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Friday, August 29, 2014
Morning by Morning, August 29 - Child of the One True King
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear Your heart as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit in our morning communion of prayer. ...
"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because (we) are children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So (we) are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God" (Galatians 4:4-7).
Abba! Father! I cry out to You from my heart as a child of God, an heir of God their Jesus Christ my Lord. I cry out to You because Your Spirit moves in me to lift up my eyes to You, to open up my heart to You. And You lift me up into the heavenly realms of Your truth and Your Presence, where I know that I am in Christ and Christ is me, where I'm seated far above everything that would try to steal my sense of identity and destiny, my hope and faith, my peace and joy, at the very right hand of God my Father.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us even when we were dead though our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace (we) have been saved--and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).
As Matthew West sings, "I'm a child of the one true King." Through the blood of Jesus, I'm forgiven and free. By the ever-abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit, I'm filled the assurance my salvation and my identity as a beloved child of God, created to live out my life now and forever in the intimate, personal relationship with the One who created me and loves me as a son of God. I'm a son, not a slave; I'm a friend of God, not merely a servant (John 15:15).
Empower me to know my identity and live out my destiny today, rejecting every false identity the world, the flesh, and the devil would try to offer me. Today and everyday, I'm a child of the one true King. Lord Jesus, You are the "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). You are my King and Lord. And I welcome You as "the King of glory" to come in to my heart today and every day (Psalm 24:7). In Jesus' name I pray.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, with the ever-abiding Presence of God's Holy Spirit abiding in your heart, crying out Abba! Father! may you always know in your heart your content identity as a child of the one true King. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, please come join us Friday Night, August 29 in San Antonio for a Worship Event with Matthew West, who wrote the powerful songs on Forgiveness and our Identity as Children of the One True King.I'm excited that my ministry partner Tammy Watts and I will also be speaking on forgiveness and then leading a time of prayer ministry after Matthew West leads us in worship. Our Rapha God Ministries teams and the Oak Hills Church teams will then be offering personal prayer ministry in English and Spanish. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully in our hearts and come join us if you can!
For those who can't join us in person in San Antonio, there will be a live-stream that begins at 7pm Central Time tonight: http://oakhillschurch.com/live-stream
Matthew West | Worship Event | Aug. 29
What are you facing right now that has been hard for you to overcome? Is there somebody in your life who has wronged you? Do you sometimes feel like life isn't anything like you hoped? There are times when some situations or maybe even some relationships feel impossible to get beyond. Forgiving isn't always easy. But through God, you can overcome the impossible.
If you want to know how you can overcome the impossible, we invite you to join Mathew West for an evening of worship, teaching, and prayer as he shares what God has shown him about overcoming the impossible. This is a powerful opportunity to find the peace and freedom that God offers to each of us.
DATE:
Friday | August 29
TIME:
7-9 pm | Doors open at 6:30 pm
LOCATION: Crownridge Worship Center
COST: Free and Open to the Public
Spanish Translation Available
Spanish Translation Available
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Share this word to encourage a friend! 
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Morning by Morning, August 28 - "You Will Not Fear the Terror"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak to my heart as I listen for Your voice. Lead me beside Your still waters in these first moments of my morning in prayer, my Good Shepherd. ...
"You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked" (Psalm 91:5-8).
Father, I believe You are sending Your Holy Spirit to awaken us and unite us in prayer against this darkness of evil that is coming against our world in these days. Bring Your children to safety and bring this enemy to justice. Encourage every fearful heart to hold fast to You through whatever they have to endure by the wicked choices made by wicked people that break Your heart. Give us faith to stand with those being persecuted and terrorized in prayer and wisdom to act according to the leading of Your Spirit.
Send Your Word; send Your Spirit; send Your holy angels to all who are weary and afraid. "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, they young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. Those who love Me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know My name" (Psalm 91:11-14).
Thank You that we can pray from the place of victory, where we are seated with You in Christ far above those wicked powers seeking to steal and kill and destroy (Ephesians 2:4-7). Thank You that we can trust You see it all and You are at work in ways we don't always see and fighting for us in ways we don't always know.
