Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

4.12.16

Posted on Apr 12, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, April 12, 2016
“Patience and Encouragement”

by Dona Hake

Romans 15:4-5. ERV
“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. Those things were written so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and encouragement that the Scriptures give us. All patience and encouragement come from God.”

As believers we must always value and prioritize God’s Word and it’s place in our life. We have heard it said many times over as we go to church that it is important that we read God’s Word. God’s Word will bring light and life, and will help us to know exactly what to do in this life. God’s Word is our daily bread and it will sustain us, it will keep us, and we must make it a priority to feed upon it, and make it our Daily Bread.

As this Scripture says, the Word of God brings us patience and encouragement. From this patience and encouragement we embrace our hope. We can have hope that God will be with us every day. We can have hope that He truly is the answer. He never changes for He is the same yesterday today and forever. We can live this life with this blessed hope which empowers our hearts with courage to do the will of God. Praise Him today for He is the One from whom all blessings flow!

4.11.16

Posted on Apr 11, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, April 11, 2016

“I Will Have Everything I Need!”

by Dona Hake

This is a story of courage and victory, and my heart was so touched when I heard it reported. From the first day this young coach met this thirteen year old boy he could see great potential in him. I was even more excited to actually catch the live interview one morning during my breakfast.

It was time for their baseball practice and this young man was standing by his coach. Suddenly the coach fell face down on the ground. At first the thirteen year old boy thought the coach was just carrying on but he laid there for 30 seconds. It was then that everyone realized something was very wrong. He grabbed his coach’s cell phone and called 911 and they walked him through CPR. The interviewer asked the young man, “How did you stay calm and how did you not get upset that you could do such a thing as young as you are?” He basically exclaimed that he realized he had to stay focused and not permit himself to get upset. It was such a joy seeing these two sitting side-by-side. Because this young man was able to stay focused and calm, he was able to save his coach that was experiencing a heart attack.

This testimony really touched my heart. In the midst of the interview my favorite thing about it was when the coach said, “I believe that the Lord puts people in your life for a reason.” I look at this in another way as well and it goes along with the truth and scripture that I want to share with you today.

Psalm 23:1

“The Lord is my shepherd.I will always have everything I need.” ERV

I want to encourage you today to see the Lord as the Lord who takes care of us and as we place our trust in Him as the Great Shepherd, He gives us the provision in our time of need.This young coach was given the Lord’s provision in the moment in which his life was at stake. This coach had in his presence a young man that dared to be courageous and pursue to save his life.

May we ponder our lives today and think about the times which the Lords provision was given to us exactly at the time we needed it. Whether it be something that is material or actually a person that was put in your path to speak the words that you needed to hear or perhaps your life had been spared. Thank God we serve a God who takes care of all of our needs as we release our faith every day as we serve Him and trust in Him with all of our heart!

4.10.16

Posted on Apr 9, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, April 10, 2016

“The New Beginnings Each Day Brings”

by Dona Hake

Psalm 5:3 (CEB)
” Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
In the morning I lay it all out before you.
Then I wait expectantly.”

I thank God that His mercies are new every morning and we can wake with the expectancy of a new day with fresh opportunities.

Psalm 145:2 (AMP)
Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You
[affectionately and gratefully praise You];
yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever.

Today I encourage you to draw upon His strength and see your day as a fresh canvas. There may be things that you are facing that tempt your heart to be burdened but be encouraged that God is a God that never grows weary. Lift your eyes toward heaven and lay your heart open to Him and wait expectantly for Him to guide you throughout your day. All of us have reasons to bless His Name and be thankful. Take time to call out the blessings that you possess because of the goodness of God that flows toward you. Today, with it’s new beginning, praise and bless His Name for all the good things you embrace because of His goodness in your life!

4.9.16

Posted on Apr 9, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Saturday, April 9, 2016

“Are You Holding Fast?”

by Dona Hake

Have you ever determined yourself to do something and then “bottomed out” and given up? I am sure we have all experienced this. After the decision is made an obstacle or opposition stands before you and you could be tempted to weaken, give up and feel guilty that you did not stick it out.

Any decision you make whether it be to do something or stop doing something must be coupled with determination and perseverance. In this life I guarantee you that there will always be obstacles in our paths. Obstacles can serve to discourage us or they can cause determination to rise up from our innermost being. If we seek His wisdom we can begin to see that many times obstacles can just be those “pauses” in which we learn and grow from. They can become strong stepping stones full of wisdom from life’s experience. The beauty of these stepping stones is that we can pass that wisdom on to those struggling around us.

So today I encourage you to hold fast. Even when you feel that so much is going on that you have no time for a breather, just hold on! Winston Churchhill said it this way, “The nose of the bulldog is slanted backwards so he can continue to breathe without letting go.” I love this because many times it is just a matter of not letting go. Dig in, hold fast, and don’t let go!!! Do what you have decided to do no matter how tough the fight. Draw upon the strength and wisdom of the Lord for He is well able to help you accomplish that thing you have determined yourself in. God bless you!

