by Dona Hake

Lamentations 3:24  (CEV)
Deep in my heart I say,
“The Lord is all I need;
I can depend on him!”

Sometimes it really bothers me when I see TV commercials that are presented and they tend to try to bring anxiety fear to the viewer. The purpose of the fear that is laced through such products will cause people to think they have to have what is being sold. Presently there is one commercial and it is relative to financial security. I cringe every time I hear this gentleman speak a particular sentence. He says, “If you are not worried about this, you should be…” I have wondered how many have seen this commercial and their hearts have been tempted to fear and worry because of his words. Words, both good and bad had a tremendous amount of power and we need to be careful what we believe.

I well understand that you cannot stick your head in the sand and pretend as if things are not going bad around me.  But I understand a greater truth and that is the Lord is faithful to me no matter how bad things look to my physical eyes.

Psalm 111:5 (AMP)
“He has given food and provision to those who reverently and

worshipfully fear Him; He will remember His covenant

forever and imprint it [on His mind].”

The Lord God has heart that has promised His children that He will remember His covenant and upon His mind He has imprinted that promise.  Thank Him for His faithfulness and His mighty provision in your life today!  He is so good.

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by Dona Hake

To reach a great height a person needs to have great depth.
Anonymous

May we stay  aware that the roots of our heart must continue to grow deep in Him.  This is a continual process of feeding and maintaining our strength through God and all the good things that He has provided us.    This does not happen just by going to church once a week, it is a lifestyle of living and drawing upon the Almighty God.    We have a vital part in the process of our growth in Him.  Yes, we live by grace but we must do our part of staying spiritually strong and staying obedient to Him.   If it is your heart’s desire to be used greatly by Him then the roots of your heart must go deeper and deeper.   If this is your heart’s desire, God is ready to take you there as you apply your heart to His commands!

Jeremiah 17:7-9

Amplified Bible (AMP)

“[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies

on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.
 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads

out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when

heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious

and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.”

This tree that Jeremiah speaks of is the man who has totally trusted on the Lord God above.  This tree thrives on the waters it is planted by.  Notice the scripture does say that THE HEAT WILL COME and SO WILL THE YEAR OF THE DROUGHT.  In our lives we too will face times where the heat is on yet we can know that because our roots of faith are strong,  we need not fear nor grow weary.  In the year of drought we can be free from care for we will NOT stop yielding fruit.  Praise the living God that has promised to sustain us!

Proverbs 12:3

“…but the roots of the righteous can’t be disturbed.”

by Dona Hake

Romans 8:28 ” We know that all things work together for good

for those who love God…”

This is a very familiar and popular scripture and I would like to share another translation I found that beautifully translates it…

Romans 8:28 (VOICE) “We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to

work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept

His invitation to live according to His plan.”

As we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ He invites us to live according to His plan for our lives.  When we lay down our own ways and thoughts about things, that is when God is able to work us through the good and the bad.   There are four words to this scripture though that are the key and the secret to God working freely in our lives.  Those words are “when we love Him.”

Loving God should be our lifestyle.  As a believer, loving Him should come as natural as breathing to us.  We should not have to think about it for the more we know Him and His ways, we should be overwhelmed at His love for us.  Loving Him should be a part of every detail of our lives.  Looking to Him should not just be when we are in trouble but we need to be looking to Him when every thing is perfect as well.  It is as we have a burning love within our hearts for Him that we will see how He will beautifully weave a tapestry of many wondrous things in your life.  God desires that His love be shown to a dark world.  As we love Him and walk in His presence, His joy will overflow for all to see.

“A joyful heart is the inevitable result

of a heart burning with love.

Mother Teresa 

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by Dona Hake

In this day and age of computers we are all quite aware of the importance of knowing that everything we treasure on our computers should be backed up.  I am especially aware of this because of photographing weddings and very special occasions.   For me to know that I have captured a day that is a once in a lifetime event, I must be diligent with the care of my client’s work.  I know that if anything were to happen to my computer, all my work is protected and has been backed up several times.  It gives me great peace of mind because I know that I have done what I know to do to protect myself from such a dreadful loss.    I have heard people say how they were heartbroken knowing their computer crashed and they lost everything.  All their precious memories were gone and never to be retrieved.

Today I just want to impress upon you to make sure you are building and strengthening your heart with God’s Word.     God promises us that as we are faithful to keep His Word that He will always back us up no matter what situations we face.  As we are diligent to  put His Word  into our hearts, we are making deposits of great value.  We are accumulating a treasure within us.  This treasure cannot be compared to any wealth on this earth.  Nothing or no one can take it from you for it is hidden deep within you.  You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if a situation arises that you are well prepared.  You are prepared to stand against any temptation that would tempt you to  leave down your guard and sin.

Psalm 119:11 (TLB) 
“I have thought much about your words and stored

them in my heart so that they would

hold me back from sin.”

I encourage you to value His Word and deposit into your heart for it is then that you are truly guarding your heart with all diligence.

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by Dona Hake

I truly believe that the believer that has submitted their will to the Lord and has made a decision to obey Him can truly know that He will direct his paths.   Jesus has promised to never leave nor forsake us.  He has promised to lead, guide us and direct us with His wisdom at every turn. I am sure you can identify at times where things seemed a bit hard to understand.  Maybe things were unfolding totally differently than how you thought it would go.  On top of it all, it is making you feel a bit uneasy because you have been bumped out of your comfort zone.

This proverb counsels us not to worry if we do not totally understand everything as it happens.  Instead, let us take heart and fear not for God is on our side and He will cause us to rise victoriously and cross the finish line.

Proverbs 20:24 (VOICE)
“Every one of our steps is directed by Him;
so how can we attempt to figure out our own way?”

