Devotional for March 13, 2018
Devotional for Tuesday, March 13, 2018
“When Kindness Rules Our Lips”
by Dona Hake
I would like to focus on a particular scripture in Proverbs 31. Whether you are a man or woman reading this, we can all learn something from this chapter. This Proverbs 31 woman was an excellent wife and mother, and she surely accomplished many things. Honestly, it makes me tired reading all the things she did! (Lol!!) What a wonderful example she has been for women to look to as example of a godly woman. I want to draw attention to the fact that her strength and dignity did not come from her amazing achievements, but they came from her reverence for God. No matter who you are and what you have accomplished in this life for God, He is looking for the heart that truly fears and reverences Him.
Verse twenty-six speaks of the law of kindness being on this godly woman’s lips. I have been drawn to this particular scripture today, and I want you to look at it closely with me. What a wonderful law this is…the law of kindness. Everyone of us need to desire that our lips be controlled by such a law. In several translations I found verse 26 to be beautifully translated. I have compiled these translations into one paragraph for you.
Here are some excerpts from different translations that I found. This woman that loved and referenced her God desired that loving instruction would be upon her tongue. She conducted her conversation with wisdom and the teaching of kindness was ever her concern. On her tongue there was tender instruction. Kindness was the rule for everything she said. Today I leave you with this exhortation from Mother Teresa.
“Kind words can be short and easy to
speak but their echoes are truly endless”
speak but their echoes are truly endless”
Today may we desire to conduct our conversation with wisdom and may we be genuinely be concerned that words of kindness would proceed from our lips. May we tenderly speak God’s Word that we may instruct those that are hungry for Him, and may kindness be the rule for everything we say.
Monday, March 12, 2018
Devotional for Monday, March 12, 2018
“Taking One Thought At a Time”
by Dona Hake
Paul tells us in the scriptures that we are to take every thought captive. Every thought. Imagine that… As I pondered this I wondered how many thoughts go through our minds in a day. I have read several places that over 40,000 to 60,000 go through the human mind in the span of one day. Not sure how accurate this is, but we all well know that one can be capable of thinking a lot of thoughts in a day’s time. Here is what Paul declared about the thought realm.
“…we are taking prisoners of every thought,
every emotion, and subduing them into
obedience to the Anointed One.”
2 Corinthians 10:5. The Voice
God desires to touch us in the realm of our thoughts. He understands our human nature, our weaknesses, and He understands how our thoughts can control our souls. He desires to help us maintain our concentration on the things that will build us up and not tear us down. He desires to see us build our faith strong that we may serve Him better as we purpose to do His will. We cannot afford the undisciplined practice of letting our thoughts to themselves. They will multiply and grow in strength and surely become a hindrance to us.
Today I encourage you to accept the challenge of taking each thought captive. Stop it in its tracks if it is a hindering thought, and cast it out in Jesus Name. Those thoughts that are good and healthy for your spirit… let them grow and multiply. Take all things to the Lord in prayer that trouble you for He can help you, and walk you through the unanswered questions and the disturbing thoughts of your heart.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy. Keep to the script: whatever you learned and received and heard and saw in me—do it—and the God of peace will walk with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9. The Voice
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Devotional for Saturday, March 10, 2018
“Acknowledging God In the Moment”
by Dona Hake
“You will lose your way the minute you decide to go your own way.
When you seek God‘s will alone, you find it everywhere,
and you cannot go astray. Wanting what God wants
always put you on a straight path.”
“Live in the present moment. Tomorrow’s grace
is not given to you today. The present moment is the only
place where you can touch the eternal realm.”
Excerpts from François de Fenelon’s chapter entitled “Inner Realities”
These two quotes are just full of powerful revelations of living simply before the Lord Jesus Christ, and acknowledging Him in every one of your ways. I see firstly in these quotes how important it is that we live to do God’s will. How many times do we forget this simple truth as we go about our day. I believe the Lord desires that we seek Him about the simplest of things in our day. He promises as we acknowledge Him in all of our ways that He will be faithful to lead us.
As we live every moment before our Lord, we must know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are drawing on His fresh grace that is only for that moment. We cannot live on the fumes of our faith and grace that brought us our victories yesterday . They are our testimonies, and yes we speak of them but we must reach for His grace that is for the moment we are in right now.
Oh the power of truly living in the fear of the Lord, and seeking Him that He would convict us at the very thought that we permit ourselves to be wise in our own eyes. Praise the living God who has promised to make our ways straight as we look to Him.
“In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing
obstacles that block your way]. Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience]
and turn [entirely] away from evil. It will be health
to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your
sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts]
And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.”
Proverbs 3:6-8. Amplified version
Friday, March 9, 2018
Devotional for Friday, March 9, 2018
“In My Hidden Part of My Heart”
by Dona Hake
God desires to place within us His perfect desires. May it be a sobering thought that we are responsible to make good, godly deposits into our hearts. If we are fellowshipping with God, and hearing and reading His Word, those words are deep within us if we have received them with meekness. Yet there may be things in our innermost being that need to be gone. There may be things deep within us that we have permitted to remain, and it is time for us to clean house. As we seek Him daily for wisdom over our hearts, He is able to give us the exact wisdom, and grace to deal with ridding of anything that would be a hindrance to our walk with Him. Praise God that He is able to reveal to us the very things we cannot see in our own hearts.
