Every time I write a devotional, I cover myself in prayer, especially before I publicly share. I pray that God uses me as a vessel for His words and His truth. I pray that I have eyes to see and ears to hear the substance He wants me to deliver. I see my writing as an anointing for ministry and never want to mess up the message. Ministers and teachers are held to a higher standard and I never want to take for granted the freedom and privilege of being able to share God’s word all over the world through our modern technology.

I started God-Given Gumption® in the spring of 2020 after losing my husband in a ranching accident that February. It was an undoubtable calling placed on my heart to share God’s goodness at a time when literally putting one foot in front of the other was a full time job. I knew eyes were on me waiting to see my next move and, as someone who typically avoids sharing with those outside of my close-knit circle, knew the Lord was telling me, “Invite them in.”

Recently, I have been receiving almost daily notifications that a devotional I wrote in 2021 is being shared all over the world with over 500 views just this year. Rather than being flattered at this unexpected uptick of activity, I started to panic. Why was this particular devotional suddenly so popular? I was worried that what I wrote four years ago could have been taken out of context or was just my driveling on from a place of raw grief and what my late-husband lovingly called “crazy theory time.” I was so nervous about the possibility that my words might have misconstrued God’s word or His character that I didn’t want to reread my post until I couldn’t ignore how far it had spread anymore.

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

-James 3:1

I was nervous because this particular post mentions witches, spells, halloween, etc… and I feared my intent could have been taken out of context or keyword searches might have brought it to the attention of the wrong people. I was relieved to see that what I wrote in 2021 still rang true today and am resharing that post, The Christian Coven™, below. I know I shouldn’t have been surprised. God’s word is constant. He is truth, and when we base our own words in Biblical truth we don’t have to worry about how they stand up to the world.

In fact, the call to come together in prayer that I wrote about in 2021 is probably more relevant than ever as we enter into the last quarter of 2025. Revival is happening all over and we can expect the rattled enemy to increase his attacks. Thankfully, God has equipped His people with the weapons of praise and prayer. The battle has already been won and the Christian has been given authority over the enemy through the power of the Holy Spirit. Every time we declare the name of Jesus over ourselves, our lives and our loved ones, our opponent gets spooked and can’t get a foothold. We are entering into a season of heightened spiritual attack. Cover yourself in the blood of Jesus and use your authority to fight back.

Love, Molly

Copyright © 2025, M. Marley, LLC

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The Christian Coven™

Halloween is an interesting holiday to me in that it is geared toward children, but there’s not much about it that is childlike. I find the concept of trick or treating a little odd when the ones wearing the costumes are still somewhat at an age of innocence yet are dressed up as vampires, zombies, and witches. I’ve also tried to watch a few of my favorite Halloween movies from childhood with Margot and quickly realized they were full of things I wasn’t ready for her to see or ask questions about. My tendency to shelter her is probably also exacerbated by the fact that having lost a parent, my child already has questions about the afterlife that a 5 year old shouldn’t have to wonder about. 

I have noticed, however, that the one takeaway from these movies and stories revolving around Halloween that is important for all ages to take note of is that there is strength in numbers. Anytime a character wanders off by themselves, you know it’s time to cue the scary music. The bible tells us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). This might explain why witches are usually depicted casting spells in groups or covens. One definition of the word coven is “an assembly or band of usually 13 witches.” The word is ultimately derived from the Latin coventum, meaning a convention or assembly.

During Jesus’s earthly ministry He assembled the twelve disciples. Jesus spent years ministering in their presence, passing on His wisdom, and sharing God’s will for them and all mankind. It was this group of 13 men that were assembled together on the night before Jesus was betrayed when He entrusted them with sharing his commands. There were 13 gathered when Jesus told them to “love one another.” It was in front of his coven of disciples that Jesus laid out the foundation of what our churches should look like. Our eternal assembly in Heaven should be reflected in our churches even if we can only see it through a foggy mirror right now.

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people-for kings and those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

1 Timothy 2:1-2

While the idea of witches casting spells has become Halloween entertainment, Jesus gaveChristians the secret to unlock our own powers: PRAYER. Just as witches are portrayed gathering together to grow their powers and cast spells, Christians are asked to assemble as a church body to become stronger. We don’t need a spell book because we have been given the secret to creating a more peaceful world right there on the pages of the living scriptures. 

The bible says to pray for ALL people. It also specifically says for those in authority. That doesn’t mean we only pray for our own country’s leaders or just the politicians we side with. We don’t only pray for the bosses we get along with or law enforcement officers we support. We need to pray for them all. The bible tells us that the outcome of praying for ALL people is living peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Imagine if all Christians combined our “powers” to pray for all people, especially all authority figures, on a daily basis. We don’t need any eye of newt or hair of a virgin to change the world. We only need to band together with prayer. 

Love, Molly

Copyright © 2021 M. Marley, LLC

Lately I have been stressing over my need to look into the future. I’ve heard myself saying “I wish…” way too much lately. I wish this situation had a different outcome. I wish I could go back to a certain day or conversation. I wish I could get a peek at life a year from now and see that everything all works out. I keep having to remind myself that I already know it all works out. God already promised that it does and that He is working ALL things for my good. I already know the final destination, I’m just uncertain about the route. I have to remember in times of anxiousness that all I have to do is take the next step in faith even when I can’t see ahead any further.

Recently, the girls and I had one of those jam-packed Saturdays with multiple events overlapping. I talked with the girls about how we were going to do everything, but it would require us to leave early and arrive late for some of the activities. As we were leaving school where one event was and headed to our next destination for a birthday party, my apple CarPlay connected and the map automatically popped up with our home address. The girls anxiously kept looking at the red pinpoint on the screen and watching the estimated arrival time. Nervous anticipation escalated into a full on freak out from the backseat about us missing the birthday party and shouting that I was going the wrong way. It didn’t seem to matter how many times I calmly told them that the red pin was not our destination.

