Thursday, August 10, 2017

 
 
 
Devotional for Thursday, August 10, 2017
“Lord, Teach Us To Love As You Love”
 
 
lord enlighten our hearts to love
 
by Dona Hake
 
Nothing can separate us from His love, and His love is  unfathomable.  His love conquers all, and God’s love covers all things. God desires that His conquering love flow through us yet there are times His love is not able to flow freely. If we do not desire to look beyond our own little world, how is He able to love through us and reach  a lost and dying world? There is a cost to loving like Jesus, and it is a matter letting go of that which is holding us back. In the book of Luke he wrote “If you love only someone who loves you, will God praise you for that? Even sinners love people who love them.”  I love the following quote by Mother Teresa, and it fits perfectly with our devotional today…
 

 

“Love,

to be real,

must cost –

it must hurt –

it must empty us of self.”

 

God is calling us to His high places of love. A wonderful place to meditate is 1 Corinthians 13 because this simply spells out what God’s love is and what it is not.
 

 

“Love is patient; love is kind. Love isn’t envious,

doesn’t boast, brag, or strut about.

There’s no arrogance in love;

it’s never rude, crude, or indecent—

it’s not self-absorbed.

Love isn’t easily upset.

Love doesn’t tally wrongs or celebrate injustice;

but truth—yes, truth—is love’s delight!

Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along;

it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what.

Love will never become obsolete.”

 

 

Let us desire today that God’s true and real love flows through us in every way possible. Lord help us to desire to pay the cost even when it hurts. Cause us to see that which hinders us from loving like You and empty us of those things! We are believing that You are well able to do above and beyond all we dare ask or think regarding Your love operating through us!



Wednesday, August 9, 2017

 
 
Devotional for Wednesday, August 9, 2017
“The Awesome Power of Restoration”
 
 
his love restores my soul
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
Today we will meditate upon the power of restoration, and the freedom it brings to our hearts.   When one deals with guilt, and they do not understand how they can be restored, it can be such a horrible torment.    When one is imprisoned by their guilt there are memories and thoughts of the wrong they have done.   Their  memories and thoughts  seem to have voices, and they continue to haunt and remind them of what they think is irreparable.
 
If you have received Jesus into your life, you can be cleansed by the blood of Jesus,  and you can partake of His wonderful forgiveness.   You need not be tormented by guilt anymore for Jesus paid the ultimate price when He shed His blood for you and me.  Let us treasure within us how wonderful it is that the Lord will forgive us when we mess up, and He will always cleanse our hearts. As we humble ourselves to Him admitting our wrongs and shortcomings, He will bring His mercies and forgiveness to us, and  bring us back to that place of feeling clean again.   Let us look at David in the Psalms. His plea to God was for restoration of his heart in a time in which he majorly messed up, and his heart was heavy with guilt and anguish.
 

Psalm 51:7, 8, 10

“Remove my sin and make me pure.” 
Wash me until I am whiter than snow!
Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again.
God, create a pure heart in me,
and make my spirit strong again.”
 
 
 
 

Today let us treasure the power of love and forgiveness, and look to the only One that can bring restoration to our souls.  He is the only one who is able to cleanse. I love how verse eight says “Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again.” This is what restoration is about. When we experience freedom from guilt we are able to experience the joy that was robbed by our sin and guilt. Only God is able to create within us a pure heart, pick us back up, and cause us to continue on in His will. Thank God for the power of forgiveness!



Tuesday, August 8, 2017

 
 
Devotional for Tuesday, August 8, 2017
“In God Alone I Will Rest!”
 
 
 
 
 
i will rest in god alone
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
Today let us meditate upon our Lord’s rest that He has provided for us.   Do you sometimes go to Him when you are tired but other times you just tolerate feeling tired and weary in the work of your life?   God desires that we stay in a place of rest, for it is there that we are able to live refreshed, and drawing upon Him. It is there that our hearts, minds and bodies are kept by His sustaining power and grace.  His rest just like His peace will surpass our understanding. Let us be honest with ourselves and admit that there are times when we are pushing the boundaries of our bodies and minds to the point of permitting weariness, and we need to return to His rest that He desires for us.  Let us look at this word called rest.
 
 
Rest defined:  “relief or freedom, especially from anything that 
wearies, troubles, or disturbs.”
 