In this life each of us walk through various trials, and how we react to them determines the condition of our hearts. For example, lacking to forgive someone can leave our hearts sore, angry, and it is the perfect breeding ground for bitterness. Then there may be times wrong desires proceed from the heart that is not seeking to be full of the living God. Our carnal desires will always deceive us.
My friend, a perfect heart is God‘s perfect will in you. Cherish the desire for a perfect heart, pursue it with all that you have, and long to please Him with it. Let God work in your heart, praise Him, and treasure every breath and moment you live, for it is a precious gift that you are to bless Him with.
Today I desire to cause you to ponder that the Lord desires that we seek Him and His perfect truth deep in our inner man. As we do this He promises to make us to know His wisdom that we can discern our desires that would lead us away from His perfect will. I encourage you to seek that His desires would become yours. It is then that you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your heart is desiring truth in the deepest parts of your being.
“Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom.”
Psalm 51:6. Amplified Version
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Devotional for Thursday, March 8, 2018
“Time…Don’t Waste It.”
How we spend our time will change with the different seasons of our life. But there is one thing for sure, and there is one principal that applies to every moment of this life, and that is we are not to waste it. The Lord desires that we wake up each day with purpose before us as we follow Him, and how He is directing our paths.
Seek in everything that you do to glorify the Lord. Whether you are on the job, or you are in your home, spending time with friends, no matter what… Always seek to glorify Him. It is as we do this we are keeping an awareness that every moment of our life is accounted for, and our Lord is included in it.
Time is part of God‘s provision for us, and we must seek to use it wisely. Let us also make sure that we are seeking time to fellowship with Him. Many times people think they do not have time to spend with the Lord because their lives are so busy, but many times it’s those moments in which there is no demand that we can stop and just speak with Him and draw upon His strength. I leave you with this quote from one of my favorite devotionals by François de Fenelon…
“Those who know the Lord well cannot resist turning to him in every available moment.“
I encourage you this day to seek those available moments that you can turn to Him perhaps to tell Him you love Him, share the questions of your heart, or simply praise Him.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Devotional for Wednesday, March 7, 2018
“The Whispers of Our Lord”
by Dona Hake
I recall a time feeling overwhelmed, and I looked up to the Lord, and asked Him for help for I had a very busy day ahead of me. My mind seemed to be filled with thoughts of wondering how I was going to be able to accomplish all that needed to be done. In the midst of my anxious thoughts I heard a whisper from deep within me that seemed to quiet me, and bring fresh perspective to my day. The Lord was softly speaking to me these few words that quieted my soul, “Sometimes it is not as big as it looks.“ Sometimes we just need to stop ourselves in the midst of the hurry of the day, and seek His help for that is truly where peace comes from. It only takes a few sweet words from our Lord to calm our storms within us and bring the clarity that we are seeking.
I have heard it said “Worry casts a big shadow on small things.“ While we may not be worrying about things that need to be done, we can still feel overwhelmed, and anxious thoughts will be able to multiply and scatter through our souls. Anxious thoughts can keep us unable to focus and think clearly. If we permit this to happen our peace will be robbed.
Psalm 94:19 says “When my anxious thoughts multiply
within me, Your comforts delight me.”
While that scripture is so comforting, we must realize that our will is involved and, we must first and foremost desire the peace and comfort of the Lord above trying to work things out in our own ability. There are times that we must make a quality decision that we are not going to permit anxious thoughts or worries to become louder than the precious sweet whispers of our Lord. Our Lord desires to lead us beside still waters, and cause us to lay down in His green pastures. Oh how He desires to restore our souls in the midst of those times where we feel burdened with cares. I leave you with a favorite quote of mine from Ralph Waldo Emerson…
“Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God.“
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Devotional for Tuesday, March 6, 2018
“God’s Perfect Patience At Work In You”
by Dona Hake
James 1:3-4 Amplified Bible (AMP)
3 “Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.”
3 “Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.”
When we step out in faith, we all know that there are times of waiting. Sometimes within that time of waiting great patience must be exercised for us to continue to stand. James writes here that patience has a good end result. God‘s patience developed in us will always makes us mature and complete.
We probably do not realize how many times we are called upon to be patient even in the smallest things in our life. Those long lines in the grocery store, the slow driver on the road that is keeping us from getting to an appointment on time… Many times it is in the little things that our patience fails because we overlook asking God for help. Only the patience that comes from above that is developed within our soul is the patience that will help us forbear the smallest or toughest situations. I love the scripture from Proverbs 19.
