“Peace Is Not the Absence of Trouble”

 
Peace rules and reigns
 
by Dona Hake 
 
 
 
“Peace is not the absence
of trouble. Peace is the
presence of God.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
How tempting it can be for one to think that if all is going their way that this is what brings peace. One can also think that if you just go to a place where it is quiet, and you leave your problems behind, that this is peace. The truth is that you could run to the quietest place in the world, but if there is turmoil and frustration in your heart and mind, you will take it with you. Not only does it go with you, but it continues to rage on in your heart. We will find the only true peace is in the presence of our loving God.  Along with His presence, He has promised us the ultimate peace. Let us look at the following scripture, and I encourage you to read this translation slowly, and let it touch your heart.
 
 
 
 
John 14:27 (AMP)
 
“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]”
 
 
 
 
I love how it says, “Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves…” It sounds to me like we have some effort to be made on our part doesn’t it? Today I encourage you to discipline your heart and mind to look and purpose yourself to stay in the presence of your Lord and Savior Jesus.
 
 
 

Psalm 16:11 (CEB)

” You teach me the way of life.
In your presence is total celebration.
Beautiful things are always in your right hand.”



“In God Alone We Must Rest”

 
find rest my soul
by Dona Hake
 
 
 
 
Psalm 62:5
American Standard Version

 

“My soul, wait thou in silence for God only; For my expectation is from Him.”
 
 
 
Thoughts, worries, and fears have a sly way of pulling and tugging at our souls. They start out many times as little thoughts, “no big deal” worrying, and little fears that we are convinced we can handle on our own.   Oh, that we would beware of such a way of thinking!   If such thoughts are not dealt with, any of these “small things” can snowball, and become big and out of control. In this scripture in Psalm 62, the psalmist was commanding his soul to be quiet and wait upon God. He spoke out that his expectation was from God. There are those times that we too need to speak to our souls, and command them to quiet, and be silent so that we can be at peace as we expect from the Lord our God.
 
 
 
 
 
I would like to also share from Psalm 116. The psalmist begins the chapter by exclaiming, “I love the Lord, for He heard my voice…” He proceeded to say that he knew God’s ear was toward him and then he said, “I will call on Him as long as I live!”  You see this psalmist understood that death was staring him in the face, and he had no where to turn. I am sure that what the writer went through was terrifying yet he stopped, and reminded himself of who and what his God could do. 
 
 
 
 
 
“Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.”
 
 
 
 
 

I believe this chapter in Psalms can also serve to remind us that in trying circumstances we absolutely must call on the Lord for our help, and we must purpose to meditate upon His love and care over us. Let us be diligent to think upon these truths that our souls may be calmed. As we walk before the Lord in the land of the living, let us rejoice in His mighty works He has done in our lives!



“May My Words Be Acceptable”

 
Lord I pray
 
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
 
 
Yesterday in our devotional I shared with you the power that our tongues have.   One negative word can bring a person down, yet one positive word as the ability to life someone back to their feet, and walk forward.   Oh my….what a power we possess within us!
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Lord, are my thoughts and words acceptable to you?” This would probably be a very good question and prayer that should cross our minds often. I believe that this question would keep us out of much trouble that could easily be avoided. Many times we are quick to think things or form opinions based on our first impression. Maybe you are thinking things and speaking things based on what you have seen in the past. As a result of not asking the Lord for how you are to respond in word and in thought , you could get yourself in a difficult situation or offend someone.
 
 
 
 
 

Psalm 19:14 (AMP)
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my

[firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.”

 
 
 
 
 

It is only God that knows you all too well. He understands how you tend to think and react. He knows every hurt and pain that is still in the healing process within you. He is well able to help you hold your tongue and alter your thought process. It is He that can help us to be rock solid in every area of our life because He is the Rock! Look to Him as often as you need to be your Helper today that you may think thoughts and speak words that are pleasing to Him. Lord, help us! We desire that our words are blessing to you and edifying to those around us.



“The Power of Our Tongue”

 
 
 
 
death and life
 
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
 
 

There is a cliche I have heard often. “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back!” Usually this is said when someone just seems they cannot go on, and they throw up their hands and just give up.    It is also used when there seems to be one situation that snowballs into a huge problem, and eventually takes it’s toll on those involved.  The idiom the straw that broke the camel’s back is from an Arabic proverb about how a camel is loaded beyond its capacity to move or stand. Many times people become paralyzed by fear of failing again or they just feel they can not go on any longer.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Have you ever seen someone appear to fall apart as a result of someone being unkind to them or a word spoken that was hurtful. Many times people may not realize that the careless word they just spoke could potentially put a hurting person in a very bad place. If a person is walking in a place of despair and discouragement and they feel there is no way out, they need lifted up. Oh Lord, help us to see with your eyes the hurting people around us.
 
