Devotionals

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

Psalm 17:1
I am pleading for your help, O Lord; for I have been honest and have done what is right, and you must listen to my earnest cry!

Do you believe in the power of prayer? Psalm 17 is a prayer written by King David. David was the King of Israel and a man after God’s own heart. He trusted God with everything. David believed that the Word of God was the Living Truth; and so, this prayer was a cry to the Lord that came from the depths of David’s heart. It’s obvious that David’s heart belonged fully to God.

Do you pray like King David? I must be completely honest with you, as a child, teenager, and young adult my prayer time seemed almost scripted. It was as if I were marking off checkboxes of things I had to say and then I could move on or go to sleep. Then there was a period within my adulthood that I completely walked away from my faith. I didn’t pray at all during that time because I was angry with God that He didn’t answer one of my prayers during a very difficult time. Looking back, I can say that my heart didn’t belong to God (like King David), I didn’t put God first, and if I’m being completely transparent, I didn’t have a relationship with Christ. So, how does “that person” end up writing today’s devotion? Well, I allowed Jesus into my heart and ever since that moment I have been working on our relationship and allowing Him to make necessary changes in my life. Much like any other relationship, the work never stops if you want to see things grow. The only difference from every other relationship, is that this one needs to come first to improve all the other relationships. In my relationship with Jesus I focus on putting in the time to learn about Him (reading the Bible) and I work on being a good communicator (by praying). I now realize that Jesus hears every spoken and unspoken prayer that you and I have. He hears our cries, our praises, our pleas, our uncertainties, our intercessions, He hears when we claim His Blood on bended knee just as He knows our smallest quick prayer whispered in our hearts. I now know that Jesus hears the scripted prayers, and He loves them as much as He loves all prayers and each of us. He most definitely hears the prayers that don’t end up turning out the way we had hoped, and in those moments, He is holding us, so we need to turn and hold Him back and allow Him to carry us through those difficult moments. We must NEVER let go of Jesus!

The next time you pray, please remember that you are a citizen of heaven (Phil 3:20), as Peter mentioned during yesterday’s sermon, and you are communicating with your 1st and eternal love.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for transforming my heart. I wish to please You with my life. Help to guide me on the path You have for me, each day, and continue to allow me to see how You are growing me into your likeness. Thank You for hearing my prayers. In Your Name, Jesus. Amen

Written By: Jen Auer

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 TPT
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already active, but the one who prevails will do so until he is separated from out of the midst. 8 Then the “outlaw” will be openly revealed, and the Lord will overthrow him by the breath of his mouth and bring him to an end by the dazzling manifestation of his presence.

9 The presence of the “outlaw” is apparent by the activity of Satan, who uses all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, spurious wonders, 10 and every form of evil deception in order to deceive those who are perishing because they rejected the love of the truth that would lead them to being saved. 11 Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion [working of error] that leads them to believe what is false. 12 So then all who found their pleasure in unrighteousness and did not believe the truth will be judged.

Lawlessness is a hidden underlying force in human beings—an evil spirit from which sin and corruption emanates. God put into place the spiritual, moral, and governmental laws in order to set a standard, as well as hold back the expression of evil and corruption—lawlessness. Those who love God love his law and live according to his standard or Word. So, lawlessness has always been and remains associated with choosing a life in rebellion to God’s established laws and authority (Romans 13).

We are seeing the work of lawlessness in our country. The choice to riot, loot, destroy the property of others, as well as demonize and demoralize the police is all instigated by the spirit of lawlessness. Now, let’s take this a bit further; one day the spirit of lawlessness will culminate in one human being with the purpose of taking over the world; this being will try to overthrow Almighty God. Scripture calls this human being filled with a lawless spirit the “outlaw” or the Antichrist—evil incarnate. So, allowing a spirit of lawlessness to permeate this country is just setting the stage for more to come. Lawlessness is never from God and those who allow it are equally lawless and in rebellion against God’s Word. Hope is ours because the end of the story has already been written and those who read it know the Lord of lords and the King of kings takes down the Antichrist with the Word and judges the world with righteousness. Wake up to the Holy Spirit and give no room to lawlessness.

Prayer: Father, thank you for the desire you have placed within me to follow the Spirit who helps me live according to your standard and Word. Although I fail every day and need your forgiveness, I praise you for helping me grow and learn. The very fact that acts of lawlessness in our world grieves my spirit tells me I am on the right path. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Ephesians 5:1-6 NLT

Living in the Light
5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.

Believers are to imitate God! Wow! That is an overwhelming thought isn’t it? The Apostle Paul starts by sharing some specific areas that we might better imitate God with our lives by paying attention to: any sexual immorality, a greedy love for money, and improper language flowing from our mouths that does not reflect God’s gracious presence in us. This is how we love God; we imitate him. The world tempts us to fulfill our flesh; to be slaves to the demands of our desires. But, what if life is really more about fulfilling God’s plan for the world; and our lives being a pleasing aroma to him because we are willing to sacrifice what we desire for what God requires? I believe this as Truth and, in Christ, becomes every believer’s commission. May we never make life about us; instead, may we make life about the Life Giver and worship him with every aspect of our lives.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your teaching and helping me follow your example. I have a long way to go, but each day I look forward to emulating you better. Holy Spirit, take charge and lead the way. I pray for our American family along the Gulf coast that have suffered from hurricane Laura. Help us to come together as a country to be the hands and hearts they need for restoration. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 18:1-3 TPT
I Love You, Lord
Praises sung to the Lord by King David
1 
Lord, I passionately love you and I’m bonded to you,[I want to hug you]
for now you’ve become my power!
2 
You’re as real to me as bedrock beneath my feet,
like a castle on a cliff, my forever firm fortress,
my mountain of hiding, my pathway of escape,
my tower of rescue where none can reach me.
My secret strength and shield around me,
you are salvation’s ray of brightness shining on the hillside,
always the champion of my cause.
3 
All I need to do is to call to you,
singing to you, the praiseworthy God.
When I do, I’m safe and sound in you.

As I was reading our passage for today, I smiled because so may times I have asked God to give those I pray for a spiritual hug; an awareness of his presence with them to bring comfort and assurance. But, today, I am filled with joy as I call upon the Lord and tell him how much I love him; I want to give the Lord a spiritual hug! How do we hug God and thank him for his goodness? I believe it is connected with how we praise him and willingly allow the Spirit to guide our lives into abundance. Please give God a hug, today. It will be good for both of you!

Prayer: I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you; oh my soul rejoice. Take joy my King in what you hear; may it be a sweet sweet sound in your ear! I’m reaching to give you a spiritual hug, Lord. Thank you for your goodness! In Jesus’ name. Amen.