Ephesians 6:13-14 Amplified

“Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having [a]tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart),”

4.8.16

Posted on Apr 8, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, April 8, 2016

“This Light Of Mine, I Will Let It Shine!!!”

by Dona Hake

I shared from Matthew 5 earlier this week and I am feeling to return to it. I have recently been going over my garden decorations for it will not be long till flowers will be planted. I love my little solar lights, and I have fun with them. I have one solar light that refuses to work according to how most work but I am going to choose to let it remind me of a spiritual truth. You see this particular light refuses to illuminate only at night…it stays illuminated in darkness and in sunshine. Interesting isn’t it for they normally do not do this. I think I will just permit it to remind me to make sure my light is shining no matter what is going on around me. You know that sometimes we can all fail to make a conscious effort to make sure our light is shining for Him. May we be reminded that devil comes as an angel of light to confuse those that do not know better. For this reason we need to be mindful to shine brightly so those that need to have their blind eyes open will receive a glimpse of His glorious light shining through us.

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.”

I think God is calling each and everyone of 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 us that others may see how awesome He is.

4.7.16

Posted on Apr 7, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Thursday, April 7, 2016

“He Is Our Forever Rock!”

by Dona Hake

“So we set our eyes not on what we see

but on what we cannot see.

What we see will last only a short time.

But what we cannot see will last forever.”

2 Corinthians 4:18

Yesterday I shared about keeping our gaze on the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping the problems in our life in their proper place. I shared how we need to keep our gaze on the Lord and peek only at our problems. Life will always have problems and unpleasant circumstances, but we cannot permit them to rob our attention that our Lord wants from us. Again, I am not implying that we are sticking our heads in the sand and acting like our problems are not there. What I am saying though is we cannot make our problems our dwelling place. As we grow in the revelation of keeping our gaze and focus on Him, we will surely walk in a greater revelation of casting our care upon Him.

If you are at that place that your focus has been too much on your problems and your heart is heavy and burdened, here is a scripture for you to meditate upon.

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all of you who are tired

and have heavy loads. I will give you rest.”

The Lord understands our frame and how we as humans can fall into that place of trying to do things in our inability. I am so thankful that the God we serve is forgiving and understanding. This scripture backs that fact up. He is calling for those that are trying to carry the load of life in their own ability. He is calling to those who are tired of doing that and He promises that if you lay the heavy burdens and load at His feet, He will deal with each and every one. He will give your heart,soul and your mind the rest that you need. He will bring strength to your heart in the place of the weakness that you are experiencing from trying to deal with problems in your ability. Today we praise the Living God for He is our Forever Rock!!!

Isaiah 26:4

“Trust the Lord

always. Trust the Lord

because he is our rock forever.”

4.6.15

Posted on Apr 6, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, April 6, 2016

“Keep Your Gaze On Him”

by Dona Hake

Today I was in prayer and as I was reading, I saw something that really touched my heart. Recently I shared that I purchased a devotional just for children, I love the many truths that it shares in such a childlike way. There was a statement made on one of the pages that I want to share with you. I believe it will touch your heart.

The particular truth was that we as children of God need to keep our gaze on Him and only peek at our problems. What does this mean for us? It means that we need to spend more time thinking about who He is and what He can do for us according to His Word. This is the secret of living in peace and joy in the Lord! Human tendency will be to dwell, and focus on our problems and circumstances around us. Really this is what worry is all about. We begin to go over and over in our minds the existing conditions and problems that surround us. The more we do this, even the smallest of things become magnified, and the devil uses this to keep our eyes of our Savior. The Lord simply does not want us to live in such a way.

As we set our gaze upon Him and so to speak peek at our problems, we will keep our focus on staying in the presence of the Lord. The Lord does not desire that we act like we do not have problems but rather continually keep our problems in perspective to the power of the living Word within us. As we stay in His presence we will be filled with joy and the joy will bring us strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

“Today is a holy day to the Lord, don’t be sad.

The joy of the Lord will make you strong.”

2 Samuel 22:29

“Lord you give light to my lamp.

The Lord brightens the darkness around me.”

Thank God He gives us oil for our lamps! This reminds me that I need to come before the Lord whether things are going good or whether things are going bad and present to Him my lamp that He may fill it with the oil that I need for my day. The oil that I need for my lamp is the provision He promises to give me as I trust in Him every day that I live. His oil of provision will cause my lamp to shine and bring brightness to the path that I need to walk.

Proverbs 4:18 “The way of the good person

is like the light of dawn. It grows brighter

and brighter until it is full of daylight.

4.5.16

Posted on Apr 5, 2016 in Devotions, Uncategorized |

Devotional for Tuesday, April 5, 2016

“His Lovingkindness Is Toward Us!!!”

By Dona Hake

If you go to bed with a mind full of anxious thoughts and worries, you will most definitely awaken with those thoughts. More than likely they will be even greater and magnified. The Lord does not want us to greet our day with the thoughts of yesterday nor the worries about our tomorrows. It is not in His plan that we carry the burdens of life for His desire is to give us His rest. He desires that we start each day afresh and new looking toward Heaven expecting new mercies and His wonderful grace. We should awaken with great expectancy in our hearts of what He wants to do as we serve Him. I love how the Psalmist asks the Lord to cause him to hear of his Lord’s lovingkindness first thing in the morning.

