Pastor Mary Haley

Hebrews 11:23-27 TPT

Greetings to you all! I have missed our devotional, Bible study, and worship times together, but I am so grateful for our amazing church leadership, congregation, worship, and safety teams to press on to the high call of God and the advancement of his Kingdom. Every moment we are granted by God to live is an opportunity for growth which brings Kingdom advancement. Please don’t waste a second of your precious moments to grow and advance the Kingdom of righteousness.

The enemy fears devoted disciples of Christ; as he should. If we are allowing Christ to lead and guide us—Christ has all-power in heaven and earth, as well as perfect vision—then the enemy knows that devotion will lead us to defeat Satan in the power of Christ. According to 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, “Our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people hide. 5 We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.” When was the last time you used your words and said, “Satan, I stand on the Word of God and in the anointing and I insist that you bow to Christ—the Living Word?” According to Scripture, this is the makeup of every hero of the faith!

In our passage today, Moses is held up by the Apostle Paul as an example of one who recognizes the call on his life and the power God made ready for him to break through this world’s bondage of wickedness in order to bring freedom to the people of faith. We are all going to find ourselves facing difficulties, but refuse to be afraid of what is going on in the natural and keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus. God has been taking me through a dark valley and I have tasted physical suffering, but I am so grateful for this opportunity to be restored, renewed, and healed, because much more than physical healing is going on in Mary. God is rising up, taking his place in a greater measure of authority within me, and making me even stronger than I was before. Faith’s reward awaits every devoted disciple.

Moses
23 Faith prompted the parents of Moses at his birth to hide him for three months, because they realized their child was exceptional and they refused to be afraid of the king’s edict.

24 Faith enabled Moses to choose God’s will, for although he was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he refused to make that his identity, 25 choosing instead to suffer mistreatment with the people of God. Moses preferred faith’s certainty above the momentary enjoyment of sin’s pleasures. 26 He found his true wealth in suffering abuse for being anointed, more than in anything the world could offer him, for his eyes looked with wonder not on the immediate, but on the ultimate—faith’s great reward! 27 Holding faith’s promise Moses abandoned Egypt and had no fear of Pharaoh’s rage because he persisted in faith as if he had seen God who is unseen.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for revealing your presence as I refuse to be bound by this world and instead reach for a greater connection in Christ. I am looking for “faith’s ultimate reward” which is seeing you visualized to the world you created! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Think about someone within the family of Christ (the church) that drive you absolutely nuts. Maybe you think this person is annoying, you complain about them, you just simply don’t like them, they offended you, or maybe you consider them mean. So, how do you treat this person? If Jesus were to come with you to church this Sunday and observe your interaction, or lack thereof, with this person would He approve? Would Jesus treat this person just as you treat them?

In today’s passage John reminds us of the grave importance to love one another. He compares the opposite of love to murder. Remember, John was once called a “son of thunder” he understood a thing of two about anger; but, after his time with Jesus as he witnessed Him wash his feet and lay down His life for him, John was given the title of the “Apostle of Love”. John knew pure love because he walked with Him (Jesus). So, as John wrote today’s passage, he knew that if a brother or sister within the family of Christ hates another brother or sister, that person is a murderer at heart, and must immediately repent and ask God to change their heart. You might be thinking, well, “hate” is such a strong word and I merely think someone is just annoying, or mean, or sometimes I just don’t like how they act, and that’s much different than “hate”; but John tells us that as the family of believers we must pass from death to life. That means we either are dead living for this world, or we are actively living in eternal life for the Kingdom of God now; there is no grey area and we must make choice, either love like Jesus or hate like the world, it’s one or the other.

1 John 3:11-16
Love One Another

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You so much for being the perfect example of love! Each of us desperately need Your forgiveness because we do not always love as You love. Help us to be more like You. Please open doors of opportunities for us to authentically love those within the family who we haven’t treated as You would treat them. Soften our hearts to love like You. You laid down Your life for us, so guide us so that we can also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. Jesus, we ask that you hold the hearts of Americans today as we remember those who lost their lives 19 years ago; and we pray for those who lost loved ones. May their love live on forever. In Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

When you think about the great nation of Israel, isn’t it so amazing to know that it all began with God’s promise to one man, Abraham; and that all of the families on earth will be blessed through him (Genesis 12:2-3). In our passage today, we are reminded of how many times God has revealed His mighty power over the Israelites, and against Egypt as their oppressor and adversary.

When you think about your oppressor and adversary who comes to mind? Hopefully, you didn’t answer with a person’s name, but rather with Satan.

