Pastor Mary Haley

Romans 6:1-11 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Do you desire to experience the fullness of the new life Jesus died to give you? We may be tempted to respond, “Absolutely! Preach it, Pastor Mary! Bring it on, Jesus!” Yet, when it comes right down to it, most of the time we are fearful of the new life, because it involves so many challenges, changes, and risks. Have I nailed it?

It helps us deal with fear as we lay it along side the Truth of God’s Word; we must nail fear to the cross with everything else the enemy tries to use to rob us of new life. So, let’s remind one another of a few things, today, that should stir our faith and move us forward with the Spirit. Believers belong to Christ; we have died to the sins of the flesh and have been baptized and raised to new life. This is what it means to be “in Christ.” We have spiritually shared in his death and resurrection. Our list of sinful deeds against God have been washed away. Now, we focus on the life we were originally created to live with God; a life of communion, blessing, and abundant spiritual resources. Jesus makes this new life possible and now we live life under the guidance of God with Whom nothing is impossible. Let that soak in, friend! If God lives in you, what do you need to fear? What can’t you overcome?

Romans 6:1-11 Dead to Sin but Alive because of Christ

6 What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God’s wonderful kindness will show up even better? 2 No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? 3 Don’t you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? 4 When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father.

5 If we shared in Jesus’ death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. 6 We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. 7 We know that sin doesn’t have power over dead people.

8 As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. 9 We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. 10 When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. 11 In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the power you bring to my life when I am determined to live for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hebrews 11:1-7 The Passion Translation (TPT)

How important is it to use faith in seeking God? According to Scripture, it is essential and the only way to please God. The Lord has extended a measure of faith to every person, so that he or she will use it for righteousness. Faith moves the hand of God to manifest righteous things in the natural realm that actually begin in the heavenly realm. Our faith opens our spiritual eyes to see the provision and revelation of Almighty God; all things brought forward by the power of God’s word. That is an exciting promise!

In our passage today, Paul lists some of the great heroes of the faith. May their faith inspire us to use our faith more and more.

Hebrews 11:1-7 The Power of Bold Faith

11 Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. 2 This testimony of faith is what previous generations were commended for. 3 Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen.

4 Faith moved Abel to choose a more acceptable sacrifice to offer God than his brother Cain, and God declared him righteous because of his offering of faith. By his faith, Abel still speaks instruction to us today, even though he is long dead.

5 Faith lifted Enoch from this life and he was taken up into heaven! He never had to experience death; he just disappeared from this world because God promoted him. For before he was translated to the heavenly realm his life had become a pleasure to God.

6 And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who give all their passion and strength into seeking him.

7 Faith opened Noah’s heart to receive revelation and warnings from God about what was coming, even things that had never been seen. But he stepped out in reverent obedience to God and built an ark that would save him and his family. By his faith the world was condemned, but Noah received God’s gift of righteousness that comes by believing.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the faith you have deposited within me. I place my hope in your Spirit and ask you to help me use that faith in order to manifest your righteous provision. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 95:1-2 New Living Translation (NLT)

Happy Thanksgiving Day! May God—the Rock of our salvation—be ever in our thoughts and praise. He has provided everything we will ever need to ensure our home with him in glory. Our part is to believe and receive his provision in Messiah and the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice people of God and praise him for his mighty deeds of love and goodness. Share that goodness with others. Blessings for your day!

Psalm 95:1-2

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the wonderful way you have provided salvation for me. You are the Rock upon which I stand. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 24:7-10

As human beings and Christ-followers, we face some form of spiritual battle everyday. The battle you face may be different than the battle I face, but no matter how you look at things the common factor is we all face an enemy who wages war to gain dominion in our lives. This is called a spiritual battle and even though this battle begins in the spirit realm it is experienced in the temporal realm of human life. Therefore, we must stop empowering the battle through negative and defeating thoughts and words and begin to empower the Lord, because He is strong in battle and no enemy can stand against him. When you find yourself facing great opposition or challenges, stop…drop to your knees and invite the Lord who is mighty in battle to bring victory. Speak what the Word of God says about you and about the Lord’s power to save. Then, lift up your head, because salvation is coming to fortify your spirit! He is the King of glory and the Savior of your soul. Let a spirit of thanksgiving overtake you with this knowledge.

Psalm 24:7-10

7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory.

Prayer: Lord, you are my King of glory. Thank you for fighting my battles for me. You will never be defeated and when I invite you to fight for me I am always victorious. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 105:1-3 The Voice (VOICE)

Do you see yourself as a joyful person? God desires for his children to live joyfully and that means we must allow God’s presence to stir within us a spirit of thanksgiving. Your level of joy is connected to your level of thankfulness, because joy is a gift from the Spirit. When we experience miracles—when we are alert for the signs of his presence in our lives—we are filled with wonder, awe, and joy. Open your eyes today and look for God to reveal his presence in your life. It is the certainty of your salvation. May joy fill you, today!

Psalm 105

1 Come, offer thanks to the Eternal; invoke His holy name.

Tell other people about the things He has done.

2 Sing songs of praise to Him;

tell stories of all His miracles.

3 Revel in His holy name.

May the hearts of the people who seek the Eternal celebrate and experience great joy.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping me experience joy as I choose to live with a spirit of thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 117 New Living Translation (NLT)

Do you like things short and sweet; brief but relevant? Well, our passage today is short and sweet. It is the shortest chapter in the Bible, as well as the middle chapter in the Bible. This passage from the psalmist shares a precious promise from the Lord; our holy and loving Lord desires for the whole world to come to him for salvation.

This week we will focus on being filled with a spirit of thanksgiving. Our Lord is powerful in love and he remains faithful to help us no matter what comes our way. Praise him today with a spirit of thanksgiving for his enduring love for you.

