Posted on Aug 13, 2015 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
by Dona Hake
There is a cliche I have heard often. “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back!” Usually this is said when someone just seems they cannot go on, and they throw up their hands and just give up. It is also used when there seems to be one situation that snowballs into a huge problem, and eventually takes it’s toll on those involved. The idiom the straw that broke the camel’s back is from an Arabic proverb about how a camel is loaded beyond its capacity to move or stand. Many times people become paralyzed by fear of failing again or they just feel they can not go on any longer.
Have you ever seen someone appear to fall apart as a result of someone being unkind to them or a word spoken that was hurtful. Many times people may not realize that the careless word they just spoke could potentially put a hurting person in a very bad place. If a person is walking in a place of despair and discouragement and they feel there is no way out, they need lifted up. Oh Lord, help us to see with your eyes the hurting people around us.
Proverbs 18:21 (GNT)
“What you say can preserve life or destroy it;
so you must accept the consequences of your words.”
The truth is our words carry power that not only affects us but it has the power to affect others. On a positive note I love to think of the power of one encouraging word. Have you ever been there?…you are about to give up, and one person speaks one powerful encouraging word, and out of no where you just feel that with God’s help YOU CAN!!!! There is power in our words. Never underestimate the power of death and life in our tongues. May we guard our tongues that we speak words that bring health, healing, and joy to those around us.
Posted on May 30, 2015 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
by Dona Hake
God has blessed us with hearts to seek and look to Him everyday. May we seek to bless Him and bless those around us with our love, faith, and godly deeds. Today we will look at the heart of a woman that was a widow. She had very little to live on yet her heart was toward God in her giving. In this portion of scripture we will see that Jesus perceived her heart as he observed the others’ giving.
Luke 21:1-4 (AMP)
” Looking up, [Jesus] saw the rich people putting their gifts into the
treasury.
And He saw also a poor widow putting in two mites (copper coins).
And He said, Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all of
them;
For they all gave out of their abundance (their surplus); but she has
contributed out of her lack and her want, putting in all that she had on
which to live.”
As I pondered this scripture from this particular version my eyes were drawn to how Jesus observed how there were some that gave out of the abundance or their surplus. Surplus is something that remains above what is used or needed. Many times people may be guilty of giving only the required amount of what they feel is expected of them whether it be their money, their time or their talents.
Jesus perceived this as grievous because this type of giving is really not from the heart, it is merely being done out of obligation. As Jesus observed this precious widow’s giving He determined her gift to be greater than the sum of all that gave out of surplus.
Let us remember that anything we have been blessed with whether it be our talent, money, good job, etc…is a gift from God, and we need to live in a place of giving our very best. Giving our best is an attitude of the heart that the Lord desires that we embrace. As the widow placed all that she had she knew very well what she was doing. She was purposing in her heart to give all because she understood she would be blessed.
As believers we need to know that we are deliberate in giving our very best. We need to constantly be checking our hearts that we are not being guilty of giving God or others merely what is left over.
God may call upon you to do something, and when you look at your time it seems impossible to accomplish. Know this…if you believe in your heart that it is the will of God, He will provide time. If God is speaking to you to give money, and it is hard to imagine how you can do it…believe Him and He will fill your hands with that offering or gift for you to give. God provides. Plain and simple. When
you believe, God will fill your hands with that which you need!
Posted on Nov 2, 2014 in Uncategorized |
by Dona Hake
I know it to be true that if you go to bed with much on your mind that this is how you wake up. The Lord does not want us to greet our day with the thoughts of yesterday nor the worries about our tomorrows. I love how the Psalmist asks the Lord to cause Him to hear of his Lord’s lovingkindness first thing in the morning.
Psalm 143:8 (AMP)
“Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning,
for on You do I lean and in You do I trust.
Cause me to know the way wherein
I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You.”
The Psalmist shares in Chapter 42 verse 8 that the Lord commands His lovingkindess toward us in the daytime and at night His song shall be with us! Let us trust to experience His lovingkindness as we awaken and hear His song at the end of the day. Let us remember to lean on Him not only for His strength and wisdom but for the balance He can bring to our lives. Thank Him as He unfolds His plan for your day. Lift up your soul to Him and allow Him to touch you because He loves you so much!
