Posted on Aug 10, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
NOTHING can separate us. He is NEVER distant, and He will NEVER leave or forsake us. We just need to believe this at all times. Whether things are going great or it seems like everything is going wrong…NOTHING can separate us from Him and His love when we know Him personally.
Romans 8:39 ERV
“….nothing in the whole created world—
will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown
us in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Our lives are full of things. We purpose to set time aside to eat, sleep, work and play. Let us be ever so diligent to carve out moments during the day and dedicate them to sit in His presence and acknowledge Him. Talk with Him about how you feel and what you fear. Ask Him about everything that concerns you. He is bound to you by His love! Do not go by feelings and do not go by what you see. He is ALWAYS with you and nothing can separate you from Him. Praise Him because of His inseparable love for you!!
~~~~~♥~~~~~
Posted on Aug 9, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I have been thinking a lot lately about how bad it is to worry and carry care. We can get so used of thinking that worrying is just something you should do. I can remember my Dad saying “I gotta have something to worry about or I won’t know what to do with myself.” I am not trying to fault anyone, but seriously I grew up thinking you had to worry or it was not normal. This has also brought me to meditate upon the importance of refraining from thinking about things that do not matter or things that are not for me to be thinking about. The Word of God tells us to lay aside every weight that would hinder us and it is vital that we constantly evaluate how much weight we carry because of our own lack of discipline of our thought realm.
Psalm 131
Song of Quiet Trust
“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvellous for me.”
The image I choose today to apply my scripture to ministered to my heart relative to my cares and His care for me. This image reminds me that Jesus cared and loved me so much that He went to the cross. He paid for it all and that includes the fact that He purchased my peace and wholeness of mind. For this reason I must be diligent to guard my mind and cherish the peace He died to give me.
He loves each of us affectionately and desires to carry every care that we have. We were not designed to carry burden and worry. Today, I encourage you to lay it all down before Him and look up to Him and let these nail prints remind you of how much He loves you.
1 Peter 5:7
Amplified Bible (AMP)
“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”
~~~~~♥~~~~~
Posted on Aug 8, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I am sure that you can think of times in your life that your gave and gave of yourself because you knew it was what God had instructed you to do. In your obedience you experienced strength from above, and it seemed to carry you as gave your best efforts. There may also be times that a weariness may have set in on your heart and mind and ultimately your body grew tired and your mind became weary. In times like these we may question whether we should even be giving of ourselves, and it can be frustrating. Whenever we give of ourselves we must be sensitive to when the Lord is telling us that we have completed our part of the task and it is time for someone else to step in. Whatever we put our hand to is a blessing and a very special part of the whole plan of God. Let us never underestimate our obedience, for God will bless our efforts that we are assigned to and use it for His purposes.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7
“I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow .”
Now let us look at times when weariness began to become a part of the equation if we did not exercise patience and keep persevering. Godly patience and perseverance can have an awesome effect on our heart and mind. It will cause us to rise up and press in with fresh and renewed strength. It will bring determination to our heart, and the obstacles that serve to cause weariness will lose their strength and ability to cause weariness. I loved this quote and it fits well with what I am sharing.
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect
before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
John Quincy Adams
God has called us to be overcomers, and we must remind ourselves that if He called us to a task, He will equip us to do it. We must make the decision that weariness will not rob us from doing the good thing He has asked us to do. If we just persist, our work will bear great fruit for His kingdom. Praise Him for that great harvest He is working through us as we patiently persevere in Him !
Galatians 6:9 (VOICE)
“May we never tire of doing what is good and right before our Lord because in
His season we shall bring in a great harvest if we can just persist.”
Posted on Aug 7, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I came across this prayer one day and I absolutely love it. I love how it is worded because it causes me to think about my need for His help as I meet my day. When we humbly ask for His help we are asking Him to provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need. I don’t know about you but each day I awaken I am thinking about all that needs accomplished so I try to stay mindful that He desires to have His hand in all that I put my hand to!
“Lord, Help me to live this day quietly and easily,
To lean upon Thy great strength trustfully and restfully,
To wait for the unfolding of thy will patiently and serenely,
To meet others peacefully, and joyfully,
And to face tomorrow confidently and courageously.”
