“Do You Have Untapped Gifts Within You?”

Posted on Sep 14, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I want to share with you about someone that spoke into my life when I needed it most. It was a time in which I knew I was to step forward into doing something I did not think I could do. I thank God for those times in my life for those that have spoken words into my heart at the exact moment that I needed. These are times in which I have received courage to do what I thought I could not do.

When we were beginning a new class at our Christian school many years ago I knew I was to teach a particular class yet I was nervous about it. I knew I was to step forward into this new opportunity yet the apprehensiveness was causing me to fear that I was not able to do it . My husband continued to encourage me as he always does and I appreciated that so much. There were times I would break down in tears to him trying to convince him I really could not teach the class. He continued to encourage me because he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was God’s will. Thank God for those that can see clearly when things are out of focus for us.

One day our dear friend from Nigeria stopped by the school to visit and I was standing in the hall and he greeted me. This gentleman could see right through me and he perceived that I was troubled. I began to share the opportunity before me and my fears and he spoke one sentence to me that totally shook me from the inside out. “Sister, God wants to unlock surprises within you that you never knew were there!” He spoke it with boldness and I just knew God was using him.

Whenever I think about this I always keep before the Lord that just maybe there are other “surprises” or gifts within me that He is quietly waiting for me to allow Him to unlock. I just love this quote by this incredibly gifted sculptor. It too encourages my heart relative to gifts within.

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Michelangelo

You see, God sees what is inside of us and He desires to set it free as well to bless those around us. I hope this encourages you to think about the gifts that may be in you that you have not yet discovered. God is able to show you…if you let him.

“The Life Giving Force of Wisdom”

Posted on Sep 13, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

What a wonderful thing that God’s wisdom is. As we seek it first before any task we can know that we are doing the right thing and it is in accordance with His will. Today let us meditate on how wonderful it is that godly wisdom is as a spring, a gushing stream with life giving power! As you draw upon it, it will flow to you and from you to others.

Wisdom may be in word or it may be in deed, and it may even be wisdom at times to just be silent. We can probably all testify of times that words have been spoken to us apart from His wisdom. Those words can hurt you, leave scars and divide the closest of relationships.

Proverbs 18:4 (AMP)

“The words of a [discreet and wise] man’s mouth are like deep waters [plenteous and difficult to fathom], and the fountain of skillful and godly Wisdom is like a gushing stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].”

