Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

“Iron Sharpens Iron”

Posted on Jun 12, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

As I was driving the other morning my heart was inspired by hearing a gentleman share how he wanted to continue contributing to his country after he returned from serving our country in battle. I want to share his story with you, and what it spoke to my heart.

This young man served in Afghanistan, and lost both of his legs. He spent 60 months at Walter Reed Hospital. One of the things he shared was that one of his greatest inspirations was watching other brothers and sisters that came back from combat that had injuries such as his. Some lost both legs, some lost both legs in both arms, and some were blind, etc. His desire is to carry on his fight for the cause, and run for Congressman now. This is such a story of courage and perseverance. This is all about refusing to quit but rather looking into the future with a purpose no matter what is trying to hold you back.

Today I want to share how this story hit me. You know you can hear about someone’s trials, and if you permit the Lord to do so, He can cause your heart to be enlarged by them. He can cause you to see something totally different than before because now you have a new perspective. The scripture I want to share with you is from Proverbs.

Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance

of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose].

This scripture is so fitting. You see, life can bring us circumstances, and those circumstances bring us a choice…be bitter or be better. This gentleman made the choice to be better, and go forth in his life continuing the fight for his country. His brothers and sisters in combat that he was inspired by were those that also chose to keep fighting and not quit. They understood that they were home from a battle in another country but still another battle continues in their bodies and in their minds.

If one has unfortunate things and tragedy come into their life such as this young man did, one can give up. What is even more sad is when an individual like this would chooses to surround himself with people that are hopeless, angry, and possibly show rage from within their hearts in some way or another.

As we love and stay in fellowship with one another, we will surely grow as we watch one another grow in our faith. We must make a decision that no matter what we walk through that we are going to continue to fight the good fight. Look forward to hearing the testimonies from your brothers and sisters in Christ that are fighting the good fight, and you will be sharpened by their victory. Today let us look forward with courage in our hearts, purpose and be deliberate in continuing to serve our Lord with great determination that we can inspire others to live a life of worthy purpose.

“The Water Only He Can Give”

Posted on Jun 11, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

This world can try to pull and tug at our hearts. The devil tries to deceive us and tempt us, but we must purpose to live with guarded hearts. If we do not keep our eyes on Jesus we can be lured into seeking our satisfaction in things other than Him. Remember….the devil will come in the form of light and good things. When we are not drawing upon the grace of God and seeking Him with our whole heart, we can be deceived. Even our blessings can become a distraction, so let us beware that as our soul thirsts that we are going to Him for every need.

Only Jesus can satisfy the thirst of our souls. Jesus explained to the woman at the well the meaning of the true spring of water that only He gives.

John 4:13-14
Amplified Bible

“Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again.
But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.”

When you feel life problems and this world draining you of your strength and peace, stop and drink of His water that will strengthen and refresh your soul. Know that it will continue to nourish you,and it has no end. As this scripture translation says, His water “shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling, continually…” This gives such a beautiful image of His living water within us. It truly is the life flow from which we can draw upon whenever we meet uncertainty and overwhelming problems. God is gracious and He ever lives to pour forth that living water onto us!

“…A Time To Every Purpose…”

Posted on Jun 10, 2015 in Devotions |

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!

There may be specific things that you know the Lord is desiring to do in you, 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.

James 1:4-6(ERV)

“If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good.

You will be mature and complete.
You will be all that God wants you to be.
Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys
giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom.
But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him.”

Today I want to encourage your heart that every day that you live, and as long as you have breath in your, God has a purpose for you. He has desires, and His planning and timing are perfect. As we purpose to seek His purposes, He promises to fulfill them!

“May We Never Tire””

Posted on Jun 9, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Galatians 6:7-9 The Voice

“Make no mistake: God can’t be mocked. What you give is what you get.
What you sow, you harvest. Those who sow seeds into their flesh will only
harvest destruction from their sinful nature. But those who sow seeds into
the Spirit shall harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. May we never tire
of doing what is good and right before our Lord because in His season we
shall bring in a great harvest if we can just persist.”

As this scripture says, “May we never tire of doing what is good and right.” The Lord knew that we would be tempted to grow weary or the Spirit would not have led Paul to write such powerful words.
Many times we may purpose in our heart to do the right thing and we make a decision that we are going to keep on doing that good thing, and then it happens. It seems that the devil knows how to bring discouragement our way in what ever manner he can. Unfortunately many times it could come through the words of others.

It does not take long living hear on this earth to realize that discouragement is one of the greatest tools against us. Make no mistake: God cannot be mocked!!!! People and circumstances may wear us down but as we renew our strength in Him and keep doing good, we will reap! You may be in a situation in your work place where the strife among fellow workers is at an all time high. You purpose to do that which is right and perhaps you are experiencing rejection as a reaction to you sowing good. You may have someone that has treated you unkindly and you have made a decision to be kind to them and reach out whatever way you can, and they just continue to ignore your gestures. God has promised that as we persist in doing good in the face of bad and evil doings that we WILL reap a harvest. When and how that harvest comes is totally up to Him, His ways, and His timing. Our part is to just do the Word no matter if people or situations change or not.