"When they call to Me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them My salvation" (Psalm 91:15-16). You will always be with us as we go through this trouble in these terrifying times at the end of this age, knowing whatever we endure You are with us (Matthew 28:20). And You will have the last word when it's all been said and done (Romans 8:28). Lord, hear our prayer. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you stand firm in your faith and move passionately in prayer as we intercede together by the leading of the Holy Spirit of God for all those facing terror in these troubling days in Israel, Iraq, and all over the world. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Urgent Prayer for Persecuted Christians 8-27-14
My Friend,
I just received this email from Rick Joyner at MorningStar Ministries where I'm ordained with the Fellowship of Ministries. Please join with me in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Iraq and everywhere they are being persecuted for our faith in the earth during these troubling times. Even as our heart breaks, we pray from the place of victory, not defeat, in the mighty name of Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).
God bless you, my friend,
Tommy
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Morning by Morning, August 27 - Forgiven and Free
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I worship You and wait for Your leading. ...
"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14).
We are forgiven and free in Christ. It's a gift of God we could never deserve and never repay. But it's a gift we can only receive if we're willing to give it away.
Unless we forgive one another, Your Word says You won't forgive us. That's a sobering truth at the heart of what it means to have an authentic, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Saving faith means much more than having the right thoughts in our minds; it also involves having the right attitudes in our hearts. And perhaps one of the most characteristic attitudes of a heart that's truly surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is a heart that chooses to forgive.
Only as we choose to forgive and free others from our hearts are we truly forgiven and free (Matthew 18:35). That's the heart of Jesus -- "Father, forgive them ..." (Luke 23:34). And that's the heart of faith You require of all who would have a personal relationship with You.
Forgiveness is not optional. And apart from a living faith in You and the power of Your Holy Spirit at work within our hearts to make us more like You, forgiveness is not even possible. But in the power of Your grace, we are forgiven and free. And by that same power of Your grace, we are empowered to forgive and free one another. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, by the power of God's grace, may you be forgiven and free, as you forgive and free those who have hurt you the most and deserve it the least. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, please come join us Friday Night, August 29 in San Antonio for a Worship Event with Matthew West, who wrote the powerful songs on Forgiveness and our Identity as Children of the One True King.I'm excited that my ministry partner Tammy Watts and I will also be speaking on forgiveness and then leading a time of prayer ministry after Matthew West leads us in worship. Our Rapha God Ministries teams and the Oak Hills Church teams will then be offering personal prayer ministry in English and Spanish. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully in our hearts and come join us if you can!
Matthew West | Worship Event | Aug. 29
What are you facing right now that has been hard for you to overcome? Is there somebody in your life who has wronged you? Do you sometimes feel like life isn't anything like you hoped? There are times when some situations or maybe even some relationships feel impossible to get beyond. Forgiving isn't always easy. But through God, you can overcome the impossible.
If you want to know how you can overcome the impossible, we invite you to join Mathew West for an evening of worship, teaching, and prayer as he shares what God has shown him about overcoming the impossible. This is a powerful opportunity to find the peace and freedom that God offers to each of us.
DATE: Friday | August 29
TIME: 7-9 pm | Doors open at 6:30 pm
LOCATION: Crownridge Worship Center
COST: Free and Open to the Public
Spanish Translation Available
TIME: 7-9 pm | Doors open at 6:30 pm
LOCATION: Crownridge Worship Center
COST: Free and Open to the Public
Spanish Translation Available
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Share this word to encourage a friend!
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Morning by Morning, August 26 - The Abundance of the Heart
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I set my face toward Your will and set my feet toward Your way, as best as I can and all by Your grace. ...
"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:43-45).
Lord, I want to speak good words from a good heart. I want to bear good fruit from good roots, grounded in Your Word and nurtured by Your Spirit. Let the abundance of my heart be full of the abundance of Your grace -- all that You've poured into me, as I've opened my heart up to You.
