Posted on Jul 12, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I can remember around this time last year when my German Shepherd thought it would be grand fun to chase down a skunk. It was the end of a very long day for me and I was exhausted. I enjoy walking around my yard on hot summer evenings because I find it peaceful except for the evening I am about to share with you. Aasha was walking about the yard, and out of no where she tore off full speed, and I just knew it was bad news. She dove head first into some bushes on our property, and I heard her do a weird sound, and I just knew something bad happened. I was holding my breath hoping she did not catch a rabbit. She ran toward me and sure enough she smelled like a skunk. I mean she SMELLED like a skunk. My eyes were burning just to be near her.
My husband and I moved quickly and I created a solution to remove the odor. It took days for our house to be free from this odor, and Aasha smelled badly especially around her face for awhile. It was a constant reminder of the whole ordeal. The odor was so bad in our house we could not even get a good night’s sleep the first night. The next morning I had certain things I needed to accomplish and due to the lack of sleep it really hindered me.
We all will face those days in which there are demands on our “plate” and it seems as if the strength or inspiration that we need is not there. In the midst of my being tired and lacking focus, God was faithful to minister to me in a fresh way. I began to read this scripture from Psalm 37:7
“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him…”
Did you ever read a scripture over and over and all of a sudden you read it with God’s fresh breath and touch upon it, because it is shining on your present situation, and bringing you the strength that you need. This caused me to meditate on how God meets us each day with the “daily bread” that we need. I realized that in my being tired and a bit weary that I needed to stop and just lean against Him and receive His strength. He is our Shepherd and even in the midst of exhaustion and need, WE SHALL NOT WANT! I began to ponder the scripture from Hebrews 4:12 (ERV)
“God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than the sharpest sword and cuts all the way into us. It cuts deep to the place where the soul and the spirit are joined. God’s word cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. It judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts.”
Today I encourage you to allow Him to meet you with the “fresh bread” of His Word as you read it. His Word is fresh and alive! Whatever it is that you need He is well able to minister to you. His Word is able to cut deep into our souls and help us judge our thoughts and feelings. Praise God today for
His living Word that is able to accomplish great and wonderful things in our life!
Posted on Jul 11, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Have you ever formed an opinion based on what you see, and then to find out that your opinion was not correct at all? May I say that this can get us into a lot of trouble? We must be very careful to never form opinions apart from the truth of what God has to say about it. It is so alarming to me in this day and age how many standards and rules are based on how people “feel” about things. Let us understand that all to often our eyes and our feelings can deceive us. We can think we are perceiving things properly but truth is we are seeing things from the wrong perspective or improper thinking. There are many things that can cloud our eyes from seeing things how God sees them.
Here is an example of seeing things incorrectly. We have heard it said that worry casts a big shadow on small things. Really when you think about it worry has the ability to paint a picture about your situation that could be an exaggeration of what is really going on. Worry has the ability to magnify things and distort the truth. When we face a problem, and we allow the light of His Word to shine on it, we will always be able to embrace an attitude of victory and not worry. We will most importantly be able to lay hold of the truth and wisdom that God desires for us to walk in.
God desires that we see everything in proper perspective and the only way that will happen is if we see things through His eyes. I guarantee you that as we ask Him to help us see, our perspective on everything will be correct. Today I encourage you to ask Him to fill your eyes with light…His light.
Psalm 119:18 (VOICE)
“Let me see clearly so that I may take in
the amazing things coming from Your law.”
Matthew 6:22-23
(TLB)
“If your eye is pure, there will be sunshine in your soul.”
Posted on Jul 10, 2015 in Devotions |
Psalm 139:1-6
“Lord, you have examined me.
You know me.
You know when I sit down and when I stand up.
Even from far away, you comprehend my plans.
You study my traveling and resting.
You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways.
There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord,
that you don’t already know completely.
You surround me—front and back.
You put your hand on me.
That kind of knowledge is too much for me;
it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it.”
Let us ponder how awesome it is that the Lord knows each of us inside and out. Oh I love how the Psalmist says, “You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways.” He knows exactly what makes us tick. He understands our emotions and our fears. He knows every thought that runs through our minds and before we speak a word, He already knows what it is going to be.
This strikes me as so amazing and it makes me even more aware of how much I need to reverence Him in every aspect of my life. You see, He not only looks at our heart, but He sees what is there that is good and those things that should not be occupying our hearts. He sees things no one else sees. Let us also embrace this thought when we are being tempted to be critical of others. Many times people may be walking through something that you do not know of. It is a good rule to be praying for people rather than trying to figure them out. God knows and sees their hearts as well, and He is well able to deal with them. Let us keep our eyes on Him and our own hearts.
“God does not see as humans see.
Humans look at outward appearances,
but the Lord looks into the heart.”
