Morning by Morning, January 3 - "Continue"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. In Your abiding Presence, I want to start my day embraced by my heavenly Father, centered in Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...
"And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before Him -- provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven" (Colossians 1:21-23).
"Continue securely established and steadfast in the faith." ... As I read these words and let them settle into my spirit this morning, I hear Your Spirit emphasizing the word "Continue." ...
As I ponder this word, I believe I hear You saying, "Ask Me what is to continue and what is to remain. As you leave behind the past year and enter into the new, ask Me what you are to carry with you and what you are to leave behind." ...
Yes, Lord. You're bringing to mind Your Word proclaimed through the Apostle Paul in his spiritual journey: "Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).
As I begin this new year, I want to take time to let Your Spirit search my heart and show me what is to continue and what is to remain, what to hold on to and what to let go. Show me the habits that need to be broken, the hurts that need to be healed, the heart condition that needs to be changed. Uproot and remove everything in me, lift up and break off everything from me, that would keep me from fully embracing You and Your plan for my life this year. Reveal and remove all that's less than Your best so You can replace it with all that truly is. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
May you hear the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart to show you what is to continue and what is to remain, what you're to hold on to and what you're to let go as you move into this new year, continuing your journey into spiritual maturity in Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend and Happy New Year!
Friends, I'll be speaking at the First Wednesday Worship and Prayer Service at Oak Hills Church, Crownridge Campus in San Antonio for the first Wednesday of the New Year tomorrow night. Please come join us. All are welcome!
Start off 2017 with me in seeking to begin my day centered in Jesus!
Friends, I'm excited that we just published my new book Morning by Morning, Second Edition that is now available through Amazon and Kindle. It's a 365 Day Devotional with a selection of many of my favorite devotionals from the last several years of my prayer journey. Thank you for joining with me on this journey! And I pray these simple morning prayers are a great blessing and encouragement to you to start your day embraced by the love of our Father, centered in Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. God bless you and Merry Christmas!
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!
