Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

“Living Your Life In Purpose”

Posted on Dec 9, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Yesterday I had shared with you about guarding your time and using it wisely for our days are short, and every minute needs to be used with wisdom. I had shared from Ephesians yesterday and I want to share this scripture again.

Ephesians 5:15-17

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

“Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),

Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.”

Paul was exhorting in this portion of scripture that one needs to watch their walk in the Lord carefully. He proceeds to say we should live purposefully, worthily and accurately. As we seek God for His wisdom we will do all that we do in word or in deed as onto Him, and it will be pleasing. Our walk before Him will be in purpose, worth, and accuracy. When I look at the translation here using the word ~accuracy~ it makes me think of the importance of knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are doing exactly what the Lord wants you to do. Verse 17 states that we should firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. One of the definitions that I found for the word ~grasp~ is to seize upon and hold firmly. The enemy to us taking hold of the will of God in our life is being indecisive and double minded. May we be ever so cautious and watchful over our faith being hindered by falling into being double minded.

James 1:5-8 Amplified Bible, Classic Editiona

^”If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.

Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.

For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,

[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].

Lord, we ask You this day to help us take hold of Your will like never before. We know that it is Your heart that we live to totally please You as we walk upright before You, and we ask that You help us to do so. We thank You for the wisdom that You have promised to give to us that we may lay hold of Your will and seize the opportunities that You have for us. Again, we are reminded to watch over our time and use it wisely, and we thank You for Your guidance in that as well.

“Your Time Is A Gift”

Posted on Dec 9, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

As we awaken each day we all probably have our routines to prepare to start our day. As we set out to do whatever, we are all given the same amount of time, and we must use it wisely. This time of the year it seems like there is not enough time in the day to do all that needs to be done. Time is so precious and we must guard it. The Word of God speaks to our hearts regarding this matter. I have chosen this translation from the Amplified for I feel it speaks wonderfully regarding what we do with our time, our days, and possible opportunities presented to us.

Ephesians 5:15-17 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
“Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),

Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.”

As we commit our lives to the Lord, and seek Him first in all that we do, we will find His loving hand in every area of our life. His Word proclaims that He will perfect ALL that concerns us so we need to be able to understand the time in which we live as individuals. I encourage you to seek Him today for His plan for you. Today is a new day, it is like no other, and He wants to use you like never before! Do you know exactly how He desires you to use Your time today? I am speaking about time apart from your job or other commitments. Many times it is our free time that is wasted and not used properly, and I believe the Lord desires that we watch over that very carefully. Time is a gift.

I shared about time being a gift, and now I want to talk about the timing of things. There may be specific things that you know the Lord is desiring to do in you during your time here on earth, and they may not been totally fulfilled. Remember…even as you walk in His paths you are still a work in progress. Have you ever been tempted to be impatient with God’s timing as He works in and around you? I think it is vital that we remind ourselves that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts. If ever there are times you find yourself impatient with His timing or how and when He is bringing things to pass, you will surely be tempted to do things in your own ability. It is in those times that we do not understand how to walk the way that He is leading us that we look up and cry out for His wisdom on the matter. The first chapter of James says that if we lack wisdom, we need to just ask Him for it, and then be patient in order that God’s perfect work be done in us.

Lord, we thank You that every day you give us is a blessing and the time within that day is a gift from You. We ask that You help us us it wisely. Help us to make the very most of it, not overlooking one opportunity in which we can glorify You. We thank You for Your help as You help us to live purposely and accurately as we pursue to do You will! We also ask that You help us to continue to understand and recognize Your perfect timing in our lives, for we know that Your timing is perfect timing! In Jesus Name, Amen!

“He’s Given Us All That We Need”

Posted on Dec 7, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Have you ever prepared to travel and you want to make sure that you are packing everything you need. In the past whenever I have traveled I have so many “to do” lists and “things I need to pack” lists as well. I want to flow as efficiently as possible in my time away from home. I am the kind of person that likes to be ready for anything so I probably over pack because of that. Needless to say, it is good to feel that you are properly equipped for your time away from home.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus, we must stay reminded that heaven is what really matters, and the Lord desires that we set our minds and hearts on things that are above. May we remember that we are as pilgrims on a journey here on earth, and we are passing through for this is not our home. As we spend time on this earth serving the Lord we are on a a blessed journey. He has promised to equip us for all that He has for us to do while we are here. I love the image I shared today because it ministered to my heart relative to God giving us all that I need. First of all, His Word will keep us full of the knowledge of His will. Any door that we need to walk through whether difficult or not, we can be assured that He has the exact key. He also provides us with His perfect timing and we need to know we are in His timing. Many times in our journey here on earth we can encounter those things that would tempt our hearts to fear, and not trust Him. In Psalm 23 David proclaimed that even though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, he would fear no evil for he knew the Lord was with him. Fear can have a crippling affect on our hearts and minds, and it can cause us to get off the perfect path He has assigned for us as believers.

