Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

Friday, November 23, 2018

Posted on Nov 23, 2018 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, November 23, 2018

“HIS WORD NEVER CHANGES”

by Dona Hake

God’s Word is true, and He is faithful to it. He promises that He will stand behind it, and He will never change or waver. Even as our Lord promises His faithfulness to His Word, there are those that seek to figure their problems out in their own ability. They have come to trust themselves rather than God for life’s answers.

God Word is a powerful seed! We need to plant it, and permit it to flourish within us that we will be thriving in the blessings He has intended for us. His Word will not lose its potency due to time or the increasing knowledge this world has to offer as a solution to our problems.

I recently read where this individual watched a documentary on Egypt. It showed how wheat seed was found in pyramids. These seeds were dated to approximately 2,500 BC. It was amazing to hear that when the seeds were planted in fertile soil, the 4,500 year old seeds grew! And so it is with the Word of our Lord…how awesome it is to know that God’s Word does not lose its potency overtime but He continues to powerfully reproduce His kingdom in the lives of those who purpose to sow it. I encourage you today to purpose to diligently sow God’s Word within your heart that it may grow and flourish in your life and keep you standing strong in Jesus Name!

Friday, November 10,, 2017

Posted on Nov 9, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, November 10, 2017

“Perseverance’s Power”

by Dona Hake

“Let us run with endurance the race that

is set before us, looking onto Jesus, the

author and finisher of our faith, who for

the joy that was set before him endured

the cross, despising the shame, and has

sat down at the right hand of the

throne of God.“

Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV

We all face our fair share of road blocks and stumbling blocks in our life. Such blocks cause us to stop and make a decision. Will it be courage or discouragement? Will it be patience for impatience? Will it be strength or will it be weariness? My friends, we must purpose to persevere for our Lord Jesus Christ has set before us an example to live by. He is the ultimate example of perseverance and attaining any goal that we have.

Father God, we thank you this day for Your Son Jesus. We thank you for how He has taught us to persevere, and how to live for He persevered and He is the author and finisher of our faith. He set the joy before Him, and endured in the Cross, He despised the shame, and He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. May we also run with that same endurance the race You have set before us, as we persevere drawing upon Your grace, and Your strength. In Jesus name amen.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Posted on Nov 8, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, November 8, 2017

“Calming An Anxious Heart”

by Dona Hake

Today I desire for you to ponder the precious quietness that our Lord desires for you to have in your soul. Oh how easily the cares of this world and troubles can become so noisy. The more the thoughts and distractions are permitted to remain in our minds, the more unruly they get. This noise comes and robs us of the precious peace that God desires that we guard and hold fast to.

PSALM 42:5 KJ21

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

And why art thou disquieted within me?

Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise

Him for the help of His countenance.”

Ecclesiastes 4:6

“Better is an handful with quietness,

than both the hands full with

travail and vexation of spirit.”

Lord, we ask You this day to help us by the power of Your Holy Spirit to remain in that place of quietness. We thank You that this place of quietness is in Your presence, and in Your presence is fullness of joy, and all the provision that we need. May we promptly take authority over anything that is trying to rob our hearts of Your peace. Help us to be discerning over the things that cause our souls to be disquieted. Lord, Remind us to draw upon Your strength and grace for all that we need. You are our hope, and we praise You this day for the help of Your countenance. In Jesus Name, amen!

Monday, November 6, 2017

Posted on Nov 7, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, November 7, 2017

“The Secret To Reaping”

by Dona Hake

Galatians 6:9 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

“And let us not lose heart and grow weary

and faint in acting nobly and doing right,

for in due time and at the appointed season

we shall reap, if we do not loosen and

relax our courage and faint.”

I shared with you a few days ago that to everything there is a season. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Today we meditate upon the season of reaping. This is the due time or appointed season of seeing reward and blessing for that which we have put our hearts and hands to as we sow to the Spirit. This “appointed season” is be at different times than the seasons we experience on this earth such as winter, spring, summer or fall. The seasons in which the weather changes is somewhat predictable, and we kind of know when to expect seasons to come and change. The seasons with God are different for sometimes we can see change is coming, and sometimes change happens without warning. No matter what, our Lord promises that if we sow to the Spirit there will reap reward, IF we do not lose heart and grow weary.

Each of us will experience that “appointed season” at the time in which the Lord says it is time to reap. Let us hold fast to the secret of reaping in that appointed season. It is all contained in this precious scripture in Galatians.

Lord help us to stay strong as we sow to the Spirit. Let us not grow in weariness as we act nobly and purpose to do the right thing. May our courage not relax, and may be resist anything that would keep us from crossing the finish line. God has promised to be with us my friends, and in Him we are more than conquerors!

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Posted on Nov 4, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Saturday, November 4, 2017

“Realizing the Brevity of Life”

by Dona Hake

Teach us to realize the brevity of life,

so that we may grow in wisdom.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭90:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As I meditate upon this scripture my heart is drawn to wanting more and more of God’s wisdom for I need it to live victoriously in this life. Oh that we would come to deeper understanding of the brevity of this life. May we seek to know and care about what really matters, and set our priorities in line with His will.

Lord, today we ponder how this life is as a vapor, and time passes so quickly. We desire to make the most of our time so we ask you to help us to see the time and energy wasters that are in our life that we may gain better insight into Your wisdom and understanding. Cause us to be reminded that reverencing You is the beginning of all wisdom and good understanding. In Jesus Name, amen.

The [reverent] fear of the Lord is the

beginning (the prerequisite, the absolute

essential, the alphabet) of wisdom; A

good understanding and a teachable heart

are possessed by all those who do the

will of the L ord; His praise endures forever.