Anonymous
The beginning of the prayer is asking the Lord for help to live the day quietly and easily. I loved this. I do not see this as a request for a day of ease but rather that my heart would remain quiet in the midst of any confusion or difficulties that may be encountered. Oh that we would be mindful that when we are tired during the day that He desires that we stop, lean, and rest in His strong arms.
This prayer beautifully addresses how we view His perfect will for us. Can you think of times where impatience has tried to rob you from God’s plan ? Let these words minister to your heart then…”Lord, help me to wait for the unfolding of thy will patiently and serenely.”
How powerful this simple prayer is yet it will help you see your tomorrow with confidence and courage rather than dread and fear. Remember to simply pray and pray simply. God bless you!
Psalm 121:2 (VOICE)
“The Eternal Creator of heaven and earth and these mountains
will send the help I need.”
~~~~~♥~~~~~
Posted on Aug 6, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I thank God that He sent Jesus! When Jesus came as a gift to us, He brought life giving light with Him. I can remember all too well the darkness and hopelessness of my life before the light of Jesus came in and illuminated my path. Even after we know Him, situations we face can bring times in which we cannot see which way to go. Our decision making may seem foggy and we are confused. Praise God, His light gives the light we need! 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. Sometimes we just need fresh perspective on how we are seeing things.
Have you ever tried to read the teeny tiny print on a medicine bottle, and it almost seems impossible? I always think, “Why do they make this so very hard to see?” ,Yet if I move into some really great light, it is all so much better. Sometimes we just need to re-position ourselves and get into better “light”. When things seem hard to understand we need to ask God to shine His light upon the situation. We need to seek Him for the “position” He desires for us that we may see things as He sees them. As we do this we will immediately receive a godly perspective. All of a sudden you see the wisdom that we need and it is as if our path was not as dark and crooked as it appeared. God is light, pure light and there is absolutely NO trace of darkness in Him!
Psalm 36:9 (CEV)
“The life-giving fountain
belongs to you,
and your light gives light
to each of us.”
~~~~~♥~~~~~~
Posted on Aug 5, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I love this visual of hope being the door that stands open before us. Because the door is open, you are able to see what is on the other side. You see, when you embrace the hope that God gives, there will always be a place to stand, and in His timing the door will open or that which you are believing for will come to pass.
As we stay quiet and humble before Him, He will be faithful to bring hope to any situation and your soul will be at rest. Faith is the evidence of that which is hoped for. Again, I like this image because there are the times of waiting and standing in faith. Hope will always cause you to see open doors, finish lines, and shouts of victory! Hope will always show you how to see things that be not as though they were. It will keep your heart as you wait for something to come to pass. What a wonderful thing it is to possess hope, and be at rest in our souls. This only happens in God alone. Thank you Lord for the hope you have brought to us through your son Jesus Christ!
Psalm 62:5 (AMP)
“My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him;
for my hope and expectation are from Him.”
~~~~~♥~~~~~
Posted on Aug 4, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Corrie ten Boom profoundly put it this way…
“It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability, that counts.”
Many times we are faced with things that God has asked us to do and we can discourage ourselves because we tend to try to accomplish them our own ability. We feel deep down we are to do something yet there may be times in which we lack the confidence we need because we are so focused on our inability or where we are lacking.
Philippians 4:13 (AMP)“I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].”
Today I encourage you to look up and draw from Him. Draw upon heavenly possibilities and God making you able through Him. If you are dealing with something that seems too big for you, set aside your thoughts and plans. Ask Him to infuse you with His strength and His thoughts on the matter. The Lord loves when we do things with our whole heart and soul yet we need to keep check that we are NOT drawing upon our own wisdom or how others say it is to be done. Remember, it is not your ability but responding to His ability!
~~~~~~♥~~~~~
Posted on Aug 3, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Our yesterdays may have some wonderful and sweet memories. I know I have precious memories in my life yet there are some yesterdays that I would not want to walk through again. When certain yesterdays are with painful moments , hurt, and mistakes… only the Lord can heal our hearts and minds.