God delivered Israel from Egypt, even though they did nothing to deserve it. Regardless, God covered them and through His great works He set them free from their bondage. Doesn’t this sound like an all too familiar love story? You and I are part of that love story. God loves us so much that through His Son we are set free from the bondage of sin and covered by His saving grace. We don’t deserve it and it’s not by our own works, but because God wants each of His masterpieces (you and I) to reveal Jesus (the lead character in the love story); as this has been God’s plan since the beginning (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Psalm 114

1 When the Israelites escaped from Egypt—
when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—
2 the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary,
and Israel became his kingdom.
3 The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way!
The water of the Jordan River turned away.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs!
5 What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way?
What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?
6 Why, mountains, did you skip like rams?
Why, hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob.
8 He turned the rock into a pool of water;
yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for saving us. We are sinful people who lay down our sins at the foot of Your cross. Please forgive us. Thank You for teaching us about our own faith walk through the lessons we find throughout Your Word. We ask that You continue to guide us through Your Word. Today, we come boldly on behalf of our Pastor and ask that You cover her with your peace, comfort, and healing. Please be with her during her appointment and impart Your wisdom to the doctors. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

As I’m typing this devotion, I’m sitting across from an artificial orchid that’s on the top of my coffee table in our family room. If you were to enter the room, the orchid would be about 12 feet away, and at first sight you might think it’s real. But as you’d get closer, you’d begin to realize that it’s fake.

In today’s passage, Jesus sees a beautiful fig tree full of leaves, which should indicate that it has figs, but as He gets closer there is no fruit on the tree. The tree’s outward appearance was that of being fruitful, but underneath the beautiful foliage was a fruitless tree.

This passage may have been written about the Israelites, who had an outward appearance of a relationship with God, but there was no sign of spiritual fruit within their lives; but, it also applies to Christians today. The Israelites feared illustrating an outward acceptance of Jesus. Do you ever find yourself not wanting to talk about your faith, or fear how your relationship with Christ may be perceived?

Well, our “outside” living for Christ has to be in full alignment with our “inside” living for Christ. Some people like to think these are two different things, but they are truly one in the same. We must get to a point where we do not care what others think, feel, or believe about our relationship with Christ. We can’t worry about that nonsense, because we are called to be bearers of His Fruit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. As we find ourselves in Oneness with Almighty God, living a fruitful life for Him, He calls us to lean on Him in prayer. He truly hears us my friends! Call out to Him today and let Him know how much you love Him, appreciate Him, and truly need Him.

Matthew 21:18-22
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, 19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.

20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for the work of Your Spirit. Please help us to be fruitful and not fruitless in all that we do. Continue to refine us and allow us to see the power behind prayer. We continue to pray healing over Pastor Mary, please be with her Lord, and fill her family with Your strength. We love You and ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

Pastor Mary often teaches about lawlessness, which is “a state of disorder due to a disregard of the law”. Lawlessness is an act of this world and it should never be used by God’s people (that’s us, my friends). Today’s passage is from Paul and it addresses how as the followers of Christ we are to have respect for all governing authorities.

When you see or hear hatred towards the men and women who serve to protect us, do you think about those men and women as appointed to their positions by God?

Let’s look at it from the perspective of the Church. We can all agree that Jesus was appointed by God to be the governing authority of our lives, He protects us, and we are called to honor Him by obeying and following His commands. So, how is it that some people can justify doing this for Christ, but they can also condone lawlessness? Today, they finds themselves approving “pieces” of the riots, they standing behind “some” of the politically motivated division and/or violence, they “think” it’s okay to dismantle God’s appointed positions of authority, and they “mumble” hateful words about the leaders of our country. Friends, we can’t have it both way! We either trust God to do what only He can do and we follow His Word, which we see today teaches us to have “Respect for Authority”, or we follow this world which is in heavy pursuit of complete lawlessness. The choice is simple, the Light of Christ or the darkness of this world.

Romans13:1-7
Respect for Authority

13 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.

Prayer: Jesus, we thank You for the men and women who are called by You to govern and protect our country, state, counties, cities, homes, and families. Help us to have faith that Your plans are always far greater than our thoughts and allow us to trust You. Your ways are not our ways, Your thoughts are not our thoughts, and Your time is certainly not our time. So, we must not get distracted by what we believe is right or wrong, we must keep our eyes open for Your return. Help us to do that Lord. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