 
Oh praise the Living God that we can be free of anything that tries to weary, trouble, or disturb our soul.   Let us abide under the shadow of His wings, and I mean abide…live there, hang out, stay there….God wants us to remain before Him. He does not desire we come and go as we please. He does not desire that we come to Him  only when problems arise, but He desires we stay put in His sweet place of rest that He has provided for us. It is as we remain in His presence that we really do experience His rest!
 

Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him,”
Psalm 62:5 HCSB



Monday, August 7, 2017

 
 
 
 
 
Devotional for Monday, August 7, 2017
“His Understanding Is Unlimited”
 
 
he counts the stars and knows them by name
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
Psalm 147:3-5 (TLB)

 

“He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.

He counts the stars and calls them all by name.
How great he is! His power is absolute!
His understanding is unlimited.”
 

 

I love these verses and I love thinking about how our loving God knows every detail about everything.   He is the one that knows all things and He gives us all things that pertain to life and godliness.     How awesome is this verse as the Psalmist proclaims that our God counts the stars and calls them them all by their name.   One by one He created each star and caused it to shine in the evening skies.    

 

To think of how great and mighty God is should encourage our hearts to remember that the same God that placed stars in the sky one by one also created me and you!   One by one He formed each of us in our mother’s womb, and He knows every day of our life from beginning to end.    How amazing is our God?   Oh that we would turn to Him when our hearts are broken and hurt that we would receive His healing touch, and restoration.  Oh that we would look to Him for the smallest of our needs for He knows what they are before we notice any lack in our lives.

 
 
The same hands that formed the stars and hung them in the skies promises to touch our heart if it has been hurt and broken.   Those hands are well able to bind up our wounds and bring restoration to our life.   He is great and His power is absolute!
 
 
 
 
 Lord, remind us today of Your greatness!   Let us ponder how unfathomable Your love and Your works are.   You created the heavens and the earth, how much more we should believe that You can take care of every little detail of our lives as we live here on this earth.   For those of us with hurting and broken hurts, we thank You that you are able to heal and restore.  Cause us to hear Your lovingkindness each and everyday as we awaken, for we know that we are to fully trust in You and only You.   Thank You for giving us sufficient grace to live and do Your will.    We trust You today to work in our lives!  In Jesus Name, amen!
 


Sunday, August 6, 2017

 
 
 
Devotional for Sunday, August 6, 2017
“When I Am Weak…”
 
 
when I am weak
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (ERV)

 

8 “I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me. 9 But the Lord said, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me. 10 Yes, I am glad to have weaknesses if they are for Christ. I am glad to be insulted and have hard times. I am glad when I am persecuted and have problems, because it is when I am weak that I am really strong.”
 
 
 

In the scriptures (2 Corinthians 12:8-10) Paul spoke of calling out to God to help him. Paul had enough of dealing with his problems for he was in his own ability and weariness was upon him.    He begged God that the whole issue would depart from him.    God’s response…

 

”My grace which is my favor, my lovingkindness, and my mercy are all that you need.   My grace is sufficient against any danger and it enables you to bear this trouble manfully. My strength and power are made perfect and show themselves MOST effective in your weakness.”

 
Paul’s heart was totally toward God and his eyes were opened.   He saw that it was only God’s strength that he needed to arise and be more than a conqueror in his situation.   Even though he was weak, the revelation came to him through this experience that in his weakness, God was able to show Himself strong and mighty.   One translation of this portion of scripture implies to allow God’s grace to rest as a tent pitched upon us. What an awesome way of looking at dwelling and drawing upon His wonderful grace.
 
In another translation Paul  said, “when I am weak in my own human strength, then I am truly strong, able and powerful in God’s strength.” Paul saw that God’s grace was all that he needed. He saw that it was sufficient. God’s grace is adequate for any purpose and it is always more than enough. 
 
Today we ask you Lord to reveal to us areas in which we still try to live in our own strength and abilities.  Cause us to see your grace and strength in everything we do no matter how big or small the task or situation  may be.  We praise you for Your abundant grace that You have made available for us to draw upon.  You are so good to us Lord!
 


Saturday, August 5, 2017

 
 
 
 
Devotional for Saturday, August 5, 2017
“For Such a Time As This !”
 
for such a time as this
 
by Dona Hake

Oh the magnificence of our loving God as He created the heavens and the earth!   Today we are looking at His work of creation and how  He separated the light from the dark. As we live our lives as victorious believers we too must keep our hearts, soul, and mind FULL of His powerful light and be separate from the ways of this world which is darkness.

