Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

“The Treasure of Our Lord’s Wisdom”

Posted on Sep 30, 2015 in Devotions |

wisdom is a treasure

by Dona Hake

Today I want to encourage your heart to look around you, and be thankful for the gifts in your life that cannot be purchased with money. Think about your precious family and friends, your church, special relationships that God has ordained for your life, etc… May we be so grateful and thankful to God for those gifts that are truly His gifts and treasures that we are enjoying here on earth.

I am also thinking about how thankful I am for the wisdom of God. Wisdom is found only on one road, and that is for those who desire for God and only God to direct their hearts. Let us value it and be ever so thankful that He said in His Word that it is there for us…all we have to do is ask Him. I love this portion of scripture recorded in Job. It beautifully paints an image of the beauty and worth of wisdom that comes only from our Lord!

Job 28:13-18

” No human perceives wisdom’s true value,

nor has she been found in the land of the living.

The deep says, “She is not to be seen within me.”

“Nor within me,” says the voice of the raging sea.

No gold can be given in trade for wisdom,

nor a sum of silver weighed out as her price.

She cannot be bought with all the gold of Ophir,

neither with onyx nor sapphire.

The shimmer of gold and brightness of glass cannot compare,

and no refined gold jewelry is worth her in trade.

Perish the mention of coral and crystal;

even more than pearls is the value of wisdom.”

Father, we thank You that Your wisdom is priceless, yet You so freely give it to us. We cannot earn it…all we have to do is simply ask You. Your Word says in James 1:5

“If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance],

he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and

without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.”

May we quickly admit to ourselves if we are lacking wisdom in order that You may guide us with Your wisdom through life’s tough decisions or circumstances. We praise You that Your ways and thoughts

are always higher than ours, and we look with great expectancy for Your wisdom to

accomplish great things as we seek to do Your will. In Jesus Name we ask this!

“and We Know…”

Posted on Sep 29, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Romans 8:28
” We know that all things work together for good for those who love God…”

This is a very familiar and popular scripture, and I would like to share another translation I found that beautifully translates it…

Romans 8:28 (VOICE)
“We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to

work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept

His invitation to live according to His plan.”

As we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ He invites us to live according to His plan for our lives. When we lay down our own ways and thoughts about things, when we purpose to love Him with all of our heart, that is when God is able to orchestrate every thing for His good on our behalf. There are four words to this scripture though that are the key and the secret to God working freely in our lives. Those key words are “when we love Him.”

Loving God should be our lifestyle. As a believer, loving Him should come as natural as breathing to us. We should not have to think about it for the more we know Him and His ways, we should be overwhelmed at His love for us. Loving Him should be a part of every detail of our lives. Looking to Him should not just be when we are in trouble but we need to be looking to Him when every thing is perfect as well. It is as we have a burning love within our hearts for Him that we will see how He will beautifully weave a tapestry of many wondrous things in our life. God desires that His love be shown to this dark world, and as we love Him and walk in His presence, His joy will overflow within us for all to see.

♥~~~~♥~~~♥

“A joyful heart is the inevitable result

of a heart burning with love.

Mother Teresa

“He Pours His Grace On the Little Things”

Posted on Sep 28, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

“

Today I want to encourage your heart in the fact that God desires to touch, bless and pour out His grace on every thing in your life…even the smallest of things. A few months ago we had a guest speaker at our church, and there were two sentences he spoke in the midst of his sermon that really touched my heart.

“He pours out His grace on the little things.

He will breathe on the things your put your hand to.”

Pastor Pradeep Perera

I am going to tell you why such words should bless your heart. You see, the Lord is concerned about every part of our day. He desires to be involved with everything we do. I love the visual I see of the Lord’s breath from heaven being upon the work of my hands, for that breath of His Spirit will give me the needed grace for every task no matter how big or small.

Father, today we ask You to help us be mindful of Your attentiveness to the smallest of details in our life. Remind us by Your Spirit to call upon You for the grace that only comes from You throughout our day. Keep us also mindful to not rely upon our own ability but rather Yours. We believe You to do great things in every detail that concerns us.

…and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.”

Psalm 1:2-4

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

“He Is Looking For the Teachable Heart”

Posted on Sep 27, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I have some very special memories of teaching lower and upper elementary children the skill of drawing in the art classes that I taught. I can remember how important it was to stay very keen in my observation of each child’s strengths and weaknesses. There was one thing my students always well understood and that was they were not permitted to say “I can’t do this!” I would quickly correct them and say that we will never say “I can’t!” but rather we will say, “I will try to do my best.”