In today’s passage Peter uses two very different words about us: friends and foreigners. Both terms have everything to do with being followers of Christ. We are a friend of Christ, as Rabbi Ron mentioned during his sermon yesterday; and we are truly a great friend to others as we allow Christ to work through us. In our “friendships” we are commanded to love one another as God loves us (John 13:34). It’s so natural to connect with friends who we are comfortable with and it seems so unnatural for us to connect with those who are not like us. We can even convince ourselves that we don’t need to connect with those who are not like us. But our friendships are not only supposed to be natural, Christ in us wants to allow them to be supernatural. So, we must get beyond loving those who are easy to love and begin to love the unlikely and even the unlovable (Luke 6:27-32). As believers in Christ, we are all foreigners or strangers on this earth. So, unbelievers or even struggling believers will not like the Light of Christ in us. But we must remember that if the world hates us, it hated Jesus first, and so we must not get discouraged and we must stay the course (John 15:18). While we stay the course with Jesus, we must never forget that people are always watching. Unbelievers and struggling believers need Christ just as much as we need Him. So, we have a huge responsibility to show them who Christ is through us.

Let’s ask Jesus to help us to connect with someone unlikely this week. What if we look beyond our centers of influence, our comfort zones, our family and great friends, because that’s what Jesus did all the time while on earth. He connected with new and unlikely friends every chance He got, because He was seeking to change hearts and to save lives. He still does now, and if we are lucky enough, He uses us in the process.

1 Peter 2:11-17

11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

Prayer: Jesus, we thank You for our friends, and we pray for Your guidance to expand our friend group. Help us to be Your Light to someone new this week. We love that we do not fit in to this world. Please continue to guide our steps towards You, and as we do, may others see Your work through us. We cannot thank you enough for brining Pastor Mary and the Haley family home safely on Saturday. We continue to lift Pastor Mary up in healing to You, and we pray a blessing over her family as they care for her. Please be with Pastor Mary on Thursday as she has a doctor’s appointment. We pray for your wisdom and guidance for the medical staff. You are the Great Physician who we trust will heal Pastor Mary and fully restore her. We love You! We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

I was recently asked if I think the Old Testament is scary, and if I believe that God’s wrath, as seen several times in the Book of Exodus which is where today’s passage comes from, is too harsh.

I believe that every Word within the Bible is Truth from cover to cover. I see it as God’s written testimony meant to serve as a love letter to us, or as written directions so we won’t get lost. Remember, the most passionate love letters and most difficult directions can be challenging, but beyond rewarding in the end. In the Bible, God chose specific people, places, and circumstances to reveal His love through so that we could, can, and will see ourselves and our world through them. It’s important to gain an understanding of God’s wrath because without it, it’s nearly impossible to understand His complete love, which is revealed in our salvation through Christ.

Imagine for a moment that your child (a son) does drugs. You’ve spent years teaching your son to not do drugs, and now you must punish him. As the punishment wears off, he begins to minimize the consequences and does drugs again, only this time the authorities get involved. As he stands in front of a judge you can’t image how you got to this moment, but you believe that the judgement and punishment will be good for your son in the long run. You go through this journey of arrests, court dates, jail, community service, fights, ankle bracelets, and lots of tears and money spent, several times within the next few years, until one day the drugs take your son’s life.

Friends, in this story we are the son. The drugs represent our sin as tempted by the evil which rules this world. The mother and authorities represent the work of the Holy Spirit as they are Jesus being revealed to us all of the time; and believe it or not, the judgement, the punishment, and even the death represent God. He wanted to turn the son away from the world, and towards Jesus, so he could be spared from evil and loved beyond measure. We can see throughout the Book of Exodus that God wanted the same for Pharaoh and the Egyptians. God’s eternal love is what eventually brings the son Home to Heaven and out from the darkness of this world. We must choose the Light of Christ over the darkness of this world. Remember, it is a choice, so always choose it. Stay the course, and instead of fearing parts of the Bible, open it up and ask the Lord to reveal His heart to you as you read it.

Exodus 10:21-23
A Plague of Darkness

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.” 22 So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. 23 During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You so much for Your Living Word of Truth. I will spend the rest of my life learning from it, and just when I think You’ve shown me what I need to know about a passage, my life changes and that passage takes on a whole new meaning. Please help me to be a Light for You wherever You take me. May the Lights of Your kids shine so bright in this dark world. Please cover Pastor Mary for tomorrow’s trip. Keep her comfortable and fill her with your supernatural peace. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

Now, more than ever, we must remember that we temporarily reside in this world, but we are God’s permanent citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20). I know I have mentioned being a citizen of heaven in every devotion this week, and it’s because I believe God is calling us to do exactly what today’s eight verses say in Psalm 119. Think about the steps necessary to become a citizen of the United States. If one of those ten steps is slightly off your citizenship is denied. I can vividly remember my Mom becoming a citizen 12 years ago. We all wore red, white, and blue and we cried tears of joy. It was such a privilege to witness the moment she was sworn in as a citizen of the United States. If that day felt so amazing, I cannot begin to image the day when Jesus welcomes us into our permanent home in heaven! We need to be ready my friends. This temporal residence, the world, is a dark place right now. We can’t get caught up in the darkness and lies of this world, we must remember what Jesus said: “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in the darkness.” – John 12:46 “No one who BELIEVES in me should stay in the darkness”, we believe and so our lives must be in alignment with Him as believers. We must radiate His Light and follow His Truth.

