The Abundant Life Center

by Dona Hake

Yesterday  when I created the devotional I honestly was so tired I could not even get my thoughts together.  The evening before I was so exhausted.  I went to leave our German Shepherd, Aasha out in the backyard and lo and behold all her keen senses kicked in and she was on pursuit of something she should have left alone.  She dove head first into some bushes on our property and I heard her do a weird sound.  I was holding my breath hoping she did not catch a rabbit.  She ran toward me and sure enough she smelled like a skunk.  I mean she SMELLED like a skunk.  

My husband and I moved quickly and I created a solution and applied it and also used a skunk odor remover on her.  At the end of the day our puppy smelled okay but our house still has the smell of skunk.  It is  a constant reminder of the whole ordeal.  None of us slept real well so my thoughts were scattered as I tried to create yesterday’s devotional.  

We all will face those days in which there are demands on our “plate” and it seems as if the strength or inspiration that we need is not there.  In the midst of my being tired and lacking focus, God was faithful to minister to me in a fresh way.    I began to read this scripture from Psalm 37:7

“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him…”

Did you ever read a scripture over and over and all of a sudden you read it on a different day as you face a different situation and God has  met your spirit with a fresh touch like you have never experienced.  This caused me to meditate on how God meets us each day with the “daily bread” that we need.  I realized that in my being tired and a bit weary that I needed to stop and just lean against Him and receive His strength.  He is our Shepherd and even in the midst of exhaustion and need, WE SHALL NOT WANT!  I began to ponder the scripture from  Hebrews 4:12 (ERV)

“God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than the sharpest sword and cuts all the way into us. It cuts deep to the place where the soul and the spirit are joined. God’s word cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. It judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts.”

Today I encourage you to allow Him to meet you with the “fresh bread” of His Word as you read it.  His Word is fresh and alive! Whatever it is that you need He is well able to minister to you.   His Word is able to cut deep into our souls and help us judge our thoughts and feelings.   Today, even in the midst of exhaustion I was able to see my God in a deeper way.  I hope you can do the same!

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by Dona Hake

Proverbs 3:5 (AMP)
“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart

and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.”

Some days it can be tempting to just see things as you are perceiving them to be.  We can tend to view things from the “glasses” of our formed opinions and thoughts and we can fall short of seeing things as God sees them.  If we are leaning on our own understanding we are seeing things  as we have concluded them to be.  We need to remember that God is always seeing the bigger picture and He sees how all is working together for the good if we trust in Him.

Now if we are leaning on God and trusting in Him,  it is truly a wonderful thing.  Leaning upon God will bring rest to our souls.   Sometimes in the midst of life’s hard blows it can cause us to be weary and tired.  I was so blessed as I read the following scripture this morning.

Psalm 37:7
Amplified Bible

“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him…”

Have you ever been so tired and you stopped to just lean against something, and once you felt strength to go again you then proceeded.   The psalmist was encouraging the reader to stop and lean on God and do it with patience.  Wow!!!  There’s that word *patience* again!…it seems like I am constantly reminding my little granddaughters of what this word means.  To be patient is to wait with a happy heart!   Today I encourage you that if you are needing rest and refreshment in your soul to STOP, BE STILL, AND PATIENTLY LEAN YOURSELF UPON HIM!  Wait patiently and as you do so, expect for Him to refresh you and cause new strength to rise up from within you.  God is good!

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by Dona Hake

What a precious and comforting fact it is to know that if you belong to Jesus that your life is in His hands. I pray that this image will give you a visual of His mighty hand upholding you.  His  loving hand is there to lift you up when you are down, His hand lovingly guides us when we do not know where to go.  The same hand that guides us is there to stop us and keep us from making mistakes that would cause us pain.  Oh that we heed to His hand as we sense it moving in our life. Let us also be reminded of His loving hands when we are down and tempted to be frustrated and think we are going to give up.

Psalm 37:24 Amplified Bible

“Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down,

for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.”

There are a handful of Psalms where David used the term “cast down.” This is a term used for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself. I want to make emphasis on *it cannot get up again by itself.   There will be times in our lives in which we know that we cannot get back up by ourselves.   His mighty hand must intervene and there is no other way out.  