Proverbs 19:11 Easy to Read version “Experience makes you more patient, and you are most patient when you ignore insults.“
I find this scripture interesting for many times we can feel we need to be quick to speak and react to insults rather than patiently endure and just forgive. I especially like this translation because I think the more we go on in life, we walk through such hurtful experiences, and we need to seek our Lord to understand life and its trials in a deeper way. In any trying situation no matter how big or small, if we allow the Lord to teach us, we will walk away with more wisdom. Here is another translation that brings us another side of understanding His patience and forgiveness.
Proverbs 19:11 The Message version
“Smart people know how to hold their tongue; there grandeur is to forgive and forget.“
Today I want to encourage you to ask your loving Heavenly Father to help you grow in patience, and then take opportunity to extend forgiveness even in those times that seem difficult. Extending God’s forgiveness is part of walking in God’s patience. I promise you that as you walk in patience, longsuffering, and forgiveness your soul will be kept at peace.
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Devotional for Saturday, March 3, 2018
“God Is Able to Bring Our Focus”
by Dona Hake
Jesus said that each day will have its evils to deal with, and we are not to worry about our tomorrows. His Word says that the joy of the Lord is our strength, therefore there is always strength to live each day of our life, in the moment with Him. There is so much power in the simplicity of this truth. Praise God He has our future in His hands, and He will give us every bit of strength and vision we need to walk into our future.
I have been reflecting on how each one of our lives is like a tapestry. Each of us has been blessed uniquely with a life in Him. Carefully His tender hands formed us in the womb, and with that forming He designed a blueprint for our life. That perfect blue print is called His perfect will for our life.
Many times things may not go the way we thought they would in our minds. Behind every tapestry there are knots and hanging strings interwoven among the patterns of intricate beauty. A tapestry is a good analogy of our lives in progress. When we look behind it all there may seem to be times that things look random and chaotic, all we may see are the knots, imperfections, and the strings that do not seem to fit. So it is with our life, only God knows all that has gone on within us to make us the person we are today. Rejoice in who He has made you to be, and remember He is not finished with you yet!
While there will always be pain and hardship in this life we can most assuredly glean wisdom from every experience in the future. Every bump in the road can either be a stumbling block for a steppingstone. When your journey to your destination seems a bit foggy or it is not the road you planned to travel, just know that God is able to bring all of our tomorrow’s in into focus as we keep Him in the center of everything.
Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you,
says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and
peace and not for evil, to give you hope
in your final outcome.
Devotional for Friday, March 2, 2018
Devotional for Friday, March 2, 2014
“His Unfailing Love”
by Dona Hake
As a little girl I can remember my Grandma having a wall plaque with three powerful words written on it… “Jesus never fails.” Those three words intrigued me, and I would wonder how Jesus could be so perfect, and how impossible it seemed that there was Someone that would never fail me. His unfailing love just seemed too hard for me to comprehend. Just the thought of someone never messing up, and always being there for me just seemed too great and unreachable.
“… But the Lords unfailing love surrounds
the one who trusts in Him.” Psalm 32:10b. NIV
Oh the wonderful day that arrived when I came to trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior! It was then that His unfailing love was revealed to my heart. As we purpose to trust Him with all of our heart He promises to surround us with His love that has no end. Amazing isn’t it? Just to try to fathom that His love is incapable of failing . Today may I encourage you to meditate upon the truth that His love knows only faithfulness? His love has no beginning and it has no end, and it never fails!
When you feel like no one understands or you feel like you are standing alone, know this… If you put your trust in Jesus, He promises to never leave or forsake you.May Jesus who never fails be your comfort today.
Psalm 119:76 (The Voice)
“Now let your unfailing love be my comfort… “
The God of perfect love desires to come alongside of you, and encompass you with all that He has promised to be. Today let us tell of His unfailing love!
Psalm 89: 2. (The Voice)
“I will tell how Your unfailing love will always stand strong;
and how Your faithfulness is established in the heavens above.”
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Devotional for Thursday, March 1, 2018
“Being a Doer of God’s Word”
by Dona Hake
James 1:22-25 (Amplified)
“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 may have been a time that you have heard the Word of God, and your heart seemed encouraged, enlightened, and lifted up. I love when I see His light on my heart that I have never seen. It is at that moment that we either receive or reject the life changing Word into our hearts. If we do not act on the challenge of God’s Word, we will be tempted to back burner the living Word, and thus go unchanged in that area of our life. It is the same as seeing yourself in a mirror. Just think…you look, your hair is a mess, and instead of fixing it you walk away with an I see it but I could care less attitude.
We need to heed to what James is speaking here. Hearing the Word without obedience following will never change us. May we never betray and deceive ourselves by our own reasoning. If we excuse ourselves from acting on God’s Word we are being unfaithful in guarding our hearts. Action on God’s Word by faith in Him must follow!
As we look into the glorious mirror of the living Word of God, and it reveals what we need let us ask God to help us receive the wisdom, understanding and direction to deal with our own hearts. He who has shown this great light of His Word will be faithful to accomplish the change we need and we will be blessed as we obey Him by being a doer of His Word.
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!