Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

“Our Need For Depth In the Spirit”

Posted on Sep 20, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

To reach a great height a person needs to have great depth.
Anonymous

May we stay aware that the roots of our heart must continue to grow deep in Him. This is a continual process of feeding on the Word of God, and maintaining our strength through Him and all the good things that He has provided us. This does not happen just by going to church once a week, it is a lifestyle of living and drawing upon His grace, His wisdom, and the guidance we receive from His Word. We have a vital part in the process of our growth in Him. Yes, we live by grace but we must do our part of staying spiritually strong and staying obedient to Him. If it is your heart’s desire to be used greatly by Him then the roots of your heart must go deeper and deeper. If this is your heart’s desire, God is ready to take you there as you apply your heart to His commands!

Jeremiah 17:7-9

Amplified Bible (AMP)

“[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies

on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads

out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when

heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious

and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.”

This tree that Jeremiah speaks of is the man who has totally trusted on the Lord God above. This tree thrives on the waters it is planted by. Notice the scripture does say that the heat WILL come and so WILL the drought. In our lives we too will face times where the heat is on yet we can know that because our roots of faith are strong, we need not fear nor grow weary. In the year of drought we can be free from care for we will NOT stop yielding fruit. Praise the living God that has promised to sustain us!

Proverbs 12:3

“…but the roots of the righteous can’t be disturbed.”

“The Reward of the Lord…”

Posted on Sep 19, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Psalm 19: 10 – 13.

“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord our firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, then much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them Your servant is warned; and keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins.”

Let us look closely today at verse 11 in this Psalm. The psalmist proclaims that God’s Word helps warn us, and because it helps warn us there is great reward. I think a very good analogy to share with this would be when there are severe storm or hurricane warnings. Many times our meteorologists can foresee extreme danger many days in advance. Many times there will be warning to evacuate an area, and some ignore the warning, and sadly lose their lives. It is always so sad to me to think of one losing their life simply because they thought they knew better than one that understood the severity of such a thing. So today we are looking at how our Lord has blessed us with the Word, and it is able to keep our souls from error and danger. When the Holy Spirit warns us of impending danger, or He keeps us from a dreadful mistake…I count that as a great reward don’t you?

I thank God for the many times as I have read His Word, and it has set my thinking straight, and caused me to see things as He sees them. In verse 12 the Psalmist says “…but who can discern his own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.” Many times we can be doing something wrong, and we do not even realize that it is wrong, we may NOT pick up on the fact that what we are doing could cause a great problem for ourselves or those around us. I thank God that His Word can bring discernment to our hearts, and keep us on the right track for Him. He goes on to say “Keep your servant from willful sins, may they not rule over me.” May we be reminded and admonished how dangerous it is to do something willfully that we know is wrong. Such a thing can hurt us, and lead us down the wrong path. The psalmist proclaims here that a willful sin can harm our souls, and could eventually rule us. This writer ends by saying if his sins do not rule over him then he would be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

We thank You today Lord that Your Word is sweet, and it brings strength and nourishment to our souls. We praise You for those times it has brought admonishment to us, and caused our eyes to see as You are seeing. Help us Lord to see any faults that are deep within us that we may

be covering up as a result of our own pride. We ask that You expose them to us that we can humbly

repent, and receive Your help to deal with them quickly. In Jesus Name, Amen!

“Let the Lord Work In You!”

Posted on Sep 18, 2015 in Devotions |

Psalm 8:3-9 (Amplified)

“When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have established,

What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?

Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,

All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth!”

I love this portion of scriptures as it proclaims the greatness of our God! We marvel at God’s magnificent creation, yet He promises to do great things in and through us as we serve Him in our life. As we look to Him to do a good work in our life, all He desires is the dedication of our hearts, and to seek to be humble before Him, and He promises to do great things in us.

Acts 17:28 (CEV)
“…and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are.”

He enables us to live this life by His power. He helps us to be the person He desires us to be. Today I want to encourage your heart to just let Him do things through you today. I found one of the definitions for the word ~let~ to be interesting in light of the scripture I am going to share with you.

Let: to grant the occupancy or use of

Now let us read this scripture from the Psalms..
“…And ~let~ the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands—yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it.” Psalm 90:17 Amplified Version

May we LET or grant the occupancy of our total being to the Lord today, may we give Him total use of us of however He wishes to use us. May we LET His beauty, delightfulness, and favor rest upon our lives that people would see Him and not us. I believe that as we do this that all that we put our hand to will indeed prosper and He we be able to confirm and establish the work of our hands.

“Looking To Him To Maintain a Humble Heart”

Posted on Sep 17, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Yesterday I shared with you that our words and meditations of our hearts need to be totally acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. Sometimes the eyes of our heart and mind are thinking about things that are nothing more than distractions or things we have no business thinking about. As I work with smaller children I often observe how they mind way too much what another child has. They tend to overthink some things, and it most always gets them into trouble. My daddy used to say…”Mind your own plate!” It would happen when I would think my sister might be getting a bit more a my favorite than I was getting!