Today I want you to meditate and confess,

“May I never tire of doing and saying the right things that are pleasing and in accordance with His Word. I will persist because He has promised that the harvest is coming! I believe He will
strengthen my heart as I look to Him in my moments of discouragement. In Jesus Name.”

God bless you as you continue to do that which is good for His glory and His kingdom.

“Rooted and Grounded In the Love of God”

Posted on Jun 8, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

In a garden, in a forest etc…whatever is above the ground reveals the strength of what is under the ground. If a root system is strong and deep, the tree or flower will be great and beautiful and withstand just about anything. If it be weak and not cared for, it will not do well in the heat, and other elements the weather is capable of bringing.

Presently my gardens at home are just being established. The flowers are taking root, and they all look so pretty, yet their enemy lurks to rob them of their life and blooming potential. There are weeds that grow and spread with absolutely no assistance. Without the diligent observance of the condition of my flowers and pulling of the weeds those pretty flowers will not thrive and bloom where they have been planted. I am reminded everyday that I must be diligent or the weeds will rob the life from my flowers that are trying to grow.

Our lives speak and reveal what is rooted in our hearts. As we tend to our hearts in all the areas that the Lord commands, we will value the fruit of the deeply rooted good things He desires to work and produce in us. We have got to watch over the condition of our hearts just as we do a garden. I can remember a few years ago when I bought this one particular flower for my garden and I never dreamed of it’s potential. One little flower probably about 7 inches high ended up so huge! As I cared for it and it took root, and it turned into a bush with tons of beautiful flowers!

Today I want you to think about the love of God in your heart. How well do you tend it? Can you see that you are growing in the love of God or are you at a standstill? Quite honestly no matter how old you are in the Lord, this is a question we should ask ourselves on a regular basis. We have heard the quote “Bloom where you are planted.” It is important to know in your heart that you are staying connected with the Living God, and permitting Him to prune you when He sees fit. As you seek Him, you are watering and drawing upon His strength alone, and you will be rooted and grounded in His love and all that He is.

Ephesians 3:17-20 The Living Bible

“And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living
within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of
God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all
God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his
love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so
great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it.
And so at last you will be filled up with God himself.
Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to
do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely
beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.”

May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love! Seek to know Him more, to love Him more, and to serve Him in a greater way today.

“But This One Thing I Do”

Posted on Jun 7, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

One thing that is for sure and that is we can all learn from our past whether it be good or bad. Really, we can all say we have had good and bad yesterdays. What happened yesterday can serve your heart with wisdom from your experiences. In this life we will all have days in which we wish would of gone a bit better but this is not where we are going to permit our hearts and minds to dwell. We serve a God that says His mercies are new every morning, and we can wake up each day knowing that those
mercies are waiting for us.

Many things that may have happened in our past may be painful, and the memories hurt when we think upon them. If we do not reach into our future with faith and fresh goals, we could be vulnerable to our past keeping us from going forward. Let us not permit our past to keep us stagnant and ineffective for the Kingdom of God.

Philippians 3:13 Easy-to-Read Version

“Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is
one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach
the goal before me.”

I think the words of Paul recorded here in Philippians should encourage, and teach our hearts and minds some valuable wisdom. Everyone of us can truthfully say, “I know I still have a long way to go…” You see, no matter how successful you are or have been, God is still not done with you. If you feel you have had too many failures, and you fear to step out again, know this….God is still not finished with the work He has uniquely assigned to your life!

Today I encourage you to look into your future with fresh hope that God will guide and direct your every step. We must stay in His Word and in His presence. It is there that we will know what He wants us to do. It is there that we will know what direction our life is to be going.

Proverbs 3:6 Easy-to-Read Version
” With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you
go the right way.”

Psalm 32:8 The Voice
“I will teach you and tell you the way to go and how to get there;
I will give you good counsel, and I will watch over you.”

The Lord desires that we be resolute and determined to stay focused as we look to fulfill the perfect plan that He has for our lives. Remember…God is working to complete a good work in you for His glory!

“God’s Inexhaustible Love”

Posted on Jun 6, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Lamentations 3:22-25 The Voice
“How enduring is God’s loyal love;
the Eternal has inexhaustible compassion.
Here they are, every morning, new!
Your faithfulness, God, is as broad as the day.
Have courage, for the Eternal is all that I will need.
My soul boasts, “Hope in God; just wait.”
It is good. The Eternal One is good to those who expect Him,
to those who seek Him wholeheartedly.”

I love this scripture especially when the writer says, “Here they are, every morning, new! Your faithfulness, God, is as broad as the day. Have courage…” Such an awesome meditation to start our day with. Our God is the God of compassion and that compassion never fails. Let us remind ourselves of this fact whether our day is good or not going so well.