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.”

Our Lord desires that we cast each and every care upon Him for He cares for us. I encourage your heart to hold fast to the fact that we were not made to worry and stress. God created us to rest and rely upon Him for everything. As you look to Him today, expect good things for His lovingkindess is toward you!

The psalmist writes in Psalms 42:8 that the Lord commands His lovingkindess toward us in the daytime and at night His song shall be with us! Let us trust to experience His lovingkindness as we awaken and hear His song minister peace and rest to us at the end of our day. Let us remember to lean on Him not only for His strength and wisdom but for the balance He can bring to our lives. Thank Him as He unfolds His plan for your day. Lift up your soul to Him and allow Him to touch you because He loves you so much!

4.4.16

Posted on Apr 3, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, April 4, 2016

“Let God’s Word Stir Your Heart!”

by Dona Hake

I love the Word of God and I love having encouraging and inspirational words displayed in my home. Any words that inspire my heart are a good thing and I love been surrounding with reminders of God’s Word. I have a decorative chalkboard and recently started asking my Granddaughters to take turns, and I will put their short quote on the board. Presently my oldest Granddaughter said for me to write, “We always love the Lord!” I love looking at the board for it is a reminder to me of her little heart desiring to express herself about spiritual things. May we permit the written and spoken Word of our Lord to stir and encourage our hearts! I have a journal/notebook with the following words on it, and honestly I bought the book just because of these words. They were:

In the happy moments
PRAISE GOD

In the difficult moments
SEEK GOD

In the quiet moments
TRUST GOD

In every moment
THANK GOD

I would like to share some thoughts and scripture with you relative to these words.

IN THE HAPPY MOMENTS

let us give Him praise. Let us ever be mindful that all good things are from Him and when we are happy and rejoicing, let us praise His Name.

Psalm 9:2 (AMP)

“I will rejoice in You and be in high spirits; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High!”

IN THE DIFFICULT MOMENTS let us seek God. It is when we are walking through troubles that our hearts need to draw near to Him, not run away or seek refuge in worldly pleasure.

Psalm 27:5-8 (AMP)
“For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock.
And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; in His tent I will offer sacrifices and shouting of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; have mercy and be gracious to me and answer me!

You have said, SEEK My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].”

IN THE QUIET MOMENTS let us trust God. It is so awesome to know that no matter how busy things get or the noise of this world tries to trouble our hearts, our rest and quiet is in Him. It is all so common if one is troubled that their sleep can be hindered by the anxieties of their mind tormenting them. It is in the quietness that He gives that we can calmly trust in Him.

Psalm 4:8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

IN EVERY MOMENT let us thank God. Oh that we would remind ourselves to stay in His presence every moment we breathe. It is in His presence that there is fullness of joy.

Psalm 30:12 “To the end that my tongue and my heart and everything glorious within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”

Today I encourage you to let God’s Word stir your heart to remembrance of all the wonderful things He has done and is going to do for you. His Word is the provision by which we live. Let us praise Him for that!

4.3.16

Posted on Apr 3, 2016 in Devotions |

Devotional for Sunday, April 3, 2016

“The Word Fitly Spoken”

by Dona Hake

Our words are like pieces to a grand puzzle. Sometimes we can feel that the words we are desiring to express will fit so well, yet when we speak them, they may seem wrong or they just do not have a timely fit in the conversation. I can remember getting my Granddaughter a kitty cat puzzle, and she could not wait to try to put it together. Some of the pieces were a bit challenging for they looked so similar visually yet the shape did not fit. At one point she thought one piece just had to fit, and she tried to force it. Interesting analogy isn’t it?….we can feel are words are fitting and right, and we begin to force them on someone. We can even convince ourselves that because what we have to say is true that it just has to be spoken at that time. Not always true!

God desires that our words bless, encourage, and produce, and very importantly, He desires that our words be fitting and proper. Today I want to share with you about how important it is that our words are to be spoken and fitting for the moment. You see, even a right word spoken in a wrong attitude or wrong time just does not fit nor does it help or minister to the hearer. The following are translations of Proverbs 25:11 that I want to share with you. This particular scripture brings light to the importance of a word being spoken in it’s proper time.

“Saying the right thing at the right time is like a golden apple in a silver setting.” ERV

“An idea well-expressed is like a design of gold, set in silver.”GNT

“Timely advice is as lovely as gold apples in a silver basket.” TLB

“A well-spoken word at just the right moment
is like golden apples in settings of silver.” VOICE

Today let us be reminded that timing has it’s perfect place when it comes to words. Right timing which is God’s timing will prompt us when and how to speak. Silence also has it’s place, so do not feel you are doing wrong when you are feeling prompted to just be silent even in those times your heart is speaking that you have the answer. May our words bless and be as apples of gold in settings of silver!