"The next day we left
and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one
of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who had the
gift of prophecy" (Acts 21:8-9).
Philip was one of the
seven, set apart for ministry, along with Stephen and the others, by Your first
apostles (v. 6:5). They were "seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and
of wisdom" (v. 6:3). You gifted him as an evangelist and You gifted his
daughters as prophets.
Thank You for the gifts
and the calling You have for each of us in the Body of Christ. Help us discover
them for ourselves and encourage them in our children. "To each is given the
manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.... All of these are activated
by the one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the
Spirit chooses" (1 Corinthians 12:11).
Philip became known by
his gifting and calling - "Philip the evangelist." No doubt, it was a consuming
passion in his life. When we seek first You and Your Kingdom, Your Holy Spirit
awakens us to our identity, empowers us with authority, and sends us forth into
our destiny. Finding our own identity then frees us to recognize and affirm the
distinct identity of our children and others, freeing them to be all You created
them to be just as You've freed us to be all You've created us to be.
Lord, help me know the
security of who I am in Christ and who You are in me. Reveal to me my gifting
and calling; help me recognize it and affirm it in my children and others. May
we be activated, equipped, anointed, and empowered, consumed with passion to
live our lives for You. With great diversity, we are joined and fitted together
as Your body to reveal Your heart in the ways You've chosen among the lives You
touch through each of us. "As it is, there are many members, but one body" (1
Corinthians 12:20). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love
of Jesus, Tommy
Hays
Friends, we would love for you to join us for our
Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21,
2012 in Lexington, Kentucky focusing healing prayer and prophetic
ministry ( www.messiah-ministries.org/events ). Please spread
the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and
empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2
Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD
and CD (www.messiah-ministries.org/resources).
Please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I speak and minister this
weekend, along with Margaret Therkelsen at St. Simons Island, Georgia at the Lay
Witness Ministry Annual Retreat (http://aldersgaterenewal.org/ministry-events/local-church-renewal-events/lay-witness-mission).
These next two weeks, we'll be speaking and ministering in
Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Please come join us if you can
and spread the word
( www.messiah-ministries.org/events ).
We're very excited to be speaking and ministering on inner
healing, deliverance, and prophetic ministry next Monday Night 3/19 in the
Partner's Lounge at MorningStar in Fort Mill, SC. We'll be
speaking and ministering Tuesday Night 3/20 in Lexington, SC hosted at Boiling
Springs UMC. Please come if you can!
