“Everything Serves His Plans”

Posted on Nov 24, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Yesterday, we looked at the awesomeness of our loving God, and how we need never be separated from His wonderful love! Whether you believe in God or not…HE IS faithful. Whether you believe He can help you or you feel He can not…you thoughts on the matter do not change what He is able to do. His faithfulness is not dictated by what we do or do not do, HE WILL ALWAYS BE A FAITHFUL GOD! We took Him out of our schools, but HE IS still faithful to the heart that is only permitted to silently pray to Him. In a time where we seem to have to be politically correct on ridiculous things about Him…let us remember that HE ALWAYS WAS AND HE STILL REMAINS, for He is faithful!

I can remember a coach being interviewed. He was a believer and he stated, “I’m not interested in being politically correct, I’m interested in being spiritually correct!” Later in the interview it was mentioned that someone twittered the following comment relative to this, “It is no wonder our youth have no moral compass.” It is a very troubling time in which we live in isn’t it?

I just want to encourage you to hold fast, do not be moved, for if you are a believer, you serve a God that is faithful. This faithfulness was extended from the moment His hand created the sun and the moon. As He placed the stars in the sky, and created every beautiful thing you enjoy today, let this be a reminder to you of His wonderful faithfulness. In the present moment that you are living, He is ever so faithful and desires to be a part of your world. Nothing ever changes with God.

Psalm 119:90-91 Living Bible
“Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
like the earth you created;
it endures by your decree,
for everything serves your plans.”

Ecclesiastes 3:14 (CEV)
“Everything God has done will last forever;
nothing he does can ever be changed. God has done all this,
so that we will worship him.”

“Thanking God for His Inseparable Love”

Posted on Nov 23, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. 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 and understand the depths of His love.

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!!

Father, today we give thanks to You for Your inseparable love! Your love is incapable of parting from us. We give thanks for Your faithfulness that is brand new every morning. Throughout our day we can come to You and You will faithfully listen to our cry. Today we give thanks to You for that inseparable love!

“Our God, the Potter”

Posted on Nov 22, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Everyone of us are still under the molding and workmanship of the Master’s hands. His hands are loving and they work with purpose. Some days we might not feel all that great on the outside and things may be a bit stormy on the inside but know this…God’s loving hand is at work in our life. Today we thank Him that every day is a new day, and He continues to work by His grace in our life!

Isaiah 64:8 (the Voice translation)

“Still, Eternal One, You are our Father.

We are just clay, and You are the potter.

We are the product of Your creative action, shaped and formed into something of worth.”

Next time you feel tempted to question your own worth I encourage you to refer to this scripture. In those times discouragement tries to rob your soul because you may be not be where you wish you were spiritually, remember…God is at work in you. He has a perfect plan, and He works in His perfect timing. God is not done with you yet!!! YOU ARE the work of His hand! God bless you.

“Being Thankful For His Kindness In You!”

Posted on Nov 19, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Earlier this week in my devotionals we were looking at being thankful for God given opportunities. We looked another day at being thankful for His grace at work in us. Yesterday I had shared about being thankful for where He has placed us, therefore, we will bloom where we are planted! Today we will look at being thankful for opportunities in which He can channel His kindness through us. I don’t know about you, but I feel quite honored to know that the Lord desires to use me everyday, and I am thankful for that!

I can remember a particular time in which I was on the receiving end of several acts of kindnesses. I praised God for those that decided to be obedient to His voice, and touch me in a kind way. Those kindnesses came to me and blessed me greatly in the midst of some obstacles. I felt like those acts of kindnesses in the midst of adversity was like the hand of God reaching down and blessing me and refreshing my soul. Are you positioning yourself each day to possibly be called upon to be a vessel of His love and kindness?

Today I am pondering in my heart how I can be used to be kind to those around me. I want to seek out those opportunities so I can lift someone up. The interesting fact about kind deeds and words is that they cost us not one penny to give. Yes, it may cost our time and energy as we give, but the Lord is faithful to bless us abundantly. I leave you with this most beautiful quote from a woman that I greatly admire and esteem. Mother Teresa was truly an example of being a vessel of God’s love and kindnesses.

Let no one ever come to you without leaving

better and happier. Be the living expression of

God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness

in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

— Mother Teresa

Lord, we ask you today to help us seek You about our time and how we use it. We desire to position ourselves that You are able to call upon us to be a vessel of kindness and love to that needy one in my path. Help me to see the one in need, and give me the words or show me the deed that You desire me to do. We give thanks to you for those divine opportunities, and we are grateful for how You choose to use us today! In Jesus Name, Amen!

“Thank Him For Where He Has Placed You”

Posted on Nov 19, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

“Bloom where you are planted.”

