Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

“Walk As He Walked”

Posted on Apr 6, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Yesterday I had shared with you several scriptures regarding our call to walked as our Lord walked.Oh to walk like Jesus walked!!! If you did not get to read Sunday’s devotional, I encourage you to scroll down and read it before you read this one. It is right below this devotional.

Jesus was and is our supreme example to walk on this earth. The beautiful thing is that now we have the Holy Spirit to draw upon at any time for wisdom and direction with every step we take. I have been sharing with you from 1 Corinthians 13 on what God’s love is and is not. I believe as we live in Him, move in Him, and have our being in Him, we will most certainly be walking as He walked, and our words and actions will represent His love. Here is a wonderful scripture that should encourage your heart relative to growing and walking like Him.

Phillipians 1:6 (MSG)
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God
who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a
flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

One thing that I want to emphasize today is that we are all at different stages in our spiritual growth. Therefore, compare yourself to no one. As you seek His face know that He is molding you with His Word and all He asks for is humility. If you desire for Him to deal with you, you MUST be humble, for a humble heart is a heart that can be molded by Him.

I remember reading a book by Watchman Nee, and he shared how that we all have caverns within our souls that still have not seen the light of His Holy Word. You see, no matter how much we know there will always be understanding that can go to a greater depth. The Lord knows our heart and He desires that His light invades every part of our being. He wants to turn every stone over, and deal with us that we are in a position to fulfill His will and work for Him while we are on this earth. Remember He works in His timing. He is a patient and loving God, and He sees the end result. I encourage you to be patient with yourself in your journey in this life. Know this…as you keep your heart humble and teachable, He is at work, and it is for a great work!

“Celebrating His Love”

Posted on Apr 5, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

As Christians the holiday Easter has so much meaning to us. We understand that Jesus had to die for us, and for this we should be so thankful. My heart ponders how it must have been so exciting and breathtaking when the tomb was found empty. Oh the joy of knowing He has risen!

For the past week I have been sharing from the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. Today I want you to focus on Him who made it possible for us to not only be redeemed from our sins but He desires to empower us to live as He lived. He wants us to walk as He walked, and do even greater works than He did!

1 John 2:6- The Voice translation

Anyone who says,

“I live in intimacy with Him,” should walk the path Jesus walked.

NIV – “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

NLT – “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”

I want to encourage your heart today to believe that He can empower you to walk as He walked. May we permit Him to continue to mold us into His image that He can uniquely use us as we live our days on this earth. My friend, there is so much to be done, and there are so many that need to be reached. Today, let our hearts rejoice as we celebrate our risen Lord, and let us live to touch a lost and dying world as His unfailing love flows through us!

“Love Never Looks Down On Others”

Posted on Apr 4, 2015 in Devotions |

what love is not NEVER LOOKS DOWN ON OTHERS

by Dona Hake

We continue with our study in I Corinthians 13 and we are presently on the verse, “Love is not proud.” I am going to share the same scripture that I shared yesterday.

Psalm 131:1O
Eternal One, my
heart is not occupied with proud thoughts; my eyes do not look down
on others; I don’t even begin to get involved in matters too big,
matters of faith, state, business, or the many things that defy my
ability to understand them.

Today we will focus on how important it is that we never look down on others. Yesterday our focus was on the importance of guarding our hearts from pride. When one’s heart is prideful they will always find reason to look down on those around them. Therefore, they will lift themselves up in pride. I think how grieved this must make God to see His people do this. I can always remember being told that the ground is level around the cross. He came to save all mankind. He looks down on no one as lesser than another. His blood was shed for all mankind, and in the eyes of God, there is hope for all of us.

Our Loving Heavenly Father is merciful and loving to all, and He expects that we do and think the same. If one feels they have reason to put themselves above others, remember this…their opinions and reasons for this thinking hold no water in the sight of God. Remember, God hates the sin of pride.

I want to encourage you today to keep your heart laid open to God relative to how you view and treat people. Many times and sadly enough people put people down just because it makes them feel good about themselves. I find it so sad to think that this is how one would seek self esteem. This must be so grievous to the heart of our Lord. We need to see ourselves in light of how God sees us. Again, as we stay humble before Him and we constantly permit Him to examine our hearts, I believe that He will show us the ugly sin of pride if it is trying to creep in. Be quick to repent if you catch yourself in this sin of looking down on people. God is good and merciful to restore us and purify our hearts.

“Love Is Never Proud”

Posted on Apr 3, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

“Love is very patient and kind, never

jealous or envious, never boastful or proud…” 1 Corinthians 13:4 ( the Living Bible )

We are continuing with the “love chapter” from 1 Corinthians 13. I mentioned that I will be skipping around the chapter, and today we are going to look at another manifestation of the soul of man that God’s love will NEVER exhibit. God’s love is never proud, it does not boast nor does it strut about.
Pride is so ugly and God hates it.

