Pastor Mary Haley

April 5, 2019

Psalm 126 The Message (MSG)

Today is the twenty-seventh day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God.  God is always able to bring something good out of something difficult.  As believers pray and seek the heart of God, we know we are seeking the heart of the Healer.   How big is your God?   God restores and heals spiritual drought, wounded emotions, infirm physical bodies, fractured relationships, etc.; anything that can be injured God desires to restore and make whole once again. Restoration flows from God’s goodness; a goodness that is evident to believers, as well as non-believers. Grace and favor is a part of every believer’s spiritual garments. When God miraculously works in restorative and healing ways, people who were previously burdened and downcast are suddenly filled with great joy and hope. It is evident that something “suddenly” changed.  We sow our disappointments and look for God to use it for our good; as we yield to God’s plan for our lives he has promised to bring an abundant harvest of his goodness to the forefront of our lives. When our hearts are focused on the Kingdom, we guide others to experience the Healer during times of difficulty, too. Are you quick to pray with others and help them connect with the Healer?

In our passage today, the psalmist remembers God’s past healing work with faith and hope as he prays for God to heal Israel, again.  God brought restoration in the past when he brought his people back from the exodus and exile.  Biblical history demonstrates God’s desire to restore Israel time and time again.  He desires to restore every one of his children. It may seem hard to understand, but God wants great things for you and you must be whole to receive them!  Be healed in Jesus’ name!

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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April 4, 2019

Isaiah 43:1-7 The Message (MSG)

Today is the twenty-sixth day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God.  When you and I pray, we should maintain an awareness of God’s great love for us. Despite our failures to love God the way he deserves, he has chosen to respond with love and mercy. God is our faithful God who extends forgiveness and grace.  Our lives are precious to him.  When you pray, do you realize you are sharing time with Someone who sees you as precious; Someone who would pay any price to be with you and take care of you?

In our passage today, Israel has spent five decades under Babylonian captivity; God allowed Babylon to overtake Israel because they were unfaithful to him. Isaiah kept trying to call them back into a posture of repentance, but they did not listen.  Therefore, Israel tasted exile and it was painful. During that time, they did a great deal of soul-searching and praying about their relationship with Yahweh.  They may have been wondering if Yahweh would be faithful to them in the future; after all, they rejected him, right?  Israel’s problem is our problem, too.  We forget God is perfect Love; we think about our human capacity for love and judge God accordingly.  Because Israel belongs to the Lord, God will be faithful.  You and I can count on God’s faithfulness to us. God is for us not against us. That does not mean the way will always be easy.  In fact, sometimes our paths lead to hard places.  But, God has promised to be with us.  As we pray and seek God, let us never forget he is faithful and we were created for his glory.  He is going to see us through.  Praise our Faithful God!

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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April 3, 2019

2 Kings 4:1-7 The Message (MSG)

Today is the twenty-fifth day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God.  Today, we continue our prayers for a Kingdom heart as we look further into God’s plan to provide for us through righteous sowing and reaping.  He alone is the All-Sufficient One.  He is the Source of everything we need in life.  God resists the proud, but he gives Grace to the humble; he instigates supply when the humble cry out (1 Peter 5:5).  When we have problems, we need to get with people of deep faith to pray and gain wisdom. That level of transparency may be difficult for some of us; we might not want others to know where we find ourselves.  Yet, people of deep faith push our faith to produce big things in God’s Kingdom economy. We must sow a seed and activate our faith in order to reap divine supply.  Sometimes the Lord provides inspiration or places an idea on our hearts when we pray; then, he asks us to follow.  The idea may not always make sense to our natural mind; the idea is a seed that requires faith.  Have you found yourself praying for God to meet a need in your life only to find you have an idea as a seed? 

In our passage, we note a woman in need. Recently widowed, she approaches the prophet Elisha.  This woman’s husband was a godly man who served the Lord by serving others; he sowed seeds of goodness in his devotion to God. She tells of her husband’s faith, but never mentions her own.  Elisha sets her up to receive; he pushes her to use her faith.  He makes her identify a small seed of provision; oil is left in her house.  Elisha instructs her use her faith by collecting jugs.  I am sure she is thinking, “God, this is ridiculous! These empty jugs are not going to save my sons from becoming slaves!”  True enough, collecting jugs was a test of her faith.  How many jugs would she collect, because she believed God spoke through Elisha?   

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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April 2, 2019

Joshua 5:9-12 The Voice (VOICE)

Today is the twenty-fourth day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God.  Our prayers connect our human lives with the loving provision of Creator God; it is a communication partnership to which God calls us. He loves working with us, as well as helping us see and enjoy his presence.  The Lord is our divine Provider and he is teaching us to be his sons and daughters of faith and love.  We are to be led by the Spirit to bear righteous fruit which brings forth more seeds. Therefore, we generously sow that which is good into the fertile ground of the Kingdom while we pray and wait; in so doing we are sowing to the work and will of our loving God.  While we are helping others, God multiplies that love seed to bring forth our harvest. “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary (Gal. 6:9).  Are you putting faith to your seed as you ask God to provide in your life?

In our passage today, Joshua has successfully led the Israelites into the Promised Land as directed by God. The wilderness wandering and God’s temporary provision of manna is history; the Jordan River has closed up behind them.  They must move forward if they are going to obey God.  It is time to grow up and put their hand to the plow.  Israel has been delivered into a land to call their own; they will now receive God’s provisions through sowing and reaping in obedience to God’s Word.

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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April 1, 2019

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 The Message (MSG)

Today is the twenty-third day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God.  In order to connect in God’s best for us, we need to look at life in a whole new way. God is all about healing and restoring his children in right relationship with himself; this desire of our Father motivates everything he puts into place.  Through the Prophet Isaiah, God promised to bring reconciliation, “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins,” says the LORD (59:20).  God fulfilled his Word and demonstrated his love for us by sending Jesus as the Messiah to be our new life Giver.  When we connect to Christ we are re-created in the image of our new Master; we are a new creation.   Believers are members of a new creation order.  Our sins are erased and we are brought into right relationship with God.  Now, we are invited to join Christ in his ministry of reconciliation.  You and I have a ministry to fulfill; we are the Messiah’s ambassadors to reveal to the world the restoration God has put into place.  Our hearts should be overflowing with gratitude for what God has done in our behalf.  What do you talk about each day with the people around you?  It would be nice if we spent more time talking about Messiah and the new creation he made available than all the garbage going in the old creation.  Are you telling people every day about Christ the Redeemer?

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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March 30, 2019

Luke 15:1-7 Good News Translation (GNT)

Today is the twenty-second day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God. Today, we are reflecting upon Jesus our Good Shepherd and his heart for increasing the Kingdom.  The Lord is always tending to us and leading us into righteous living and spiritual vitality; he is our personal Savior and we love him. As we respond to his love we spiritually grow and develop.  He is always with us, so when the enemy of our souls attacks, the Good Shepherd gently gathers us into his arms, restores, and heals us.  We have all that we need as we follow our Shepherd (Ps 23:1).  Every believer has a story of how God has been the Good Shepherd who has loved us when we needed it most; provided for us when the world would have left us behind. If we are honest, we will admit our lives would be in shambles apart from Christ; he holds our lives together in his love. We know every heart needs the Good Shepherd, but how concerned are we for those who are still lost and don’t know him? If we are truly concerned, our lives will reflect Christ’s passion for outreach. Honestly, are we praying and asking the Shepherd for opportunities to help him in his quest for the lost?  

The Lord cares about every human being.  He cares about those who know him and those who have yet to meet him. Our passage today reminds us that Christ is no respecter of persons, what he does for one he will do for all.  He rescues us from evil and surrounds us with grace; he calls us by name and treats us with dignity.  Others need to experience the Shepherd. 

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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March 29, 2019

Psalm 32:6-11

Today is the twenty-first day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God. Sincere prayer acknowledges the holiness of God and the Grace he desires to spill over our lives as his children; he only wants good things for us.  God loves and treasures his children and this will never change; his love is not based on our performance.  Honestly, the Grace extended to Jesus is the same Grace offered to each one of us. “God saved you by his grace when you believed.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God” (Eph.2:8).  I once heard Grace used as an acronym:  God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.  Christ was sinless, but we are not.  As prodigals, God’s Grace calls us to repentance and welcomes us with open arms. “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Heb 4:16). God is Grace so instead of running from him, we should be running to him with every aspect of our lives.  Do you pray knowing extravagant Grace and Love are waiting to be offered to you?

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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March 28, 2019

Psalm 32:1-5 Contemporary English Version

Today is the twentieth day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God.  This is a time to deeply reflect upon our spiritual lives and how we tend to wander as God’s children.  To enjoy God is to be real and focused in our quest for him through heartfelt prayer.  Prayer flows from the meditations of the heart.  In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus sets out an example of a prayer for us that touches on the very issues or things for which God knows we need his help (Mat 6:9-13).  Within that prayer, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray about forgiveness.  “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Mat 6:12).  Many times we struggle with forgiving those who have sinned against us, but we fail to realize how essential that very act of forgiveness is to our relationship with God.  Remember, God’s ways are not our ways.  Forgiveness is God’s way of restoring us, taking away the unhealthy remnants of sin, and filling us with Kingdom joy. Do you know the joy of forgiveness in the holy hand of the Restorer?

