Posted on Jul 2, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Have you ever been forgotten? Maybe there has been a time that you are walking through some rough circumstances and you just wished someone would have inquired how you were doing. I think we can all honestly say that we have walked through such times. I have heard people speak at times when they are going through a very rough time and their words are revealing that they even wonder if God sees what they are walking through.
I think it would be wise for us to remind ourselves ALL the time how much God loves us, and He is concerned about the smallest of details in our lives. As we keep this fresh in our minds we will be strong in this truth as we walk through difficult times.
Luke 12:6-8 (NLT)
“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins?
Yet God does not forget a single one of them.
And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”
I watch sparrows from my window everyday and to be quite honest they can be aggressive little things. Sometimes they are pushy with the other birds. and they seem to want to take it all. They almost seem to be perfect little analogies that just maybe they are afraid of where their next meal is coming from. When we get into fear of our future or we feel we are facing things alone, we too can act irrationally, pushy and try to work through things in our own ability. God has His eye on the sparrow, and He does not forget one of them. Out of all the parts of our body the writer speaks of the hairs on our head. When is the last time you tried to count the hairs on your head? I would say that God is really keeping track of me if He has my hairs counted!
Let us be reminded that God knows and sees every detail of our life. He sees your concerns and worries and as you look to Him, He will take care of you. I just want you to remember that many times our prayers are answered differently than our expectations. All is good in the hands of God! Remember, our God forgets nothing, and notices everything about you.
Psalm 138:8 (KJV)
“The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy,
O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”
Posted on Jul 1, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Psalm 119:165 (HCSB)
“Abundant peace belongs to those
who love Your instruction;
nothing makes them stumble.”
God’s peace amazes me! I love those times in which His peace seems to be so great within me, and it seems that nothing around me can rob me of it. Then there are those times in which I know that I am not partaking of His peace the way He wills that I would. You see God wants us to understand and walk in the truth that His peace belongs to us. Now we are looking at the fact that His peace belongs to us but He wants us to know that if we love His Word that His peace is abundant toward us. What is so awesome as well is that there is protection for our soul in His wonderful peace.
God’s peace within us promises to guard us from stumbling. One translation says that “nothing will offend them.” Did you ever notice how if you are agitated, feeling a bit empty and someone does something offensive it is almost immediately makes you snap back and get offended. How precious are those times where you feel saturated in His peace because you are saturated in His Word, and you feel unmovable. It is when we are in that place of His refuge that we will simply be unmovable. Paul spoke of the peace that passes all understanding. That peace will keep and guard our mind and that peace will also surpass our understanding. It is His peace that will make us scratch our heads in wonder how we got through something, and did not move off of the Rock that keeps us standing.
Lord, we ask you this day that we stay aware of Your presence, and that we stay saturated in Your abundant peace. It is then that we can enjoy the blessing that there is nothing that can trip us up and make us stumble. We thank you for this wonderful blessing that only comes from You!
Posted on Jun 30, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
So much has changed in the world of photography, and it continues to develop and improve in the world of digital shooting. I can remember being adamant in not wanting anything to do with a digital camera. I knew nothing but film, and working in a film lab for almost ten years made it even harder for me to make the transition into the world of digital photography. As I worked in the lab, I saw what happened to a roll of film from the time it came into the plant till it left the plant totally processed, and made into prints for our customers.
Of all the many jobs I did within the film processing plant my favorite was printing black and white film. There was such a beauty in seeing the wonderful contrasts within each image. Each negative had to be carefully read and studied, and I had to determine how much light to apply to the negative for the perfect print. Light, dark, whites, grays, blacks…it all had to be perfect to create the perfect black and white image. After printing I would take my huge roll of paper to the darkroom for processing. The paper passed from one chemical to the next, and little by little as it passed from one chemical to the next, the image became clear. I always loved standing in the darkroom under the special lights anticipating if I made proper judgments or not. Honestly, I am glad I had this darkroom experience because it has helped me tremendously in the realm and art of photography.
In this age of digital, you no longer have to wait for the darkroom experience to show you if you have made proper judgments in the realm of light. The blessing of digital is that you know immediately if all your settings were perfect. If you are not pleased…instantly you can hit delete and start over. You did not waste any film…you just start over.
I embrace the opinion that photography is all about understanding light, and how much or how little you need. One thing for sure…in my opinion it has to be perfect. So let us take these things relative to photography and use them as an analogy in the realm of our spiritual walk. As we walk daily with Him, our FOCUS needs to be on Him and Him alone. (Oh how important it is to have perfect focus when you are shooting an image.) Upon each situation we face, whether it be a problem that needs solved or you just need simple wisdom, the Lord has the perfect solution and direction for you. He knows the PERFECT LIGHT we need to bring us the proper understanding to any situation. Thank God if we mess up, we can start over with His help and reach for His perfect light that will illuminate our hearts. God is the God of ultimate light that can illuminate anything we need in our world.