 
 
 
                                           Proverbs 18:21 (GNT)
                         “What you say can preserve life or destroy it;
                  so you must accept the consequences of your words.”
 
 
 
 

The truth is our words carry power that not only affects us but it has the power to affect others. On a positive note I love to think of the power of one encouraging word. Have you ever been there?…you are about to give up, and one person speaks one powerful encouraging word, and out of no where you just feel that with God’s help YOU CAN!!!! There is power in our words. Never underestimate the power of death and life in our tongues. May we guard our tongues that we speak words that bring health, healing, and joy to those around us.

 
 


“Cause Me To Hear…”

Cause  2 Me To Hear
 
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
 
If you go to bed worried and troubled, you will be sure to wake up to  your day with those troubled thoughts magnified in your heart and mind. The Word says that He gives His beloved sweet sleep, yet if we choose to meditate upon wrong things, and sleep upon worrisome thoughts, we surely will not sleep a peaceful sleep. The Lord does not want us to greet our day with the thoughts of yesterday nor the worries about our tomorrows. I love how the Psalmist asks the Lord to cause Him to hear of his Lord’s lovingkindness first thing in the morning.
 
 
 
 
 

Psalm 143:8 (AMP)

“Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning,

for on You do I lean and in You do I trust.

Cause me to know the way wherein

I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You.”
 
 
 
 
 
Let us trust to hear His voice about our day. Most importantly we must remind ourselves that worry and allowing troublesome thoughts to remain and torment us is not God’s best for us. May I encourage you to cast all of your burdens upon Him that you can live free from weights that are unnecessary.
 
 
 
 
 
 

May we remember to lean on Him not only for His strength and wisdom but for the balance and direction that He can bring to our lives. Thank Him as He unfolds His plan for our day yet be willing to allow Him to interrupt it if He has other plans for us.  May we lift up our soul to Him and allow Him to touch us because He loves us so. Lift up your inner self to Him and allow Him to do great things in your life today!



“Trust Is A Must”

 
trust is a must
 
 
 
by Dona Hake 

 

Proverbs 3:5-12 (MSG)
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
We live in an age of information and it is readily at our finger tips. In many ways it is so wonderful, and time saving.     We are blessed to be able to  get information about almost anything. While this is good it can distract us, and keep us from fully trusting in the Lord. Sometimes we can be tempted to pick and choose what we think is the right thing to do according to head knowledge rather than the will of our Lord.  Let us guard our hearts that as we seek anything in this life, that we are fully trusting in Him, and allowing Him to guide us in everything that we seek to understand.
 
 
 
 
 
Today we are focusing on living a life of trust for it is a must as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the scripture says we need to trust Him from the bottom of our hearts, and stop trying to figure everything out. Many times God has a totally different route He desires to take us and we need to be willing to walk in the direction He has chosen. Sometimes His paths that He is establishing for us are ones we may feel uncomfortable with. If so, let us trust Him as to how He has decided to walk beside us, and faithfully lead us.
Let us lean not on our own understanding.
 
 
 
 
 
I think there is a key word that God wants us to keep before us, and that is the word HUMILITY. As we stay humble, we will be thankful for the knowledge, gifts and talents He has blessed us with but we will keep them in their proper place. As we remain humble, we will always be looking to acknowledge His ways in everything that we do. He can indeed teach us to trust Him with all of our hearts, and He will make those places that have seem crooked and confusing completely straight.  He will bring you the pure knowledge and understanding that you are needing in any particular situation.
 


“Being Courageous In Him”

 Be Strong and Courageous Ministry Bulletin Cover
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
 
I can remember a movie I saw a while ago, and there was a particular part that ministered courage to my heart.   In this movie there was a young lady that had never ridden a horse before and she desired to do so.   There was only one thing holding her back and that was fear.  She shared her fear with the young man with her, and he assured her that he totally understood. He said he too at a young age shared that same fear but his Daddy helped him overcome it. He said, “My Daddy sat me on his lap and said courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway!” I just loved this because it was an inspiration of how to face fear with a true heart of courage.
 
Psalm 27:14
“… Wait for the Lord, and he will come and save you!
Be brave, stouthearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and he will help you.”
 

Maybe you could testify of a time that fear has gripped your heart and rendered you unable to move forward. How terrible it is to be held back by a fear. Fear has the capability of robbing one’s dreams, but God desires to release you into your dreams. He understands our every fear and the things that intimidate us, yet He promises to help us overcome any fear that would hold us back. His Word says that the righteous will be bold as a lion!