So remind me to come deliberately and intentionally into Your Presence each day. Guard my time to seek Your face and listen for Your voice so I can be filled with Your Spirit. And then continue to abide in me as You continue to invite me to abide in You throughout the moments of my day. Let the abundance of my heart be filled with Jesus. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you be filled with the abundance of Jesus today and every day! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, please come join us Friday Night, August 29 in San Antonio for a Worship Event with Matthew West, who wrote the powerful songs on Forgiveness and our Identity as Children of the One True King. I'm excited that my ministry partner Tammy Watts and I will also be speaking on forgiveness and then leading a time of prayer ministry after Matthew West leads us in worship. Our Rapha God Ministries teams and the Oak Hills Church teams will then be offering personal prayer ministry in English and Spanish. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully in our hearts and come join us if you can!
Matthew West | Worship Event | Aug. 29
What are you facing right now that has been hard for you to overcome? Is there somebody in your life who has wronged you? Do you sometimes feel like life isn't anything like you hoped? There are times when some situations or maybe even some relationships feel impossible to get beyond. Forgiving isn't always easy. But through God, you can overcome the impossible.
If you want to know how you can overcome the impossible, we invite you to join Mathew West for an evening of worship, teaching, and prayer as he shares what God has shown him about overcoming the impossible. This is a powerful opportunity to find the peace and freedom that God offers to each of us.
DATE: Friday | August 29
TIME: 7-9 pm | Doors open at 6:30 pm
LOCATION: Crownridge Worship Center
COST: Free and Open to the Public
Spanish Translation Available
TIME: 7-9 pm | Doors open at 6:30 pm
LOCATION: Crownridge Worship Center
COST: Free and Open to the Public
Spanish Translation Available
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Share this word to encourage a friend!
Friday, August 22, 2014
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Thursday, August 21, 2014
Morning by Morning, August 21 - Costly Faith
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to start my day in the communion of prayer, in the intimacy of personal, spiritual relationship with You -- heart to Heart, spirit to Spirit. Make me one with You, one with Your Body of Christ, one in ministry to all the world until I feast with you at Your heavenly banquet in final victory. ...
"Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4).
Now is the time to have settled in our hearts the question of who is Lord of our lives. Now is the time to choose whether I would surrender my life rather than renounce my Savior. Let me have the humility to choose now so that I will have the courage to choose then on a day that may come when I find out just how sincere my faith truly is and what a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ I truly am.
Many are already being forced to make that choice today in our generation. Many will be forced to make that choice in the times to come, according to Your Word:
"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs. Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:7-14).
Lord Jesus, give me grace to hold fast to You, that I many endure to the end -- not only enduring, but faithful to be proclaiming with my life the good news of Your mercy and love throughout the world, to the ends of the earth, in testimony to all nations. Draw me closer to You every day that I will have to the courage to die for You if that day may come and the courage to live for You every day that comes now.
You asked Your first disciples, "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8) I pray You will find faith in me on that day to come and find faith in me every day between now and then (Luke 21:27).
"Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:5). Lord, let pleasing You be the central desire of my life. May I die to self to I can live for Christ. By the power of Your grace, may I be able to say with the sons and daughters of God, the disciples of Christ of every generation, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is not longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who love me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:19-20). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray you will be empowered by the Holy Spirit, embraced in the strong arms of your heavenly Father, to endure in your vibrant, personal, intimate faith in Jesus Christ until the end. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, please join together with me in prayer for the people in Iraq and around the world who are being forced to choose to renounce their faith and convert to Islam or die. Though I passionately desire all to choose Christ, every human being has the right and the responsibility to choose to worship God alone according to the faith in their hearts, not according to the deranged, barbaric threats of evil tormentors.
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Morning by Morning, August 20 - "Shine like Stars"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name. At Your name, my knees bow, my tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, my Father (Philippians 2:9-11). ...
"Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world... holding fast to the Word of Life" (Philippians 2:14-16).
Grounded in Your Word, filled with Your Spirit, let my hope in You shine like a star in the midst of all the darkness going on this world around us today. By the power of Your grace, I'm holding fast to You and holding fast to Your promise that You are with us through all we endure -- fighting for us in ways we don't always see, speaking to our hearts in ways we don't always hear, causing all things to ultimately work together for good, despite how much darkness and evil we see (Romans 8:28).
"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness shall cover the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn" (Isaiah 60:1-3). Let my hope shine today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you shine like a star in the midst of whatever darkness surrounds you in our world today, as you hold fast to the Word of Life. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Share this word to encourage a friend!