Psalm 18:28
“For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.”
God, you are the God of perfect light, and you are the God that helps us stay focused each and everyday. When things seem dim or our vision is blurry, we thank you that Your light is well able to lead and guide us! We thank you for that!
Posted on Jun 29, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Yesterday I shared with you how our Lord desires to whisper sweet things to our hearts. He desires that you look up and expect to hear His plans for you! Let us meditate today on how the Lord knows and understands the depths of our hearts. He cares about every tiny detail, and because of that He desires we refuse to carry care about our life. He knows when we are hurting and He desires to heal and restore our broken hearts. After all He counts the stars and knows them all by name. How much more He knows every detail of your frame, and what is going on inside of you!!
Psalm 147:3-5 (TLB)
“He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great he is! His power is absolute! His understanding is unlimited.”
I love these verses and I love thinking about how God knows all the specifics about everything. He knows everything about everything that He created. He created you and the stars and there is no limit to what He knows! This is a powerful thought isn’t it?
Today, I encourage you to think about the magnificence of the God that we serve. With one sweep of His hand He placed the stars in the sky, and named each one of them. That same hand formed you in your mother’s womb, and He knew you before you acknowledged Him as your Lord and Savior. Seek Him today to be a carrier of all that He is to all those around you!
Posted on Jun 28, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I find my heart troubled when I observe how our lives seem to be way too busy at times. I especially see it in the summer time. It seems like people have to be running here and there, and quite honestly we need to be careful that our main focus does not become the pleasures of this life, especially in the season of Summer. The Lord has blessed us with so much to enjoy, and he desires we relax and take breaks, yet let us beware that our love for relaxation and fun does not come before our love for taking time with Him and serving Him with our whole heart.
I can remember awakening to a day full of things that had to be done, and I was feeling extremely overwhelmed. There were things that needed accomplished that seemed no way possible within my means of time and ability. I stood in the front yard with my dog, and looked up and was praying about my day. I felt a “whisper” from within that seemed to quiet me, and bring fresh perspective to my day. Those sweet words were, ”Sometimes it’s not as big as it looks.” You know, those sweet words the Lord whispered to me have quieted my heart, and the anxious thoughts of my mind was eagerly dismissed. I continue to learn and grow in this area. One of my very favorite word signs in my home says one word, but that one word has calmed me so many times and brought fresh perspective to my heart. That word is…
SIMPLIFY
Many times our lives become complicated and cluttered simply by our own lack of seeking Him before we make our plans for our day. I encourage you to sit each morning and look up, and expect to hear His sweet voice to wisely lead and guide you in your day! …and remember…keep things simple!
“Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Posted on Jun 27, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Yesterday I shared with you about God’s Word being our shield. Today we will look at His Word being our daily bread. God Word is all that we need to feed upon, and within His Word is all that we need to stay strong. The Word of God tells us that if we seek we will find. Our loving God loves when we seek Him. Even though He knows EXACTLY what we need, He desires that our hearts exhibit our need of asking Him. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, and one of the things to ask for was daily bread. Let us look at two translations that I felt were excellent.
Matthew 6:11 (DRA)
“Give us this day our supersubstantial bread.”
Matthew 6:11 (VOICE)
” Give us each day that day’s bread—no more, no less—”
The Lord knows our needs before we are even aware of them. He also knows the areas in our hearts that are weak and needy. His Word, His voice, and His grace are there for us to draw upon for each day that we live. It can be so tempting to concern ourselves with things that we do not yet have to deal with. When we believe that He is faithful to give us exactly what we need, our hearts and minds will be at peace, and we will live in true contentment. Oh how I love the scripture in Psalm 23, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures…”
Today I encourage you to meditate upon the fact that God is faithful to give us the “bread” we need to get us through one day at a time. That bread promises to sustain us, and keep us nourished in our spirits. Remember though all that He showered upon you today was for this day, and tomorrow is a new day. Each day meets us with new challenges, and needs. Let us draw upon Him each day, and believe that His hand is willing to touch every area of our lives.
Posted on Jun 26, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Proverbs 30:5 Expanded Bible
“Every word of God ·is true [passes the test; is refined;
·He guards those [ They are a shield to those] who come to
him for ·safety [refuge].
God’s Word is flawless. God’s Word is true, and God’s Word must be our necessary food! We need not try to analyze it, we need only to believe it. He promises that His Word is a shield to those that place their trust in Him. In your day of battle you are promised that His Word will shield you and keep you. It is in those times when the fiery darts of the enemy come to penetrate your soul that the Word of God that you believe and speak will be a protection, a refuge, and you will walk in victory. Jesus stressed the importance and the blessing of living by the truth.