Have you ever found yourself thinking about something that was not your business thinking about, and the Holy Spirit gently tugged your heart? Sometimes we are simply minding others business or their affairs, and we do not even realize how much it is consuming our minds. The older I get the more I realize how important, and liberating it is to just pray if I see something that troubles my heart. If the Lord desires to make it my business, He will kindly speak to me by His Holy Spirit. He always instructs us in the way that we are supposed to walk, not the way we think we should walk. Many times we may be trying to walk in a place that we have no business. An excellent scripture I would like to share with you on this matter comes from the Psalms. Here are two different translations…

Psalm 131:1 (ESV)
“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.”

Psalm 131:1 (GW)

“O Lord, my heart is not conceited.
My eyes do not look down on others.
I am not involved in things too big or too difficult for me.”

I believe as we understand this scripture that it will cause us to guard our heart against the pride of thinking we have all the answers. It will also remind us to be thinking about only that which we are supposed to be thinking. Let us not look down on others when we see faults and weaknesses. May we rather try to help them with a kind word of wisdom and our prayers. If the Lord sees that you are to be put in the path to help an individual, believe me, He is well able to arrange that! Next time you may feel that someone else’s business is preoccupying your mind too much , just maybe your loving Heavenly Father is gently but firmly tapping the “plate” of your life saying, “Mind your own plate!”

Lord we thank you that as we keep our eyes on that which is Your will we will do and say that which is acceptable to You. We ask that You would work by Your Holy Spirit to keep our hearts humble in Your sight all the days of our life!

“Are Our Words and Meditations Acceptable To Him?

Posted on Sep 16, 2015 in Devotions |

Psalm 19:14 (AMP)

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my

[firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.”

The psalmist was praying, and his desire was that his words and meditations that were in his heart would be acceptable to the Lord. Let us look at what the word acceptable as it is defined by the dictionary.

capable or worthy of being accepted,

pleasing to the receiver; satisfactory; agreeable; welcome

Lord, we ask you today, are our words worthy of you accepting and are they pleasing to Your ears? Are they satisfactory and agreeable to Your will? These are some questions that should cross our minds often. I believe that these questions would keep us out of much trouble that could easily be avoided. Many times we are quick to think things or form opinions based on our first impression. Maybe you are thinking things and speaking things based on what you have seen in the past. Many times our words get us into trouble because we fail to first seek Him as to how we are to respond. Think about it….if our prayer be, “Are my words and meditations acceptable to You Lord?” and the Lord responds to you, “No, they are not!” Just think, how much time and problems we could avoid.

It is only God that knows you all too well. He understands how you tend to think and react. He knows every hurt and pain that is still in the healing process within you. He is well able to help you hold your tongue and alter your thought process. It is He that can help us to be rock solid in every area of our life because He is the Rock! Look to Him as often as you need to be your Helper today that you may think thoughts and speak words that are pleasing, and acceptable to Him.

Lord, we desire that our words are blessing to you and edifying to those around us. Help us to be mindful of what is acceptable to You whether it be in word, thought or deed.

“He Makes Me Whole”

Posted on Sep 15, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Psalm 23:3 (VOICE)
“He makes me whole again,
steering me off worn, hard paths
to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.”

I remember the day that I surrendered my life to the Lord. I can still remember how I could feel the weight of my sin taken off of my back, and all of a sudden everything seemed to make sense. I saw everything differently around me. For the first time I felt whole, and it was a wonderful feeling. I saw light, and I felt free! I knew I no longer needed to live in fear, I had a purpose, and from that day forward the Lord has been faithful to lead, and guide me paths that truly echo His Name.

As I meditate upon this scripture I am thinking about how I have been serving Him for forty three years, and He has been so good to me. He continues to forgive me and wipe my sins as far as the east is from the west. I praise Him for the wonderful gift of His blood that was shed for me. Everyday I thank Him for His grace that is there for me to draw upon.

There has been many times we can all relate to making wrong decisions that may have caused us pain or some sort of consequence. Wrong decisions can throw you off of the divine path that He has ordered for us. Oh that we would purpose to learn and grow from every mistake we make, and oh that we would keep humble and pliable hearts. It is when one hardens their heart that their path becomes a rut, and one becomes weary. Worn and hard paths are those that have developed because of doing the same thing over and over again. The Lord cannot bless those paths nor will He try to make them work for you. God is calling us to allow Him to step in and guide us on the paths of His desire for us. He is calling us to get out of any “ruts” in our lives.

Today may I challenge your heart to think about that maybe you have allowed yourself to wrong thinking that has become a “rut” in your spiritual walk. Maybe you have walked the path of a habitual worrier. Maybe your worn, hard path has been one of constantly walking in fear and anxiety over your future. Regardless of what it is we can make the choice to walk on the path that is guided by His hand. His hand deals only in truth and right things. His path does not make provision for us to walk in our own ability but rather draw upon His. God’s Word, His voice, counsel, wisdom, and the leading of His Holy Spirit is our compass in this life.