 
 
 We are living in a time where spiritual darkness is continually gaining momentum, and we MUST see that we are guarding our hearts with all diligence.    The enemy seeks WHOM he may devour, and he would love to pull our hearts and minds into a place that we are not abiding in our Lord’s light. My heart is extremely grieved to see when believers refuse to acknowledge this.   My friends let us not try to live in a comfort zone for we will ultimately find ourselves in trouble in spirit.  We need to be cautious that we are not seeking the things of this world but our affections must be on things that are above.
 
 
The Lord desires that we continue to walk in the light of His Word  in the midst of the devil trying to pull people from knowing and loving God.   As we do this the greater works that Jesus said we would do is going to happen.   Wonderful things are going to transpire in Spirit like never before.   Even though sin may be abounding, His grace will abound even more!   In order for God to sweep this earth and bring many to Him, we MUST remain strong, upright and diligent to walk in His truth.  Let us abide in the light of His Word!
 
Psalm 112:4 The Voice
“When life is dark, a light will
shine for those who live rightly— those
who are merciful, compassionate, and strive for justice.”
 
As we determine ourselves to abide in His Word and proclaim it, HE HAS PROMISED that light will shine for us in the midst of darkness. Let our hearts be strengthened in knowing that we do not have  to be afraid for such a time as this we are here!   Jesus addressed fear in the book of Matthew and we need to refer to this scripture today in light of what I am sharing:
 
Matthew 24:5-7 Amplified Bible

 “For many will come in (on the strength of)
My name appropriating the
name which belongs to Me, saying,
I am the Christ (the Messiah), and they will
lead many astray. And you will hear
of wars and rumors of wars; see that you
are not frightened or troubled,
for this must take place, but the end is not
yet. For nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom, and there
will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;”
 
My friends I encourage you that you do not let your heart be troubled.   Cling to the peace of our Lord!  God is calling us in such a time as this to be beacons of light to a world that is looking for answers to their fears, and they are yearning for  the hope that we can bring to them for such a time as this!


Friday, August 4, 2017

 
 
 
 
 
Devotional for Friday, August 4, 2017
“He Will Clear the Road For You To Follow”
 
with all your heart
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
Proverbs 3:5-6
Contemporary English Version

 

“With all your heart
you must trust the Lord
and not your own judgment.
Always let him lead you,
and he will clear the road
for you to follow.”
 
 
I can remember a few years ago when I had taken my Granddaughters home after watching them all day.    It was an evening of very slow traffic due to freshly fallen snow.   I made a decision to go a certain way home because I thought it was the safest, and it ended up adding an hour onto my travel time.  Upon turning onto the main road I found  the road was blocked due to an accident and they were detouring all cars.   The problem for me was they were directing me onto a road I had never been on before.  It was dark, and visibility was bad which made matters worst.   I had absolutely no clue where I was, and became a bit nervous about it.   Since I did not even know the street I was on, I could not even program anything into my GPS.    I remembered that there was a compass on my iPhone and that was the best thing for me at that point.    I could at least see I was heading in the right direction, and that is all I needed, and I eventually got back on track.
 
 
 
In my time of having no clue of what to do, I had peace in knowing that at least I was going the right direction.  So it is in this life when we are in those places where everything seems new, strange, or confusing.   Fear can so easily grip our hearts when we feel we do not even know where we are, and what we are to do.   We just need to get our direction back, and allow the peace of the Lord to minister to our hearts so that we can be guided by His divine direction.
 
 
 
I love the translation of this scripture that I am sharing with you today.   Our judgements can seem so right at times but we cannot put our trust in our own judgements, our trust must be in the Lord.  Praise God that He is well able to clear the road ahead of us, and we can begin to see clearly again and make some sense out of things, and go in His divine direction.   
 
 
 
 
Lord, help us this day to lean upon you in the smallest of matters for all things that concern us really do matter to You.   We thank you for your divine direction and provision as we walk beside You this day.  In Jesus Name!
 


Thursday, August 3, 2017

 

 

 

Devotional for Thursday, August 3, 2017
“Don’t Look Back!”

 

Dont look back

by Dona Hake

 I am sharing a testimony I remember hearing a few years ago  on a Christian radio station.   This young man was sharing his heart, and making emphasis on the power of keeping his  heart and eyes set on what God had set before him.  He also was declaring the importance of understanding how our past can affect us if we do not deal with it properly.  He spoke the following  words, and I spoke the words over and over in my mind till I could jot them down on paper.   I love to write things down that minister to my heart like this.  He said…

 

”The past is not really the past if

it is impacting your present.”