John 8:31-32 (PHILLIPS)
“If you are faithful to what I have said,
you are truly my disciples. And you will
know the truth and the truth will set you free!”
Oh that we would be diligent to know His Word that we may be free in every area of our lives. Let us never add or subtract from His Word either.
Proverbs 30:6 says “Add thou not anything to the words of him,
and thou be reproved, and be found a liar.
(Do not thou add anything to his words, lest thou be rebuked, and be found a liar.)”
Again let us be reminded that God’s Word is perfect. May we never add our own thoughts or opinions to the Word of God because His Word is total truth and it need no more.
I rejoice in the simplicity that God has laid out for us in His Word. Love His Word and live by it. He promises that as we do this, we will be free indeed!!!
Posted on Jun 25, 2015 in Devotions |
“
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26
One’s countenance is his or her appearance, especially the look or expression of the face. I love this scripture because is shows us that we are able to shine the light and love of the Lord from our countenance as we permit Him to do so. Oh that we would desire that His countenance would shine and be upon us!!
Our countenance reveals much about us. If someone knows us very well, they are able to discern quickly if something is wrong just by the look on our face, and the expressions that are coming from within us. David understood that it was his soul that was disquieted and cast down, and he understood that as he waited upon God that He would bring a saving health to his countenance as his soul experienced restoration. I love this Psalm so much, and since I have meditated on this one so much, there are times I find myself addressing my soul, and calling it to be quiet before God that He is able to restore me.
Psalm 42:11 Jubilee Bible 2000
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Wait thou for God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the saving health of my countenance and my God.”
When one has good health in their body and mind they are experiencing soundness and vigor, and freedom from disease or ailment. When someone loses hope they may also begin to fear their future and feel as if they are a failure. It is when we lose hope that our enemy, the devil can begin to try to speak lies to us that would cause a spirit of timidity within us. Let us keep our mind renewed that our God has given us sound mind, not a spirit of fear. This is a real part of maintaining a healthy countenance before God and man.
2 Timothy 1:7
Amplified Bible (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.”
God is well able to keep our minds sound and our countenance full of health and vigor as He radiates His total being through us. Today I pray that you receive this blessing from the book of Numbers. May He bless and keep you. Look to Him and gaze on His radiant face and receive His grace for your day and your life. As you do so you will find your inward man lifted up as His countenance rests upon you with His great peace!
Posted on Jun 24, 2015 in Devotions |
By Dona Hake
I know it to be true that if you go to bed with much on your mind that this is how you wake up. The Lord does not want us to greet our day with the thoughts of yesterday nor the worries about our tomorrows. 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.”
Let us trust to hear His voice about our day. Are you leaning on His everlasting love today? Are you trusting Him with all of your heart, and not leaning on your own understanding? Let us remember to lean on Him for all the strength and wisdom that is needed for each task of your day. Thank Him as He unfolds His plan for your day yet be willing to allow Him to interrupt it if He has other plans for you. Lift up your soul to Him and allow Him to touch you because He loves you so!
Posted on Jun 23, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I had shared yesterday about the love of our living God. His love is above and beyond what our minds can comprehend. Isn’t it wonderful to know that He is calling us as His vessels of love to a lost and dying world? I had mentioned in the devotional yesterday how as a teen I was so hard to reach for the Lord. My heart and mind had been affected by the hypocrisies that I had seen in Christians around me. May our hearts always be toward Him that we may exhibit His true life, light and love to those around us.
God is looking for us to put feet to His love, and walk out His ways. He is desiring that we put action to that which we know we should do. There is a scripture that says, “In Him I live and move and have my being.” Acts 17:28 He so desires that we act according to His Word and walk away from our ways that do not exhibit His love and character. There are those that need His love and we need to avail ourselves to Him that He can flow through us.
We must remember that there will be times that He may call upon us to help people and it may just make us have to go one more mile than what we had intended. Many times His love will stretch us and that is a very good thing. It is in those times that His love will be shown and we too will grow as we give of ourselves. I think it is a good thing for all of us to be pulled away from our comfort zone and put in a place we have to rely on Him to help us to do things we never thought were possible!
Oh how liberating it is to know that when we are real with God, He will show us great things that He desires to do through us. We will then be positioned to act from our hearts and exhibit His love in a real way. Today may we be encouraged that God can enable us to show His real love by the things that we do for Him and for others.
1 John 3:18-19 (ERV)
“My children, our love should not be only words and talk.
No, our love must be real.
We must show our love by the things we do.
That’s how we know we belong to the way of truth.”
