Saturday, September 16, 2017

 

 

 

 

Devotional for Saturday, September 16, 2017
“The Rock That Is Higher Than I”

 

Jesus the Rock

by Dona Hake

 

Psalm 18:2 (ERV)

“The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety.
He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection.
He is my shield; by his power I am saved.

He is my hiding place high in the hills.”
 

Praise the living God!  How awesome it is that we can proclaim the Lord to be our rock, fortress and our place of safety! He IS the Rock on which we stand, and we know that as we stand upon that Rock we shall not be moved.  

 

Today I want you to reflect upon how your Lord rescued you from the place of darkness and brought you to the place of freedom.   Jesus cleansed us of our sins.   Forgiveness is ours, and as we continue in the race set before us He has provided for us strong footing for He is the Rock on which we stand.  He promises to give us everything we need as we stand upon this solid Rock.

 

Before I knew Him as a teenager I can still remember whispering a prayer before my eyes went shut each night.  “God…there just has to be more to this life than this…”      I just could not believe within my heart that there wasn’t more.    I can remember what it felt like to not understand why I was even here.  Tormented in my soul I would keep uttering this prayer, and then I met Him face to face at the last closing moments of a week long crusade I had attended.  Each night my heart struggled as I fought to surrender my all to Him.  What a fool I was to think that my ways were better and higher than His.  I praise God that in that time in which my heart was overwhelmed and filled with anxiety that He led me to the Rock that was higher than I!   Let us rejoice in our salvation, and never forget how He delivered us and set our feet upon the Rock that never moves!

 

 

Psalm 61:2 (KJ21) 

 

“From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee

when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to

the rock that is higher than I.”



Friday, September 15, 2017

 

 

Devotional for Friday, September 15, 2017
“Great Is the Faithfulness of Our Lord”

 

 

great is his faithfulness

by Dona Hake

 

Lamentations 3:22-23Amplified Bible
“It is because of the Lord’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed,
Because His [tender] compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.”
 
 
 

There is nothing so loyal and beautiful in this life like the love of our Lord.  Whether we deserve it or not, He sheds His love toward us and He is a faithful God.    I want to look closely at this scripture ….”Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.”   As I was meditating on this my heart is resting not only on the word faithfulness but the word great.  When something is great it is  unusual or considerable in degree, power,  and intensity.    Just as His peace surpasses our understanding I believe His faithfulness also surpasses our comprehending.  His faithfulness is beyond trying to measure.   Oh how great is our God!

 

 

In another translation this verse  says that His loyal love is enduring and it is inexhaustible.  As He shows His love to us, it should challenge our hearts to love the same way.   He desires that the love that flows from our hearts to be loyal, enduring and inexhaustible.  After all, we were created in His image therefore He is well able to instruct us and empower us to love as He loves.

 

There may be people in your life that you find very easy to get along with, and yet there are those that may seem to drain you of your energy.  Allow this scripture to challenge your heart.  Seek to draw upon the love from above that never runs out of energy and it endures anything.  God’s tender love within us promises never to fail no matter what things look like in the natural.

 

Remember  every morning you wake up that He is seeking new ways to show His love to you. Everything about God begins afresh each day, and His compassion is NEVER limited.  Everyone of us has a day ahead of us and each of us will face different challenges.  Know this, the God of all love is able to help you endure and conquer anything.  Praise Him for His great love and compassion!



Wednesday, September 13, 2017

 
 
 
 
 
Devotional for Wednesday, September 13, 2017
“The Power of Consistency”

 

 

Wisdom March 16 2014

by Dona Hake
 
 Today we are meditating on a very powerful word and that is  ~consistency~.    I see the power of  consistency  being an anchor to our walk with Jesus.   This is just one of the many things that the dictionary defines consistency to be:
 
 
Steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc
 
I would like for us to reflect upon the power of consistency in our words and our actions as believers.  Let us look at what James wrote about the power of consistency in our conversation and behavior.
 

 

James 3:7-12 (Phillips)

“Beasts, birds, reptiles and all kinds of sea-creatures can be, and in fact are, tamed by man, but no one can tame the human tongue. It is an evil always liable to break out, and the poison it spreads is deadly. We use the tongue to bless our Father, God, and we use the same tongue to curse our fellow-men, who are all created in God’s likeness.

