that we may be free in every area of our lives.  Let us never add or subtract from His Word either.  Proverbs 30:6  says  “Add thou not anything to the words of him, and thou be reproved, and be found a liar. (Do not thou add anything to his words, lest thou be rebuked, and be found a liar.)”  Again let us be reminded that God’s Word is perfect.  Let us never add our own thoughts or opinions to the Word of God because His Word is total truth and it need no more.

I rejoice in the simplicity that God has laid out for us in His Word.  Love His Word and live by it.  He promises that as we do this, we will be free indeed!!!

by Dona Hake

Philippians 3:13 (ERV)
“Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go.

But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and

try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me.”

I love how Paul expressed his determination to keep his focus.  He admits he had a long way to go but he was determined to do two things and they were to forget and reach.  He understood that his past needed to be forgotten and his future needed to be reached for with great perseverance.

Many times we can get so hung up on our pasts they we are at stand stills.  It is sad to think one’s purpose and determination is robbed by their yesterdays. I always felt that there is importance in learning from mistakes or bad experiences.  These things can serve to help us learn and gain wisdom.  Wisdom gained from bad experiences or mistakes can be carried with you the rest of your life.  This wisdom is something you can embrace and pass on to others.

Many times in our journey in life you may come to a “dead end” on a path that seemed so promising.  Do not let that discourage you but rather seek the Lord and what He would have you to do.  I believe there are many times that “dead ends” on the paths that we walk are God’s favor on us and He is sparing us from a bad decision or mistake.  Sometimes you just never know.  One thing we do know though and that is that we need to keep moving forward.

“One of the greatest and most comforting truths

is that when one door opens, another closes,

but often we look so long and

regretfully upon the closed door that

we do not see the one that is open for us.”

(Anonymous)

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by Dona Hake

No love on this planet can be compared to the love of God. God’s love was toward us before we ever knew Him. I can remember when I thought I did not need God in my life. My excuse…well, plain and simple…I thought there were just too many hypocrites out there. I thought if people could not be real then I wanted nothing to do with the whole deal of a relationship with God. Then the day came when I encountered some individuals that truly exhibited His love. They were real and walked the talk. They showed me that He loved me even though I did not yet love Him. He loved me even though I did not deserve His love and goodness. God knew exactly what I needed and I thank Him that He put those special people in my path to show me His love.

After living for Him for forty one years I can honestly say I cannot imagine life without Him. I thank God He loved me through people that He placed in my life, and I am ever so thankful for those that prayed for me when some gave up and thought I was too stubborn.

Romans 5:6-8 (PHILLIPS)

” And we can see that it was while we were powerless to help ourselves

that Christ died for sinful men. In human experience it is a rare thing

for one man to give his life for another, even if the latter be a good man,

though there have been a few who have had the courage to do it.

Yet the proof of God’s amazing love is this: that it was while we

were sinners that Christ died for us.”

I encourage you to think about His great love for you.   The greatness of His love can be compared to none.  It is so amazing and so great!   God is good!

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by Dona Hake

God desires that we awaken with a prayer toward Him seeking His advice and direction as we carry on with our day.  I specifically used this photo with the first words of this  prayer for a reason.  No matter how much you know and how much knowledge you have attained by study, you need to remain as a child in your heart.  You need to maintain childlike faith in everything you do.  It is as you do this that you will not try to reason things out in your mind.  You will just believe.  You will absolutely give your concerns and questions to God and as a little child, you will believe He will take care of you.

The scripture I am sharing today is the very first Bible verse I ever memorized.  I can still remember reciting it in front of my youth group.  To this day whenever I read it, it reminds me of new beginnings in my life.  It was a time of knowing there would always be answers if I just prayed and believed.

Psalm 143:8    (KJV)

“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning;

for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein

I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”

“Cause me to hear” is probably my favorite part of the verse because it is basically asking God to bring something about.  There are just way too many things in this life that we cannot make happen in our own ability.  It takes faith.  Sometimes just knowing what to say or knowing what to do could make or break a situation for you.  I encourage you to ask Him today to “cause you to know…”

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by Dona Hake

I recently received an email and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the words of wisdom shared by a woman that was ninety years of age.   Regina Brett shared some very interesting things that were deemed as valuable to her.  She shared “to celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me…”  I loved so many of her lessons but a few really stood out to me.  The one lesson in particular was

“Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is about.”

In the world in which we live there are many that dictate how success is defined.  These people are the “they” voices. You know…”they” say you should do this, “they” say you should look like this, etc…  “They” really can put some real pressure on us at times, can’t “they???”  Peer pressure is not only among the young, it still sticks it’s ugly head up among those of us that have been around longer.  I think it can be so easy to fall into comparing yourself to someone else.  There is something very sad about this and that is you are looking to someone else’s success to gauge your own.

God desires that we as individuals look to Him and He promises to reveal His will that applies only to us.   We are uniquely made by Him, therefore He has a unique and special plan for each of us.  Let us make a practice of rejoicing in our hearts as those around us succeed.  Enjoy who God made you to be and relax and enjoy growing each day as you walk with Him!

Psalm 119:1-8 (The Message)

“You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do…”

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by Dona Hake

I believe that the Lord desires we make the most of every day that we are blessed with.  I have heard certain motivational speakers that have said things that have touched and challenged my heart.   I love when successful people desire to pass on the wisdom that made them who they are today.  Let us be wise and receive from them!

Mary Kay of Mary Kay Cosmetics was a very successful lady and I can remember hearing that she said  that we should all go to bed at night with at least six things on our “to do” list if we desire success in our day.   She was making a strong point that you should awaken with a plan for your day and that plan will keep you focused and motivated.     Personally I find it needful to have a plan for my day yet  I want to always stay flexible and willing to allow the Lord to interfere with my plans.   You just never know when He has something for you to do that will require your willingness to give of yourself and your time.   I can testify of the many times He has interrupted my schedule and I am glad He did. The blessing that comes with obedience in response to His plans is just wonderful!
Let us be reminded that He has given us everything we need to accomplish all that we put our hand to.  He will equip us with the energy, the wisdom and all the fine details that we need. If your life has something stressful going on He will give you peace. If you are sick He will bring healing if you believe Him for it. If you are afraid of your future, He will give you hope for your future and give you the peace and  grace that you need.   God is well able to give above and beyond all that you need to do His will!

2 Peter 1:3 (ERV

“…And his power has given us everything

we need to live a life devoted to God.”

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