“You Are the Work of His Hands”

Posted on Jan 15, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Everyone of us are still under the molding and workmanship of the Master’s hands. Let us be so very thankful that 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 your life, and He sees your life as precious and worthy for being used for His plans and purposes.

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.”

If you are tempted to question your own worth I encourage you to refer to this scripture. The world puts standards of success before us, and we need to be ever so careful that we are striving to measure to what God desires not what the world is dictating to us. May we desire to be clay that is soft and pliable in His hands. May our hearts be humble as He molds and stretches us that we may accomplish His will.

YOU ARE the work of His hand! God bless you.

“The Inseparable Love Of Our Lord”

Posted on Jan 14, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

NOTHING can separate us. He is NEVER distant, and He will NEVER leave or forsake us. I think this is a vital truth to meditate on for it is a truth that no one can take from us. No situation is big enough to separate us from our loving God, and in this we can always rejoice. Whether things are going great or it seems like everything is going wrong…NOTHING can separate us from Him and His unfailing 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 busy and full of many things. We purpose to set time aside to eat, sleep, work and play. Let us be as diligent to purposely carve out moments during the day, and dedicate them to sit in His presence, praise Him, love Him and acknowledge Him in all our ways. 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. Today I encourage you to praise Him from the depths of your heart because of His inseparable love for you!!

“Think On Good Things”

Posted on Jan 13, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Psalm 19:14 (TLB)

“May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts

be pleasing even to you,

O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Oh what a beautiful and wonderful prayer that was prayed and recorded here in the Psalms. It would be a good thing that we would ask the Lord more often, “Is what I just said okay Lord?” or “Lord is my heart right in this matter? I think Jesus would be delighted if we would check in with Him more often and inquire of Him on these things. I think Jesus wants us to view Him as our best friend and we should be allowing our best friend to challenge our heart and bring accountability in our lives. I value the times when I feel a tug at my heart or a check in my spirit in those times that my thoughts or words are not pleasing to Him. When He is Lord of our life, we will truly welcome these disciplines.

The Lord has promised to help us with all things that pertain to life and godliness so be encouraged that it is His heart to help you walk victoriously. Paul wrote in Philippians how to keep our thoughts in line with truth. If we just purpose to think on good things…

Philippians 4:8-9Amplified Bible (AMP)

“Finally, [a]believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.”

As we practice thinking on good things, our spoken words and unspoken thoughts will be kept and guarded by the peace of God. I encourage you today to think upon all the good things that Paul instructed us in Philippians. It is as we do this that our thoughts, words, and actions will always line up with the will and ways of our Lord.

“Just As You See Your Own Face…”

Posted on Jan 12, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Proverbs 27:19 (ERV)
“Just as you can see your
own face reflected in water,
so your heart reflects the

kind of person you are.”

This portion of scripture stirs my heart to think about the true spiritual condition of my heart. If I were to stand over a crystal clear pond and look in, my reflection would answer back at me or in other words I see myself. I would see myself for exactly what I am because the reflection does not lie. When you stand in front of a mirror you can not stand there and say, “this is not me!” or “I do not look like that!” Our reflections are speaking to us and telling us exactly what we look like. So it is when we look into God’s Word, He will reveal to us our need for Him and all that He wants us to be. If we permit Him, He will show us the kind of person we are, and also the condition of our heart.

James 1:22-25
Amplified Bible (AMP)

“”But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror;

For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.

But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).”

There will be those times in which we hear the Word and we may feel a bit convicted and we need to give heed, and be an active doer as this scripture tells us to do. This tugging at our heart is the Holy Spirit speaking to us to make changes, and this kind of change really is a good thing. This scripture is clear that we need to give heed to the Word we hear and read, and the living water of the Word will truly reveal to us the condition of our heart if we permit it to. The Lord is loving, and He will help us to make the adjustments we need to be molded into His image. Let us look carefully at ourselves in light of God’s Word and allow Him to work in us.

Lord, we ask You this day to show us the true condition of our hearts. Help us to be reminded of the importance of remaining humble before You that You will have free reign in our hearts. Help us to be doers and not just hearers of Your Word. We thank You that You are able to do a wonderful and transforming work within us. Help us also to be patient and persevering as we walk through times of change that You are desiring to work within us. In Jesus Name we ask, amen!

“The Lord Will Provide”

Posted on Jan 11, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Have you ever seen someone walk through an extremely tough situation, and you ask yourself how you would walk through such a thing? You may say to yourself, “Oh my…I don’t even know what I would tell someone to do in such a situation.” I can remember one day while watching the news one of my favorite news reporters was being interviewed regarding a tragedy. The interviewer asked this gentleman “If you had to give words of advice relative to this situation what would you say?” His humble face showed that he did not have the answer in that present moment. He was silent for a few seconds and then he responded, and his words touched me heart.

His response clearly indicated his faith and his belief that if he was called upon to give advice that the Lord would speak through him with the exact words that needed to be spoken. You see, the words the Lord fills our mouths with are always right and profitable for the moment in which one is in need.

