Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

9.25.16

Posted on Sep 25, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, September 25, 2016

“Waiting With a Happy Heart”

by Dona Hake

We have all encountered those days in which our patience has run thin. In the book of James he wrote and exhorted us in the importance of allowing patience to have it’s perfect work. I used to wonder how James could write and tell us to “Count it all joy when you fall into various tests and trials…” It can be hard to be joyful and to be patient when the heat of life is turned up. The truth is though that we find out what we are made up in the midst of pressures that this life brings.

James 1:2-4 The Voice

“Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing. “

Those things that actually test our patience are the things that have the capability to help us blossom in our faith and the fruit of patience within us. This scripture in James reminds us to thank God that our faith can blossom even under the pressures that may seem unpleasant. He will be faithful to teach us His true patience in those trying times that we can cross the finish line of victory! So today I encourage you to be patient in all things. May I leave you with the little definition of patience that I share with my little Granddaughters. Patience is waiting with a happy heart!

9.24.16

Posted on Sep 24, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Saturday, September 24, 2016

“It’s All He Asks”

by Dona Hake

He sees and totally understands our hearts even when others don’t always quite get it right. You know…those times when people read into things or do not perceive your intentions as you meant them to be. He sees your tears. Not the tears you wipe away but the ones that flow within your heart while you wear a smile on your face so everyone thinks it is okay.We need to just believe this for this should cause us to move quickly toward Him in our time of trouble. Remember His eyes are always on us, and He is faithful to hear the cries of our heart when we call upon Him in faith.

Psalm 34:17 (NASB)

“The righteous cry, and the Lord hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.”

I remember chatting with a precious woman that was sharing how an individual she knew was going through a hard time. This person asked her, “Where is God in all of this?” This woman exclaimed to her, “He’s right there beside you, wanting to help you!” I find it so sad and it somewhat upsets me when I hear people say such a thing. “Where is God?” when it is all going down bad, and yet when all is good they do not ever give it a thought to acknowledge God either. It really makes no sense at all.
I encourage you today to just believe. Plain and simple…just know that He is always there for you, if only you call upon Him. He loves you…He knows you better than anyone. All He asks is that you just believe, and call upon His Name!

9.23.16

Posted on Sep 22, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, September 23, 2016

“His Light In You!”

by Dona Hake

Today I am desiring to cause you to ponder that His light lives within you, and for that we should feel honored and thank Him. Oh how blessed we are in knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ desires to shine through us in word and in deed. We live in a world in which there is darkness and confusion among those that do not know Him. How else will they know there is light if we do not allow Him to shine through us? May we permit Him to shine in a great way!

Matthew 5:14-16 ( Amplified )

^“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.”

God is calling us as believers to shine and bloom where we are planted. Let me mention at this point also that He is going to use each one of us differently and uniquely. We should never compare how God chooses to use us to how He works through others. This is not a competition, it is command….we are lights and we are to shine! Today I encourage you to shine for Him through every word and deed you do. As He continues to mold and make you into His image He will be faithful to show Himself through you that others may see how awesome He is, and honor and glorify His Holy Name!

9.22.16

Posted on Sep 21, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, September 22,2016

“Power Through the One That Gives Us Strength”

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 in this life. 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.” Today I want to encourage you to seek daily to find your strength in God. Look to Him in faith and believe for His provision for your day and the grace and strength to sustain you.

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).”

The thief desires to rob us of our joy and our strength. His goal is to destroy us. In this life we all face this thief, and he is the devil himself, He diligently seeks to stop us from living victoriously. He will try to kill our dreams, weaken our faith, and more than anything try to convince us that “we 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 if only we keep our eyes on Him. Paul spoke of when he was his weakest is when he truly experienced God’s strength. As we look to live in His strength we can know that no matter what is going on around us, He is with us, and He will always show Himself strong on our behalf. Praise Him today for we can endure all things through Him who gives us all the power and strength to meet any need that we ever have. What a mighty God we serve!

