Thursday, March 21, 2019
Devotional for Thursday, March 21, 2019
“For All To See”
by Dona Hake
“Let the peace and joy of your life and God flow out for all to see.
Even the most ordinary things, done in God‘s presence,
are serving Him.
God ordains even simple things to be done in His order
and for His glory. Don’t forget that!
Most people, in trying to please God, expect that God
wants them to do difficult or unusual things. God wants
you to die to yourself, and live to Him in the every
day events of life.”
Francois de Fennelon
Today I want to encourage you to live and move and have ALL of your being in Him. Even in the smallest of things, let us believe that the Lord’s hand is upon each and every one.
“For in Him we live and move and exist
[that is, in Him we actually have our being]”
Acts 17:28 – AMP
Acts 17:28 – AMP
Let us live by faith, and daily be quick to die to ourselves that we may truly please our Lord.
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer
I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which
I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is
in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself up for me.”
Galatians 2:20 ASV
Galatians 2:20 ASV
In this daily life, we must regularly crucify sinful desires that would keep us from walking in God’s will. As we live as onto our Lord may we consciously desire that He manifest Himself even in the ordinary things of our life. He will most certainly use us to touch people around us in ways that we have never dreamed. Just by simply living for Him, we can expect the extraordinary to happen in the ordinary moments and the smallest of details in our life!
Friday, March 15, 2019
Devotional for Friday, March 15, 2019
“You Are the Only You”
by Dona Hake
“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.”
Zig Ziglar
YOU were fearfully and wonderfully made with the creative fingers of your Lord. He formed YOU so intricately in the womb. He had a special purpose for YOU for such a time as this!
It is interesting as we continue to walk out our days on this earth. What God may have assigned us to do yesterday was only for that day. We cannot live off of the fumes of our faith and accomplishments of yesterday. Each day is a brand new canvas in our life, His mercies are new toward you, and His faithfulness is there for every breath you take. Today there is a new assignment that only YOU can do for Him.
I will never forget when I heard someone share this wonderful tidbit of wisdom.
“The call is to the heart and the grace is to the call.”
No matter what we have been called to do, our Lord will equip us for that call with His precious grace. Let us never compare our walk with the Lord with another Believer. Instead, stay aware of the moment in which you live, and live to only do that which He is speaking to YOU. You are the only YOU that will ever live, and only YOU can use those God given abilities, talents, etc. as you draw upon His grace each day of your life.
Today I encourage you to thank God for the gifts and abilities that He has put in YOU for such a time as this!
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Devotional for Wednesday, March 13, 2019
“Don’t Believe Every Thing You Think”
by Dona Hake
“Don’t believe everything you think.”
Once I heard someone make this statement, and I thought it to be simple yet profound. Of course we all have the right to our own thoughts and opinions but they may not be worthy of believing or speaking, nor should anyone need to hear them. If we do not keep ourselves humble, we can think that all that goes on between our ears is right. If we do not keep our thoughts in check with what the Word of God says, it will not be long that our thoughts become opinions or actions that could cause us some big trouble. We can come to believe that these wrong thoughts are the right way when in fact our Lord does not bless our wrong thoughts. God will never permit us to set our own standards to live by for that is foolish pride, and the Word plainly states that He resists the proud man or woman. Sadly, this is the very thing that the devil is watching for that he may devour and eat up, devour and destroy the life of a Believer.
We would keep ourselves guarded well if we would vow to live by what the Word says about maintaining our thought realm. In 2 Corinthians, Paul said if your thoughts exalt themselves against the knowledge of God…get rid of them! Such words are not worthy to keep residence in our mind and we clearly cannot trust them nor believe them.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (ERV)
“…and we tear down every proud idea that raises
itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture
every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”
The secret to tearing down proud ideas and thoughts that are bad are KNOWING what God’s Word says, and what it says about our situation. As we stay full of His Word we can look to the Lord, and ask Him to help us to rightly discern our thoughts. Let us keep in mind that when we encounter tough situations that the voice of our emotions, hurt, or whatever can speak so loudly, therefore deceiving us. Those wrong thoughts that are not worthy of residing in our mind will quickly leave as we replace those thoughts with His.
This all reminds me of how it is so vitally important that we be in close fellowship with Jesus, and know that we are totally immersed in His Word and His peace. The mind that is full of His Word and peace is the guarded mind. It is the saturated mind that will quickly reject anything that raises itself against the knowledge of God’s Word.
~~~~~ ♥ ~~~~~
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Devotional for Tuesday, March 12, 2019
“What a Powerful Word”
by Dona Hake
RESTORATION…What a powerful word! It happens when something or someone is returned to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition. Things broken, relationships broken, hearts broken. It happens in this life, yet our Lord is able to restore it all by His love and power.