Many times our issue lies within our own hearts. We cannot go forward until we ask God to forgive others of hurts done to us. Yet, there are those times that you may have messed up and you have ask God to forgive you but you seem unable to forgive yourself. This is what Paul said about his weakness.
Philippians 3:13 (ERV)
“…I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me.”
It is always important that you have goals before you. If you have nothing to keep moving towards, you will surely become stagnant and be tempted to live in the past. Really, this is what the devil wants. It is in this stagnant place that he knows you are no threat to him.
Look to God today to face your days ahead. If you have messed up, know that there is nothing too big for God for with Him there is nothing impossible. The God of heaven and earth desires to bring forgiveness to you and He can enable you to forgive yourself. He will be faithful to come along side of you and help you. The God of all love, peace and comfort is so good.
Posted on Aug 2, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
I was on my way to my son’s home and my granddaughters were in the back seat singing along to a fun music CD I have. Traffic was heavier than usual but it seemed to be moving along relatively well. With absolutely no warning an oncoming vehicle decided to do a u-turn in the steady stream of traffic that I was in, and he cut right in front of me. He ended up not being able to manage the turn and he hit the curb. He was literally sideways in the traffic blocking both lanes. I was heading straight for him and I slammed on my break to avoid broadsiding him. There was no warning to the car behind me and this gentleman almost crashed into me because of the abrupt stop that I had to make. All I can remember seeing as I looked in my rear view mirror was a car swerving left to right and I could hear his brakes squealing loudly. It was like everything went into slow motion, and I have got to be honest, I thought most certain there was going to be impact with our vehicles…but it was not. My oldest granddaughter inquired immediately ask what was going on especially when she heard me lay on the horn. I said, “Marissa, the Lord just protected us from a very bad accident.”
This incident served to remind me to be ever so mindful of trusting the Lord for His protection no matter what or where you are going. Things can simply happen so fast that you have not even a second to do anything. As we drove away from what could have been a bad accident I exclaimed, “Oh thank you Jesus for protecting us!”
Even though we were safe, I was extremely shaken up. Can I be honest with you? When the reality of the thing that almost happened hit me my thoughts went to a bad place. As I continued to drive I began to dwell on “what if this would of happened?” thoughts. Those thoughts went on because I allowed them to and there was even a point I felt paranoid while driving home. I realized I had to get a grip on my mind and discipline my thoughts about the whole thing. From that moment on I purposed to be thankful for the protection as we were under the shadow of His wings.
Sometimes we just have to command our thoughts and fears to be still and look to the Lord for His peace, and remind ourselves of His angels that surrounds us. Oh how I am so grateful for His lovingkindness and His desire to intervene in my life in moments like this. God is good!!! Today I am praising Him for His loving and caring hand in my granddaughters and my life that day.
~~~~~♥~~~~~
Posted on Aug 1, 2014 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Today I am thinking about the loving hand of my Heavenly Father, and how He is the best planner of all! He knew me before I was even formed in the womb of my mother. He knows all the days of my life and He has a specific plan for me. He has a specific and special plan for you as well. The plan He has for us is a bigger picture than we can ever dream up. As we put our life into His hands, He will continue to mold and make us according to His purposes.
I can remember laying on my bed at night as a teenager, and even before I knew Him I would ask Him “Lord, There has to be more to this life than this, isn’t it??” I can remember praying that for close to two years before I ask Him into my heart. The day I became a Christian I began to comprehend the bondage that I lived in. It was like all these “lights” went on in my heart and mind, and it all became very clear. All the bad things that I thought I was destined to live with dropped off of me like heavy weights.
Psalm 138:8 (NLV)
The Lord will finish the work He started for me. O Lord, Your loving-kindness lasts forever.
God knew from the day I was born when I would start asking Him questions. He saw my life from start to finish and I rejoice in my heart that He knows all the days that are before me. God will always see the bigger picture! I am comforted to know that He will always be with me to grant me grace to live each day. He will hear my prayers and He promises to to help me. He is the faithful one that will complete the work He started in me, and all that concerneth me, He will perfect!
Ephesians 1:11 (TLB)
” Moreover, because of what Christ has done, we have become gifts to God that he delights in, for as part of God’s sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning to be his, and all things happen just as he decided long ago.”