2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP)
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and

cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love

and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”

Let us be reminded today to stay focused on all that He has given us through His love for this very special journey on earth. We can live this life with our spirits full of power, love, and calm well balance minds! It is Him that can help us to remain disciplined and self controlled for the God given work He has for us.

“The God of No Limitations”

Posted on Dec 7, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

God is great and all His works are to be greatly praised. From the time that He created the Heavens and Earth to this very day, He continues to show Himself mighty and His wonders never cease. Today we will meditate upon how our God is boundless. He is infinite, vast and all that He can do is unlimited. His ways and thoughts are higher than our ways, and it will always exceed our comprehension. Whenever I think about God surpassing my comprehension I always think of this scripture. In Philippians 4:7 Paul said “And God’s peace, which ·is so great we cannot understand it [transcends/surpasses all comprehension], will ·keep [guard] your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Many times a situation could be so overwhelming to us, and anxiety could be trying to take over our souls, yet as we look to Him we begin to be permeated with His peace. I find that so awesome especially when you are in the midst of a troubling situation, and in the natural not one thing has changed for the positive at that point, yet His peace overwhelms us. Now that is God showing us that He is the God that is not limited by anything!

When I think of how great our God is, I realize that our understanding is limited because He is God and everything about Him is beyond the bounds of human comprehension!! Today, I just want to share a few scriptures with you to think upon relative to this word ~boundless~.

Psalm 147:5
“Great is our Lord and of great power; His understanding is inexhaustible and boundless.”

~~~~~

Ephesians 6:10
“In conclusion, be strong in the Lord

[be empowered through your union with Him];

draw your strength from Him [that strength

which His boundless might provides].“

~~~~~

1 Peter 1:3
“Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)!

By His boundless mercy we have been born

again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection

of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

Father God we thank You that You are the One of boundless understanding, You exhibit boundless love, boundless might, boundless peace, and boundless mercy! Lord, there are so many ways that you show us that You are limited in NOT one thing! Help us to grow in our understanding that You are the God that desires to work in and through us in boundless ways that we can touch the world around us.

“Loving In Word and In Deed”

Posted on Dec 6, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Today I would like to share about how God desires that we show love to those around us in word and in deed. Think about times in your life that without the help of others you would not have made it through a particular hardship. Never underestimate the times that you have felt prompted to pray for someone and you had no idea of what they were walking through. Simple obedience in such a matter could mean a major victory in an individual’s life.

God desires to use us to be a strength to those around us. I find this scripture interesting as well as applicable to the thought I am bringing to you today.

Proverbs 20:12

“It was the Lord who gave us eyes for seeing and ears for hearing.”

Very simply put here in the Proverbs, and it is basically saying that God desires us to use that which He has given us. He wants to use our eyes to show us what He is seeing and He wants to use our ears to cause us to hear the hearts of people around us. Let us ask the Lord to help us to see and hear the cry of people around us. I have had times where I might see a complete stranger and I see pain in their eyes and I walk away and just whisper a prayer for them. I more than likely will never see nor speak to them ever again yet I believe the Lord uses us to possibly change situations through such simple prayers. Again, see people’s hearts with God’s eyes and you will not miss such opportunities to show love in word, deed or in praying.

Keep your ears and eyes open to those around you. Never take the position that you have to know all the facts before you can pray. If you see or hear pain or need…just pray. No fancy words…just pray. God wants to use us to reach down and strengthen those that need our help.

Lord, we ask You this day to use us as vessels that see as You see and hear as You hear. We ask that You touch people around us as we are obedient to You. We thank You for divine opportunities to be a blessing to those in need for we know there are so many around us that need help. In Jesus Name, Amen!

“Every Day I Praise You!”

Posted on Dec 5, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

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.

As you greet your day today I encourage you to praise Him from the depths of your soul. Everyday brings us new reasons to do so. Every day we greet is different, one may be full of demands, and another you may not know what the day is going to hold. Whether it be a day that is full of plans or not, permit Him to guide your steps and order your day, and you will get more accomplished then if you try to figure it out in your own ability. I want to encourage you today to greet your day as a new beginning with opportunities awaiting you to act upon. You may encounter an opportunity to share a word of encouragement with someone, or perhaps He desires for you to do a random act of kindness for someone in need. Each day with it’s new beginnings and new reasons can bring our hearts wonderful anticipation of how He may be planning to use us and work on our behalf!