I would always try to help each child to understand that I was there to help them learn and I will do my best to develop them. The biggest thing I would observe is that if a child was teachable and did not give up that they would always master what I was teaching them. Many a times I can remember students totally thrilled and proud of themselves as they completed a project in spite of them thinking they were incapable of mastering the art of drawing. One thing I understood though, and that was if a child began to believe that they could not draw, and they continued to confess negative….they never did learn.

Today we are looking at this wonderful scripture that reminds us to keep a humble, teachable heart. There may be times that we are well aware that He is endeavoring to teach us how to do something and we feel we cannot do it. This scripture can serve to remind us to never give up because He is watching to strengthen us as we draw upon His strength.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (GW)

“The Lord’s eyes scan the whole world to find those

whose hearts are committed to him and to strengthen them.”

Today I encourage you to look to Him, and make a quality decision to stop confessing weaknesses or inability. Look to the One that is able to teach your hands to prosper in all that you put them to. Remember that He is looking to strengthen you and He watches for the smallest of details that need strengthening. He cares about you more than you will ever know!

“The Rest of Our Lord”

Posted on Sep 26, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Today I want to encourage your heart to maintain a sweet rest in your Heavenly Father. Daily responsibilities and cares can just take it out of us if we are not seeking His face and casting our cares upon Him. When you are overwhelmed, weary and anxious, are you quick to run to Him? We can only deepen the revelation of this truth within our hearts.

Matthew 11:28

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened,

and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]”

Just as you have to continue to deposit money in your checking account to continue writing checks, we also have to continue to deposit the things of the Spirit within our hearts and minds. We cannot live off of the the testimonies of yesterday, even though they do encourage our hearts. We cannot expect our faith from yesterday is enough either. We must go to Him quickly and diligently. We must continue to go deeper and deeper with our Lord, for it is in that place that we will experience complete strength, hope, and complete rest.

If we are honest with ourselves we may see that there are times when we are pushing the boundaries of our bodies and minds to the place in which we so often experience a weariness. Many times we are doing things that have to be done but because we are not continuing to dwell in Him that we become to feel overwhelmed and living on the fumes of yesterday’s faith and energy.
As we continue to grow in the depths of all that He is, we must make every effort to make Him our dwelling place. It is there that there is strength and peace beyond any comprehension exists. We will indeed experience a peace that passes all understanding! I believe that God wants us to live in a place called rest that ONLY He provides. So what is this rest? Here is one definition that I loved…

Rest: relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs.

Let us abide under the shadow of His wings and I mean abide…live there, hang out, stay there….God wants us to remain before Him. He does not desire we come and go as we please. He does not desire that we come to Him when only life’s problems come up, but He desires we stay put. It is as we rest in that place that we really do experience His rest!

“Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him,”
Psalm 62:5 HCSB

“How Great Is Our Lord’s Wisdom!”

Posted on Sep 25, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Today I want you to think about a time when you were faced with a circumstance or a problem that needed solved, and you just did not know which way to turn or what to say. We have all been faced with such things. Many times our minds serve to pull us down as the loud voices of past experience begin to speak. Sometimes the helpless feeling you feel of not knowing what to do can make one feel so insecure. Let us remember that our Lord has the right answer and direction for any question or situation that we face. It is called His divine wisdom, and He wants to speak it into any situation of our lives. Oh how great is His wisdom!

Oh the beauty of our Lord’s wisdom that He has for us! It causes us to use knowledge rightly and direct every path that we walk on or pursue. It keeps us from moving forward when it is time to stand still yet it prompts us to step out when the time is right. God’s wisdom is amazing.

Proverbs 3:19 (TLB)
“The Lord’s wisdom founded the earth;

his understanding established all the universe and space.”

Isn’t it awesome to ponder that the God in heaven desires to give you wisdom when you need it? If He was able to establish all that we see on this beautiful earth, surely He can make our feet firm and our direction sure! Why would we go anywhere else but to God for the wisdom we must have in our time of need? Surely the wisdom you need is there for you as you ask Him for it.

Jeremiah 32:17 NIV
“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens

and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.

Nothing is too hard for you.”

“What Does Fear Mean To You??”

Posted on Sep 24, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I saw this the other evening on the photography group that I belong to, and it totally inspired me for today’s devotional! Yesterday I had shared that there is NO THING that can separate us from our Lord. We all well know though that fear can rob our hearts and weaken our faith in an instant. Let us look at two meanings of fear!

Fear has two meanings and the choice is ours!

Forget
Everything
And
Run

Face
Everything
And
Rise

The first meaning can happen all so easily if we fail to keep our minds renewed to what the Word of God says about every area of our lives. We must determine to daily renew our minds and grow in our faith not being mere hearers of the Word. God’s Word speaks about what God has not given us, and that is a spirit of fear…

2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified Version

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]”

1 John 4:18 AMP version
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].

As we serve the Lord and wait upon Him, He has promised to cause us to rise up and mount with wings as eagles. When the storms of life come, we can rise above any storm and soar to new heights! May we be those that face everything in faith and rise up in victory!!!!