A “cast” sheep is a sad sight. It lays on its back, and as its feet are in the air, it struggles frantically to get back up again. Sometimes it will make little bleating cries for help and just lays there frustrated. If the shepherd does not arrive on time, the sheep will die. Since a sheep that is cast is in such a helpless state, it is also vulnerable to attack by predators.  I shared yesterday that the devil seeks ways to devour us.  He watches our weak spots and when we are  down he knows we are also vulnerable.

I think think this scripture and thought regarding a “cast” sheep can serve to help us realize how vital it is to call upon His Name when we are down.  We absolutely cannot give up even if we feel like it.  To give up is denying the power of all that has been invested in the wonderful Name of Jesus.  He is well able to stand you back up, support you, and cause you to walk again!

by Dona Hake

Hebrews 12:1-2
The Voice (VOICE)
“…let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us.

We may feel alone, but we aren’t. We are surrounded by an army of witnesses. They have run the race of faith and finished well. It is now our turn.

Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor.

What does it take to run the race that God has set before us? This scripture in Hebrews makes it pretty plain. First, we must drop unnecessary weight or anything that is keeping us from moving forward. We all have things that are trying to weight us down and we as individuals need to recognize what it is. I can remember hearing ” 50% of a problem is solved just understanding what the problem is.” As we acknowledge what our weight is and humble ourselves to God and ask Him for help, He will surely help us. God loves to help us take off unnecessary “weight” and He has the perfect plan for you to lose that weight!

Secondly, we must stay focused. Anything that draws you away from keeping your eyes on a goal will be your hindrance. The devil understands our weaknesses and he knows how to distract us. He is crafty and understands how to throw us out of the game if we are not diligent to keep it right in our hearts and minds. He roams about like a roaring lion seeking ways to devour us. I love this quote I found relative to maintaining strong focus.

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.”
Henry Ford

Obstacles can serve to obstruct or hinder your progress or you can use it to make you a stronger person. It is all how you handle it as you see it approaching you. Today I encourage you to run the race in the strength of the Lord. Take these two tips from Hebrews 12, and you will run strong in this race that the Lord has put before you. *Drop unnecessary weight and stay focused on the finish line!!!

by Dona Hake

For the last two days I have shared about that which can proceed from our hearts.  Our hearts can be saturated with the life giving qualities that the Lord supplies us with.  He promises to fill us us as we look to Him as our source.  These things should be so dear to our hearts because our heart is the treasure box of the Lord.  He dwells within us if we know Him, and because of the He desires that we keep our hearts guarded with all vigilance.

Vigilance is one of those words you to not hear so much today.  It is the state of being extremely watchful over something.  We well know that the devil tries to be sly and trick us, therefore we must be watchful.  Today I am sharing a devotional that is an archived devotional from earlier in the year.  If flows perfectly with the thought of being watchful.

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It was a nightmare scenario that became all too real in West Virginia : a chemical seeped into the water supply and threatened to sicken hundreds of thousands of people. Officials found out about the spill when people started calling in complaints about a strong licorice-type smell in the air.

I found it interesting that this potentially harmful chemical seeping into the water had a sweet smell of licorice. Some said it smelled like cough syrup, and the smell puzzled them. I am sure they will figure out how this happened but what matters is that it rendered over 300,000 people no drinking, no bathing, and no cooking with the water. One chemical literally zapped the pureness of their water to poisonous and harmful, and brought a huge amount of people helpless without pure water.

God’s Word speaks to us through Proverbs 4:23 and warns us as well to be careful and be vigilant to watch over our hearts. This scripture warns us to guard the purity of your heart and all that flows from it. Our heart is as a wellspring from where all issues flow. A wellspring is a source or supply of anything, especially when considered inexhaustible.

Proverbs 4:23 (AMP)

“Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance

and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.”