Let us treasure within us how wonderful it is that the Lord will forgive us when we mess up, and He will always cleanse our hearts. As we humble ourselves to Him admitting our wrongs and shortcomings, He will bring His mercies and forgiveness to you, and bring you back to that place of feeling clean and joyful again. Oh what treasure it is when a relationship is restored by the power of His forgiveness, as we extend it when it is needed.
When one lives in an unrestored state of heart and mind, there can many times be the torment of guilt. Let us look at David in the Psalms. His plea to God was for restoration of his heart in a time in which he majorly messed up, and his heart was heavy with guilt and anguish.
Psalm 51:7, 8, 10
“Remove my sin and make me pure.”
Wash me until I am whiter than snow!
Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again.
God, create a pure heart in me,
and make my spirit strong again.”
Wash me until I am whiter than snow!
Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again.
God, create a pure heart in me,
and make my spirit strong again.”
Let us treasure the restoring power of love and forgiveness which will always usher restoration into our life. It is only Him that can bring restoration to our souls. He is the only one who is able to cleanse. I love how verse eight says “Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again.” This is what restoration is about. When we experience freedom from guilt and the power of restoration we are able to experience the joy that was robbed by our sin, guilt or loss that we may have experienced. Only God is able to create within us a pure heart, pick us back up, heal our broken heart, and cause us to continue on in His will. Thank God for the power of His restoration!
Monday, March 11, 2019
Devotional for Monday, March 11, 2019
“The Power of Self Control”
by Dona Hake
Some things are easier than others, and some things take a lot of patience and time. Some may require more determination and self control in order to go forward. I will never forget hearing a man’s testimony of his extreme weight loss. He weighed over 600 lbs. and over a period of time was able to lose 400 of those pounds. It was amazing to see his before and after, and might I add that his story was such an inspiration. Before he lost the weight, he had basically given up and just stayed at home. All he did was play online video games. He ended up friending a woman on the other side of his gaming world, and they played video games and interacted together. Over the course of time she had come to know his weight situation as they chatted and this is all she said…”You are throwing your life away…” Those six words inspired, and challenged his heart! He made some real tough decisions and it was a slow but sure victory. His decision required him to commit to some tough self discipline.
One can be tempted to fear of failure in such a situation as this gentleman. You know anyone of us could be faced with a situation in which we have to change some things in our life for the sake of our health or other reasons. One thing for sure and that is when we have a solid purpose in any decision to change, know this… as we invite our Lord along to be our Helper we do not have to be afraid of failure. The Holy Spirit will come along side of us and lead us in our journey, and our determination and discipline will cause us to win and not fail!
2 Timothy 1:7
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”
Today I encourage your heart to ponder that God has made it possible that we are able to tap into the power of His way of self control and discipline. He is able to help us accomplish our goals as we purpose our heart to be disciplined for Him in every area of our life. God is able to help us do above and beyond all we dare ask or think! By His power, we can do that which may seem impossible in Jesus Name!
Friday, March 8, 2019
Devotional for Friday, March 8, 2019
“My Unknown Future Is In His Hands”
by Dona Hake
“…but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching
forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
God desires that we look forward into our future with faith in our hearts. What a waste of the time it is if we spend our God given time dwelling on our pasts that have been painful. One can also be guilty of living in that place of “I wished it was how it used to be.” It is like trying to drive with our destination in mind yet our gaze is continually in the rear view mirror. Yes, there are times we need to glance in our rear view mirrors so we can proceed cautiously. Those glances serve us as a good way to proceed with caution that we do not make mistakes or put ourselves in danger. But oh how dangerous it would be if we drove our car with continual gaze in our rear view mirror. So it is in our walk with the Lord.
“The future frightens only those who
prefer living in the past.”
John Mason
God does not want us to be fearful of our future but rather we need to rejoice in the days to come knowing that He is ready to use us as He wills as we give Him our all! I read a really awesome but powerful sentence the other day and it went like this…
“My unknown future is in the hands of an all knowing God.”
We can all have our plans and expectations for our future, and that is good but praise God that He is all knowing, and He can cause our paths to be blessed and prosperous each and every day of our lives. God bless you richly as you serve Him this day!
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Devotional for Thursday, March 7, 2019
“The Word Fitly Spoken”
by Dona Hake
What do you think of when you hear ~~ a word fitly spoken ~~?? When I think of a word fitly spoken, I think of expressing words from my heart to someone, and you just know in your heart of hearts that you have spoken exactly what they needed to hear. Yet, those same words spoken at the wrong time could possibly not be good. Just because you know something to be true does not mean it is the moment to speak it. Today let us ponder and meditate on desiring that our words are spoken in due season…the season that is in God’s plan for the moment.
James had some excellent advice about the handling of words in this life. Words are spoken, words are heard, and words can cause reaction. Words have the ability to build up, tear down, hurt, and even cause one to become angry. Words can create fear, yet they can also create faith. Oh the power of words!
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.”