9.21.16

Posted on Sep 21, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, September 22, 2016

“Captivated With Him”

by Dona Hake

Today I want to stir you toward thinking about the rich goodness, and greatness of God. One day while on social media I read about a tragedy that had happened to an individual and one person’s comment was, “…and this is why I do not believe in God!” My heart was grieved as some people immediately place blame for bad things on our loving Heavenly Father. May we let it be know that our God is full of goodness and mercy, and He desires that all know Him to be a good God. The Psalmist exclaims in the scripture below that he is captivated with God’s majesty and glorious splendor! Let us read it…

Psalm 145:5-7 (The Voice)

“Your majesty and glorious splendor have captivated me;
I will meditate on Your wonders, sing songs of Your worth.
We confess—there is nothing greater than You, God, nothing mightier than Your awesome works.
I will tell of Your greatness as long as I have breath.
The news of Your rich goodness is no secret—
Your people love to recall it
and sing songs of joy to celebrate Your righteousness.”

The more we stay captivated with Him the more we will recall the works He has done for us and share it with those around us. We will be driven in our hearts to speak of His wonderful works. May we be blessed and thrilled that our God is captivated with us. His eyes are on us and He loves us so much. We are the apple of His eye! God was so captivated with us that He sent His only Son to die for us and redeem us from our sin. He loves us so much and just desires to pour forth all that He is that we live this life in abundance!

God, there is nothing greater than You! Your rich goodness is no secret, let us be mindful to proclaim it as we keep our hearts captivated with You and Your love!

9.20.16

Posted on Sep 20, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, September 20, 2016

“Greater Love Will Serve Others”

by Dona Hake

Today I would like to share with you the truth of putting others before yourself. I would like to share a story with you that I heard this past September 11th. There were so many stories that were so touching to the heart as people stepped forward and shared what happened to them on that dreadful day. Every year that I have watched the ceremony and people sharing recollections of that horrific day, I have found that more and more people have come forward to share new stories that have never been told. Of all that I heard that day, this one in particular touched my heart deeply.

When the one tower was hit people were trying to escape through a particular doorway. There was one man that kept holding the door so people could escape the building. I believe that he chose to do this to maintain order in the midst of fear and panic. Many, many people remembered the man that stood at the door and held it so that they could get out calmly and quickly. As time passed those people inquired of his well-being by asking his family how he was doing to find out that he lost his life that day because he could not escape on time. He chose rather to stay and hold the door so that others would be able to get out.

I found this to be such a testimony of someone that in the time of panic and fear, that he chose to not think of himself but rather remain calm and assist others. My heart was so touched by this story, and it challenged my heart. His son had shared in this interview and he spoke of his father as being just a very special kind of person. One that was always thinking how could he could help someone else before he thought of his own needs. What a testimony of his life that is and will be especially to those that were able to get out in a timely manner because he helped them that day.

I pray that what I shared today will challenge your heart to think of others before yourself. Many times it is human nature to help only when is it is convenient, but let us ask our Lord to help us to put others ahead of us even in times when it is not convenient . I think of how this man probably also was afraid, but what a selfless act he did to think of others before himself.

Philippians 2:3-4

In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves.

Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too.

9.16.16

Posted on Sep 18, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, September 19, 2016

“His Greatness Knows No Limits!”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 145:1-3

“I will lift my praise above everything to You, my God and King!
    I will continually bless Your name forever and always.
My praise will never cease—
    I will praise You every day;
    I will lift up Your name forever.
The Eternal is great and deserves endless praise;
    His greatness knows no limit, recognizes no boundary.
    No one can measure or comprehend His magnificence.”

Have you ever tried to figure out the word eternity? Have you ever tried to figure out how our Lord can do such awesome works of greatness? It never ceases to leave me speechless and in awe when I ponder these questions in my heart. These are only a few of the many wondrous things about God that are far above and beyond our comprehension. Have you pondered how great His love is toward you today? Is it not the most wonderful thing to know that He loved you enough to send His Son to die for you? Have you stopped and thanked Him today for His forgiveness and paused to try to figure out the depth of His compassion that forgiveness brings to you? I marvel as I think about how He not only forgives us but He totally washes us clean and restores our souls.

Today I am encouraging you to think about how wonderful and good the Lord has been to you. Day in and day out He faithfully meets us as we open our eyes each morning. He is always there for us throughout our day. As I shared yesterday He meets us faithfully in the morning with His lovingkindness, and in the evening He meets us with a song. Even when we fall and mess up, again He is faithful. As the psalmist writes in verse three, God is much greater than anyone can understand!