Let us be careful to never leave down our guard over our hearts. There are so many “sweet smelling” temptations in this world that could taint and poison our hearts in which the life of God desires to flow. Oh that we will take it seriously to guard our hearts with all vigilance for this is where life begins and flows from.

by Dona Hake

Yesterday I shared about being saturated with the fullness of God.    In the midst of dry land, He promises to satisfy our every need.  He said we would be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring that never goes dry.”Today I want to share about God being our source of hope.  Sometimes in the midst of barren or difficult places, hope can seem impossible to our hearts.  As He is truly our source we will turn to Him and Him alone for all that we need.   He IS the stream that never runs dry and He promised to be a river of life within us.  One translation brings us Romans 15:13 like this:

“May God,

THE SOURCE OF ALL HOPE

fill you with joy and

peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow

with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Today let us think about Him being our hope.  People will say, “I hope everything works out for you.” or “I am hoping God does this or that…”  May I declare to you that God desires that you see Him as a sure and living hope. He can show Himself to you as that rock in  your dry place where hope and life-giving water gushes from.  What are you believing for today?  If you are praying about something that seems impossible, know that the God of hope will fill you with HIS joy and peace as you place your trust in Him.  Imagine yourself today saturated and overflowing all of God’s life.    Remember it is only as you draw upon Him that you will experience this!

by Dona Hake

Isaiah 58:11 (ERV)

“The Lord will always lead you and satisfy your needs in dry lands.

He will give strength to your bones.

You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring that never goes dry.”

There is such beauty in this scripture.  Just think about the times in which you feel as if life has made you feel like you are in a dry land and your bones are weary.  If you have lived on this earth for much time at all you well know and understand what I am referring to.  The trials and tests of this life can drain us but bless God!!!….He has promised we can remain as a garden that has plenty of water.  We can be as a spring that never runs dry!

As I was creating this devotional today I began to think about the word SATURATED.    The origin of the word *saturate* is  to be full or  well-fed.     One of it’s definitions is to soak, impregnate, or imbue thoroughly or completely.  I am thinking how one could saturate a sponge with water and just lay it down.  If one returns and squeezes it, the water will begin to fall.    That which was within the depths of the sponge is now seen through the pressure of the squeeze.

Today I encourage you to dwell upon the fact that the Lord desires to lead you and satisfy your needs if you are walking through “dry times.”  It is as life puts the squeeze on us that the Lord can release His living water from deep within our souls.    He has promised to us that He would give us a river that was incapable of running dry.  I would like you to also see yourself as a refreshment to those around you that may be walking through times of need and weariness.  Let us be used as a blessing of the Lord where ever we can!

by Dona Hake

Sometimes it really is the little things that may count to be something really big in another’s life. It is also true that sometimes the things we are called upon to do may even be inconvenient, yet if God is asking us to do it, we need to be obedient.

I shared yesterday about acts of kindness that have come my direction and what a blessing they have been. The other day I began to take a trip down “memory lane” and was thinking about some dear friends that have gone to be with Jesus. Both of these precious women laid beside each other in a nursing home. I can remember that time and how the Lord had instructed me to visit them on a regular basis. It did not seem to be a big thing to me yet when I would walk into their room their eyes would light up like the lighting of the White House Christmas tree.

One of their favorite things is when I would bring them fresh coffee and a cheeseburger from McDonald’s. I can also remember reading to them from a devotional of  Corrie ten boom. They would lay in their beds like two little girls at a PJ party and grin from ear to ear as I would read to them. There were some days that I was so tired and did not always feel like going yet I knew I was supposed to go. My heart was saddened at times seeing their confinement yet it was where they needed to be for proper and adequate care.

As seasons would change I would decorate their room for the holiday, and one of their favorite things was when I put a bird feeder right outside their window. All these special touches seemed to be no big deal to me yet I knew it was bringing joy to their hearts. I was always trying to think of ways to bring the outside world to them.

Today I encourage you to find ways to bring joy to those that cannot repay you. As I drive by the street on which this nursing home is I often think that I would give anything to pick up some cheeseburgers and hot coffee, and walk through those doors and see their precious faces. That time is gone and precious memories of their love for me is all I have to remember.

“Never get tired of doing little things for others.

Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest

parts of their hearts.” Author unknown