Blessing and curses come out of the same mouth—surely, my brothers, this is the sort of thing that never ought to happen! Have you ever known a spring to give sweet and bitter water simultaneously? Have you ever seen a fig-tree with a crop of olives, or seen figs growing on a vine? It is just as impossible for a spring to give fresh and salt water at the same time.”

 

Sweet and bitter water, blessing and curses simultaneously coming from the same mouth ought not to happen.   Oh how our words apart from our Lord’s wisdom and love can really get us into trouble not to mention how damaging it could be to our testimony for Him.  Words spoken apart from God’s wisdom can cut deep into the soul.  Words that proceed from an angry heart can be mean and spiteful. God desires that our words and actions be the fruit of all that He is.  Wisdom is knowing what is true or right coupled with His judgment as to what action to take.

 

I believe that James was stressing the seriousness that we be consistent with our words and actions.    Again let me mention the words of James….“Blessing and curses coming out of the same mouth- surely, my brothers, this is the sort of thing that never ought  to happen!”  These are strong words that James spoke but yet they are true. 

 

May we ponder the thought of the impossibility of bitter and sweet water flowing from a spring simultaneously.  Oh that the Lord would help us by the power of His Spirit to be careful to speak only truth and love filled words.   As we purpose to keep our words in line with what we believe, we will be examples of consistency in God’s ways.  Our judgments will be pure and we will have discerning hearts.



Tuesday, September 12, 2017

 

 

Devotional for Tuesday, September 12, 2017
“Release Your Care
That You Can Release Your Faith”
 

cast your burden on the Lord

by Dona Hake

 

Psalm 55:22 (AMP)

 

“Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it]

 

and He will sustain you; He will never allow the

 

[consistently] righteous to be moved

 

(made to slip, fall, or fail).”
 

 

 
This translation brings an interesting take on this scripture.   Many times in this life we will walk through various trials and circumstances that are not pleasant.  Remember….Jesus said, “In this world you WILL have trials and temptations…”   He warned us didn’t He?     Just because you are facing something may not necessarily mean you are doing something wrong but rather something that may be beyond your control.  It is what we do when our heart begins to feel heavy that  is so important.   Here in this translation it brings to us the words “releasing the weight of it” or in other words as we hand over our problem to Jesus, He will relieve us of the pressure or the burden that is making our hearts and mind seem to feel heavy.   Trying to live with a heavy heart and anxious thoughts is a wearisome thing.   When we release our cares, He begins to work on our behalf, and we must believe that HE IS moving as we are not only releasing our care to Him but also releasing our faith.
 
Release and He promises to sustain.  If we choose to hold on to our cares and burdens, how shall He help us?    How shall He bless us with the answers that we need if we choose to try to figure out our problems on our own?  How shall our burden be lifted if we keep picking it up and trying to bear the weight of it?   Our human nature will sometimes tempt us to entertain thoughts  that we are able to do things in our own ability yet once we experience His strength and provision that we need, it exposes how we need Him desperately.   Remember…He wants to be in every detail of our life, no matter how big or small.
 
 
Today I want to encourage your heart to take anything that has weighted your heart down,  and just surrender it to Him.  He promises He will sustain you which means that He will support, hold, or bear  up from below.  He will bear the weight of whatever you are trying to manage yourself.  No matter how big or how small, take it to Him in prayer!  Today if care tries to grip your heart release it to Him and then release your faith in Jesus Name!
 
 
“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer
is to small to be made into a burden.”
Corrie ten Boom
 
 

 



Monday, September 11, 2017

 

 

 

Devotional for Monday, September 11, 2017
“Where Is Your Hope?”
 
 

hope is not a philosophy

by Dona Hake
 
 
Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. I find this truth to be so comforting in the world in which I live today. Everything around us is changing constantly. Some change is good and some change has proven to be bad and has hindered us. I thank God for the living HOPE and His Name is Jesus!
 