Sometimes in life we just simply have to “saddle up and face our fears” believing that He will give us the courage and strength that we need for that moment and situation. His grace will always be sufficient and complete no matter what!

 
 
 
1 John 4:18 AMP
“There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].”


“The Center of God’s Wisdom”

heavenly wisdom centers

by Dona Hake

 

James 3:17 (The Voice)
“Heavenly wisdom centers on purity, peace, gentleness, deference, mercy,
and other good fruits untainted by hypocrisy.”

 

God’ wisdom will always rest and be centered on these fruits. Wisdom’s fruits are pure, peaceful, and gentle. His wisdom will ALWAYS be respectful and merciful. It will never be touched with hypocrisy for it is pure and real because it has been tested. God’s wisdom or ways do not  change due to circumstance because it is not consistent with His character.   God will never change so we can conclude that the fruits of His wisdom will remain constant and unchanging.

 

When we ask God for His wisdom He desires to bless us with His pure thoughts, and how He sees to do something. He desires to bless us with His good judgments. I encourage you today to seek wisdom before every task. Get God’s mind in all you put your hand to. As you ask God for His precious wisdom, believe by faith that it is going to flow into you, and flow forth from you as pure fresh living water. When people ask you for an opinion on something, stop and purpose to seek His wisdom before you speak. This is what people need, and this is what we need in our personal life…not our opinions, not our experiences, but rather the pure wisdom that comes from above.

 


“It Is ONLY The Lord’s Mercies!”

 
new mercies everyday
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
 
Lamentations 3:22-23 (TLB)

 

“His compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; His loving-kindness begins afresh each day.”
 
 
 
As you begin your day, do you remember to thank Him for His mercies? Do you remind yourself that His mercies are specifically new just for you each morning? Oh that we would remind ourselves of how He rescued us from a life a destruction. I think at times, and wonder where I would be without Him for I know that He rescued me from a life of confusion, wrong choices, and deception. How about you?
 
 
 
 
 
Today I want you to meditate on this scripture from Lamentations, and really read it keeping in mind that you are on God’s mind continually, and He desires for you to understand how much He loves you, and His mercies are ever toward you. I would also like to share an interesting quote I found by John Bunyan.
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Since God has mercies to give, and He intends
to give them to us, those mercies are not broken
pieces or someone else’s leftovers….God has bags
that were never untied, never opened up, but set
aside through a thousand generations
for those who hope in His mercy.”
 
 
 
Let us meditate upon His mercies that are there for us now, and will be yours to find and hope for every day you live on this earth!
 
 
 

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever:
with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.



“Where Do You Dwell?”

 
 
he who dwells
 

God has provided for us His place of refuge. He knows exactly what we need to feel secure from the things of this life. He desires that we dwell there, and that we remain. In other words, we cannot allow things to pull us out from that place that He has provided for us.Let us purpose to remain in the place of His peace, love, joy, protection, and all the wonderful things He has provided.

 
 

There will be things around us from day to day that will tempt us to walk out from His shelter. Many times people may choose anxiety over peace or bitterness over love, etc. This is only a few of the many choices we can make that can rob us from the hiding place and shelter He has provided. Remember, His shelter is our refuge. Next time you are tempted to get upset, instead of dwelling on the one who upset you or the circumstance, choose rather to run to Him for help, and refuge from the problem.

 
 

Psalm 91:1 (GW)
“Whoever lives under the shelter of the Most High
will remain in the shadow of the Almighty.”

 
 

In our home, my husband and I have lived by a rule since the day we married. We will do whatever it takes to maintain peace in our home. We value the peace in our home and in our hearts. We never leave each other with things unresolved, and we purpose to continue doing this. This is also a truth we imparted to our sons. No one went to bed until we knew there was peace in our hearts. No matter how long it took, we talked until it is resolved.

”When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath
(your exasperation, your fury or indignation)
last until the sun goes down.”
Ephesians 4:26

 
 

You see, God well knows our human nature, and that there will be times that we will heed to anger, but the warning here is to deal with it and resolve it. Do not go to sleep with anger in your heart for when you awaken it will be there, and you will surely carry it with you throughout a new day. This is not God’s plan for you! God wants us to live in a place of peace in our hearts as well as in our homes, and those around us.

 
 

Today I just want to encourage you to value the wonderful blessing of Him providing a place for you to dwell. Do not allow the negative things of this life to pull you from that place of love, peace, and protection that He has so abundantly blessed you with. For every problem we have, He has a solution. All we need to do is remain in His presence, look to Him, and He will be your helper, and all that you need to keep you there.




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!