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Morning by Morning, August 19 - Praying for Persecuted Christians in Tribulation
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Be my King and Lord over every moment of my day, every desire of my heart, every thought of my mind, every choice of my will. ...
"And when they had preached the gospel to the that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'We must though many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:21-22 NKJ).
I keep waking up in the night with a stirring my heart to pray for my persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in the world, especially in Iraq where they are being forced to convert of die in the face of threats of beheading, rape, and torture by the Islamic State terrorists. Their time of tribulation is today. And their faith has to be grounded in much more than correct doctrine or intellectual assent to theological principles. It's Jesus or death in the flash of a moment for each one of them.
We are to "rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). So I shouldn't be surprised or selfish when Your Holy Spirit wakes me up to lose some sleep with those who have no sleep to cry out to my Father in the name of Jesus according to the Word of God: "O Lord, You will hear the desire of the meek; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from the earth may strike terror no more" (Psalm 10:17).
A U.S. Senator on our Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees noted yesterday, "Although the Mount Sinjar crisis further revealed to the world the sheer brutality of the Islamic State, for months these terrorists have been occupying and destroying churches across Iraq, pulling down crosses, destroying religious documents and holy sites, and forcing Christians to convert or face death. They have seized bridges, dams, and other infrastructure that Christian towns and communities rely on for survival. Christians have been the primary target in Iraq, raising the stakes and the need for U.S. leadership. Christians have inhabited Iraq and Syria for 2,000 years; but if the Islamic State has its way with its "convert or die" tactics, not a single Christian will be left."
Come, Holy Spirit. Strengthen the faith of the followers of Jesus in Iraq and throughout the earth. Give us courage to endure whatever tribulation may come, as we persist in prayer for one another to "bear one another's burdens" with our intercession and our voices to speak up and take action as we are able, to "fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). In Jesus' name I pray.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, please join with me in prayer for our Christian family in Iraq and around the world facing unspeakable terror in a time of tribulation. I pray you will intercede, speak up and act in the ways you can and the Holy Spirit leads. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Share this word to encourage a friend!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Morning by Morning, August 18 - Conformed to Christ
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice -- You are our Good Shepard and Your sheep hear Your voice (John 10:14). ...
As I listen, it seems I hear You say, "My son, put your heart in My hands, My nail-scarred hands. I want to lead you by your heart, as I change your heart into Mine. Let Me give you My heart, My mind, My will, My desires. Let Me make you more like Me today."
Yes, Lord. Make me more like You today. Conform me into Your image (Romans 8:29). Help me abide in You as You abide in me (John 15:4). Put Your thoughts in my mind (Philippians 2:5). Put Your desires in my heart (Psalm 51:6). Fill my human spirit with Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).
Together with all who are called by Your name, listening for the leading of Your voice, with our hearts in Your hands, help me grow up, a little more every day, "to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ ... growing up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:13-15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you be conformed into Christ a little more each day, as you put your heart in His nail-scarred hands. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Share this word to encourage a friend!
Friday, August 15, 2014
Morning by Morning, August 15 - How Beautiful is Love
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I open my heart and welcome You in to lead me in the way of life in Your truth today. ...
"Scarcely had I passed them, when I found the one I love ... Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases ... How beautiful you are, my love ... You are altogether beautiful, my love ... You have ravished my heart with a glance of your eyes ... Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love ... Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it" (Song of Solomon 3:4-8:7).
O Lord my God, in the heart of Your Word is the most powerful, romantic love song ever written. Thank You for the gift of love -- Your deepest expression of who You are -- "So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them" (1 John 4:16).
I embrace Your love and every beautiful way You express it to me. And I love You back, with all my heart, as best as I can and all by Your grace. "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you be filled with the fullness of God's love for you and every way He expresses His love so beautifully to you through your life in Him. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
I praise God for His beautiful expression of love for me throughRocio, who just accepted my proposal for marriage. I am a blessed man! Thank you for joining me in this journey of prayer in the love of God. I join with you in praying for the desires of your heart too.
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Share this word to encourage a friend!
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