This man’s words just refreshed my heart and reminded me that this is how life is to be lived. Many times there are problems and situations in this life that seem impossible to solve. They may seem that there can be no good ending in sight. Situations like this can cause us to fear speaking to people that are dealing with difficult situations for fear we may say the wrong thing . We may be afraid that we are not going to have the answers that we need. Yet if we trust Him we will surely see that HE WILL PROVIDE! Today we are looking at the scripture from

Philippians 4:19

” But my God shall abundantly supply all your

need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Let us be reminded that this is not just talking about material needs although God desires to provide for us in that realm. Today I want to encourage you heart that He will provide for you that which you need to know or say in your moment of need. Next time you are called upon for counsel in a seemingly difficult or impossible situation, believe that He can open His hand and give you exactly what you need for that moment in time. He is well able to fill your mind and mouth with the counsel and direction that you need. God is good and God is able!!!

“God Is Great and Greatly To Be Praised!”

Posted on Jan 9, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Today I bring you my meditations that I had during my prayer time this morning. I began to think about His greatness and all the wonderful things He has done in my life. He began to minister to my heart that the more we think about His greatness and all that He is that all else is brought into it’s proper perspective. I want to share a handful of scriptures relative to His being a God to be feared, and His Name reverenced and adored.

Psalm 48:1 “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.”

Psalm 71:19 “Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!”

Psalm 89:7 “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”

Psalm 95:3 ” For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”

Psalm 135:5 “For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

According to Ephesians 3:20 God is able to do above and beyond all that we dare ask or think. May we be reminded on a daily basis as we walk with our Lord that He is great and greatly to be praised! He is well able to exceed our highest expectations as we release our faith in Him. Why? Because He IS the God of Heaven and Earth, and His love for us is so deep and we could never comprehend it!!! May we continue to build our faith according to the Word of God that we may know in our hearts that any mountain in our lives, or those things that are sent to bring us down, are able to be conquered by the power of God alone! He alone is able.

I encourage you today as you start your day, or throughout your day, just look around you and be reminded that all that you see was created by the hand of the Almighty and loving God. Just this thought alone can renew our minds and build our faith in the fact that God is great and greatly to be praised, and there is not one thing that is too hard for Him to accomplish for you. He is able, and He is willing to do that for you!

“Being An Example For Him”

Posted on Jan 8, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Divine appointments are so wonderful, and almost every time they happen to me, I feel so pleasantly surprised and also excited to know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I feel that God desires to use us to touch the lives of people around us no matter who they are. He wants to use us as an extension of His love and light, many times to our surprise, it happens… you are placed in someone’s path, and you just know it was appointed by the Lord.

Today I was standing in the grocery line loading my groceries on to the belt for the young lady to ring me up. I heard her sharing with the customer before me how an individual took a $10 bill and made the number one on the bill into a five, it was done so artistically and strategically that the sales clerk passed it for a $50 bill. When I stepped up to talk to this young lady I commented to her how it is so sad that people can be so deceitful. This young lady began to share how she saw someone steal someone’s coupons one day. In less than a minute this young lady shared out of the abundance of her heart. She said, “You know, you reap what you sow…” In that split second we were both on a roll sharing truths with each other, and it was beautifully evident that she was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Many times we do not need to say many words, it is that light that proceeds from our countenance and even though our words may be few people can immediately identify that we love Him.

This young lady began to share something with me that really touched my heart. She said, “You know there are those people out there that have been saved their whole life, they’ve never done drugs, they have never done anything really all that wrong, I think that is really neat because they are examples. But you know what I want is someone out there that is older than me to just be an example for me to follow.”

As I walked away from her I thought about how her words really touched me, it made me realize that there are many young believers just looking for someone to be there to call their friend, to mentor them, and just be a shining example of living life and God’s wisdom and purpose. Today, I encourage you to be aware of young believers around you, that are just looking for someone to show them, and be an example of walking upright, and in the integrity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As I began walking away from this young lady after I paid for my bill I said to her, “thank you for sharing your refreshing words with me, and being a blessing to me today.” She got a big smile across her face, and then proceeded to ask me my name, and then she introduced herself to me. We are both hoping we will cross each other’s path at this grocery store and we will be able to build each other up once again.

Lord, help us all to realize that You desire to use us to touch the lives of people around us. We ask that You would help us to see the seriousness of the day in which we live because there is much to be done. There are people out there that need us. They need the light of Your Word, they need Your love, and there are those that are looking for guidance, wisdom and counsel. Help us to be mindful to walk uprightly and in the integrity of Your Word that we may be good examples to those that are looking for help and guidance. In Jesus Name we ask, amen!

“Craving God and His Strength”

Posted on Jan 8, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Psalm 105:4 (AMP) “Seek, inquire of and for the Lord, and crave Him and His strength (His might and inflexibility to temptation);

seek and require His face and His presence [continually] evermore.”