Posted on Jul 9, 2014 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
by Dona Hake
Sometimes we can walk through things in this life that leave us feeling like we are weak and broken. Whether your heart has been broken or you are walking through a tough time, and you feel like you no longer have the strength to go on, He IS enough! There may be pieces of your life that seem destroyed and broken and you do not know which piece to pick up first but He IS enough.
I am going to share a scripture where Paul was crying out to God in his weakness and his need for an answer.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Amplified Bible (AMP)
“Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me;
But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may [b]pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!”
In a nutshell Paul finally saw what God desired for him to see. All Paul needed was to trust Him to be more than enough for His situation. He understood that to hit rock bottom and be out of human strength was the place that God would totally empower him. He also realized that God was all that He needed, and that in his weakness the power of Christ would rest upon him mightily.
Maybe you are reading this and thinking all is well and you have no need to ponder this. May I share with you that we can never get rock solid enough in this revelation. This is what I desire to think about and get it rooted so deep in me…God’s grace is sufficient for me to live, and He IS enough. Read this awesome definition I found of the word enough.
ENOUGH:- in a quantity or degree that answers a purpose or satisfies a need or desire…
When we call upon God , He will always answer us with the empowering grace that we need for the situation we are in. I think this is a powerful thought… your need or weakness is calling out, and as you call out to Him, He answers that need with grace that is sufficient to deal with it. Praise the Living God that is MORE than enough!!!
Posted on Jan 3, 2014 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
by Dona Hake
This image is probably one of my favorites of flowers that I have ever shot. It certainly is not the most beautiful flower I have ever seen, but the image speaks a quiet and beautiful message to my heart. One damp, overcast day I was driving and it caught my eye. Standing alone it reminded me to stop and observe the simple beauties of life. You know, we could probably all admit that we do not do this enough. I am purposing more and more to just keep as much simplicity in my life that I can.
As I try to keep myself reminded to keep things simple, I am ever on guard to see when my mind is tempted to be cluttered with unnecessary things. If we allow certain thoughts to stay too long in our minds, they can be birthed into cares. We just need to decide which thoughts are worthy of remaining in our minds. The Bible tells us to think good things, things that are honest, truthful, full of virtue, etc… These are the thoughts that you want to take permanent residence in your mind. They are well worthy of keeping!
1 Peter 5:7 reveals another secret to keep our heart and mind in a state of peace and simplicity.
1 Peter 5:7 (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.”
The beautiful secret this translation speaks is to cast the WHOLE of your care. Have you ever cast (or at least convinced yourself that you did) your care to find you keep thinking about it? If we do not cast the whole care toward Him, we therefore hold onto a bit of it. This will never be conducive to a quieted mind. I believe as we purpose to keep our mind and hearts refreshed, clean and in order, we will enjoy what simplicity really means. Lord, help us to rid of the unnecessary things that keep our attention and take up room in our hearts and minds. God bless you!
~~~~~♥~~~~~
Posted on Dec 12, 2013 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
by Dona Hake
A few years ago I was blessed to be able to take painting lessons from an extremely talented woman. Her paintings amazed me and I would sit in awe as she would skillfully paint in front of us for illustration sake. I can remember the times that she would show a different painting technique and she would sense my frustration as I was trying and she would stand behind me and embrace my hand showing me how to angle my brush, etc. I loved this experience of learning especially the art of learning to work through struggles or what I perceived as inability.
I can remember once I had almost completed a painting and I made a big mistake. Well…in my eyes it was a big mistake, but in the teacher’s eyes it was an opportunity. She would always encourage us that these so called “mistakes” are our opportunities to create. She would tell us to have fun with it and see what comes of it. I was amazed that many of my paintings had my “mistakes” hidden under what only the eye could see. It was only me that knew that there was originally a mistake but it was turned around as a result of reaching into those creative abilities God blessed me with.
I learned from her also a life lesson. Many times people trash whatever they are trying to do because of a mistake. We need to see hindrances, hurdles, or mistakes as opportunities. It is in those times if we allow the Master Painter to work on the canvas of our heart that we may see some pretty amazing outcomes. Along with those amazing outcomes we can walk away with knowledge and wisdom for future application in our life.