In this new day there may be things that you are facing that tempt your heart to be burdened but be encouraged that God is a God that desires you cast your care upon Him and He desires that you ask Him for the wisdom you lack to meet any obstacles that you face. All of us have reasons to bless His Name and be thankful. Sometimes we permit our focus to be on the things that are not perfect, but really we need to take time to call to our remembrance the many blessings that we possess because of the goodness of God at work in our lives.. We all have much to be thankful for!

“Living By the Truth of God’s Word”

Posted on Dec 4, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Every day of our life we will be presented with opportunities to make choices, and God wants us to choose His way, and His way is always truth. It is so important that we value hearing , reading, and meditating upon God’s Word. We must keep our minds renewed to God’s way of living. Every question or that which pertains to us living godly is in His precious Word. If we do not make it a habit to keep our minds renewed we will be deceived into thinking that “if we feel” okay about the direction we are taking, then it is okay. Many times I hear people say they have a peace about a decision they are making, yet they are not sure if they know beyond a shadow of a doubt. I can assure you that the enemy knows well how to set us up to think that deception and wrong choices are okay. He is the Angel of Light isn’t he? ….this is how he is able to accomplish deception by his trickery and deceptive ways. May we never ever think that we can pick and choose when we are going to walk in truth. May our hearts desire to know that we are saturated in His Word. May we be determined to walk in a way in which we never waver but stay true to every precept He has given us to live by.

It is as we are with strong conviction about living His Word in our lives that we will take strong stands against falsehoods that would try to pull us down and weaken our convictions. Falsehood is lack of conformity to truth or fact.

Psalm 119:163 (CEB)
“I hate, I absolutely despise, what is false,
but I’m in love with your Instruction.”

Psalm 119:163 Good News Translation

“I hate and detest all lies,
but I love your law.”

Today Lord we ask that You would give us discerning hearts for we well know that the devil can come as an Angel of Light. He can try to confuse us in order that we walk away from our strong convictions. We thank You Lord that Your grace is able to keep us strong and deliberate in our walk. We ask that Your Word would grow deeper and deeper within us as we proclaim that we love Your law with all of our hearts. In Jesus Name! Amen.

“He Anoints My Head With Oil”

Posted on Dec 3, 2015 in Devotions, Uncategorized |

by Dona Hake

The past two days I have been focusing on God’s peace. Yesterday I shared specifically about the undisturbed mind. Anxious thoughts can surely rob one’s peace. Anxious thoughts can be like a fly that has picked you to torment. He may keep flying around the room, then buzz a bit around you head, land on you, and then fly away just long enough…but then he is back. Sometimes this is how anxious thoughts are when we are not taking them to the Lord. Oh yes, we have prayed but there are certain cares that you have not completely given over to Him. Your mind may seem at peace, and then out of no where you feel troubled again. That thought that you are trying to give to Him seems to keep showing up. It is times like these that we are not totally releasing all our cares to Him. May we examine our hearts in this matter, and ask Him for His help. In His presence, He desires to minister to our soul, and rid us of any torment we are in. May we permit Him to anoint our heads with oil which will indeed permeate our soul with that peace that passes all understanding.

Psalm 23:5 (Amplified)
You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil;

I have an image in my mind of a troubled sheep standing submissively under the gentle hands of the shepherd. He begins to pour fresh oil down over his woolly forehead, and he gently rubs it through the sheep’s thick wool, and it penetrates into the skin. He is assured that his sheep will be protected from torments that come from a particular pestilence. The shepherd well knows and understands how his sheep can be troubled by such tormentors as the nose fly. These little flies buzz about the sheep’s head attempting to deposit their eggs on the damp, mucous membranes of their nasal passages. If they succeed the worm-like larvae work their way up into the the sheep’s head. It is then that the intense irritation cause extreme inflammation with extreme torment and pain for this poor sheep.

I think of the daily cares that can swarm around our heads and torment us as well. Many times we are tempted to worry about things before they even happen. We try at times to put things out of our minds yet thoughts that are not dealt with eventually take root and get bigger. We must purpose ourselves to daily stay under our caring Shepherd’s loving hands. As we do we will abide in His place of refreshing and restoration of our souls.

Lord we thank You this day for being a kind and loving Shepherd. We thank You for Your watchful eyes for You see our soul, and You know when are hearts and minds are anxious. Thank You for reminding us by Your Spirit to cast all of our cast over to You. We praise You today for the power of Your restoration and peace that You desire to bring to us. In Jesus Name. Amen.