We need to love and embrace all that God loves and we need to understand everything that God hates, and determine ourselves to hate it as well. We need to desire that we are in total sync with the heart beat of God. When we seek to grow and embrace what God loves and hates, we will begin to walk in greater depths of wisdom and discernment in our lives.

Proverbs 18:12 (the Voice) A proud heart precedes destruction, and before honor is humility.

The humble heart is a beautiful heart in the eyes of God, and you will find that those around you will see the beauty if they have eyes to see. It is as we desire to honor Him in every area of our lives we
will be humble and seek to remain humble.

The proud heart is the heart that will have a path that will be walked, and it’s end will be destruction.
Let us daily ask the Lord to show us that if there be any pride in us that He would reveal it that we may repent and our hearts would return to humility. May we seek that our hearts be totally occupied with Him and serving Him.

Psalm 131:1O
“Eternal One, my heart is not occupied with proud
thoughts; my eyes do not look down on others; I don’t even begin to
get involved in matters too big, matters of faith, state, business, or
the many things that defy my ability to understand them.”

Lord, we ask you today for a greater awareness of the true condition of our heart relative to humility. Help us with the help of Your Holy Spirit to identify the slightest bit of pride that is trying to enter in for we understand that everything starts as a small seed. Convict us in those times where we feel we have a right to look down on others or see ourselves in a prideful way. We thank you that you are able to guard our hearts and minds as we live and abide in the Word of God.

“Love Is Patient” Part 2

Posted on Apr 2, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

We have probably all heard or possibly even spoken the comments that I am about to share…

“I am so impatient!”

“Why is it taking so long for my prayer to be answered?”

” I can’t take it any more.”

“This person just gets on my nerves and I cannot handle their faults any longer…”

On and on I could probably share the many things that run through our minds, and come out of our mouths when our patience is being tested or running thin. In light of saying that I want to look at the book of James. I love the book of James. The Living Bible translates it like this:

James 1:2-4 (TLB)

“Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.”

I don’t know about you but sometimes the “not squirming” part can be very hard to resist! Believe me, James understood the soulish tendencies of man, and how one thinks when his or her faith is being
tested. We see from this scripture that in those times that circumstances seem to be stretching us to uncomfortable positions in our soul that God is doing a wonderful work within us. When we are looking to God in the midst of any trying circumstance , we can be assured that He is at work in us no matter how trying it may be. I can testify that many times I have gone through trials, and attained wisdom in the midst of it because I purposed to seek Him in the midst of the storm.

Think about an area of your life that you seem a bit challenged in the realm of patience. We all have an area or two that we can identify where our patience needs some growing. I once again encourage you to take that area to God, and ask Him with a humble heart to help you. As you take that particular thing to the Lord admit that you are weak, and you need His help. Determine yourself that with God’s help you will get through whatever trial you may be facing, and at the end of the day you will be a stronger person, stronger in character, full and complete!

Philippians 2:13 (TLB)
“For God is at work within you, helping you obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.”

“Love Is Patient”

Posted on Apr 1, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Over the past few days we have looked at what love is not. Today we are going to look at one of the many things that love is. I am purposely jumping around 1 Corinthians 13 and sharing each day as I am feeling the leading of the Lord. Today we will look at how love is patient.

1 Corinthians 13:4 (Amplified)

“Love endures long and is patient.”

First I would like to say that when we purpose to walk in God’s love, we will need to settle it in our hearts that we can only do it with His help. If ever we try to walk in His love in our own ability we will
always fall short. I would like to share with you one of my favorite scriptures and I think it is an excellent one to ponder and memorize in light of this devotion.

EPHESIANS 3:20 (The Message)

” God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it NOT by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and
gently within us.”

I am going to share an interesting definition I found about the word patience. It is the quality of bearing an annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. God desires to work deep within us but remember He is always a gentleman and He will not push us. He wants you to desire all of Him, and when you do so, you will begin to see Him transform your life in ways that you never thought possible.

I love the part of the scripture where it says that He can do far more than you could ever imagine, guess, or request in your wildest dreams! In light of that let’s think about the patience in our lives as individuals. Did you ever watch someone go through an extremely hard thing. You watched them patiently endure, and your thoughts might have been…”I wish I could be like that!” or “They are so strong, I wonder how they remained so patient in the midst of their test?” Many times in my life as I observe strong people going through things, I will think upon a saying said many times…”Oh my, I cannot imagine being in their shoes.”