Psalm 119:33-40
He

33 Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
35 Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
36 Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!
37 Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word.
38 Reassure me of your promise,
made to those who fear you.
39 Help me abandon my shameful ways;
for your regulations are good.
40 I long to obey your commandments!
Renew my life with your goodness.

Prayer: Jesus, I long for the day to see You and to hear You say, “well done my good and faithful servant”. Please continue to teach and guide me, every day. Forgive me of my sins and help me to move forward in Your ways. Lord we continue to ask that you heal Pastor Mary. Remove the pain and allow her the physical strength to be able to come home this weekend. Thank you, again, for covering the Haley family and this spiritual family with Your supernatural peace, grace, and love. In Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

Today’s passage is from the Book of Matthew and it marks a significant change. Until now, Jesus’ teachings were direct with illustrations. But after He confronts the Pharisees in today’s passage, He will go on to teach in parables. If you are asking “why” does He teach in parables, the disciples asked Him the same question in Matthew 13:10; and then in verses 11-12 Jesus replies “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” In other words, those who are with Jesus will be given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help with understanding. Up to this point, the religious leaders have heard and witnessed many miraculous miracles performed by Jesus, but they choose to stand against Him, and they throw false accusations out about Him. Let’s review some incidents up to now:

Matthew 11:19 – Jesus is accused of being a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of sinners
Matthew 11:20-22 – Jesus is ignored for the many miracles He performed in certain cities
Matthew 12:1-8 – Jesus is accused of breaking the Sabbath
Matthew 12:14 – Jesus is conspired against by religious leaders

Before you read today’s passage, I want to point out that Jesus makes a very clear declaration in verse 30: “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.” We’ve discussed being citizens of heaven over the last few days, and so with that comes the responsibility to be with Jesus, and much like He is One with the Father, we must be One with Him. Let’s call on the Holy Spirit today to work through us in all that we do, say, and even think.

Matthew 12:22-32
Jesus and the Prince of Demons

22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”

24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger – someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven – except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

Prayer: Jesus, I cannot thank you enough for the work of Your Holy Spirit in my life. Apart from the Spirit I am lost. Please allow Your Spirit to guide my steps, my actions, my words, my thoughts, and every aspect of my life. Please continue Lord to hold Pastor Mary in Your healing arms. Remove the pain and allow her to find peaceful rest in You. I pray for John and her family to receive Your wisdom, guidance, and strength as they care for Mary. I trust in You to fully heal and to restore her anew. Thank you for covering the Haley family and this spiritual family with Your supernatural peace, grace, and love. In Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

Psalm 17:15
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

Yesterday we looked at the first verse of Psalm 17, and today we are looking at the last verse. To awake in God’s likeness, would mean that King David was praying about what heaven is like after he leaves the earthly realm, and he describes seeing God. This verse tells me two things about King David: 1. he looked forward to eternity in the heavenly realm and 2. he longed to be satisfied just by being in the presence of the Almighty and nothing else.

Isn’t it awesome to know that one day, in the heavenly realm, you and I will see God face-to-face? Well, let’s be honest, you and I will probably be on our knees and weeping tears of pure joy. Nevertheless, we will see Him, and we won’t need anything else, only Him. We know that we can’t see God here in the earthly realm, as no man, on earth, has ever seen Him except for Jesus (John 1:3). So, in the meantime, we must be living for eternity with God now.

Think about yesterday, if yesterday was your last day on this earth, do you believe you accomplished in that 24 hours what God had planned for you? If you had met up with Jesus, face-to-face, do you think He would have approved of the things you said and/or did yesterday? If the answer is no, well, it’s a good thing you have today. We must be in alignment with eternity, by eternal living now, because remember, we are citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20) and we are called to act accordingly.

Prayer: Lord, help me to live for eternity today, tomorrow, and every day that you have me on this earth. I long to be satisfied by You alone. Please forgive me when I put people, tasks, or things ahead of You. You are my first love, and I want my words and actions to be pleasing to You. Jesus, I pray a special blessing over Pastor Mary and her family. Be with them as they are away from home. Please provide Your comfort, strength, and peace. In Your Precious Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer