Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

” Your Life Is a Gift”

Posted on Jan 16, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Did you know that your life is a gift from God and you are a gift to people around you? God saw a plan for your life before you were even born. When He created you within the womb of your mother, He saw purpose, He saw a future for you and He has wonderful plans for you to fulfill.

Psalm 139:14 (GW)

“I will give thanks to you

because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made.

Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.”

Now I want to add to this thought that those that are in our life are also a gift. No…I did not say they are perfect, but God created them with a purpose as well. God has put family and friends in our life to love us, help us and walk along side of us during the good and the bad times. He has put people in our life to help us to do His will, and encourage our hearts.

I thank God for all my precious family members, and my friends, and especially my church family. I think the more you go on you realize that the real gifts in this life are not those that come in boxes with beautiful bows but those precious people that He has called along side of us to do His will, and help us when we need help!

Today I encourage you to stop and give thanks for the life and breath that He has given you. If you do not know you purpose, then simply ask Him. He is faithful to bring us answers as well as direction and instruction. Also, stop and think about all the special people that are in your life…now give thanks to God for them.♥

“May We Never Forget”

Posted on Jan 15, 2015 in Devotions |

by Doan Hake

May we never forget the day we surrendered it all to Him for we knew in our hearts it was time. I can remember my stubborn heart before I surrendered. I can remember going to a week of revival meetings with my best friend. I sat in the pew as hard as ever rejecting the evangelist’s call to salvation each and every night until the very last night. He said one last sentence, and what he said made me think, “This guy really believes what he is preaching.” He said, “If I do not ever see you again here on this earth, if you know Him, I will see you in Heaven.” I thought to myself…”this guy really believes this stuff!” My girlfriend was kneeling at the altar praying and weeping for me, and I slowly and nervously walked up and knelt beside her, and gave my heart to Jesus. It was as if the weight of the world was lifted from my heart, and for the first time ever I felt free. I leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I did it!” She was so ecstatic for she had been diligently praying that I would come to know Him. I was overwhelmed with my sin and how my life was, and it was time to give up and surrender.

Psalm 65:3 (NCV)

“Our guilt overwhelms us,
but you forgive our sins.”

Today I want to encourage you to never forget the day you gave up and surrendered your all to Him. It is important that we stir praise in our hearts for all that He has done for us. Think about it, where would you be today without Him? Day by day let us rejoice in our salvation!

Psalm 103:1-5 (NASB)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His (B)holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

“Oh That My Actions…”

Posted on Jan 14, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Oh that we would consistently reflect the Lord’s ways! The psalmist wrote this, and he spoke his heart’s desire to reflect all that was right and good that he could represent God according to the decrees he knew. We too should desire this. The Amplified version of this scripture shares the secret to doing this in four words. We need to truly hear, receive, love, and obey His Word.

Psalm 119:5Amplified Bible (AMP)

“Oh, that my ways were directed and established

to observe Your statutes

[hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]!”

Have you ever heard something, and it went in one ear and out the other? We have all been guilty of that one. Yet, God wants us to be cautious that we do not do that when we hear the living Word of His truth. May we hear it, and take hold of it, and receive to be our very own revelation. As we hold fast to it, love, and obey it, we will indeed reflect His decrees. Let us be faithful to read and study His Word. It is as we meditate and reflect upon the Word that it will grow within our hearts.

“I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.”

Psalms 119:15 NLT

Lord, we ask you to help us to remember that as we are here on this earth, you desire to live in and through us. We are your vessels, and we long to radiate and reflect Your life, light, and love in all that we do. Keep us humble Lord, and show us those things that would hinder us from reflecting You fully. We thank you for Your great and awesome works that you plan to do through us. Lord, “You are good and kind and do good; teach me Your statutes.” Psalms 119:68 (Amp.)

♥

Posted on Jan 13, 2015 in Devotions |

“He Notices Everything!”

by Dona Hake

For those of you that know me well you know that I love feeding my outdoor feathered friends, and of course my squirrels! So many times I have learned little lessons from their behavior, and these lessons remind me of God’s love for me. I have been thinking about how God watches us ever so closely and He notices everything about us. There is a scripture that says that the hair on our heads is numbered and also a scripture that states that He will perfect all that concerns us.

Today, I am going to share some photographs that I have filed from the fourteen years of feeding and watching my bird’s and squirrel’s behavior. One thing that I know is that my birds keep a close eye on me! I have seen at times when am filling my empty ground feeders that they are sitting in the trees watching me fill them. Not even a minute after I return, they are heading to the feeders to eat.

I have ~noticed~ my doves will literally sit and watch in my window when their favorite food is empty. They wait patiently until I ~notice~ that they have a need. These two beauties are sitting right outside of my kitchen window, again waiting patiently, until I ~notice~ them. I am hoping you are noticing that I am trying to emphasize the word ~notice~ !!

I love knowing that these precious creatures of the Lord know they can come to my deck, and their need to be fed is met. I can remember one time during an extremely hot and humid day, I looked out the window and found this “regular” customer of mine finding some relief from the heat. You see, he wanted to stay close to the food source, yet get cooled off at the same time by basking in the shade of the ground feeder!

I have ~noticed~ how God has taught His creatures how to take care of their own. It is so precious to see my cardinal dads bring their little ones to the feeder and feed them. I think it is precious to watch them as they watch and soon they learn how to eat on their own.

I know these feathered ones that have been my regulars depend on me, especially during snow storms. I always keep a close watch on my feeders and if I ~notice~ them being empty, I attend to them. So today I want to leave you with this scripture.