I think of how many arguments would be avoided if this simple and profound verse was mastered by us. This verse has a wealth of wisdom in it. It is just as important to listen to another’s heart as well as how much we think our thoughts and words are important. After you have listened, then think thoroughly before you open your mouth. Many times you may feel that you have the right answer for someone’s problem yet it is not the appropriate time for that word to be spoken.
Let us ask the Lord to have sensitive hearts that we will purpose to listen more sensitively to those around us. Many times we may indeed know what that individual may need 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. Words of faith in someone’s fearful circumstance is the greatest gift. Choice words are a treasure to one that is in need. When you choose to listen carefully you will find the person you are with will be much more apt to hear your heartfelt and choice response. After you have listened carefully you will find they will be much more apt to hear your heartfelt and choice response. I believe the Lord can help us to guard our tongues that our words will be as choice silver and gold, and spoken at the proper time.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Devotional for Wednesday, March 6, 2019
“He Gives Us Power To Live”
by Dona Hake
Acts 17:28 (CEV)
“…and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are.”
He enables us to live this life by His power. He helps us to be the person He desires us to be. Today I want to encourage your heart to just let Him do things through you today. I found one of the definitions for the word ~let~ to be interesting in light of the scripture I am going to share with you.
~Let~ means to grant the occupancy or use of
Now let us read this scripture from the Psalms..
“…And ~let~ the beauty and delightfulness and favor
of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish
the work of our hands—yes, the work of our hands, confirm
and establish it.” Psalm 90:17 Amplified Version
May we LET or grant the occupancy of our total being to the Lord today, may we give Him total use of us of however He wishes to use us. May we LET His beauty, delightfulness, and favor rest upon our lives that people would see Him and not us. I believe that as we do this that all that we put our hand to will indeed prosper and He we be able to confirm and establish the work of our hands.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Devotional for Tuesday, March 5, 2019
“No Matter What It Is…”
by Dona Hake
Colossians 3:17 . Amplified Version
“…whatever you do (no matter what it is)
in word or deed, do everything in the Name
of the Lord Jesus (and independence on Him)
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Let us look closely at five words in this scripture translation from the Amplified version. They are… “No matter what it is… “. Those five words should be the “sieve” in which we run every thought, word and deed through. The Word of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit are also that sieve or safety net in which we can keep ourselves in check. This is the secret of maintaining a heart that is pure and humble before Him. It is that compass that will keep us on the right path. If our every word and deed is not honoring our Lord, then we need to stop and evaluate our words and actions. Ask the Holy Spirit, “Are my words and deeds honoring You?”
God is calling us to a place in which we are to be pure and holy, and pursuing to walk in godliness in every area of our life. May we be a people that He can shine His loving and glorious light through in Jesus Name. Today, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS…Do it all in the Name of Jesus!
Monday, March 4,2019
Devotional for Monday, March 4, 2019
“Abundant Peace Belongs To Them”
by Dona Hake
Psalm 119:165 (HCSB)
“Abundant peace belongs to those
who love Your instruction;
nothing makes them stumble.”
It is a blessed thing to possess peace that permeates our heart and mind. Today we are meditating on the abundant peace or great peace that our awesome God promises as we love His Word, obey His voice. As we stay full of God’s Word we are promised that there is no place for anything but His wonderful peace.
In those times that we do not stay in fellowship with our Lord and the reading of His Word is when souls begin to weaken. It is in those times that we suffer from lack of peace and contentment in Him. We may feel we can get away with lacking diligence in attending to our hearts, but know it to be a truth…our thoughts and feelings will weaken, and so will our faith.
We cannot afford lacking diligence in the reading of His Word and staying in His presence. May we never forget that the devil loves to see us get off track. He loves to see us pursue doing things in our own ability rather than relying on the grace of our Lord. Busying ourselves to keep our minds off of pending problems and uncomfortable circumstances is not God’s way of dealing with things. Haven’t you heard people say these words, “I’m doing fine as long as I keep myself busy.” Our busy minds and works are not the solution to walking through a difficult circumstance in which only the Lord’s guidance and peace is the answer. I would like to share this quote that I found it to fit perfectly with this thought of being too busy.
“If the devil cannot make us bad,
he will make us busy.”
Corrie ten Boom
May we know that our good deeds and works are directly a result of us obeying His voice. May we not fall into the trap of just being busy people but rather let us be busy for the Lord, and the direction His voice is leading us. Let us be obedient to seize only the opportunities that the Lord is putting before us. Our time is precious and so is our abundant peace.
How precious are those times where we feel saturated in His peace because we are saturated in His Word, and we feel unmovable. It is when we are abiding in His place of refuge that we will simply be unmovable. Paul spoke of the peace that passes all understanding. That peace will keep and guard our mind and that peace will also surpass our understanding in Jesus Name!
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!!
thank you Lisa for sharing. I am blessed that this was a blessing to you!
Ralph &I are really enjoying your devotional together.
So glad this is blessing you both!
Oh, what a wonderful reminder! I want to break the magnifing glass of worry and trust God for each step I take.
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!