I can remember hearing this quote seventeen years ago. An amazing gentleman from North Wales came to minister at our church. His name was Arthur Burt, and I am forever grateful in my heart that I had the opportunity of knowing this man of such wisdom. His little and big tidbits of wisdom always caused me to stop and ponder my own heart and challenge me to grow deeper in the Lord.

This is one of those quotes that should encourage our heart to think about where we are and what we are doing while we are in that particular place. When a flower is in bloom it is in a time of flourishing, healthy condition. It is the time or period of great beauty, and artistry. The image that I am sharing today is of a little Hydrangea that I had transplanted. I have ivy nearby that started to overtake the area I planted this sweet little plant and I totally forgot about it. One day, I walked out and saw this beautiful little bloom doing it’s best to show off for me! Even though it was not in the best conditions to flourish, it managed to do so, and it has been beautiful ever since.

Sometimes we can encounter situations where we are, and it can cause us discouragement or weariness. It can tempt us with thoughts of questioning if we should be doing what we are doing. We may feel tempted to feel unappreciated or our work is going unnoticed. Let us remember that as we know we are in God’s will that we do all as unto Him. Whether we are appreciated or not can make no difference in or hearts. The important thing is to know that we are where God wants us to be. May we remember the importance of standing strong in the midst of adversity, and simply seize every opportunity to bloom!

Today I encourage you to bloom where God has planted and positioned you. Never underestimate the place He has put you to do His good work. Also, we should never compare ourselves to others and the work the Lord is doing in them. As we are faithful to remain and allow His loving hand to keep us, and take care of us, we will indeed bloom where we are planted!

“Thankful For His Angels”

Posted on Nov 17, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I am devoting this month to reflect on the many things that we need to be thankful for. Today I want us to reflect on the fact that we have angels watching over us. I am thinking we will never know how many times our angels spared us from disaster and we did not even have a clue. Did you ever just feel you were to take a different route home, and you were just obedient? I believe in those times that the gentle hand of our Lord could be steering us away from potential danger. Let us be mindful to praise Him and thank Him each day for His guiding loving Spirit and His angels that take care of us and our loved ones.

I can remember a few years ago driving through a heavy construction area, and I was spared being in an accident. Had I not looked into my rear view mirror I would not have realized what I was spared from. I did not notice that there was a man literally on the tail of my car. I was driving around a bend in the road and was unable to see that there was a line of traffic sitting still, which forced me to an abrupt stop. I tried my best to stop as safely and quickly as I could even though the traffic in front of me was slowly beginning to move. I was able to stop and then slowly move with the traffic, but because the man behind me was too close, he almost hit me. I just happened to look into my mirror and saw this gentlemen completely go off the road to avoid hitting me. The car behind him had to also steer off abruptly to avoid hitting him. Behind that car was a Mack truck, and I could see that the driver of the truck was fully aware of what was going on. Thank God he was able to stop in a safe manner. Do you get the picture of the accident that could have occurred?

As I continued on the road I had to laugh to myself because the gentleman that almost hit me stayed about ten car lengths behind me the rest of the way on this road. Yes, I was thanking God, but had I not glanced into my rear view mirror in that split second, I would not even had known what I was spared from. I was thanking the Lord that He had my back in what could have been a bad accident.

Today I encourage you to think about the times that you know His angels were there to protect you. God is so good and He is ever so faithful to take care of us! Let us be thankful that He has set His angels to watch over us!

Psalm 91:11 (EXB)
” He has put his angels in charge of [commanded his angels/messengers concerning] you
to watch over [keep; guard] you wherever you go [ all your ways].

“Thankful For His Light and His Direction”

Posted on Nov 17, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I have had a few conversations lately about the changing weather with people as I am exchanging small talk. It is funny when seasons start to change how people make it quite clear what they love and what they hate. I was delighted to find an older woman sharing with me the other day how she absolutely loved the snow. She lives on a hill which overlooks a lot of beauty. It was such a joy to hear her share her love for the snow. On the other hand I have to admit that it seems there are so many that do not like winter. I know driving in snow can be hazardous, and I think this is why people do not like it.

I can remember a gentleman sharing his dreadful experience in a snow storm. He said he was driving down the road and without warning he encountered a “white out.” This occurs when the light reflected off the snow equals the light coming through the clouds. He said what was most frightening was that he had no recollection of what was behind him so he feared stopping. He was completely blinded with absolutely no visibility in front of him. As I listened to him I could see how unnerving that had to have been.

Today let us consider those times in which we are blindsided by life’s unannounced difficult circumstances that render us helpless. There are those times that we are going about our business and out of no where we are hit with having to make a difficult decision. It may be so difficult that our mind and heart are in total confusion. You cannot see in front of you nor can you see what is behind you.