“The Undisturbed Mind”

Posted on Dec 2, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Today I will share with you about living with a clear and undisturbed mind. Jesus said He would give us a peace that is not like what the world gives. This peace does not come from perfect circumstances, the view of a beautiful mountainside or a walk along the beach. While these things can calm us down and bring rest to our bodies, we must still take hold and guard the peace that will restore our souls.

Psalm 23:3 Expanded Bible
” He ·gives me new strength [ renews my soul].
He leads me on paths that are ·right [righteous; or straight]
for the ·good [sake] of his ·name [reputation].”

Each day we must turn our eyes and souls upon Him that we can receive strength and renewal. No one can do this for us. We have our part to play, and we must be diligent to do it. You see, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ we must continue to grow in understanding in all things that we have learned and accepted in the Word of God. Okay, I am going to emphasize seven words in the previous sentence. ~We must continue to grow in understanding~ These words play a vital part in walking in peace and in His strength.

We must continue in His Word, and permit it to correct our thinking, and strengthen our faith. If we do not understand what is going on in our life, then we need to seek Him for that understanding. His Word says that He gives us ALL things that pertain to life and godliness. Hearing and living in the Word of God is not like a child learning to use a spoon to eat or learning to ride a bicycle. You can agree that once one learns to do these things that we do not have to find a better way to do them. The Word of God in our hearts must be heard over and over. We must have a pursuit in our hearts to go deeper and deeper, and refuse to become passive in our faith. Our hearts must listen to Him intently, and we must do the Word even when we do not feel like it. We must be patient when we think we cannot stand another minute of a trial. Every thing that has to do with our Lord has no end because He is eternal. Therefore, let us purpose in our hearts to go deeper and deeper in understanding the simplest of truths.

Many times we as believers may be lacking in peace simply because we are not returning to His Word and prayer, and keeping ourselves built up in the foundations of our faith. These are the things that are going to keep us constant in our faith, and we will then enjoy our minds being constant in His peace. As we return to Him in prayer each day may we permit His loving hand to refresh and restore our souls. Do not try to live on yesterday’s strength, and do not even try to carry that thing that seems to be a small burden. Even small things will pull and tug at our hearts, and eventually take our peace away.

When I was reading Psalm 23:3 I find it interesting that Him restoring my soul and leading me in His good paths go hand in hand. You see, if we are not restored, refreshed and permeated in His peace, we will find it difficult to walk the direction He is desiring to take us.

Lord, we thank You this day for that refreshing that only comes from Your hand. We ask You to touch our souls and renew them with great strength to meet our day and it’s demands. As we are refreshed, we thank You that we are indeed able to clearly hear Your voice. Thank You Lord for helping us to grow more and more in our understanding of the foundations of our faith. In Jesus Name. Amen.

“The God Of Peace Is With Us”

Posted on Dec 1, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I originally had a devotional set to send you, and in my heart I felt to change it up, and break it into several devotionals. My heart has been stirred over the past week as I have been meditating upon maintaining peace and a clear mind. I believe there is so much power in possessing a mind that is free of distraction and a mind that truly possesses the peace of Christ.

Today I want to cause you to think about how our Lord is there for us at all times. Think about it….the God of ALL peace is with us! He is never too busy, He is never distracted by world affairs, and He is ready to impart to you exactly what you need, especially His peace! We are the apple of His eye and He desires that we love Him with all of our hearts. During the Christmas season our minds can be tempted to race so fast for all of it’s demands can cause us to feel there is not enough time in the day.The Lord desires that we listen to Him with minds and hearts that are not distracted by the cares, planning or worries of this life.

May we purpose that we are keeping our priorities as the Lord is directing us, and let us not permit our goals and priorities to be according to what the world says we are to do. Many times during the holiday season we may find ourselves neglecting our proper time with the Lord, and our stressed minds can cloud our focus and we may fail in being sensitive to those around us. A mind that is clear and at peace will make right decisions that proceed from His wisdom. Many times our insensitivity to those around us may proceed from having too much on our minds, and we simply do not think before we act and speak. What is sad too is that many times we may be acting insensitively, and not even realize it.

Over the next few days, I am feeling led to share on holding fast to His peace and enjoying the beauty of a heart and mind that is ruled by that peace…that peace that passes all human understanding. I am going to touch on maintaining our sensitivity with God as well as those around us.

Lord we thank You this day that Your peace can touch our hearts and minds in the midst of whatever is going on around us. We can be anywhere, and if confusion tries to rob our peace, we can trust You to make those “winds” be still in our life! We praise You for that wonderful peace, in Jesus Name! Amen.

Philippians 4:7 (Amplified)

And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].