 

I thought these were powerful words to ponder.  Of course we understand that what happened twenty years ago or even yesterday is over and done with.  What we need to understand though is  if we dwell on any negatives of our past,  and allow them to hinder us in the present they will have power over us.   They will  affect our life in a very negative way.    Sometimes it is hard to fathom how much our past can torment us.  Memories can serve to torment us IF we allow them to do so.

 

Paul wrote in the Corinthians and he exclaimed that those in Christ are more than conquerors, and  in Philippians he spoke of the “race” in this life.   He declared the importance of staying  focused, strong, and purposed to continue in momentum, and he still did not consider himself a winner.

 

Philippians 3:13 God’s Word Translation

“Brothers and sisters,

I can’t consider myself a winner yet.

This is what I do:

I don’t look back,

I lengthen my stride,

and I run straight toward the goal

to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.

Whoever has a mature faith should think this way.

And if you think differently, God will show

you how to think. However, we should be

guided by what we have learned so far.”

 

Paul was proclaiming that until he crosses the finish line he needed to run with the good mental and spiritual habits of a conqueror.   He proclaimed that he was not going to look back, and he was determined to run straight toward the goal.   The heart of a conqueror does not look back.  He spoke of lengthening his stride or running a steady pace or course.  We must continually keep in front of us all of our goals both spiritual and personal, and run toward them with all of our hearts and strength that comes only from God!  
 
Lord, we ask that your Holy Spirit remind us that our past is over, and You give us the power to overcome tormenting thoughts as a result of bad experiences that we have walked through.   We desire to run straight toward the goal You have spoken to us.   Show us how to think when we get off course, and guide us by the understanding in our hearts.  We rejoice in You as we walk in Your perfect will for our life.  In Jesus Name, Amen!

 



Monday, July 31, 2017

 

 

 

Devotional for Monday, July 31, 2017
“Possessing the Pure Heart”
 

love covers sins

 

by Dona Hake

 

I can remember like yesterday when I would go to Sunday School.   I had a teacher that loved Jesus so much, and her passion was to share it with children.    I will never forget her beautiful red hair and kind eyes.   One Sunday our lesson was about how Jesus took our sins away by the power of His blood.     She stood in front us with her flannel board, and on the flannel board was a heart with black spots on it, and then there was a pure white heart beside of it.    Such a striking contrast…one heart bound up and the other was free.   All I can remember as a little girl was that I wanted the pure white heart. I wanted to be free, and I wanted no parts of black spots on my heart.   I wanted to understand how to keep my heart clean.

 

Thank God through His forgiveness, we can experience the pure white heart.  Along with forgiveness that keeps us free He desires to shed His unconditional love upon our hearts that we be merciful to those around us.

 Today I am encouraging you to desire a pure heart as you walk with Him.     His forgiveness is always there for us to partake of.   Nothing can stand in our way of possessing a heart that is pure before Him.  

Let us also look to Him to help us to be merciful and forgiving.  God’s love is so powerful and it can help us forgive wrongs done against us.  

 

1 Corinthians 13:5 (ERV)
Love does not remember wrongs done against it.”
 

Do not permit the enemy to convince you that it is okay to keep an account of wrongs done against you.   Unforgiveness is the enemy to our soul being free.  Let us enjoy the freedom that forgiveness brings to our hearts!  Today I leave you with this wonderful anonymous quote:

 

“Every person should have a special cemetery lot

in which to bury the faults of friends and loved ones.

To forgive is to set a prisoner free

and discover the prisoner was you”

(Unknown)

 


Saturday, July 29, 2017

 
 
Devotional for Saturday, July 29, 2017
“…and He said, Peace Be Still”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mark 4:38-40 Expanded Bible
“Jesus was at the ·back of the boat [stern],
sleeping on a cushion. ·His followers woke
him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that
we are ·drowning [perishing]?”
Jesus stood up and ·commanded
[reprimanded; rebuked] the wind and
said to the ·waves [sea], “·Quiet! [ Peace!]
Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and it
became completely calm.
Jesus said to ·his followers, “Why are you afraid?
Do you still have no faith?”
 
In light of this portion of scripture I want to share one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors Francois De Fenelon…
 
 
“A word from the Lord stilled the raging sea and
a glance from Him to you, and from you to Him,
will do the same for you.”
 
Many times in the midst of turmoil in my life this scripture and quote have helped me, and my soul has been quieted and comforted by it. Permit the Lord of all peace to stand up and quiet the stormy sea that you may be facing. This IS the peace that passeth ALL understanding!



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!