I want to encourage your wildest dreams now! If you are the least bit of an impatient person, begin to see yourself a patient person in areas where you sometimes lose your cool. Begin to ask God to make this dream become a goal of growth for you! What does patience mean to you? I think we can all be honest with ourselves that we all need more of it. The truth is impatience can turn a bad situation into a REALLY bad situation. I love when I can walk away from a situation or circumstance knowing that even though my patience was tested I made the right decision by seeking God’s help. But then there are times I know that have failed.

Today I want to encourage you to focus that goal of growth in patience in your life. As you ponder that area, perhaps you can step out in faith and give it to the Lord and believe that He is well able to help you grow in that area of your struggle.

Tomorrow we will look at patience even closer. We will see that the mentality of “giving up” is not allowed in our thought realm any longer. I encourage you to meditate on the scripture I shared (Ephesians 3:20) as well as a means of causing your heart to rise in believing that He can develop patience within you. Keep your eyes open today for opportunities to get stronger in the area of patience, and continue to go forward in His strength.

“Love Is Not Self Seeking”

Posted on Mar 31, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

We are continuing to look at I Corinthians 13:5 in part…

“…Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way,
for it is not self-seeking; …”

We have all seen and heard it in little ones: “I’ll do it myself!” “It’s mine!” “He has more than me, it’s not fair!” “But I have to have it!!!” “I want it now!” You could probably add a few to the list. This kind of behavior can wear you down but we all know that every child is going to to act in this manner until they are taught differently, therefore growing and maturing. If a child is not challenged in such behavior, they will eventually grow up to think the world should come to a screeching halt when something is not going their way.

I think the thing that must really grieve the heart of God is when the His children do not deal with self seeking tendencies, and they become totally absorbed in their own little world. I think more than ever that this world is swirling at a rapid pace, and if we are not diligently pursuing Him, our eyes can quickly be too much on ourselves. The devil desires to see us consumed in ourselves, because he knows it will keep us from being used, and being effective for Jesus. There are so many ways the enemy will try to deceive us in this area. May we be vigilant to watch over our souls that we may not be snared in being self seeking individuals.

Have you ever wanted something that was not something that was truly a need? There is a big difference between wanting something and needing something. We live in a world where fashions, makeup, hair, etc….scream from the billboards and oh my….don’t get me started on the magazines at the checkout of our grocery stores. They remind us of what we should try to look like, and we all well know that the beauty, etc…put before us is something very hard to measure up to. The Lord desires for us to focus on all that He desires, that we may grow up, and mature in Him. The beauty, strength, and success that comes from the Lord cannot be bought nor attained with money or our own ability. When our eyes are off of ourselves, He can truly go to work within us!

Today I encourage you to keep your eyes on Him. Focus on Him with all of your inward being. It is as you do this that your eyes will see what really matters. Today let us purpose to be God seekers not self seekers. Remember, God is able and all so willing to help you grow in Him, and decrease in self. Trust Him for His guidance and wisdom in Jesus Name!

“…Love Is Not Touchy and Irritable”

Posted on Mar 30, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Love is not touchy and irritable. This is the sum of a few different translations of the first part of I Corinthians 13:5. When I think about one being touchy or irritable it could be a result of being preoccupied, sickness, or lack of rest. I am sure there could be other reasons but God’s Word makes it clear in Phillipians 4:6-7…

” Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you
need, always giving thanks for what you have. And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our
human minds.” Easy To Read Version

God desires so much for us to bring every detail before Him. He wants to perfect every concern in our life. I truly believe what happens is many times when things are going good for us we can fail to keep conscious of Him, and we can be tempted to relax in our faith. You will have those days where you
wake up, and it seems like everything is going wrong. If you do not take your thoughts captive, and take every problem to Him immediately you will find yourself in trouble, and end up being easily irritated with people and situations. If you are preoccupied with thinking about problems and you do not make a quality decision to give all to Him you will carry the burden in your own ability. It is when we are trying to carry burdens that we pull ourselves away from being immersed in the peace of God.

I think another avenue that being touchy and irritable enters into our thought realm is when we are wanting to live in a comfort zone where there are no challenges or problems. A comfort zone is a nice little place where you try to make your world a perfect place where there are no bumps in the road. This is not reality to try to do this. If you deal with feeling that things should always go your way and you should have no pressure in this life you are setting yourself up to get irritated and touchy with those people that possible have upset your world.

Lord, help us be mindful that actions and words that proceed from being irritable and touchy do not edify us or anyone around us. Help us to seek you diligently to immerse ourselves in your love and peace. It is as we do this that we will immediately stop that which is trying to rob us of our peace and keep us from walking in Your perfect love. We praise You Lord for being our Helper as we set out to walk in Your love!