“No Thing Can Separate Us!”

Posted on Sep 23, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

NOTHING can separate us. Can we say it also this way… NO THING will separate us!!!!!He is NEVER distant, and He will NEVER leave or forsake us. We just need to believe this at all times. Whether things are going great or it seems like everything is going wrong…NOTHING, NO THING can separate us from Him, and His love when we know Him, and love Him. The more we grow in understanding

the character of our Lord, we truly understand that there is NO THING that can take Him away from you. He promised He would never leave or forsake us, and He indeed never changes!

Romans 8:39 ERV
“….nothing in the whole created world—
will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown
us in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Our lives are full of things. We purpose to set time aside to eat, sleep, work and play. Let us be ever so diligent to carve out moments during the day and dedicate them to sit in His presence and acknowledge Him. Talk with Him about how you feel and what you fear. Ask Him about everything that concerns you. He is bound to you by His love! Do not go by feelings and do not go by what you see. He is ALWAYS with you and nothing can separate you from Him. Praise Him because of His inseparable love for you!!

Father, we ask you this day that You would deepen in even a greater way how much you love us! Oh yes, we know it to be true, but we ask that we would continue to grow in the revelation of it. We thank you that Your perfect love casts out all fear. May we be reminded of Your promise that

You will never leave or forsake us! In Jesus Name!

“Pressing In, Doing His Will”

Posted on Sep 22, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

His mercies are new every morning ,
His grace is sufficient,
His joy is our strength,
His love keeps our hearts,
His patience promises us a heart of longsuffering,
Our youth is renewed as the eagles as we wait upon Him,
He promises to never leave us,
and in His presence is abounding joy.
From the windows of Heaven comes an abundance
so big that we cannot even begin to contain it.
Any sin, no matter how big or small is forgiven
when we take it to Him with a repentant heart.

Is there anything too hard for our God? He is great and greatly we should praise Him each and everyday! Do you feel at times that your life, and it’s problems are too hard for God? Maybe you feel there are times that you are such a mess that maybe He sits and scratches His head wondering what to do with you. Again, the answer is NO He does not! When problems and issues get out of hand in our lives we can certainly feel overwhelmed by them, but let us return to what will build and encourage our faith and our hearts. No matter how difficult your life seems God is able, and He IS the mighty and living God! Paul spoke with confidence in Philippians.

Philippians 1:6 (JUB)

“…being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun

a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

God is not a God that starts things and leaves them unfinished. He is NOT a procrastinator, He is the one with diligent and mighty hands that are well able to continue the great work He began in you. All we have to do is keep our hearts and eyes on Him, and trust Him with all of our being. Today, let us be confident that He is at work in us, and He can do above and beyond all you dare ask or think!

(Ephesians 3:20)

“Submit To the Living God”

Posted on Sep 21, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Several months ago I can recall hearing an interview, and this gentleman’s response to a question were so profound. I wrote it all down for I knew I would use it in a devotional someday. The news reporter was discussing with this man about a despicable act that someone had done, and it seemed hard to believe someone would do such a thing. The reporter asked this man, “How does someone come to a place to commit such a terrible act?” This gentleman’s response was, “If you yield yourself to evil, it will take you places you do not want to go.” He began to share about two words that connected to his statement, and they were REVERSE AND REVENGE. He said if you go into reverse over something that has happened to you, you could end up in revenge. Powerful words aren’t they?

Apart from the work of grace in our lives, any one of us could be capable to doing the unthinkable. The Word of God speaks to us of the importance that we never allow bitterness and hatred in our hearts for it will surely grow and fester. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ went to the cross and shed His blood that we could be forgiven, and we too need to be forgiving of anything that happens to us, or any offense that comes toward us.

Ephesians 4:31 (Amplified Version)
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence].

James 4:7 (Amplified Version)
So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil

[stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.

As we submit ourselves to the authority of God, we must hold fast to knowing that He will be our stronghold, and strength in times of trouble. His love is deeper than anything we will ever face, and His love always is victorious. In this life we will all experience things that may hurt our souls but we must be resolute in forgiving those that offend or hurt us. We must never permit ourselves to keep looking back and position ourselves to step into a reverse mode. We must stand firm against the devil when he comes to tempt us to think evil thoughts toward anyone. As Ephesians 4:31 states, we must put away bitterness, anger resentment, strife, faultfinding…just to name a few. May we be quick to run away and resist the devil and run to the living God who promises to make us stand strong in our time of temptation.