Psalm 111:10

Friday, November 3, 2017

Posted on Nov 3, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Friday, November 3, 2017

“What Season Are You In?”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 Amplified Bible

“There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and

a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—

There are so many beautiful colors this time of the year! It is truly my favorite time but it seems to be such a short season. For days I have been raking up beautiful leaves of all colors enjoying the sunshine and smells of Fall. Some seasons I wish would be longer and some I wish would not end. We all have our favorite things, times and seasons, but the reality is that things change and seasons of life come and go.

Today I am thinking about always walking in the timing of my Lord, and moving from one season of my life into another. May we walk close beside Him drawing upon His wisdom for the moment we are in. May we seek His voice in every matter that we face, and not be moved by the anxious voices within us when we are troubled.

I encourage you this day to think about the season you are in. Where has the Lord brought you from? Where are you going as you walk with Him? Today I ask you to ask yourself, “What season am I in?” Let us know that we are not trying to hold on to a season in which the Lord has declared is over. Let us move forward and rejoice in every season the Lord has prepared for us. Rejoice in the Lord at all times. Be at peace in those seasons in which He speaks for you to stand still. Draw on His courage and strength in those seasons in which He speaks to go forward for He promises to give you all that you need. God is good.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Posted on Jun 7, 2017 in Uncategorized |

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Posted on Jun 7, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Wednesday, June 7, 2017

“God Is Completing His Work In You!”

by Dona Hake

Yesterday I shared with you a devotional on “The Virtue of Patience”. This is a fruit of the Spirit that is a powerful one to possess. It is so vital that we continue to walk patiently with those we live with and work with. There is also the whole realm of patiently waiting for circumstances to change in our life, but how many times do we think about being patient with ourselves? I am sharing a quote today that I found interesting…

“I’ve never met a man who has given me as

much trouble as myself.”

Interesting isn’t it? As we pursue to grow in God’s love and in His Word sometimes we focus too much on what we are NOT rather that how far He has brought us. With any work that needs done in us there needs to be a time of waiting for His loving hand to work, and mold us with His loving hands. I guess there are all times we wished He would work a bit faster, but His wisdom encompasses more than we will ever understand. As He works, He promises that the transformation will indeed happen, but remember sometimes we can tend to be impatient in that which we have to wait for.

Be encouraged today that as you are applying yourself to do that which is right and good in His sight that His loving hand is at work in you. Guard yourself from focusing on your weaknesses but rather the gifts, the strengths and abilities He has blessed you with. As we keep our hearts humble and open to Him, He will be faithful to show us the areas in which we need to give attention. He leads and guides us into ALL truth in every area of our lives! God bless you.

Philippians 1:6 Amplified Version

“I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].”

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Posted on Jun 6, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Tuesday, June 6, 2017

“The Virtue of Patience”

by Dona Hake

I think children really have a tough time being patient with waiting especially for special events. I can remember our youngest son when he was little, and in the midst of his impatience, I would say, “You must be patient for patience is a virtue!” Kids always respond to statements like this with that “ugh” look on their face. Even though my son was just learning to pronounce certain words, he would try his best. One day he had an opportunity to determine himself to be patient, and I overheard him saying…”Patience will hurt you!” I quickly said, “Oh my! that’s not true. Patience is a good thing.” He said, “But Mommy, you said patience will hurt you!” I had to giggle for he was hearing the word virtue to be hurt you!

Little memories like this are fun but interesting enough it seems that sometimes people do look at patience as a painful thing rather than a time of good waiting and growth in the soul! When I see people exhibit patience in trying and tough situations it always strikes me as such a wonderful strength. Sometimes it seems that there are those that are just strong in their patience because it is part of their makeup and personality. Know this though…we all have our limits in how much we can take. Only the patience that comes from above and developed within our soul is the patience that will help us forbear tough situations.

Proverbs 19:11 (ERV)

“Experience makes you more patient, and you

are most patient when you ignore insults.”

I especially like this translation of Proverbs 19:11 because I think the more we go on in life and we walk through experiences we begin to understand things more deeply. In any trying situation IF we allow the Lord to teach we, we will walk away with more wisdom under our belt. I leave you with this scripture to meditate upon, and you think upon His patience developing in you!

Proverbs 19:11 (MSG)

“Smart people know how to hold their tongue;

their grandeur is to forgive and forget.”

Monday, June 5, 2017

Posted on Jun 5, 2017 in Devotions |

Devotional for Monday, June 5, 2017

“My Help Comes From the Lord!”

by Dona Hake

“My help comes from the Lord,

the Creator of heaven and earth!”

Psalm 121:2 New English Translation

I look at all the beautiful things around me, and daily I praise Him for His wonderful and beautiful works. We serve a breathtaking and amazing God. Now let us meditate upon how the Creator of Heaven and Earth sent His Son to die that we might be set free. Our Lord has promised to never leave us, and He desires that we call upon Him for the help we need. Our help that we need should always come the Creator of heaven and earth.

I think about how Jesus has promised to stay by our sides and be our help. The question I am pondering now as I write this is do I only ask Him to be my helper in the difficult and impossible things. I can only imagine that our God really wants to help us more than we would ever realize at times no matter how big or small our needs are. When someone offers to help you they are desiring to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need. Face it…all too often we really do not know what to do or which way to turn and God, and the maker of heaven and earth knows exactly how to handle our problems along with the simplest of matters. I love seeking His wisdom in ordinary things! His loving hand can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary!

Lord, today we ask invite You to be our Helper in all that we put our hand to. We thank You for Your great wisdom and direction, and submit to Your will and Your ways. In Jesus Name, amen.