Sometimes our days may go wonderfully, yet we well know that some days just seem to be harder, but we understand that it in this world there will be trials. Thank God for those blessed days for we all need times where we can just lay down in the green pastures, and enjoy the rest He brings to our souls. But there may be those days that we awaken with the troubles of yesterday on our mind. Many days we can be haunted with thinking about mistakes even though we have sought His forgiveness. It is truly a blessing to partake of His loving forgiveness yet we need to learn to forgive ourselves. As we meditate upon His compassion for us, we will learn and grow in that same love. May we remember that our hope is in God, and we need to wait, and continue to seek Him with our whole heart.

Today I encourage you to ponder the scripture I have shared with you in Lamentations. No matter how exhausted, weary, or guilty you feel, God’s compassion is inexhaustible. Know that His faithfulness is as long and broad as the day. When He forgives, it is removed from us as far as the east is to the
west! I want to continue to remind you that there will be those days in which you face a test or trial that you never saw coming. Jesus said we would have those days, and we are not to let our hearts to be troubled.

Everyday we need to make time to invest in building our faith by renewing our mind with His Word. Pray and spend time conversing with Him throughout your day. Today set your heart to expect of Him and trust Him wholeheartedly. God is good! Praise God that His mercies are new every morning; great and abundant is His stability and faithfulness.

“You Taught Me How To Walk”

Posted on Jun 5, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I have been sharing on loving truth and hating anything that is against the Word of God. The more we embrace truth, and determine ourselves to live by it, we will quickly recognize any deception that would try to deceive us. I love how the Lord is so interested in every thing that I do. Over the past week or two He is impressed upon my heart some simple little things that were going to happen before they happened. They were not bad things, they were simply little things that were going to change my schedule, and it helped me plan my time more efficiently. I ponder how great it is that He cares about all things that pertain to life and godliness. This serves to remind me that if He cares about the simple details, how much more He desires to help us, and keep us steadfast when things seem unsure in our life.

Today we will look at how He desires to keep our feet strong, focused and purposed as we walk in the light of His truth. Did you ever have the electricity go down in your home during a storm, and on your

way to the place where you have all your flashlights, candles, etc… you stub your toe because you cannot see two feet in front of you? The truth is that in this world, it is totally dark, and we need the Lord by our side at all times to teach us the way that we not stumble, and get ourselves in unnecessary trouble.

Psalm 18:36 The Voice
“You taught me how to walk with care
so my feet will not slip.”

My little Granddaughters love to feed the fish at my pond. They totally understand that they are NEVER permitted to stand on the rocks around the pond unless I am holding them securely. Sometimes they may get a little nervous about the rocks being shaky under their feet, but they know and believe that I am holding them firmly, and I would not let them fall. Even though their feet are shaky, they seem to forget about it because my arms are wrapped securely around them.

As we follow the Lord and walk with Him, there will be days where things seem shaky under our feet. As we trust Him and know that He is teaching us, and firmly securing us, we can rest knowing that our feet will not slip. I am going to leave you with a handful of translations of Psalm 18:36. They all bring a little different perspective of the same truth. God bless you!

Psalm 18:36 KJV
“Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.”

Psalm 18:36 Amplified Bible
“You have given plenty of room for my steps under me, that my feet would
not slip.”

Psalm 18:36 Easy-to-Read Version
“You cleared a path for my feet
so that I could walk without stumbling.”

“Love Truth and Hate That Which Is False”

Posted on Jun 4, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Yesterday I shared from Ecclesiates 3:8 and it says, “A time to love and a time to hate…” There are times in which we are called upon to hate what God hates. 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. Today I want to talk about lying and falsehood. God desires that our hearts be sold out completely and committed to His Word. 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.

“By the Light of Your Face”

Posted on Jun 2, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Psalm 89:15 The Voice translation
“How happy are those who have learned how to praise You;
those who journey through life by the light of Your face.”

I just loved the translation of this particular scripture. It makes me think more about how my life here on this earth is a journey. Some days the journey is smooth and some days the journey is just full unexpected things that try to hinder me. The important thing about the journey is knowing that He has promised to be right there beside us, and He would never leave us.

Sometimes when the journey gets rough we have to purpose to keep our perspective. These are the days you may not feel like praising Him, and you have to command your soul to rise up from hopelessness and be encouraged. When you do this, you begin to praise Him regardless of what is
going on around you. Therefore you are truly happy because you have learned how to praise Him even when circumstances are not conducive, and you would rather not fight the good fight.

We serve a God that is absolute light, life and love. As we stay in His presence there will be a fullness of joy. As we walk closely beside Him we can have absolute confidence that even though this world is dark, our journey will be illuminated by Him as He goes before us. I love this awesome quote that reminds me to stick real close to Jesus at all times!

“The closer you walk with God,
the less anything can get
between you and Him.”

May we meditate today on how we need to stay close beside Him at all times. May we recognize immediately anything that would come to distract us, and take our eyes off of Him. Allow the light of His countenance to illuminate your journey, and walk in expectancy of all the good things He desires to do for you today!!!