The wisdom of God will always be full of peace, easy to be entreated and without hypocrisy. Wisdom will always stand in line with the truths of God’s Word and there is no wavering in the words or actions of wisdom. Let us seek to be vessels of those that speak His wisdom offering words and actions that are life giving and pure. God bless you!

~~~~~♥~~~~~

“Wisdom, I Seek You Early!”

Posted on Sep 12, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Wisdom is one of the most powerful things we can embrace. It is the ability to know exactly what to do in a situation. It will bless your heart because you know the word you just spoke to a friend in need was exactly what they needed to hear. It is knowing in your heart that you have a peace to step out in a specific direction or new path because you feel it is the voice of wisdom speaking to you. When things seem confusing and without answer, God desires to shed His wisdom to help you walk through whatever it is you are dealing with.

One thing the Bible clearly states throughout Proverbs about wisdom is that it is to be sought after and held as valuable as a jewel. We should embrace wisdom but we must follow her ways or we could be deceived by people’s opinions or the voice of circumstance. Over and over Proverbs emphasizes the need to embrace wisdom. Don’t let it go! Clearly God understands our human nature that we can tend to look to doing things our own way or we are moved by what we see and not what He sees.

Proverbs 8:17 (NASB)

“I love those who love me;

And those who diligently seek me will find me.”

Wisdom desires to be loved and embraced. Wisdom desires to be sought after with one’s whole heart. I would like to share a handful of translations of how wisdom desires to be sought after.

(NLV) “…those who look for me with much desire will find me.”

(VOICE) “… those who search hard for me will find me.”

(WYC) “…and they who wake up early to seek me, shall find me.”

(YLT)”… And those seeking me earnestly do find me.”

Let us look straight to the Lord for His wisdom for our lives each and everyday!

“The Power of a Word”

Posted on Sep 11, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

“
There are two questions I want to pose to you for thought. Have you ever had the greatest of days, all was going well, and one person says a negative thing to you and all you do is focus on that one negative? OR… Have you ever been discouraged in your heart, feeling like giving up, and someone says the most encouraging word, and you feel like your world was turned right side up? I am sure everyone of you that just read these two questions can totally identify with where I am going today.

One word has the power the lift up or bring down. Isn’t it amazing to think that one word is able to carry so much influence on those around us?

Proverbs 12:25 (AMP)

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad.”

The Voice translation of Proverbs 12:25…

“The weight of worry drags us down,

but a good word lightens our day.”

Today as you encounter people, pause before you speak. Think about how your words can lift them up and possibly change the way they are thinking about themselves. Kind thoughts and kind words cost not one penny yet the hearer may be receiving a wealth of encouragement that their money could never buy.

Proverbs 18:21 (Good News Translation)

“What you say can preserve life or destroy it.”

“Filled With Good Things”

Posted on Sep 10, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Most vehicles sound off a little alarm of some sort to warn you that you are low in gas. If you are wise you pay attention to it and make sure that the gas station is a stop that you will make in the day. If you ignore it, you are sure to encounter an inconvenience. If you park your car in town and you fill your meter for one hour, you are given that one hour to complete your errand. If you do not get back on time and the meter is empty, you could be pulling a slip out from under your windshield wiper with a hefty little fine you have to pay. You did not keep filling the meter and you ended up paying for it in a more expensive way.

Today I want to share about us paying attention to our hearts being kept full and maintained by all the good things of God. You know He desires that we be full and stay full that we may live the victorious life that He intends for us to live. How many things in life do we diligently pay attention to in the natural…our gas tanks, our bank accounts, the parking meter, food in the refrigerator, etc… We keep a mental note and physical notes that we are maintaining these things, yet our spiritual being could be totally dehydrated and we do not even notice. When we are dehydrated spiritually, eventually we are going to pay for it. We will not have the strength that we need, therefore we cannot persevere. As our peace is no longer present, we will react to things in a way that we wished we had not. On and on I could go sharing about the good things that God desires we stay full of as we maintain our time with Him and in His Word. He desires we be full!

Let us diligently watch over the gauge of our hearts and minds. Pay attention to the warning signals. Let us be watchful that we do not become dehydrated in things that He desires we be filled with. We actually come to this place of “dehydration” when we begin to live life from our own resources and our own ability. When we stop trusting God for the littlest of things, it eventually snowballs every area of our life. God desires to fill that we bubble over with hope as we trust in Him. I encourage you to do so today. God is so good, trust in Him!!!

Romans 15:13 ERV

“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much

joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more

and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

~~~~~♥~~~~~

“Each Day, A New Beginning”

Posted on Sep 9, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Psalm 5:3 (CEB)

^”Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
In the morning I lay it all out before you.
Then I wait expectantly.”

I thank God that His mercies are new every morning and we can wake with the expectancy of a new day with fresh opportunities.

Psalm 145:2 (AMP)

Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You

[affectionately and gratefully praise You];

yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever.