It occurred to me as my children were growing more and more upset about the destination marker that had absolutely nothing to do with where we were going right then, just how often I unnecessarily worry about destinations that have nothing to do with my own journey. How often I get caught up on someone else’s end point and lose focus of the path God has me on. When a runner is racing, they stay aligned by keeping their head forward and focusing on what is in front of them. They don’t lose valuable time getting distracted by turning their head to focus on the pace or steps of their fellow runners. If I am preoccupied looking over at something that is not God’s will for me, it ends up taking me much longer to recognize and receive the blessings He does have in store for me.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

Fortunately, God is patient and graciously gives us all the time we require to course correct. When we submit to Him, He makes our paths straight and we can trust that where He is leading us is His absolute best for us. When my young children were questioning where I was driving us as they were hyper focused on an arbitrary pinpoint, I kept thinking this must be how God feels when I question or complain about where my life is going. There are probably times He rolls His eyes and thinks, “Child, trust me on this. I see the full picture and it all works out for your good.” He will get me to the party in time.

Reflecting on big events in my life, its the times when I have fully submitted to God’s will and been in tune with the directions the Holy Spirit places on my heart that opportunities have just fallen into my lap. What’s meant for you will always find you and it has nothing to do with what path someone else is on. When something is God’s will for me and I am obedient, the outcome is always worth the journey and He is with me every step of the way with a peace that surpasses understanding. I know this and I still worry about where He is leading me next. Surely God must feel the same way about us when we question or complain about our roadmap as I did about my children’s questioning of the map they were seeing. Fortunately, He understands. Just like I understood my kindergartner’s need to jump in the pool and not miss a party, God understands my human urgency to know my future destination, but it still doesn’t change the fact that He always knows better. He sees the full map. Even if we can’t see where it’s marked, He knows our destinations and we can trust that he will get us there right on time when we keep taking the next step in faith.

Love, Molly

Copyright © 2025, M. Marley, LLC

Last month I fell into the darkest depression I have ever experienced. I quickly knew that it was more than just a periodic downswing of grief. I was so exhausted from navigating life as a solo parent for my girls and myself when an overbooked schedule and disappointments sent me spiraling to a dark place that was unfamiliar to me. I was dealt a difficult hand and have been spending all my energy the last five years trying to play it smart. I couldn’t handle one more thing on my plate and was walking on eggshells for weeks persistently praying not to fall apart in front of anyone. I couldn’t stop dwelling on the thought that this isn’t fair.

I was so tired of hearing “encouragements” like, “God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.” All the things I know and believe to be true about God and His goodness didn’t change the fact that my emotions were just so sad. I still knew that I had God’s protection and provision and confidence that I’d made all the right choices for myself and my family, but it didn’t take away the crippling anxiety that was consuming me or the feelings of how did I end up here. I was calling upon the Lord constantly throughout the days to bring me enough peace to just get through the next task in front of me. I dove into the Word. I sought wise counsel. I called on trusted friends and mentors to pray for me and with me, but still couldn’t crawl out of the depth of my emotional turmoil. It wasn’t until I was able to identify the root cause of this unnatural depression that I was able to snap out of it: spiritual warfare. I suddenly had no doubt that I was under attack from the enemy and when I rebuked him in Jesus’s name, I instantly felt a weight lifted off of me.

When we are held to the fire, we can praise God knowing that he is refining our faith for something big, but when God is making great preparations is also when the enemy strikes the hardest. The devil only attacks what he sees as a threat and Satan doesn’t want us to see the harvest from what we have planted and watered or the blessings God is aligning us for on the other side of our trials. The enemy wants us to forget about all the times the Lord has blessed us in the past and keep us pinned down in self-pity. We are warned in scripture to be vigilant of attacks from the devil and to protect ourselves with the full armor of God. The difficult thing about our opponent is that the prince of lies is sneaky and finds ways to slip in through the cracks, especially when we are at our lowest. While the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinful nature, the enemy is the one who tells us we are not worthy because of it or that we brought our painful situations upon ourselves. Jesus himself said that we would have trouble in this world, but the enemy is the one who whispers in our ear and lies to us that we have been forgotten and can’t overcome it.

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

1 Peter 1:6-7

Looking back at the spring, there were other things happening in my life: I was feeling happy again, peaceful and somewhat settled, and I started writing more devotionals to share. I was walking in God’s purpose for me and sharing my God-given gifts for His glory before becoming overwhelmed with my circumstances. The devil can’t touch my soul because he knows that I belong to the Lord, but he can try to keep me from sharing my testimony with others by filling my head with the lies that my current pain is inescapable. Multiple books of the Bible reference a refiner’s fire, painting an image of God holding us to the fire like a silversmith in order to refine us. Yes, it’s agonizing, but we can trust that like the silversmith, God is keeping a close eye on his children and knows the perfect time to pull them out of the fire to reveal their pure beauty.

The Lord has full authority to give and take away without a moment’s notice. When a season of life is particularly challenging, the Christian can view disappointments as God’s protection and preparation for something greater. We can expect to walk through valleys on occasion, and, like the pains of childbirth, we can trust that God is preparing us for new life on the other side of our suffering. Romans 16:20 says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” We must still remain alert to the enemy and his tactics, but we can trust that with God we will defeat him. Whatever valley we are in or mountain we face in the future, we can also trust that God has already gone before and carved a way for us. He has already crushed the enemy and won the battle!!

Love, Molly

Copyright © 2025, M. Marley, LLC