Let us look to His way, His paths, and we can live a life that is blessed because when we are walking hand in hand with Him. May our paths be paths that echo His loving Name, and may they be a testimony of His love and goodness to everyone around us!

“Be An Expression of His Kindness”

Posted on Sep 14, 2015 in Devotions |

kindness given

by Dona Hake

I am thinking today about the kindness of the Lord flowing through us. Have you ever felt so weary from a battle you are walking through, and someone speaks an encouraging word or a kind word into your soul? It is such a blessing when you are touched by an act of kindness especially if you are running out of energy to do that which is required of you. May we look for and seize opportunities to be kind to someone today.

The interesting fact about kind deeds and words is that they cost us not one penny to give. Yes, it may cost our time and energy but as we give, the Lord is faithful to bless us abundantly. I want to share this most beautiful quote from a woman that I greatly admire and esteem. Mother Teresa was truly an example of being a vessel of God’s love and kindnesses.

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving

better and happier. Be the living expression of

God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness

in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

— Mother Teresa

Lord, we ask you to help us to be vessels of Your kindness this day. Help us to recognize and seize opportunities to give kindness to one in need. May we submit to Your plans for us that we can be used by You to touch someone’s heart. We thank you that we can be the living expression of Your wonderful love to the one that needs it most.

“If You Live In the Past…”

Posted on Sep 13, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I can remember a few years ago as my husband was sharing the word, and he said something that just inspired my heart, and I want to share with you about it in this devotional. He said,

“If you live in the past, you’ll have no current joy.”

I think one of the saddest things is seeing people live in the pain of their past yet they have so much to be thankful for in the present moment. If you live in the past, even when there are good things going on around you, you may be hindered from even noticing them. Even the smallest of goodness around you is overlooked because you are looking in life’s rear view mirror. The past has the ability to rob you of the good things that are in your life RIGHT NOW! We need to stop and purposely think of each and every good thing that God has blessed us with.

Philippians 3:13 (TLB)“No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing
all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead…”

I want to encourage you today that if you are tempted to look over your shoulder into your past to stop, and guard your heart, and check your attitude. ! Stop and look at who you are today and how far God has brought you. Ponder all the victories you have experienced as you have released your faith in the living God. Stop and think about every blessing you possess whether it be spiritual blessings, family, friends or material things. Let us not allow the wonderful joys in our present be robbed from us because we feel we are unable to go forward.

Know this, God can heal you from the pain and scars of your past. He is well able to take the things in your life that have been bad, and reveal the depths of His wisdom to you. He can give you hope for a future, and He can bring joy unspeakable into your heart and peace that passes all understanding that will permeate your mind. Enjoy the current joys that are around you and allow God to give you the strength to continue to move forward!

“His Wisdom, A Wellspring!”

Posted on Sep 12, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

What a wonderful thing that God’s wisdom is. As we seek it first before any task we can know that we are doing the right thing and it is in accordance with His will. Today let us meditate on how wonderful it is that godly wisdom is as a spring, a gushing stream with life giving power! As you draw upon it, it will flow to you and from you to others. I love the thought of my words being vessels that carry life to those around me!

Wisdom may be in word or it may be in deed, and it may even be wisdom at times to just be silent. We can probably all testify of times that words have been spoken to us apart from His wisdom. Those words can hurt you, leave scars and divide the closest of relationships.

Proverbs 18:4 (AMP)

“The words of a [discreet and wise] man’s mouth are like deep waters [plenteous and difficult to fathom], and the fountain of skillful and godly Wisdom is like a gushing stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].”

May we always remember that the wisdom of God will always be full of peace, it is always easy to be entreated and it will always be without hypocrisy. Wisdom will always stand in line with the truths of God’s Word, and there is no wavering in the words or actions of wisdom. Let us seek to be vessels of those that speak His wisdom offering words and actions that are life giving and pure. God bless you!

“…and He Shall”

Posted on Sep 11, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I have always heard that if you need someone to help you get something done, you should ask a busy person. I love the people in my life that are there to help me. These people are faithful and dependable…they keep their word. Nothing is more disheartening than someone not following through with something, and they do not keep their word. A faithful friend is a valuable friend. A friend that vows to keep his word is a precious jewel. Isn’t it wonderful that we can have a friend like this in Jesus? He is faithful and He will always keep His Word. I praise God that we serve a living God that promises to do all that He says He will. He desires that our hearts be of good courage and we be willing to stand fast and wait upon Him.

Psalm 27:14(KJV)

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage,

and he shall

strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

When I was pondering this scripture to share today the emphasis I want to make is on three words and they are AND HE SHALL. The scripture does not say “wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and it is likely he will strengthen your heart.” Nor did it say “wait on the the Lord: be of good courage and perhaps he will strengthen your heart.” NO! it says, “He shall.” If He said He shall, then He will!
Thank God today that all that God promises to do in His Word, He shall do it! God is good, He is faithful, and He always keeps His Word!