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord!

1 Praise the Lord, all you nations.

Praise him, all you people of the earth.

2 For his unfailing love for us is powerful;

the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your enduring love; you are always working things for my good. I desire your highest and best for my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

1 John 2:15-17

For the past three to four weeks, I have been bombarded with emails from retailers. My “junk mail” box is full of them every morning. I’m sure you know what I mean. If I have searched the internet for an item, then the next time I know I have every kind of advertising arriving by email that even remotely resembled my search. It is all worldly stuff to distract me from maintaining a holy balance, as well as a healthy spiritual perspective and direction for my life.

The world vies for our love and devotion in order to lure us away from loving God first. We live in the world, but we cannot allow our love for the world to supersede our love for God or devotion to his commanded ways for our lives. As believers, we are to live for eternity; we are to live by praising and pleasing Almighty God with every aspect of our lives. Severing our allegiance and soul ties to worldly things and pleasures will be the work of our Redeemer. We belong to Christ; we made a covenant by choosing our Master and Lord that was signed in his blood. Our love for God must be our first priority; our lives will reveal our level of devotion. Our love for our neighbors—everyone else including self—must follow. The key to keeping the right priority this upcoming holiday season is to focus on enjoying and nurturing relationships. Spend time with the Lord and express your love and gratitude for his extravagant generosity, as well as affirm your love and appreciation for others by giving authentic lovingkindness…by giving of yourself. When we give ourselves to others we are giving Christ in us.

1 John 2:15-17 Do Not Love This World

15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your extravagant love, wisdom, and grace found in your gift of Jesus Christ. You have given me these gifts so I can enjoy a holy balance for my life while I live on earth. Holy Spirit, help me with my priorities and stir within my heart a spirit of thanksgiving, as well as a craving for your ongoing work of salvation and redemption. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Matthew 23:9-14

Last Sunday, the Lord took me to teach on Luke 21:5-19 with an emphasis on the false teaching from false prophets Christ prophesied would precede his return. In our passage today, we find a parallel to the passage in Luke. Matthew actually shares in deeper detail the persecution of believers that will precede the Second Coming of Messiah. In our Tuesday morning prayer time this week, we had a visitor who came by the church and asked to be a part of the prayer time. She said her heart was burdened for persecuted Christians—our brothers and sisters. She felt compelled of the Spirit to gather our hearts and pray for believers worldwide. It was confirmation of what God had revealed to me last week.

You will probably not see this on the news, but did you know last year 245 million Christians in the world experienced high levels of persecution for making a choice to follow Jesus? Eleven Christians are killed everyday for their faith in third world countries due to Islamic, religious nationalist, or communist oppression. Actually, 1 out of 9 Christians worldwide experience some form of persecution for his or her faith. I pray for worldwide leaders to bow before Almighty God. I pray for our US leaders to wake up and see the need to protect our Christian heritage and people.

Matthew 23:9-14 Persecution of Believers
9 “You can expect to be persecuted, even killed; for you will be hated by all the nations because of your love for me. 10 Then many will stop following me and fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many lying prophets will arise, deceiving multitudes and leading them away from the path of truth. 12 There will be such an increase of sin and lawlessness that those whose hearts once burned with passion for God and others will grow cold. 13 But keep your hope to the end and you will experience life and deliverance.

14 “Yet through it all, this joyful assurance of the realm of heaven’s kingdom will be proclaimed all over the world, providing every nation with a demonstration of the reality of God. And after this the end of this age will arrive.”

Prayer: Lord, I pray for my heart to be burdened for all my brothers and sisters who face persecution because of their choice to follow Jesus. May that burden lead me to pray and intercede for them each day. Please set your angels around your children. Protect us Lord. Bring a powerful demonstration of the reality of your sovereign presence to the world. May your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 The Passion Translation (TPT)

Disciples of Christ have been commissioned to reach out into the world and make more disciples. Many believers “understand” the call of Christ to proclaim the Good News and some passionately “share” with others the need to be born again. Fewer believers actively “participate” in coming along side other believers to help them mature as they live in God’s glory. Learning to walk in the love of God is challenging. In order to do so, we must break free of the worldly mindset of thinking only of ourselves. We must shake off the fear the enemy sends to halt the progress of righteousness. We must care as much for the spiritual formation of others as we care for ourselves. In our passage today, the Apostle Paul reminds the early church in Corinth to use the freedom grace provides to help others grow up in Christ’s love.

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 Living for God’s Glory
23 You say, “Under grace there are no rules and we’re free to do anything we please.” Not exactly. Because not everything promotes growth in others. Your slogan, “We’re allowed to do anything we choose,” may be true—but not everything causes the spiritual advancement of others. 24 So don’t always seek what is best for you at the expense of another. 25 Yes, you are free to eat anything without worrying about your conscience, 26 for the earth and all its abundance belongs to the Lord.

27 So if an unbeliever invites you to dinner, go ahead and eat whatever is served, without asking questions concerning where it came from. 28 But if he goes out of his way to inform you that the meat was actually an offering sacrificed to idols, then you should pass, not only for his sake but because of his conscience. 29 I’m talking about someone else’s conscience, not yours. What good is there in doing what you please if it’s condemned by someone else?

30 So if I voluntarily participate, why should I be judged for celebrating my freedom? 31 Whether you eat or drink, live your life in a way that glorifies and honors God. 32 And make sure you’re not offending Jews or Greeks or any part of God’s assembly over your personal preferences. 33 Follow my example, for I try to please everyone in all things, rather than putting my liberty first. I sincerely attempt to do anything I can so that others may be saved.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be willing to voluntarily live in such a way that honors and glorifies you, as well as provides an example of love for other believers to follow. In Jesus’ name. Amen.