Matthew 10:29 (TLB)

“Not one sparrow (What do they cost? Two for a penny?)

can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.”

Our loving God ~notices~ even the little sparrow and He has His eye on You at all times. He desires so much that you totally depend upon Him for each and every need that you have. He desires that in your time of need to patiently wait for Him, for He is faithful to supply your needs…if only you wait. Remember He is watching over you and He takes ~notice~ to everything that pertains to your life. He loves you and cares about you more than you would ever know!

“Let His Beauty Be Upon You”

Posted on Jan 12, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

In Psalm 8 verse three, the Psalmist makes mention of how he considered and saw that the heavens were the work of God’s fingers. He then said “the moon and the stars, You ordained and established.” 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.

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.

“Choose Instruction, Knowledge, and Wisdom”

Posted on Jan 11, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

We are to value God’s instruction, knowledge and wisdom above the jewels listed here in the scripture taken from Proverbs 8:10-11. God’s instruction will show us what to do, where to go, and how to get there. It will correct our course, and warn us that we stay out of trouble. His knowledge will show us how to do life the right way. His knowledge will help us be discerning so that we can make decisions based upon that which we know to be His truth. His wisdom will show us how to use the knowledge we have. James 3:17 tells us that the fruits of wisdom are pure, peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. God’s instruction, knowledge, and wisdom are to be valued and held precious in our hearts.

Proverbs 8:10-11 (NIV)

“Choose my instruction instead of silver,

knowledge rather than choice gold,

for wisdom is more precious than rubies,

and nothing you desire can compare with her.”

In this scripture God is showing us that even the jewels that we could ever possess that are incredibly expensive will never measure in value to His instruction, His wisdom and knowledge. Think about it…NOTHING we could ever desire no matter how wonderful can compare to the worth of His great riches !!

Today I encourage you to guard your heart with God’s very precious jewels that are part of who He is, for nothing can compare to the beauty of His instruction, knowledge, and wisdom!

“Rooted Deep In Him”

Posted on Jan 10, 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 and maintaining our strength through God 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 the Almighty God. 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 YEAR OF 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.”

“As We Press On”

Posted on Jan 9, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

His mercies are new every morning ,

His grace is sufficient,

His joy is our strength,

His love keeps our hearts,

His patience promises us a heart of longsuffering,

Our youth is renewed as the eagles as we wait upon Him,

He promises to never leave us,

and in His presence is abounding joy.

From the windows of Heaven comes an abundance

so big that we cannot even begin to contain it.

Any sin, no matter how big or small is forgiven

when we take it to Him with a repentant heart.

Is there anything too hard for our God? He is great and greatly we should praise Him each and everyday! Do you feel at times that your life, and it’s problems are too hard for God? Maybe you feel there are times that you are such a mess that maybe He sits and scratches His head wondering what to do with you. Again, the answer is NO He does not! When problems and issues get out of hand in our lives we can certainly feel overwhelmed by them, but let us return to what will build and encourage our faith and our hearts. No matter how difficult your life seems God is able. Paul spoke with confidence in Philippians.

Philippians 1:6 (JUB)

“…being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun

a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

God is not a God that starts things and leaves them unfinished. He is NOT a procrastinator, He is the one with diligent and mighty hands that are well able to continue the great work He began in you. All we have to do is keep our hearts and eyes on Him, and trust Him with all of our being.

“Carry It All To Him”

Posted on Jan 8, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Jesus Christ loved us so much that He went to the cross for us. He bore every pain, sickness, disease on the day He died for us. He also took upon Him any burden that would serve to rob us of our joy. Sometimes it can be tempting to carry the “little” burdens on our own. I think the more we get into the habit of taking it all to the Lord the better off we will be. The more we take it ALL the more we will grow in seeking to do everything by His strength and wisdom. It is those little things, those little cares that we carry that will soon having us trying to figure things out in our own ability.

~~~

Corrie ten Boom put it this way…

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer

is too small to be made into a burden.”

~~~

Philippians 4:6-7 (ERV)

“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.”

When I read this scripture and I ponder what Corrie ten Boom said it reminds me of how tenderly the Lord desires to watch over me. It causes me to think more about how He knows what I need before I am even aware of the need. I think the deeper we understand this love the more we will run to Him with everything no matter how small it may be in our eyes. God is so good.

“His Loyal Love”

Posted on Jan 7, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Loyalty is characterized by faithfulness to commitments and obligations. God has promised to be loyal to us with His love, forgiveness, help, …oh my!…there are so many things that He promises to be to us. Jesus said in His Word that He would NEVER leave us or forsake us.

At the end of many days I may look back on my day and wished that I would have said or done things differently but praise God He faithfully forgives and He promises to help me do better as I lean upon Him for all wisdom and strength. One of the first things I try to do each morning as I greet Him is remind myself and thank Him that His mercies are new every morning. My day is a fresh canvas and I am hoping I will do His will with His help.

I have a decorative slate in my kitchen. Every so often I will write a thought or scripture on it and it reminds me of something I am meditating on. I can remember an evening that I was trying to do some different cursive handwriting with the chalk and I kept messing up. I was glad I could just erase it and start over and work at it till I had it exactly the way I wanted it. So it is with the Lord’s mercies, they are new and fresh each morning. Our day is new, and it is time to start afresh!

Thank God we have fresh starts each day and we can learn from our yesterdays. He is there to help us to keep working out those things that we are trying to get right in our lives. Thank God that our mess ups are forgiven and wiped away with the blood of Jesus. We serve a God that is ever so loyal!

Lamentations 3:22-23 “How enduring is God’s loyal

love; the Eternal has inexhaustible compassion.