2 Samuel 16:7
As we walk closely beside Him and stay in close fellowship we can be sure that He will speak to us about things that we did not even know are going on inside of us. Awesome thought isn’t it? The God that so lovingly created you understands it all. In those times that you feel you are not being understood, know this…the God of Heaven and Earth understands you.
Posted on Jul 8, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I love the many birds that surround and visit our property, but the one that somewhat fascinates me is the little Cat bird. My little granddaughter has such a love for cats, and when I told her that I have Cat birds she immediately asked, “Can I pet one Grandma???” Wow, that was a hard one to explain especially when she heard the Cat bird making sounds like a cat!
I can remember a spring morning about a year ago having my morning coffee, and I heard a hard bang on my deck window and as I walked over to see, I was holding my breath that I was not going to find a dead bird. I dreaded going to glance out the window because I hate seeing my birds suffer or lose their life. I was surprised to find one of the little Cat birds sitting on the deck looking around quite dumbfounded. You could tell she did not know what hit her, and I felt so sorry for her. She saw me and glanced my way, and I just stood and observed her. She just stayed quiet, and little by little she looked around trying to get her bearings back. She sat there observing other birds coming and going and did not move. Finally, she lifted up her wings and flew away. Whewwwww! I took a deep sigh of relief!
This little incident blessed me with a little analogy to share with you today. Sometimes we too can think we are perceiving that we are going the right way to find ourselves running into “windows” or dead ends. Things like this can blindside us especially if we feel we are on the right path, yet it happens. Sometimes our wrong perception of things could get us into trouble. Maybe we are not paying as close attention to things as we should and we end up being stopped suddenly without warning. We can learn from this because there will be times when we are taken off guard in life or hit hard with circumstances beyond our control.
A little observation I made of my little recovering “feathered friend” was how she sat so quietly and was cautious not to move until she knew she could. She just kept still, observed quietly what was going on, and waited till the right moment. She knew exactly the right time to try and fly again. It was almost like she instinctively knew when it was safe to take flight again. Let us learn as well in those situations that cause us confusion or when we feel we lack wisdom in a situation . Let us be still, patiently wait, and when we get our strength and direction back, He will cause us to soar again by His strength and He will keep us strong.
Posted on Jul 8, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
We all need to be reminded of things…I know I do. Sometimes I can simply overlook things if they are not written down. But what about the things that are blessings, and we sometimes take them fore granted? Sometimes even the most important things can be forgotten. We get too busy, our minds are full, and we just forget, or we do not value things as we should. Today I want to remind you to keep looking up and lifting up. There are things that the Lord desires that we continually lift up to Him. This is something you have to do, and no one else can do it for you. I want to share several scriptures to cause your eyes and soul to be lifted up to Him.Psalm 143:8
“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.”
Psalm 63:4
“So will I bless You while I live; I WILL LIFT UP MY HANDS in Your name…”
Psalm 121:1-3
Amplified Bible (AMP)
“I WILL LIFT UP MY EYES to the hills —From whence shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”
Psalm 123:1
“I LIFT UP MY EYES…”
I want you to take note that in all of these scriptures “I Will” proceeds the lifting up of our inner self, our hands, and our eyes. You see, it is an act of our will to look up and lift up. He promises that as we make a decision to look away from all that is trying to hold us back and hold us down that He WILL lift us up!!
Posted on Jul 7, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
The Lord desires that we diligently care for our hearts, minds and tongues. It is up to us what we make good deposits of His Word into our hearts and minds. If you are a person that takes it seriously to guard your heart than you well understand the battle that it can be. Daily we are bombarded with things that serve to pull us away. Thoughts can seemingly come out of nowhere, and if our hearts are not rock solid with His Word, we will not know how to properly discern right from wrong. How sad it is when words proceed from the mouth of the unguarded heart.
I would like to focus on the importance of the guarded heart in the area of how one sees himself as the Lord does. The Lord desires that we draw upon His grace and ability to do His great work in us. If we do not, we will focus on our inability and our weaknesses. This is an area where everyone of us can become weak and fall prey too. For instance, if we make mistakes we can be tempted to not forgive ourselves, and we keep thinking about our mistake. Ultimately if left unchecked it can cause one to fear stepping out because of the fear of failure. As we meditate upon negative thoughts about ourselves that negative will grow bigger and bigger in our mind. The strength of any negative will be an arrow that the devil will use against us. One of his main tools will be our own tongues. You may begin to speak things about yourself, and you put yourself down. Eventually the more you hear those words from your own mouth, you will begin to believe them.
Proverbs 4:24(ERV)
“Don’t bend the truth or say things that you know are not right. “
We well know it is wrong to bend the truth, and say things that are not right, but let it be established in our hearts that we apply this truth to how we think and speak about ourselves. As we stay full of His Word and remind ourselves of who He says we are, we will not fall prey to lies about ourselves. We will stand strong in knowing who we are in Christ Jesus. I encourage you today to guard your heart with ALL diligence for from it truly flows the issues of this life. May the abundance of our hearts be a life flow that proceeds from our time with Him, and the nourishment of His Word.