Along with this scripture I would like to share with you a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, this is what he said,

“No man ever prayed without learning something.”

As we ponder the scripture from Psalm 105:4 and this quote we too can see that as we truly seek the Lord in prayer, reading, and the hearing of His Word that there is much to be found. Even if you have read a scripture many times over, there is always freshness and newness of life that it can bring to your soul…if you allow it to. The truths to be found in our Lord have endless depths, and as we pray and seek Him, He will take us into deeper revelation of the truths in His Word.

Do you desire to go deeper and deeper in the things of God? Today I encourage you to crave Him and His strength. Think about those things you love to eat. Sometimes it will hit me and I will start craving a particular food because I love it so much. So it should be with our love for our Lord and everything about Him! The more we seek Him the more we will find ourselves needing to seek Him more. The more you experience HIS strength and HIS ability, the more you will crave to turn your face to Him and receive all that He is! Remember that all that He is, and all that He does is brand new everyday. He desires to teach you continually and answer all the questions of your heart. Crave Him, step into His presence, and prepare yourself to learn and receive His portion for you today. God is good!

Jeremiah 33:3 (CJB) “Call out to me, and I will answer you — I will tell you great things, hidden things of which you are unaware.”

“The Heart That Listens To God…”

Posted on Jan 7, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

James 1:19 (AMP)

“Understand [this], my beloved brethren.

Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener],

slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.”

This scriptures shows us how important it is to listen carefully, think before we speak, and keep ourselves from stepping into the trap of offense. This verse has a wealth of wisdom in it for us. It also shows us that it is just as important to listen to another’s heart for the unspoken words and feelings they may be feeling. Many times we may feel that we have the right answer for someone yet it is not the appropriate time for that word to be spoken. As we take care to listen, our words spoken will be in the appropriate time and will be edifying to the hearer.

I feel that this scripture also ties beautifully to our meditation from yesterday. I shared with you about your spiritual hearing. We looked at different translations from John 10:27, and each translation basically emphasized the importance of hearing, listening, responding, and recognizing the voice of our Lord. Many times we are not hearing people’s hearts simply because we are not listening and responding to the voice of the Lord as He speaks to us. The more we are in tune with hearing and responding to God, we will find ourselves hearing and responding to people around us in a way that is more Christ-like. Many times we may feel that we know what an individual may need to hear but we need to ask the Lord for the proper season to share it.

Proverbs 25:11 (AMP)
“A word fitly spoken and in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

Listening to someone may be the greatest gift you could give them. Choice words are even a greater gift to one that is in need. After you have listened carefully you will find they will be much more apt to hear your heartfelt and choice response. They will be more likely to take heed to the wisdom that you feel you are to share too. I believe the Lord can help us to guard our tongues that our words will be as choice silver and gold. The heart that listens to God will truly hear and speak a word that is fit and proper for the moment.

Lord, help us this day to become more and more sensitive to Your loving voice. May we learn to hear and respond to it in the way that You are desiring us to. We thank You for those opportunities in which we can be used as Your mouth piece and minister the perfect and proper word in due season to the one that needs it most. In Jesus Name, amen!

“How Is Your Spiritual Hearing?”

Posted on Jan 6, 2016 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Have you ever heard when someone jokingly or not so jokingly says that an individual has selective hearing? Selective hearing is the capability to block out sounds and noise. It is the notion of ignoring certain things in one’s surrounding environment. Many times you can see this in small children. They may tend to hear only the fun and exciting things, but things such as “It’s time to clean up your toys, and get ready for your nap.” may not be one of those things that is eagerly heard. The question is are there times that we have selective hearing with the Lord, and we are unaware of it?

There are times we can all identify where we are reading the Word or hearing the Word of God, and our spirit has been pricked by the power of the spoken Word of God. We just know it was God specifically dealing with our heart yet we walk away and do not take heed. We may go home from church and proclaim what a good word your Pastor shared yet not take heed to it, and apply it to our life. This is selective hearing and lack of being a doer of the Word. We need to be very careful and cautious over our hearts that we are not guilty of this. I found several translations of John 10:27 enlightening so I will share them with you for your meditation.

“The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.” (AMP)

My sheep respond to my voice, and I know who they are. They follow me…” (GW)

” My sheep recognize my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (TLB)

“My sheep respond as they hear My voice; I know them intimately, and they follow Me.” (The Voice)

The word *know* defined is to be able to distinguish, as one from another. The Lord wants that we KNOW Him and we KNOW His voice! Today I ask you are you listening to hear if He is calling your name? Have you felt a gentle tug on your heart, and you wonder if it is Him? Let us learn to listen and recognize His precious voice and leading in our lives. Today I desire to encourage your heart to be listening closely for His voice. Many times His voice is loud and clear and many times it is a mere whisper. Be quick to recognize it and respond. God truly desires this intimacy with us as we heed to His Words and walk willingly along side of Him as He gently leads us.

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!