Romans 8:28
“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God “
~~~~~♥~~~~~
Posted on Nov 26, 2013 in Uncategorized |
by Dona Hake
Something that bothers my heart is seeing people get so stressed over the holidays. Yesterday I had to go to the grocery store to purchase some things for Thanksgiving Day. On top of the high volume of shoppers, there was threat of bad weather which added a whole other element to the “air”. I purposed to hold fast to peace as I went up one aisle and down the other. Because the aisles were so full I tried to back up and there was a woman that I almost bumped into. I politely excused myself and apologized. We passed each other again in the next aisle and she seemed to want to be where I was and sarcastically said, “Well I can see we will probably be doing this throughout the whole store.” She abruptly pulled her cart away. , I thought to myself how sad it is that people just do not care how they handle themselves in public. They allow their impatience to justify rudeness.
Throughout my time in the store I had engaged in conversation with some other ladies that noticed the same thing that I was noticing. The stress level was high and people did not care how they were acting. I have been thinking about how important it is to guard your heart when you have more demands going on in your life. If you do not, even those things that you desire to celebrate will become a burden and they will wear you out and wear you down. Unguarded hearts and minds result in saying and doing things you wish you wouldn’t have.
Colossians 3:15 (AMP)
” And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].”
I just want to encourage you to hold fast to peace over the holidays that you may enjoy every minute you spend with family and friends. Remember the reason for what you are doing whatever you are doing and do not allow yourself to be robbed by the stress of all the extra demands. God bless you with His peace.♥
~~~~~ ♥ ~~~~~
Posted on Oct 31, 2013 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
by Dona Hake
Because His hands are strong, He steadies us. When we are down, He stands us up and strengthens us by His power. It is then that we can stay standing and go forward.
Yesterday I shared about the danger of a sheep being “cast down.” David mentions this term several times relative to his soul being cast down. He would pray things like, “why are you cast down oh my soul…hope in God!” The loving shepherd is ever so watchful that none of his sheep are in the “cast down” position because it only means death if not caught in time.
You may be wondering how a sheep ends up cast down. This is how it transpires. A heavy or long fleeced sheep may lie down comfortably in some hollow or depression in the ground. As it lays on its side it may stretch out to relax and suddenly the center of gravity in the body shifts so that it turns on its back and its feet no longer touch the ground. The sheep feels a sense of panic and starts to paw frantically. If it lies there too long, gases begin to build up in the rumen. All this works together in a bad way as it cuts off the blood circulation to the extremities of the body. If not found and lifted back up by the strong arms and hands of the shepherd the sheep would definitely die.
This is such an interesting analogy to ponder. For me I can see such a parallel to what depression can do to an individual. David’s prayer makes even more sense as he prayed “why are you cast down oh my soul?…hope in God! Depression and any devastating experience can cause you to just “lay down” and lose hope. Thank God for our loving Shepherd and His watchful eye. Let us call upon Him in those times when there seems to be no hope. Call upon Him in those times that you have fallen and you know you cannot get back up on your own. Oh what a loving Shepherd our Lord is!
Please feel free to share your comments on the bottom of the page!
Posted on Oct 28, 2013 in Uncategorized |
Think about times in your life that without the help of others you would not have made it through a particular hardship. Never underestimate the times that you have felt prompted to pray for someone and you had no idea of what they were walking through. Simple obedience in such a matter could mean a major victory in an individual’s life.
God desires to use us to be a strength to those around us. I find this scripture interesting as well as applicable to the thought I am bringing to you today.
Proverbs 20:12
“It was the Lord who gave us eyes for seeing and ears for hearing.”
He wants to use your eyes to show you what He is seeing and He wants to use your ears to hear the hearts of people around you. Let us ask the Lord to help us to see and hear the cry of people around us. I have had times where I might see a complete stranger and I see pain in their eyes and I walk a way and just whisper a prayer for them. I more than likely will never see nor speak to them ever again yet I believe the Lord uses us to possibly change situations through such simple prayers. Also, do not be fooled by those that seem so strong and happy on the outside because they may be falling apart on the inside. Again, see people’s hearts with God’s eyes and you will not miss such things.
Keep your ears and eyes open to those around you. Never take the position that you have to know all the facts before you can pray. If you see or hear pain…just pray. No fancy words…just pray. God wants to use you and I to reach down and strengthen those that need our help. God bless you!