Let us think about more of His divine attributes…His grace and mercy recognizes no boundaries and they are new each morning as we face new challenges. No, we will never be able to totally comprehend His greatness, but we can always continue to offer thanks and worship to Him for all that He is to us! Give thanks to the Lord for there is no measure of His magnificence!

9.18.16

Posted on Sep 18, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, September 18, 2016

“Our Lord Never Changes”

by Dona Hake

People and things around us are constantly changing. . There may be people that you felt you knew so well, and now they have changed and your friendship no
longer seems to be the same. When things change in this life and it brings pain to us it can make us feel unsettled and insecure.

Today we meditate upon the unchanging truth that our Lord NEVER changes. His love never changes for us. No matter how bad we mess up, He still loves us. I am glad that He never changes where He is at. He is always by my side. I am so glad that I can count on that. His ear is always towards me when I pray. I am glad that He did not change on this matter because it would be upsetting to know that He decided not to listen to my heart today. On and on I could go but it’s just that simple…
Jesus never changes.

I hope this stirs you to think about the concrete fact that He is faithful and there is no changing in Him. The world may change and we all well know that it is. There may be things that are changing and it is beyond our control to make it the way it was. But take comfort in the fact that the God of the Universe NEVER changes…it’s that simple.

Hebrews 13:8 (VOICE)

“Jesus the Anointed One is always the same: yesterday, today, and forever.”

9.17.16

Posted on Sep 17, 2016 in Devotions, Uncategorized |

Devotional for Saturday, September 17, 2016

“The Good Things Ahead!”

by Dona Hake

Today I want to share something I saw on social media the other day, and I thought it would stir your hearts.

“Even though there are days
I wish I could change some
things that happened in the
past, there’s a reason the rear
view mirror is so small and
the windshield is so big…
Where you are headed is
much more important than what
you have left behind.”

A quote like this could hit each of us differently, and for that reason I encourage you to ponder it, and allow the Lord to minister to your heart. The truth that hit me here is to leave behind any negatives or things that have hurt me in my past. For any of us to continue to dwell and refuse to let go of what has happened to us in the past will surely be a breeding ground for the seeds of bitterness to enter our heart. No matter what we go through, we must return to the truth that there is not one thing that should have the power to hold us back. Yet, unforgiveness does have that power. In fact it has the power to imprison us to our past. Ultimately you will relive your past over and over in your mind, and it will freeze you from freely going forward in your walk with the Lord.

May we look in the “rear view mirrors” of our life, and make a quality decision that we can attain wisdom from our experiences from the past. May our hearts rejoice daily that God sent His only Son and forgave each of us from all of our sins, and we too can freely offer forgiveness when we need to.

Experiences from our past can serve as teaching moments that we can pass on when we are called upon to do so. I love when I can pass on wisdom to someone in need just because I totally identify with their hurt. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, each and everyone of us has a big future whether we are young or old. Live life to it’s fullest with the help of your Lord, and go forward triumphantly in His plan!

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.”

9.15.16

Posted on Sep 15, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, September 15, 2016

“Morning and Evening You Meet Us!”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 143:8 (AMP)

“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.”

It is our Lord’s desire to command His lovingkindness in our direction each and every day. It is coming toward us in our waking moments. Do you awaken thanking Him for a new day in which His lovingkindness is there for you? Many times we may awaken with our hearts burdened with what we need to do or it may be burdened with worries of how we are going to get through the day. The question is, how did we enter into rest the night before? I know it to be true that if we go to bed with much on our mind that this is how we wake up. The Lord does not want us to greet our day with the thoughts of yesterday nor the worries about our tomorrows. He desires that we greet Him with a clear mind and heart that we may receive His lovingkindness each and every morning!

Psalm 42:8 Amplified Bible

Yet the Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song will be with me,
A prayer to the God of my life.

Let us trust to experience His lovingkindness as we awaken and hear His song at the end of the day. May this be a prayer for our life. Lord, we ask that you remind us at the end of our day that You desire to give Your beloved sweet sleep. Help us to enter into rest with clear minds and hearts that are light for You have promised to take our burdens that we not live in anxiety. Let us experience Your song over us in the evening, and may we awaken to Your presence as You meet us with Your lovingkindness. In Jesus Name, Amen!