Posted on Jul 6, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Mark 4:35-40
“It was evening of that same day. Jesus said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” After sending the people away, they took Jesus with them in a boat. It was the same boat He used when He taught them. Other little boats went along with them. A bad wind storm came up. The waves were coming over the side of the boat. It was filling up with water. Jesus was in the back part of the boat sleeping on a pillow. They woke Him up, crying out, “Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?” He got up and spoke sharp words to the wind. He said to the sea, “Be quiet! Be still.” At once the wind stopped blowing. There were no more waves. He said to His followers, “Why are you so full of fear? Do you not have faith?”
This is one of those stories that make me wish I would have been there just to see the raging waters be calmed at the command of Jesus’ voice. These words from this portion of scripture have created faith in my heart many times when things around me seemed to be out of control. To know that He can bring peace to the raging waters of my life causes me to know that “it is well with my soul.”
The important thing to remember is that God is able to bring peace to a situation yet that does not necessarily mean the problem has gone away. When God’s peace prevails within us, our hearts will be still and we will be calmed. Oh yes, maybe the circumstances may be roaring, but our hearts can say, “It is well in my soul.” It is in those times that you are able to hear His whisper as He directs you into the next step. Let us remember that in the midst of a problem or crisis that it is vital we hold fast to our faith and have our ears towards the Lord that He may reveal the wisdom that we need.
I love how Francious deFenelon’s quote makes this story from the book of Mark even more real.
“A word from the Lord stilled the raging sea
and a glance from Him to you, and from
you to Him, will do the same for you.”
~~~~~♥~~~~~
Posted on Jul 5, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Isaiah 58:11 (ERV)
“The Lord will always lead you and satisfy your needs in dry lands.
He will give strength to your bones.
You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring that never goes dry.”
As we draw upon the living water from above each and everyday let us be mindful to share that water that gives life with those around us. Let us be thankful that the water He gives is the only water that will quench one’s spiritual thirst. I love how this scripture in Isaiah says that we will be “like a garden that has plenty of water, a spring that never goes dry.” No matter how much we draw upon it, those waters will continue to flow from within us! The only requirement is that we continue to seek Him and draw upon that river of life that proceeds from Him.
This type of abundance is not just for our survival and enjoyment alone but it is there for us to minister to those in need around us. God desires to see us active in doing good for others from a heart of faith and love. It is as we sow from the abundance in us that we too will be refreshed. I recently had the most wonderful experience of working and serving the body of Christ during a conference our church hosted. Even though my body was tired by the end of the week, my spirit and soul were being refreshed in the giving of my all. What a wonderful and blessed feeling it is to give our all for God!
I praise God today that we serve a God of plenty. Our God knows exactly how to satisfy each and every need that arises in our “dry land.” Many times in the natural it may look like there is no supply, but praise God, He is able to meet our needs in ways we can never imagine. Look to Him to bring great strength to your bones, and replenish the well of your soul making it plenteous, and never going dry!
Posted on Jul 4, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Today let us meditate on the treasure and riches of God’s wisdom. Wisdom is one of His priceless treasures available to us, and all we have to do is ask Him for His wisdom when we are lacking in it. Wisdom is found only on one path, and that is the path of those who have a desire for God, and they long for Him 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. I love this portion of scripture in Job that so beautifully speaks of the value of God’s wisdom, and how it can be compared to no other thing on this earth.
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.”
We thank you Father that Your wisdom is above and beyond the wisdom of this world. We praise you that you have stored treasures of wisdom up for us, and all we have to do is ask for Your wisdom. Remind us by Your Holy Spirit that Your thoughts and ways are higher than our ways. May we desire with all of our hearts to draw upon the blessing of Your wisdom that flows from heavenly places.
James 3:17 (AMP)
“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled); then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity).”
Posted on Jul 3, 2015 in Devotions |
John 15:5
The Voice (VOICE)
“I am the vine, and you are the branches.
If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit.
Without Me, you will accomplish nothing.”
This is such a wonderful scripture to keep fresh in our hearts. Without Him we can do nothing and yet with Him ALL things are possible! All means all, and that little word with three letters contains big possibilities. Whether we are trying to do things for Him or the things that involve our daily accomplishments, it would do us good to know that we are pulling ALL of our strength and wisdom from His resources.
I can remember once putting some fresh batteries into something I wanted to use. I checked and checked to make sure all the batteries were in the right position and secure. It made no sense to me that there was no power. My husband opened it and examined it and sure enough one of the three batteries was in the wrong direction. Sometimes that is how it is for us. We can feel that we are so sure that we are doing everything exactly right, yet one missing thing can keep it all from working. We can seem to have all that we need, yet one thing is out of place and there will be no power. When we are connected to God, He assures us that all things are possible as we stay hooked up to His divine ways and purposes! God bless you.
