Thursday, November 30, 2017

Morning by Morning, November 30 - The Joy of His Presence!
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. This intimate time is my life-line. My personal prayer time with You in the morning sets the path for all the other times throughout my day. You're always with me; and at the same time, You're with me deeply and intimately in these first moments of my morning, keeping me fully aware and actively engaged with You throughout all the other moments of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.  ...
 
"I keep the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body rests secure.... You show me the path of life. In Your Presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!" (Psalm 16:8-11)
 
Thank You for the joy of Your Presence. Thank You that it brings You joy when I embrace You and Your Word and Your Presence with me (John 15:11 and 16:24). And with the promise of Your Presence to Your first disciples and to all Your disciples in every age, You speak to our spirits, saying, "I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:20). By the abiding Presence of Your Holy Spirit -- "the Spirit of Christ" -- with us and within us, we can see You and embrace You, again and again, every moment of every day (Romans 8:9). 
 
You promised, "I Am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). So You are! And so my heart is glad and my soul rejoices in the fullness of joy in the intimacy of Your Presence, every day to the end of the age! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays




I pray you experience the joy of the Presence of Jesus in your heart -- as you begin your day in the intimacy and communion of prayer with Him and throughout every moment of your day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of meGod bless you, my friend!

  

I'm excited to be preaching in Karachi, Pakistan by Skypethrough the internet this Sunday, December 3rd, at Abundant Life Church! Please keep us in prayer for a mighty move of the Holy Spirit!

My friend, I invite you to join with me on the spiritual journey of hungering and thirsting for more with a couple of my books I believe I've been led to write and to share:

God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Morning by Morning, November 29 - "Tent of Meeting" in the Intimate Presence of God

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice to begin my day securely centered in Christ.  ... 

"Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting.... When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses.... Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend" (Exodus 33:7-11). 

I love to come into my "tent of meeting" with You every morning. It's not canvas and poles, pitched in the wilderness, outside the camp, like Moses. No, most mornings for me, it's a corner of my couch, over by the widow, looking out over some Texas live oak trees, not too far from Interstate 10. As I open up my prayer journal, it's not sheets of parchment or bound in leather, but a shiny little laptop made by Apple. But just like Moses, I can lift up heart and open up my spirit and I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice to see where Your Spirit leads me each day. 

It may not be the kind of ancient setting Moses had, but it's my way of walking down the ancient paths on my daily journey of prayer to start my day, away and alone, to meet and to speak with the Lord my God, face to Face and heart to Heart, in my own little "tent of meeting" with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. This where "deep calls to Deep" for me (Psalm 42:7). This where I get still, where I get quiet, where I listen and watch and wait for leading of Your Spirit and the sensing of Your still, small voice speaking to my heart (1 Kings 19:12; John 10:3; Romans 8:14). This is where I can simply "be still and know that (You) are God" (Psalm 46:10). 

No one may see a pillar of cloud descend outside my door, but here in my tent of meeting, You embrace me in the arms of Your Presence and fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit in the intimacy of our communion in prayer together (Ephesians 5:18; 2 Corinthians 13:13). As sons and daughters of God, through our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we have an ever "better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises" than even Moses experienced with You (Hebrews 8:6).  

And as I behold You in worship and prayer, seeking Your face and listening for Your voice by the leading of Your Spirit, here in my tent of meeting in the intimacy of Your Presence, You are changing me into Your image "from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18). And though You are my Creator and God, my Savior and Lord, my Master and King, You're also my Father and my Friend -- always inviting me to come embrace Your Presence, as You speak with me "face to face, as one speaks to a friend" every day of my journey with You (Exodus 33:11; John 15:15). I praise You and thank You for loving me and letting me love You back this way (1 John 4:19). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


I pray you experience and embrace the intimate Present of God in your tent of meeting with Him every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of meGod bless you, my friend!

 


I invite you to join with me on the spiritual journey of hungering and thirsting for more with a couple of my books I believe I've been led to write and to share:

God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

#GivingTuesday -- Giving Hope & Healing through Messiah Ministries!

 
Give Healing and Hope through Messiah Ministries
on #GivingTuesday Today!

Messiah Ministries | Tommy Hays
We are fulfilling our calling and vision to heal the brokenhearted, set the captives free, and proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God in the name of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of our Father! (Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19; John 20:21)
 
Through Christ, we are preparing the way of the Lord in the hearts of God's people to have His nature and display His glory (1 John 4:17). We are making ready the bride of Christ for His return and bringing many sons to glory (Ephesians 5:25-27; Hebrews 2:12). We are encouraging them and equipping them to know their identity and fulfill their destiny in this generation (Ephesians 4:11-16). 

Come be a part!
 
-Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director
#GivingTuesday
Click Here to Donate Today!
   
Morning by Morning, November 28 - For the Cause!

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart to lead me in Your steps today.  ... 

"And David said, ... 'Is there not a cause?'" (1 Samuel 17:29 NKJV) 

The armies of Israel and their king were trembling in fear before the Philistine giant, Goliath. But David was stirred in his spirit with passion for the honor of his people and with faith in the power of his God. "Is there not a cause?" was his battle cry.  "Is there not reason to arise and shine, to walk by faith, to move in the power of God, trusting in the victory of His will?" was the declaration of his heart. "Then David said to Saul, 'Let no man's heart fail because of (this giant); your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.... The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (v. 32-37). 