“What Love Is Not”

Posted on Mar 29, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

We will look today at part of I Corinthians 13:5 from the Amplified Bible. Today we are looking at something that love IS NOT…

“… it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love
(God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way,
for it is not self-seeking; …”

Sometimes I just cringe at the rudeness and unbecoming behavior in this world. I think about the people that are working and serving us in the public and they really should NOT be serving the
public because they are not suited to deal with people let alone tolerating them. What disturbs me even more is when a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ exhibits themselves rudely in the workplace. As a believer we need to be ever so conscious that at any moment in time the Lord could call upon us to be a witness for Him. He wants you to be His mouth piece. More importantly He desires that we be consistent in our behavior that we be not offensive to people.

Sometimes we can be guilty of taking things out on people and we have no idea that we are doing it. Then there are times we can be tempted to be rude simply because our patience has run out therefore we act in a manner of rudeness. I constantly try to remind myself that this world is so very dark and it
is hurting. There are so many people that are lost and looking for the true light and real answers. There is a lot of “light” out there, but it is light from he who appears to be good but in fact is evil, and that is the works of the devil. Remember, he will manifest himself as an angel of light, therefore able to confuse those that do not know how to discern spiritual things. He is manipulating this world, and has many ways to offer peace, strength and all kinds of wonderful ways to live in this chaotic world apart from the Lord Jesus Christ.

God is looking to shine in a seriously bright way like never before. We cannot allow ourselves to waste any time, and we must purpose ourselves to be used by Him like never before. If someone else’s rudeness is offensive to you, please….stop and get your peace and pray for them, and then pray for yourself. Let us be watchful over our behavior that the kindness, patience and love of the Lord Jesus Christ is being exhibited through us.

Lord, help us to be mindful to draw upon you at all times especially when we get irritated by others. We ask that as You walk along side of us that you show us those times that we are heeding to the temptation to react in a wrong manner. We desire to be a witness for You, and be a bright light for this world to see!

“Dare To Love”

Posted on Mar 28, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Love does not remember wrongs done against it.” 1
Corinthians 13:5-6 (ERV)

Today we are going to focus on the power to forgive through love. NOT your human love, but God’s love within you. Everyone has a measure of love, but human love has boundaries and limitations. When someone sins against us or hurts us it can be painful. We can be assured that the Lord knows our frame very well, He absolutely understands our emotions, and our thought processes.He knows what it is like to be falsely accused yet He kept His mouth shut, and He walked in forgiveness, and refused to hate.

Sometimes people say they forgive but they choose not to forget. This is where the whole issue of “taking account of wrongs” begins. When we take account of hurt, we are making it even harder for our hearts to flow in God’s forgiveness. Believe me, our memories will faithfully remind us of our hurt. The mere mention of a person’s name or seeing their face will cause something to go off inside of you, and your memory will replay the hurt you experienced. Every time you permit your mind and unforgiving heart to replay the past, the pain or hate will take root and go deeper and deeper.

The longer we hold onto the pain, and all the details of the offense, the more it will eat away at our hearts, and tear us down physically. We are the ones that become prisoners when we choose to withhold forgiveness from the one that has hurt us. I believe we can ask the Lord to help us with the pain and the memories that hurt has caused us. Sometimes even after you have forgiven you may still bear scars from that particular hurt, but praise God you have forgiven, and you are free from the terrible effects of hate and bitterness in your heart! You know when you are free from any pain someone has caused you when you find yourself able to talk about the past, and you feel absolutely no resentment toward the individual that hurt or offended you.

As a child I have one memory in particular that was painful to me. I was only about five years old, yet if I think about it, it is as if it happened yesterday. I can remember anger being exhibited toward me, and I was unfairly treated. I can honestly say that I forgave that person for the anger and unfair treatment that was exhibited toward me that day. After I was born again as a young woman I began to experience God helping me to see people as He sees them, He showed me how to forgive that individual and He gave me compassion like I had never experienced.

We live in a world of hurt and pain. If you are trying to escape that fact, you are not facing life in reality. We have all been hurt and maybe some of us have caused hurt to someone and you were on the receiving end of forgiveness. Just remember when people have hurt you, God commands us to forgive.

Matthew 18:20-21 The Voice (VOICE)Peter:
” Lord, when someone
has sinned against me, how many times ought I forgive him? Once?
Twice? As many as seven times?”Jesus:
” You must forgive not
seven times, but seventy times seven.”

Our God never requires anything of us than He will not equip us to do. Remember also how the Lord Jesus looked down from the cross and said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Let
us be reminded to look to Jesus everyday as our example. Forgiveness is a must to keep us experiencing and giving His love, and keeping your heart totally free. I encourage you to dare to love, and choose forgiveness.