Today I encourage you to draw upon His strength and see your day as a fresh canvas. There may be things that you are facing that tempt your heart to be burdened but be encouraged that God is a God that never grows weary. Lift your eyes toward heaven and lay your heart open to Him and wait expectantly for Him to guide you throughout your day. All of us have reasons to bless His Name and be thankful. No, maybe everything is not perfect, but take time to call out the blessings that you possess because of the goodness of God. We all have much to be thankful for. Today, with it’s new beginning, praise and bless His Name for all the good things you embrace because of His goodness in your life!

~~~~~♥~~~~~

“Believe the Best of Every Person”

Posted on Sep 8, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I was standing in a fast food restaurant waiting in line to place my order. The young lady taking orders from several people before showed no kindness or courtesy to the customers. I watched as she rudely took their orders and was just moving them through as quickly as possible. To be quite honest I was getting a bit upset with her just watching how she was handling herself. I wondered what this person in charge of this restaurant ever saw in her to hire her in the first place. I want to stop right now and tell you that I WAS NOT believing the best of this young lady, and my attitude was absolutely wrong.

God began to challenge my heart and my wrong thinking. You see, I was judging this young lady by outward appearances. Many times in situations like this I have heard people say “If an employee comes to work dealing with personal issues, they need to leave their problems at home while they are at work.” I feel this is wrong thinking, for there are times in life that certain problems can not be left at home because one’s heart and soul are consumed with pain and hurt.

As I stepped up for her to wait on me I felt to ask her “How are you today?” even though it was plain to see that she was not doing well. She proceeded to tell me she was not doing well and I expressed that I had noticed something must be wrong. I began to encourage her by saying “I hope the rest of your day is better.” She then opened wide up to me and shared that she just found out one of her friends had committed suicide. Can I tell you that I am ALWAYS reminded of this incident whenever I am tempted to think someone is wrong in the way an individual may be handling themselves. I spoke words of comfort to her, and I told her I would keep her in my prayers. She thanked me for talking to her, and to this day I am ever so grateful that I had that experience for it challenged my wrong thinking, and I learned from it.

God’s love will always stop us in our tracks and help us to consider what another individual may be walking through. Maybe what they are walking through may not seem to be a big deal to you but to them, it is their world and they are consumed with the problem. Today I encourage you to believe the best of those around you. Ask God to help you be a help to someone. That one kind word you speak in response to behavior which seems unacceptable may give one hope to go on. That kind response you give may cause them to step back and regain momentum, and make a right decision in the midst of their confusion. You just never know how powerfully God may use you as you dare to believe the best in others.

God help us to see people through the eyes of your love and not our own expectations.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMP)
“Love bears up under anything and everything that comes,

is ever ready to believe the best of every person.”

“God Planted Eternity In Man’s Heart”

Posted on Sep 7, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (AMP)

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”

I think this scripture is so awesome. I love how it tells us that God has planted eternity in every heart and mind that has ever lived. We are born with the choice of whom we will look to to satisfy our every need. Within the heart of man is a longing that only God can satisfy yet man who chooses to fill his voids apart from Christ will never be fulfilled.

I like how the New Life Version translated Ecclesiastes 3:11:

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has put thoughts of the forever in man’s mind, yet man cannot understand the work God has done from the beginning to the end.”

I particularly want you to look at “man cannot understand the work God has done from the beginning to the end.” The beauty of this is that this is what makes God almighty in all that He does. He is beyond us figuring Him out, nor should we try to comprehend His ways. If you wants you to understand, He will. Let us as we submit our lives and wills to Him just simply trust Him. He has promised that as we trust He will lovingly care for every aspect of our lives.

Isaiah 58:11 (AMP)
“And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden

and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.”

Let God show Himself strong in you when there is no strength to be found. Watch Him show you the water in the “dry lands” that you may have to walk through. It is not necessary to know how He does it for He alone is God, and all He wants is your trust!

~~~~~~♥~~~~~

“We Are the Work of His Hand”

Posted on Sep 6, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

“We are just clay, and You are the potter. We are the product of Your creative action, shaped and formed …” Isaiah 68:8 (the Voice)

We are the clay that He has to work with. Let us remain pliable that He is able to work and form us. One of the very first things a potter will do with that clump of clay is center it on his wheel. For us to be worked and formed for His purposes we could look at it this way…

Stay centered on His “wheel”
and you will be in the
center of His will.

As I pondered this devotional my heart began to think about four things that will
position us that He can continue to mold us. I already stated the first and that is
to stay centered or focused on Him. The other things would be

*stay humble before God.
*stay humble before others.
*see yourself humbly for this

will guard you from self deception, which is the

worst of all deceptions.

Let us humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord that He may continue to work
and form us for His purposes.

Your HUMILITY gives Him the ABILITY to mold and make you into the vessel He purposed you to be.

“The Wise Man Knows”

Posted on Sep 5, 2014 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Everyday we have choices before us. It would be interesting to take note of all the choices and decisions that we make everyday. Today I want to encourage your heart in simply meditating upon the truths and power of the written Word. It is as we keep ourselves full of His Word that our choices and decisions will be guided by Him.

Within the Word of God is a wealth of testimonies of those that have gone before us. Their lives can encourage us to be strong when fear and weakness are trying to overtake our hearts. The Psalms are full of words to encourage our heart as well. Many of the Psalms were written by those that their lives were endangered yet they chose to call out to the Living God and praise His holy Name! Allow them to escort your heart to praise the living God as well. The Proverbs can serve to bring wisdom to our heart as we may be facing a time of decision making. As we read the New Testament we see and hear the words of our Lord and we also can read accounts of those that walked with Him.

The Proverbs exhorts us to cherish His instruction and knowledge above anything. We are to value it above anything this world puts a price on.

Proverbs 8:10-11 (NIV)

“Choose my instruction instead of silver,

knowledge rather than choice gold,

for wisdom is more precious than rubies,

and nothing you desire can compare with her.”

In this scripture God is showing us that even the jewels that we could ever possess that are incredibly expensive do not measure in value to His instruction, His wisdom and knowledge. Think about it…NOTHING we could ever desire no matter how wonderful can compare to the worth of His great knowledge and instruction. Let us be thankful for the written Word of God and take time to read it for it is what we need to keep us strong in spirit as we serve Him every day of our lives.

~~~~~♥~~~~~

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!