While others were trembling in fear, paralyzed by the puniness of their faith in the face of their enemies, David ran to the battle. His cause was to be the one, by power of the grace of God "who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel," saying "who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (v. 26) 

Full of faith and inspired by the power of Your Spirit, David's heart would not fail and David's aim would not miss. Neither did his words fall to the ground unfulfilled. "David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel! Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands! (v. 45-47)  

With a cause in his heart and confidence in his spirit, "David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and stuck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth!" (v. 49) "And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursed the Philistines" (v. 51-52). 

Lord, let there be a cause in me. Stir up my faith, inspire me and empower me by Your Spirit. Give my life meaning and purpose, with a strong sense of direction, to honor Your name and advance Your kingdom through my life each day. Give me courage to face my giants and faith to speak Your Word with authority through my words and my actions that inspire others to remember their identity and fulfill their destiny. 

"Is there not a cause?" ... Yes, there is! It is the cause of Christ. It is the cause of the truth and power and love of the Kingdom of God being made manifest here in my heart and here in my world, on earth as it is in heaven. And by the Spirit of Christ, arising and shining through me, I can say with You, "For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37 NKJV). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays




I pray you are stirred up and running to battles the Lord sets before you today, inspired and empowered by His Spirit for the cause of His glory, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of meGod bless you, my friend!

 


 I invite you to join with me on the spiritual journey of hungering and thirsting for more with a couple of my books I believe I've been led to write and to share:


God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Blue 

Monday, November 27, 2017

Morning by Morning, November 27 - United in Christ, Shining as Light
 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  ... "Anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17). As I wait and listen for Your leading, I believe I hear Your Spirit speaking with a rhythm and rhyme in my heart: 
United in Christ
Shining as light
Here in the darkness of this world
 
Arise and shine
I am Yours and You are mine
Secure in Your Spirit and the truth of Your Word
 
Guide my steps
Though I'm storm-tossed and swept
In the way that leads to Life in You
 
One in the Spirit
To listen and hear It
And walk with the One who's Faithful and True
 Yes, Lord. Let me listen and hear You. Let me walk in Your ways and shine with Your light, united as one with You--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. You said You are "the Light of the world" (John 8:12). And at the same time, You said we are "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). That can only be true as we are one in You (John 17:22-23). As You promised Your first disciples, You continue to promise me and every disciple today:  "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.... the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you " (John 14:18-26). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays




I pray you shine as light, united in Christ, one with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and walking in the way that leads to life in Him each day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of meGod bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, thank you for all your prayers and encouragement for me during my opportunity to preach by live streaming over the internet to a gathering in a village in Pakistan near Lahore. As I shared with photos and testimonies on Facebook last week, the pastors reported many salvations and healing encounters with the love of God through Jesus Christ! Praise God!

I invite you to join with me on the spiritual journey of hungering and thirsting for more with a couple of my books I believe I've been led to write and to share:

A Deeper Journey to Healing and Freedom
 
 
 
A Deeper Journey to Intimacy in Prayer
 
 


God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Morning by Morning, November 16 - The Father's Love for Us

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear and see and sense Your Presence here with me, here within me, as I begin my day in the communion of prayer -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ... 

"Then Jesus said, 'There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.' So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! And they began to celebrate!" (Luke 15:11-24) 

When the prodigal son came to the end of himself, he said, "Here I am dying.... I am no longer worthy." He was giving up hope, believing his sins were too dark, his heart was too hardened, his character was too tarnished, his faith was too weak, his life was too wasted. He believed he was too far gone and began to give up to hopeless despair. 

But then a thought came to his mind of the father he knew. And though he felt so much rejection from within and without, so alone and so unworthy that surely he would be unloved and unwanted, he chose to "get up and go to (his) father, and (speak) to him" (v. 18). He was sure in his mind and convinced in his heart that he would only face more shame, more rejection, more disappointment, all in confirmation of all the negative things he'd come to believe about himself and his worth in the eyes of his father and everyone else. 

Yet, something drew him to come and see, to take a risk to come receive, to humble himself come and ask for his father's help. And what a father he found! His father ran to him and hugged him and kissed him and welcomed him home in the embrace of his love. He father was filled with joy at his son's return -- the one who was dead was now alive, the one who lost was now found! How great, how deep is our Father's love for us! How great, how vast beyond all measure! 

As the song of worship says: 

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
 
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory
 
Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
 
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
 
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
 
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
 
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
(Songwriter:  Stuart Townsend) 

My Father, I thank You for never giving up on me. Thank You for never letting me give up on myself. Thank You for Your sacrifice of love for me and for all, through Jesus Christ, that there is no sin You won't forgive, no wound You won't heal, and no bondage You won't not break if we humble ourselves to turn to You, to call on Your name, and ask for Your help. When we humble ourselves in Your sight, You lift us up (James 4:10).  

Thank You for Your everlasting promise and unfailing love:  "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:22-25). In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays




I pray you embrace the Father's love for you--His unfailing love, poured into your heart by His Spirit through His Son, every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of meGod bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, I'm really excited about the opportunity to preach by live streaming over the internet to a gathering in a village in Pakistan near Lahore this coming Friday. It will be Friday night their time in Pakistan and Friday morning my time in Texas. Please cover us in your prayers for salvation, transformation, healing, and deliverance in the mighty name of Jesus! May they know the Father's love for them! I was able to preach there in person several years ago and saw the Lord move mightily. I'm so thrilled to have a chance to return in this way. God bless you and thank you!

I invite you to join with me on the spiritual journey of hungering and thirsting for more with a couple of my books I believe I've been led to write and to share:

A Deeper Journey to Healing and Freedom
 
 
 
A Deeper Journey to Intimacy in Prayer
 
 


God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Blue