“Jesus- The Light”

Jesus the light

by Dona Hake

I am enjoying looking at words that define and explain who Jesus is to us.  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!

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.”

~~~~~     ♥     ~~~~~

 



“Jesus- The Rock “

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.”

As  believers we know Him as our Rock.  He IS the Rock on which we stand, and we know that as we stand upon that Rock we shall not be moved.  We can never remind ourselves enough about what He did for us at Calvary.

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.  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 that He led me to the Rock that was higher than I!

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.”



“Jesus- Our Understanding”

jesus is understanding

by Dona Hake

Proverbs 8:14 (ESV)
“I have counsel and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength.”

Consoling isn’t it…Jesus IS our understanding.    When we seek to know more, and we ask Him to help us understand, He is faithful to help us.  As we search His Word He will help us understand it and apply it to our lives.

In those times where things may seem to appear  dark, cloudy, and difficult…know that He is well able to unfold to you what you need to know.  He is able to bring to you the clarity that you need.

1 Corinthians 2:16 (AMP)

” For who has known or understood the mind

(the counsels and purposes)

of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and

give Him knowledge? But we have the mind

of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts

(feelings and purposes) of His heart.”

Praise Him today that as we draw upon His understanding we are walking in deeper realms holding the thoughts, feelings and purposes of His heart!

~~~~~♥~~~~~

 



“Jesus- The Restorer of My Soul”

Restorer

by Dona Hake

Jesus wants to be so many things to us. I want to share in the upcoming devotionals all that Jesus desires to be to us as we look to Him. Today, we will reflect upon the fact that He desires to restores our soul.

In order for us to regenerate our bodies one of the most important things is proper rest. So it is in our soul…we must have rest there in order to have strong and healthy souls. Many times in this life we may walk through circumstances that just seem to tear our hearts apart. These things can leave our hearts broken, and in a state of unrest. What a helpless feeling it can be when you feel as if you do not even know how to pick up the pieces and start over again.

Know this, Jesus is able to restore your soul. He is able to strengthen your heart, and heal the hurts that you bear. Today, if you feel as if your heart is broken and your life is in a shambles, look to Him…Jesus, the One who is able to be the Restorer of your soul.

Psalm 23:3


Amplified Bible (AMP)
3 He refreshes and restores my life (my self)

~~~~~♥~~~~~



“Release and He Will Sustain”

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).”

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?  Our human nature will try  to tempt us to think 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 your life, no matter how big or small.

Today I want to encourage your heart to take anything that is a weight to you 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!  Corrie ten Boom said it beautifully:
“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer
is to small to be made into a burden.”
~~~~~♥~~~~~

 



“My Hope Is In Jesus”

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 hurt us. I thank God for the living HOPE and His name is Jesus!

As I was searching the scriptures on the thought of expectations, I walked away from my computer and went to brew a cup of coffee. As I was waiting there was a gentlemen on the news interviewing a group of young people. It was so sad to hear this one young woman share that anymore she feared sharing her views for fears of what would happen to her. The gentleman interviewing asked for a show of hands. ”Who here has hope that their future will be better than their parents? Sadly the majority did not believe that their future would be better.

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. 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.

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

~~~~~♥~~~~~



“God’s Wisdom Brings Consistency”

Wisdom March 16   2014

by Dona Hake

“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.”

 

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 are the fruit of all that He is.  Wisdom is knowing what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to what action to take.

 

I believe that James was addressing the importance that we take seriously that we are being consistent with our words and actions.  “Blessing and curses come out of the same mouth- surely, my brothers, this is the sort of thing that never out to happen!”  These are strong words that James spoke but yet they are true.  I believe James was strongly admonishing those he was speaking to that they keep an eye on the fruit that they are bearing.

 

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.



“Don’t Be Afraid, I Am With You!”

God has not given us the spirit of fear

by Dona Hake

~Isaiah 41:10 (CJB)


” Don’t be afraid, for I am with you;
don’t be distressed, for I am your God.
I give you strength, I give you help,
I support you with my victorious right hand.”

One translation says “Fear not, for I am with you, do not look anxiously about you.”  Many times when fear grips our heart our mind goes into a tail spin and it seems like confusion is well able to permeate your soul.

Psalm 94:19   (TLB)

“Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart

is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer.”

The Lord has been quietly speaking to me in my heart a particular thing.  It is only a few simple words yet they are full of power and comfort, and they are “Return to my peace.”   I have just been stirred to make sure my dwelling place is in His presence and that is where I will always find the peace I need along with anything else my heart desires.

Many times we can get too caught up in  the daily routine of our lives and God’s peace and strength  can slip away because we have allowed it to.  When we are confronted with fears, we must make a real effort to look toward Him knowing that His mighty hand is well able to support us.  I encourage you to return to His peace whenever you feel that you are being brought down by the anxieties of your mind.  Know that in turmoil He is able to quiet your soul and renew it with hope to go on!

~~~~~♥~~~~~



“Great Is His Faithfulness”

great is his faithfulness

by Dona Hake

Lamentations 3:22-23 (VOICE)

“How enduring is God’s loyal love;
the Eternal has inexhaustible compassion.
Here they are, every morning, new!
Your faithfulness, God, is as broad as the day.”

There is nothing so loyal and beautiful in this life like the love of God.  Whether we deserve it or not, He sheds His love toward us and He is a faithful God.  I love how this verse says that His loyal love is enduring and it is inexhaustible.  As He shows His love to me, it challenges my heart 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 can enable us to love like Him.

There may be people in your life that you find very easy to get along with and yet there are those that just seem to drain you of 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.

Also remember that every morning you wake up He is seeking new ways to show His love to you. Everything about God begins afresh each day and His compassion is NEVER limited.  This thought also challenges me to draw upon that fresh new compassion each day.  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 anything with the love that flows straight from His heart!



“Paths That Echo His Truth and Righteousness”

he steers me

by Dona Hake

Psalm 23:3 (VOICE)
“He makes me whole again,
steering me off worn, hard paths
to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.”

He lovingly steers us away from worn, hard paths yet how many times do we return to them. Those worn, hard paths could be habits and patterns in our lives that have ultimately gotten us in trouble. These worn paths are those have developed because of doing the same thing over and over again. God is calling us to allow Him to step in and guide us on the paths of His desire for us.

Maybe you have walked the path of a habitual worrier. Maybe your worn, hard path has been one of constantly walking in fear and anxiety over your future. Regardless of what it is we can make the choice to walk on the path that is guided by His hand. His hand deals only in truth and right things. His path does not make provision for us to walk in our own ability but rather draw upon
His.

 

There is a world around us looking for hope and answers. I love thinking that my walk in the Lord would echo His truth and righteousness!  How about you?




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!