This scripture exhorts my heart to be reminded to never try to figure things out too far ahead for I do not know all that God has in store for me in my journey.  It causes me also to be mindful that I should be casting all my care upon Him because as He cares for me, all will be well with my soul as He works His beautiful plan in my life.

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by Dona Hake

How do you define patience?  If you were to ask my oldest granddaughter she would tell you that patience is waiting with a happy heart.  For months now I have been sharing this simple little definition of patience with both of my granddaughters.   For children, waiting can be so very hard yet how important it is that they learn patience.  Many times we are riding in the car and both them are so excited and cannot wait till we  stop for donuts and then finally get to Grandma’s house for the day.

One day in particular we were hitting a lot of traffic and it seemed like forever till we were reaching the donut shop.  I began to say, “Remember! we need to be patient!…and what does patience mean?” My granddaughter said, “I know, I know, it’s waiting with a happy heart but sometimes I don’t do patience!”  I have to be honest with you that when she said that I almost cracked up laughing.   I love how children are just so bluntly honest at times.  I just had to chuckle and I replied, “You know what?  Some days I don’t do patience either.”

Let’s all be honest with ourselves…we all have those days that we do not do patience and it ends up causing us to be annoyed, upset, etc…     In the book of James he wrote and exhorted us in the importance of allowing patience to have it’s perfect work.  I used to wonder how James could write and tell us to “Count it all joy when you fall into various tests and trials…”

James 1:2-4  The Voice

“Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing. “

This scripture reminds me to thank God that our faith can blossom even under the pressures that may seem unpleasant.   He will be faithful to teach us true patience that we can cross the finish line!  So today I encourage you to be patient in all things or may I say “Wait with a happy heart!”

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by Dona Hake

I can remember not too long ago someone asking me at the last minute to grab my camera and bring it to where I was going to get some shots. At the last moment before I left, I threw the camera over my shoulder and out the door I went. As I was driving down the road it dawned on me that more than likely my battery was low. Sure enough when I check it’s level, it was blinking and this was not good. I turned around and went back and grabbed one of my back up batteries. Thank God for back up! Normally with client shoots I have all batteries full and extra of everything. My point in this story is that I was caught off guard.

There is an analogy to this little story. Life can bring us situations that just catch us off guard and we may have no time to do anything about it. I had noticed for a while that my battery was blinking low but I just ignored it and the thought was….just charge it later. Well, “later” did not happen and had I not realized it I would not have been able to get the shots this individual wanted me to get. You see, my lithium battery is well capable of shooting for hours on end IF it is fully charged. There was not a thing wrong with the battery. The thing that went wrong was that I failed to be attentive to it’s warning and do what needed to be done. I failed to maintain such a small but most vital part of my camera.

We too are like ”spiritual batteries” that need charged and watched over. We need our time with God and the infusion of His strength and guidance each day. We cannot try to thrive on what was yesterday’s faith. We cannot fool ourselves and think we are going to get away with ignoring the warning signals that come with being weary and worn down. We must keep ourselves full that we can do all that He has for us to do. I leave you with this scripture that is a wonderful one to reflect upon.

2 Peter 1:3
The Voice (VOICE)
“His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue.”

Draw upon that power and all that He has so graciously given you to live your day!

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by Dona Hake

Proverbs 12:25
“Anxious hearts are very heavy, but a word

of encouragement does wonders!”

Today I want to encourage you to seek opportunities to lift up hearts that may be heavy.  As we ask the Lord for such opportunities He is sure to bring them in our path.  We live in a time where it is plain to see that many have anxious and heavy hearts.  I love those God given opportunities when I can lock my eyes with someone that looks grumpy or depressed, and try to get them talking.   People like this need our loving smiles and encouraging words.

The Lord lifts us up and faithfully ministers His strength to us.  Day by day He pours forth an abundant supply of joy and strength for our day.  Let us be ready to give it to those around us as He provides us opportunities.  God wants us to be givers not hoarders of all the blessings He has imparted to us.

Proverbs 11:24
Living Bible
“It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.”

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by Dona Hake

I just want to encourage you today with the fact that God desires to be our Rock and our Redeemer! As Redeemer, Jesus restored us back to fellowship with the Living God of this Universe! We can be cleansed of any sin and we no longer need to live in guilt of past or present mistakes. At any given time in your day you are free to run to Him for the forgiveness and help that you need.

As we look to Him as our Rock, we no longer stand in places that shake or can be moved but we can stand on that which brings us strength and security. I loved the one definition of rock that I found.  It said to be lulled in security and hope.  When one is lulled they are soothed and quieted.  I could not help but to think of times when my sons were little and they would come and just be comforted as I held them tightly and prayed over them.  We too can run to Him in those times that we are shaken and our soul will be quieted.     As we sit as His feet we can be assured that He will calm us from our anxieties and strengthen the faith in our heart.

Psalm 37:7

Amplified Bible

by Dona Hake

Sometimes life can become so hectic that we do not realize that are souls are no longer quiet before Him.  There may be times that  we need to hear from Him and because we are so hurried in our day but we expect Him to speak to us on our terms.  If we are not careful we could miss His gentle voice that so desires to fellowship with us and give us the direction that we need.

1 Kings 19:11-12  (AMP)
” And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice.”

Elijah knew that the sound of a gentle whisper was God’s voice.  He understood that God did not just reveal Himself in the big and the powerful, in the sound of stillness.   The Lord is often found in the gentle whisper in the quietness of a meek spirit.   It is there that He is able to whisper to you the secrets of His perfect will and purposes for your life.

Today let us purpose in knowing that our hearts are quieted before Him.  I believe even in the midst of the demands of our lives that we can maintain our hearts and keep them at peace that we can hear His voice no matter what is going on around us.

“Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper  of God.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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