 
I can remember once seeing a group of youth being interviewed on TV.    He began to ask questions, and one young lady answered apprehensively.  It was so sad to hear  her share that anymore she feared sharing her views for fears of what would happen to her.  Our “politically correct” society is so sad isn’t it?    The gentleman interviewing asked for a show of hands. ”Who here has the hope that their future will be better than their parents? Very few hands went up for the majority did not believe that their future would be better.  I thought this to be so sad, and my heart was so grieved by this.
 
 
We need to keep our hearts full of expectation and faith but it can only be in God, not in how well things are going on around us.   Let us that desire to influence our youth exhibit to them that their hope must be in the Lord.   The condition of this world and it’s happenings cannot dictate our faith and hope.  I believe that we need to always keep our hearts in check with the truth of God’s Word. Where is your hope really resting? What are your expectations and are they realistic? There may be times that you can recall that your hopes have been shattered and you wondered how to go on. I want to share this wonderful scripture with you.
 
 
Psalm 62:5 (ERV) 
“I must calm down and turn to God;
he is my only hope.”
 
In those times that your heart may be void of hope and it is full of anxiety, know that there is a living hope and it is in Jesus. He is the one that has promised to give us a future and He is well able to breathe life back into your dreams.  Today I encourage you to quietly wait upon the Lord.   Let Him renew your strength throughout the day, and my your hope be upon Him.
 
 

Psalm 62:5 (AMP)
“My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him”



Sunday, September 10, 2017

 

 

 

Devotional for Sunday, September 10, 2017
“But Their Delight…”

 

tree planted by living waters

by Dona Hake

 

Psalm 1 :2-3  (TLB)

“…but they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.

 They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper.”

 

Oh that our true delight in this life would be to do all that our Father wants us to do.   This my friends is His will for our life here on earth.   There is great reward for being diligent in embracing the Word of God and being about His business for the Kingdom of God.  As you daily follow Him and purpose to put His teachings first and foremost in your life, He has promised that your life would be prospered.  It is then that we will  stand as trees along God’s riverbank seeing an abundant of growth and prosperity in our life. and  Let us always be mindful that our fruit is not for us alone to survive in this life but rather to be a blessing to those around us.  Let us purpose to be used by Him and to be willing to bless those He puts in our path as we live and abide in Him.  As we proclaim His Word many will be blessed and nourished from the  fruit that our lives bear.

 

 

Proverbs 10:21 (NIV)

  “The lips of the righteous nourish many…”

 

 May we purpose to meditate upon His Word continually and think about ways to follow our Lord more closely. Let us speak His Word and do His Word that we may nourish those that are needy in spirit.   I love that He has promised that our life would bear fruit all the seasons that we live,  and all that we put our hand to shall prosper!



Friday, September 8, 2017

 

 

Devotional for Friday, September 8, 2017

“The Name Of the Lord Deserves To Be Praised”

decrees his love

by Dona Hake

 

Psalm 42:8 (CEB)
“By day the Lord commands his faithful love;
by night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.”

 

This scripture reminds me that from the time I awaken till I lay my head down to sleep that I should simply praise His Name. As I ponder this I think about all that we could possible face in a day’s time.  There will be those days that we will  encounter difficulties or difficult people that make it hard to keep praise to Him in our hearts. These distractions and difficulties can tend to distort our focus on Him. The Lord desires that there is an offering of praise proceeding from our hearts no matter what is going on around us.

 

 

Psalm 113:3 (CEV)
” From dawn until sunset
the name of the Lord
deserves to be praised.”
 

 

Things not going the way you planned for your day?   Circumstances?   No my friends….NOTHING can keep us from offering praise to the Living God!  From the rising of the sun till it’s going down our Lord’s Name is greatly to be praised!

Romans 8:39 (The Message)

 “I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way

that Jesus our Master has embraced us. ” 



Thursday, September 7, 2017

 

 
Devotional for Thursday, September 7, 2017
“Words Matter”
 
 

 

by Dona Hake
 
Proverbs 21:23 (MSG)
“Watch your words and hold your tongue;
you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.”

 

Have you ever walked away from a conversation and the thought crosses your mind…  “Oh my…I can’t believe I just spoke those words!”    If you have lived on this earth for any amount of time, and you are honest with yourself, you can raise your hand and say  “yes, I have done that!”  I believe the more we ask God to help us in the area of keeping our mouth out of trouble, the more sensitive we will become to the words that proceed from our lips.

 

1 Peter 3:10 (NASB)

“The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”

 

From our mouth we can speak words that bless people but if we are not guarding our tongue our words could also hurt someone, and cause them to possibly be upset with us.  Words can destroy relationships or words can heal and strengthen a relationship.    Today I encourage you to watch over your words.    Ask the Holy Spirit to help you keep a check on your words that they be full of love, truth and mercy ministering grace to the hearers around you.

 
 
 
Psalm 19:14 VOICE
 
 “I’ll be careful on life’s journey not to sin with my words…”

 

 

 

 

 

 



Wednesday, September 6, 2017

 

 

Devotional for Wednesday, September 6, 2017
“Reverence, Obedience and Trust”

 

Praying Child Christian Stock Photo

by Dona Hake

 

Psalm 111:10  TLB
“How can men be wise? The only way to begin is
by reverence for God. For growth in wisdom comes
from obeying his laws. Praise his name forever.”
 

 

Today we are looking closely at reverencing, obeying,  and trusting our Lord.   Here in Psalm 111:10 the psalmist writes of the beginning of wisdom coming by reverencing and obeying God.   Let us couple with reverence and obedience the power of trust.   In Proverbs 3:5-6 the writer  admonishes us to trust in Him and lean NOT on our own understanding.  Let us look at that scripture…
 
 
Proverbs 3:5-6Easy-to-Read Version 
 Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your
own knowledge.  With every step you take,
think about what he wants, and he
will help you go the right way.
 
Our human nature can find it hard to trust at times.  We live in an age where information is so easy to get our hands on.  This convenience at times can be the enemy of our soul for it draws us away from simple trust in our Lord, and His Word.    Sometimes it is just so easy to find peace in information, and man’s opinion.  Honestly, I have found at times the more I know about things sometimes it can actually hinder my faith.  The tendency to trust in what man says above what God says about a particular thing can keep us from totally trusting in Him.

 

Leaning and trusting on God for all that we need is so vital.  Sometimes we want so badly to understand things that we are walking through and there are times we put too much focus on figuring things out.  I have found that simply obeying Him and knowing that I can trust Him to be in charge of my life keeps it simple enough.  Today I encourage you to meditate upon these three words.  REVERENCE, OBEDIENCE AND TRUST IN YOUR LORD.

 



Tuesday, September 5, 2017

 
 
 
Devotional for Tuesday, September 5, 2017
“Our Cup Runs Over”

 

My cup runneth over

by Dona Hake

 If one lives  solely for the joy that this world has to offer their desire and lust for things will never be satisfied.  The Lord knows us inside and out, and He knows that He is the only one that can satisfy every need in our life.   Only Jesus can satisfy the thirst of our souls.  It is understandable when an unbeliever is trying to be satisfied by the things this world has to offer but oh how sad it is when a believer tries to serve the Lord yet draw upon the  poisonous temptations that this world has to offer.      He wants us to come to live in that place of drawing only upon His wellspring of life. Let us read in the book of John where  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’s problems and this world draining you of your strength and peace, stop and drink of His water that will strengthen and refresh your soul.  Guard your heart at all times that you are not seeking to meet your needs through anything but Him.   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 to you!  

 

Today I encourage you to lift your eyes and heart to Him.    Permit Him to pour His refreshing life into you.    Oh that our cups would spill over that we can refresh and lift up those around us!




6 Responses to “Devotional”

  1. Lisa Viands says:

    This is a good way of teaching the kids to forgive each other(Matt. 5:7). I like the power of this gentle scripture and lesson… Thanks!!

  2. Selena Neely says:

    Ralph &I are really enjoying your devotional together.

  3. Selena Neely says:

    Oh, what a wonderful reminder! I want to break the magnifing glass of worry and trust God for each step I take.

  4. Dona Hake says:

    It is interesting Selena how the more we worry the bigger and more magnified things get in our minds. Oh how important it is to trust our God for the smallest of things! Thank you for sharing!