God’s Word tells us in Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
It is vitally important that we take seriously that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are connected with the light of His Word that we can know exactly what to do in such situations. It is in those times that it seems like everything around has become dark. It is all so common that one’s heart can be gripped with fear in these times. Again, as we are walking along side of Him, we know all too well that He is faithful to show us exactly what to do. Sometimes we just need to calm ourselves, and remind our hearts and minds that He is able to get us through the unexpected storm that we are encountering.

“The psalmist proclaims in Psalm 119:112 I have resolved to obey your laws forever, at every step.” I believe this kind of resolve in one’s heart will always cause us to hold fast to God no matter what we see or cannot see. This is the man that will not be moved by circumstance but in faith in God alone. We can be assured that our faith will be met by a God of total light because in Him is NO darkness at all.

Lord, we thank you for Your light and divine direction in those times in which nothing makes sense for us. Thank you Lord for being our Great Compass as You guide us with Your light. In Jesus Name! Amen.

“Thankful For God’s Extreme Love”

Posted on Nov 16, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Easy to Read Version

19 “You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit that you received from God and that lives in you. You don’t own yourselves. 20 God paid a very high price to make you his. So honor God with your body.”

Isn’t it precious that God went to the extremes of His love, and purchased you with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. I believe the Lord does not want us to lose sight of that high price. Let us give thanks today for the extremes of God’s love. In this verse we see that the Lord God desires that we honor Him with our bodies since we were purchased by His great love. Here is a definition of what the word honor means. You may think to yourself that you know what this means, but it is always good to just meditate on the depth of a word to bring greater understanding to your heart.

honor: integrity in one’s beliefs and actions…to be a man of honor

Oh that all of our beliefs, actions, and words would speak of all that God is. May they be consistent and in no way be compromised. I also wanted to share these verses from Colossians for you to meditate along with your body being a temple that will honor Him.

Colossians 3:15, 17 Easy to Read Version

“Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful.

Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.”

These scriptures are showing us the importance of the peace of God controlling our thoughts, it should control all that we do. Here also is another definition, and that is for word control.

control: to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate; command

Today, as we give thanks to God for His extreme love, I encourage you to think about the price He paid for you. Let us purpose in all that we do to honor Him with our bodies, words, thoughts and actions. May we allow peace to control every thought, and may we be quick to dismiss any thoughts that are not of Him. It is as we live by this rule that we will be permeated by His precious peace and we will be honoring Him with our life.

“Thank Him For His Grace At Work In You”

Posted on Nov 15, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

We are presently in the beauty of the season of fall, and winter is right around the corner. We no longer have to concern ourselves with weeds interfering with our pursuit of a beautiful, thriving flower garden for our gardens will now be dormant for many months. I love my gardens, but I must admit they are a lot of work. It always amazes me how weeds just grow. They need no help at all. They will thrive, take over and eventually choke the life out of your beautiful flowers. It is interesting how some things just grow all by themselves. I have to laugh when I here someone say to a child, “You are growing like a weed!!!!” Funny expression, yet true. A child growing up is a good and positive thing yet there are certain things like weeds you wished would not grow so fast!

The truth of the matter is that there are many negative things in life if left to themselves that will grow and thrive without any help at all. Think about the sin of bitterness and hate and how it can grow and take root and ultimately destroy one’s soul.

2 Peter 3:18

“Be careful that you do not fall from your strong faith. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to him, now and forever! Amen.”

We must purpose to feed on His Word that we remain strong. We must look to Him each day, and receive His grace and live by it. How silly it would be if we ate a good dinner this evening and think we could survive off of that meal for the rest of the year. No, we would become weak. Our body would become depleted in it’s much needed nutrition that we need for strength to live. As we ponder that thought let us also be diligent to ask Him for His grace and live by it. Let us purpose to thank Him for His grace and knowledge, and grow in it. God bless you!

“Thankful For HIS Opportunities”

Posted on Nov 14, 2015 in Devotions |

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. She would come to me, 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 my 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. Today, let us give thanks to the One that is able to take our mistakes and our failures, and seize them as opportunities to work for the good for His glory!!!

Romans 8:28

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God “

Devotional Archives

6 Responses to “Devotional”

Lisa Viands says:

November 8, 2013 at 5:05 pm

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!!
- Dona Hake says:
  
  November 8, 2013 at 11:15 pm
  
  thank you Lisa for sharing. I am blessed that this was a blessing to you!
Selena Neely says:

November 18, 2013 at 3:07 pm

Ralph &I are really enjoying your devotional together.
- Dona Hake says:
  
  November 18, 2013 at 3:29 pm
  
  So glad this is blessing you both!
Selena Neely says:

November 19, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Oh, what a wonderful reminder! I want to break the magnifing glass of worry and trust God for each step I take.
Dona Hake says:

November 20, 2013 at 2:41 am

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!