Love keeps no record of having been wronged (1 Cor 13:5).  Forgiveness means we choose to forfeit our right to hold onto feelings that are not from God; it is a decision that forbids an attitude of resentment or bitterness to take root in our lives.  We cannot serve two masters by trying to say we love God and at the same time refuse to forgive others.  When we refuse to forgive others, we are not serving God we are serving Self.  God is the Great Forgiver who is also the Restorer.  We need God to restore our souls when we sin against him; to obey the conviction of the Spirit and humble ourselves in order for the Lord to restore our fellowship and communion in his love. He wants to take us to a vibrant place of Joy.  We also need God to restore our souls when others sin against us; to allow the Spirit to draw us into extending forgiveness to others in order for him to take the burden off our hearts that is constricting our Joy.  When we forgive others, we are allowing God to deal with that sinner.  David knew about forgiveness; asking God to forgive his sins, as well as forgiving those who sinned against him.  Either way, the topic is sin and forgiveness is the answer.  Let the passage this morning rest in your hearts.

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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March 27, 2019

Luke 13:18-21 New Living Translation

Today is the nineteenth day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God.  When you pray for a Kingdom heart, you are praying for growth. Let’s reflect on Jesus’ message about the Kingdom. Jesus walked around the region of Galilee preaching and inviting people to listen to him and follow him into Kingdom living.  I am sure as he moved from town to town preaching about the Kingdom of God, some people were thinking, “Jesus, don’t look now, but it doesn’t appear you have much of a Kingdom.  You only have a few undisciplined men following you!” There was no way to view the Kingdom to which Jesus referred. One day the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come and he answered, “The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. 21 No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’; because the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).  Do you realize when you pray for a Kingdom heart, you are praying for the lordship of King Jesus to be revealed in the very substance of your life?

Jesus is the Author of small beginnings and he works in hearts that are willing to grow; it requires the faith of a mustard seed.  We may not like small beginnings, but God loves them because there is plenty of room to grow and expand. We must never forget God is Sovereign and his ways are not our ways. Therefore, he declared the Kingdom would begin with a small group of “spiritually poor” people living under the lordship of their King (Mat 5:3).  From that small beginning, the Kingdom that grows through divine life would one day be a place of shelter for all the other kingdoms of the earth (Dan 4:10-12).  The Apostle John wrote about a vision he had of this growth, “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15). So, my spiritual family, keep praying for a Kingdom heart.

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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March 26, 2019

Isaiah 55:6-9 New Living Translation

Today is the eighteenth day of our 40-Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent should be a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God.  I am very proud of those of you who have been reading the devotions and allowing the Word of God to settle into your souls. Reflection that leads to repentance and restoration begins in our thoughts as we meditate on the Word.  Remember, humanity thought it was foolish to acknowledge God, so “he abandoned us to our foolish thinking” (Rom 1:28). The Lord transforms us from being foolish children of the world into children of faith in a loving God by saving us and changing the way we think (Rom 12:2).  Christ is Truth and our Source for Wisdom. Therefore, the believer’s minds can become a great battlefield between truth and deception. The enemy is a liar and he will not give up working against your devotion to God or your quest for Truth.  Knowing or identifying Truth is essential to winning the spiritual battle. Don’t ask the world about who God is and what pleases him; the world has been abandoned to foolish thinking. Go to the Word and see what it reveals about God’s character and expectations for his children; pray for Wisdom as you read.  Scripture is the story of God’s self-revelation to the world; it is the Wisdom people need to move beyond foolish thinking into faith living and enjoy his holy presence.  Have you found yourself wondering if your thoughts about God and his ways are based on Wisdom?

As humans, we should never be so foolish as to think we have a handle on God’s thoughts and presume to understand his ways.  However, we can know his heart for us as his children; he affirms us with his love. Trying to fit an infinite God into our human thoughts is ludicrous.  Trying to live our lives according to our flesh or according the culture is equally ludicrous.  Apply the Word to your life and look for the fruit of the Kingdom to manifest in you.  God’s children are known by their good fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control).  When the believer bears Kingdom fruit it is a revelation of God’s presence in us…and God smiles!

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

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