Sunday, May 7, 2017

 

 

 

Devotional for Sunday, May 7, 2017
“Our God Is Wonderful!”
 

Jesus Wonderful

by Dona Hake

 

Isaiah 9:6

 

“…and his name shall be called Wonderful…”

 

Another name of our Lord…Wonderful!   For the past three days we have meditated on some of the names of our wonderful loving God!   He is our Counsellor, He is our Sanctuary,  He is our light.   So today we will focus on Him being wonderful.   He is wonderful isn’t He?  Let’s look at words synonymous to wonderful… awesome, wondrous, miraculous, prodigious, astonishing, amazing, astounding, phenomenal.  This is the God that we serve.  As believers we can testify of the many wonderful things He has done in our lives, and we should never lose sight of those things.  May we be ready to speak of our wonderful God that never ceases to shower us with His lovingkindness and tender mercies.

 

I encourage you today to  tell of His wonderful works when people ask why you  carry such joy.  I encourage you to ponder the many testimonies that you have witnessed in your life, and just take time to give thanks to God !

Psalm 40:5 (ERV)

“Lord my God, you have done many amazing things!
You have made great plans for us—too many to list.
I could talk on and on about them,
because there are too many to count.”


Saturday, May 6, 2017

Devotional for Saturday, May 6, 2017
“Jesus Our Light” 

 

 

 

Jesus the light

by Dona Hake

 

I am enjoying looking at words that define and explain who Jesus is to us.   We have meditated upon Jesus being our Sanctuary,  and our Counsellor.  Today we will think about Jesus being our light.  When things seem dark and dim, HE IS the Light.  When you do not seem to understand the whole picture ask Him for light on the matter, for HE IS Light.
 

I  remember very well when my life seemed to be empty and without hope.  On that day that I surrendered my all I can remember feeling the weight of the world drop off of me.  It seemed like all of the sudden I just saw everything differently.    Jesus the Light came into my heart and from that day forward He has illuminated my every path!

 

Psalm 36:9   

(CEV)

“The life-giving fountain
belongs to you,
and your light gives light

to each of us.”

 

I am so thankful that His light abides within me. Today let us think about how our life, words and actions show forth the Light which is our loving Savior Jesus Christ!  My friends, God desires that we be a light to this world that we may bring hope to the hopeless.   Look for opportunities today to live and speak from that well within you in Jesus Name!

 

 

1 John 1:5 (The Message)

“This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ

and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light;

there’s not a trace of darkness in him.”



Friday, May 5, 2017

 

 

 

 
Devotional for Friday, May 5, 2017
“He IS Our Sanctuary”

 

 

 

by Dona Hake

 

When I think about a sanctuary, I think about a place of refuge.  I think of quietness and peace…a place that cannot be touched by turmoil, stress and circumstances that try to bring  my soul down. Have you ever had times where there may be confusion and stress all about you and you wish you could just escape it?   I know we have all been in those situations yet as a believer we can humbly bow our hearts in prayer, and escape to that place that He has prepared for us to abide in. We do not have to run away from problems, we can be in the midst of them and maintain complete peace.  Today let us meditate upon our Lord being our Sanctuary.

 

Many times people wait until they are so stressed out and their body has become worn down physically before they decide to seek God’s direction and comfort. I believe that God desires for us to be on top of things and He desires that we desire to live in a constant state of peace and serenity.  He desires that we abide in Him and His place of total rest…He is our Sanctuary!

 

Throughout your day I encourage you to stay aware of His precious presence. I believe that the place He has provided for us is a place of perfect peace and no matter what goes on about you that peace need not be disrupted.  Thank You Lord for providing a place of refuge that we can dwell all the days of our live.

Isaiah 8:14 (KJ21)

“And He shall be for you a sanctuary…”



Thursday, May 4, 2017

 

 

Devotional for Thursday, May 4, 2017
“Jesus Our Counsellor”
 

Jesus- our counsellor

by Dona Hake

 

Isaiah 9:6

 

 

“…and his name shall be called…Counsellor.”

 

 
Many times we may say or hear “I just do not know what God’s will is in this matter.”  
To receive counsel on a matter is to get an opinion or instruction when one does not know exactly how to handle something.   Oh praise God, our Lord is our Counsellor!  Praise His holy Name for there is nothing too hard for Him to figure out.   There is not one thing too hard for Him to accomplish when it is within His will.  With man something may seem impossible but with our God, our Counsellor ALL things are possible!
 
How sad it is if we do not seek Him in our times of uncertainty.    The Lord desires that we seek His face and know His will that we may prosper in all that we put our hand to.    I believe that He wishes for us to step forward in strong confidence as we recognize His will.  Many times we may know what to do but we just do not know how it is going to all come about.  Our Counsellor understands and He knows how to instruct us.    Oh that we would continue to remind ourselves that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours.   

 

I love knowing that the Lord totally understands any problem we face and anything that we are walking through.  He understands how we think and He knows our strengths and weaknesses.    Just think about it, the One that created Heaven and Earth formed you in your mother’s womb.  He created you for a special purpose.  He is well able to counsel you in His purposes.

 

Today let us reflect on Jesus our Counsellor.  He is always there to listen and as you speak to Him be mindful to also be silent that He can speak tenderly to you.  His loving hand is well able to lead and guide you throughout this day!



Wednesday, May 3, 2017

 

 

 

Devotional for Wednesday, May 3, 2017
“Yes! His Name Is Mighty!”

 

Jesus Name is Mighty

by Dona Hake

 

Psalm 150:2  KJV

“Praise him for his mighty acts: praise

him according to his excellent greatness.”

 

Yes! His works are great and many are the mighty acts of our Living God!   When doubts and fears try to make us shrink back in our faith, let us call to mind that with man it may seem impossible but with God ALL things are possible.  The Hand that created and called into existence the Heaven and Earth waits for you to turn to Him in your time of trouble.  He desires to do mighty acts in your life according to His excellent greatness!  Today let us meditate upon how our Lord desires that we meditate and consider all of His mighty deeds.   May we ponder and recall the wonderful things He has done for us from the smallest of details to the grandest of miracles that we have witnessed!

 

Psalm 77:12

“I will meditate also upon all Your

works and consider all Your [mighty] deeds.”

 

 His Name is called mighty and there is nothing too big for Him.  Yes Lord! Your Name is mighty and we praise You today for the mighty works You do!

 

“Now to Him who is ABLE to do above and beyond all you dare ask or think…exceeding your highest hopes and dreams.”

Ephesians 3:20



Tuesday, May 2, 2017

 

 

Devotional for Tuesday, May 2, 2017

 

“The Snare of Perfection”

snare of perfection

 

by Dona Hake

 

As a very young believer I can remember having conversations with my Father about his spiritual condition.  He did not know the Lord and his first and biggest reason was he felt he did too much wrong in his past, and God would never accept him in light of his many failures.  Over and over I would try to tell him that God is forgiving and He was able to wash his past clean and give him a fresh start.

 

You see my Father was  a perfectionist.  Everything had to be exact and perfect.  He was a very  intelligent man yet the perfectionist thing became his snare.  The Lord had showed me many times that because of this snare, his conversion to Christ would be on his death bed,  and sure enough it was.  Sitting beside him in his final hours of life he laid motionless and very unresponsive.  I was growing weary and hopelessness was beginning to try to grip my heart.   I thought how can I communicate with him now since he is almost in a non responsive state of mind and his body was not moving.  Quietly I whispered in his ear, “This is it Daddy, you have very little time…you are going to die…if you want me to pray with you…do something…flutter your eyes…just give me some way of knowing you want me to pray”    Many moments passed and then I was stunned as I saw him slowly moving his hand toward me to embrace mine.  It was his way of communicating that he wanted me to pray.

 

I will never forget how precious he was as I looked into his eyes and I asked him if he knew Christ.  I held a picture of Jesus in front of his face and said, “Do you know Him now?”  My father nodded and indeed my heart was full of joy to know that when he took his final breath that he went to be with Jesus.   Did he leave a perfect life behind?  Absolutely not.  Did he leave forgiven?  Absolutely yes!!! His thoughts of thinking his life had to be perfect robbed him of his life on earth.  I encourage you today to know that God is not looking for you to be perfect.  He is looking for the heart that knows that it has need of Him and His forgiveness!

 

Psalm 103:12 (CEB) 
As far as east is from west—

that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.


Monday, May 1, 2017

 

 

 

 

Devotional for Monday, May 1, 2017
“His Hope Is Our Anchor”
 

Jesus Our Hope

 

by Dona Hake

 

Hebrews 6:18-20  (ERV)

 

“These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when

he says something, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath.

So these two things are a great help to us who have come to

God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that

is ours. This hope is like an anchor for us. “

 

What a firm foundation we have in Jesus Christ.  He is total truth and nothing but the truth!  It is wonderful to know that all the words that proceed from God are truth and when He says He will stand by.  Let us reflect upon this scripture in the book of Hebrews.   Our loving God never ever changes, and He is incapable of lying.   He will never let us down.   When He makes a promise He keeps that promise, and He stands by every word that He has spoken.   So as this scripture says….”…these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety.”     As we meditate upon the truth that our God never changes this should be as an anchor to our souls.

 

Where do you look to when you need answers?   What do you do when you feel like your footing is shaky and your path seems unsure?  We must always look to His Word for  His truth is what we can rely and build upon.   It is promised that our foundation will be strong and immovable when we build and anchor our hearts upon the Word of God.  Today I encourage you to look to the Lord of all hope and the One that has promised to anchor our souls, and permit our souls to rest in knowing that we will not be moved in Jesus Name!



Sunday, April 30, 2017

 

 

 

 

Devotional for Sunday, April 30, 2017

 

“The God of All Mercy”

show mercy

by Dona Hake

 

Matthew 5:7 (TLB)

“Happy are the kind and merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.”

 

The Lord has so freely shown us His mercy.  Even before we knew Him, even before we realized we needed Him, He was desiring to forgive us and redeem us to Himself.  As we look to Him and behold how beautiful His love is, and how merciful His heart is , we will come to realize the beauty of being merciful to others.  Today let us meditate upon how our sweet Lord desires to show His mercy through us.  As we walk justly and humbly before God and man we will want to love people with His love and be merciful to them even in those times we may feel they do not deserve mercy.   Let us read this scripture in Micah.

 

Micah 6:8 (GNV)

 

He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord

requireth of thee: surely to do justly, and to love mercy,

and to humble thyself, to walk with thy God.

 

 

As a little girl I can remember learning this golden rule…  “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.”  Deep down we could all admit that we want to be treated fairly especially by those that we think really care about us.  Yet we know there are times that people will mess up.  People can really hurt us, and sometimes that may not even have a clue how much our heart hurts as a result of their words or actions. I love this quote because it reminds me that there will be times that I will mess up and in those times I hope that those around me will forgive me and I can be reconciled if I have hurt them.     It makes me think twice before I react to those around me if I feel they are wrong.  It reminds me that I need to be quick to forgive and forget, and extend the mercy of the Lord to them.

 

Lord, help us all to be merciful and see those around us the way You see them.  Help us to realize that we cannot forgive in our own ability but only with Your help and strength.  Help us to walk humbly before You, do justly to those around us,  and to love your mercy.  Amen.



Devotional for Saturday, April 29, 2017

 

 

 Devotional for Saturday, April 29, 2017

“The God of the Abundant Life”

God of Abundant Life

by Dona Hake
 

Today let us praise the One that has promised to bless us with a life of abundance!  John 10:10 “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”  Forty one years ago today, at nineteen years of age  I surrendered my life to Jesus.  I was a stubborn person and I could argue with any Christian till they were blue in the face.  Nothing seemed to convince me because all I seemed to encounter was Christians that were full of hypocrisy and I hated it!  Then finally I saw some real genuine believers that walked out what they spoke and believed.  I finally allowed the Lord to take hold of me.  It was the most important decision I ever made, and I will never forget the joy that flooded my heart that spring evening of April 1973!

 

 

Has every day of my life been victorious and has everything gone perfectly?  Absolutely not!  My skin crawls when I see or hear anyone of faith that tries to portray that life is a bed of roses  just because they have become a Christian.  Jesus told us that in this life WE WILL have trials.  In the book of Romans 8:31 it says:

 

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will not also, along with him, graciously give us all things.”

 

God has made it possible to fill our cup to the full!  May we realize that He desires to  fill us to the full in order that we have Him to draw upon in our times of test, trials, pain and suffering.  The life of abundance is that of always having His all sufficiency to draw upon, and NOTHING can separate us from Him.  Do not forget that He desires that the full and abundant life that we have been blessed with should spill out to those around us!  We praise You Lord for this full and abundant life, and we are so thankful that nothing can separate us from Your love!

 

Romans 8:39

 

“…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the

love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”



Devotional for Friday, April 28,2017

 

 

 

Devotional for Friday, April 28, 2017

“He Preserves Our Life”

 

Heart towards God

by Dona Hake

 

 

Oh that we would purpose to be  honest with God about every area of our lives.  In order to do this we must ALWAYS be honest with ourselves.    When one fails to be honest with themselves they enter into one of the most dangerous things ever, and that is self deception.  The devil has a hay day with this one!  If he can get us to think we are just fine when we really are not…his work is done.  He has convinced us that there is no need for us to humble ourselves, and get help and guidance from the Lord .
 
 
“Self” has a voice that will try to distract us at times, and we need to know when this is happening.  The Psalmist prayed in Psalm 119…
 

Psalm 119:36-40   (NIV)

“Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

preserve my life according to your word.”

 

This is a beautiful prayer that will keep us on the right path.  As we  sincerely ask Him to keep our heart turned in His direction we will quickly recognize when fleshly desires are trying to get us off the right path.  He will faithfully  reveal to us the things in this life that are of no worth so we can look away from them before they grip our heart.  It is as we look to Him in this way that our life will be preserved blameless before Him.   Praise the living God today and purpose to keep the eyes of your heart toward Him!
 
Lord, we thank You this day that You are able and willing to preserve my life according to Your Word.   We ask that You help us by the power of Your Holy Spirit to  keep our hearts and minds turned toward Your statutes and not toward our own desires.



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!