Morning by Morning, June 1 - Preparing for Pentecost
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I praise Your name and welcome Your Spirit into every moment of my day. ...
"While staying with them, He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This,' He said, 'is what you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.... You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth'" (Acts 4-8).
You told Your first disciples to "wait" in preparation for Pentecost. You told them to go nowhere in the authority and power of Your name to be Your "witnesses" until they were "baptized with the Holy Spirit." Though they each had an intimate, personal relationship with You, though they each knew the victory of Your cross and the glory of Your resurrection, they needed to be empowered from on high and empowered within when Your Spirit would fill their hearts. And from that day forward, Your Word compels each of us who are Your disciples, who would be Your witnesses, to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
John the Baptist, in the spirit of Elijah, spoke of the coming glory and power of Your Holy Spirit to fill Your disciples, as he fulfilled his calling to "prepare the way of the Lord" (Matthew 3:3). He boldly proclaimed, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but One who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire!" (Matthew 3:11). May I embrace Your Word and Your Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord in me. Every day, as I surrender and entrust my heart and my life fully to You, baptize me with Your Holy Spirit and fire!
This Sunday, much of Your church all around the world will celebrate this day as the Day of Pentecost. It marks fifty days from Passover. From Passover to Pentecost -- from the sacrifice of the Lamb and the victory of the Cross to the coming of the Spirit and the ignition of the flame of the church -- we are a people on a spiritual journey. We're invited to know and experience the glory of Your resurrection and also the power of Your Spirit. Then we can be a people who are empowered by Your Presence to proclaim the good news of Your gospel and the coming of Your kingdom, here on earth as it is in heaven.
So Lord, prepare my heart for my personal Pentecost every day. Baptize me, saturate me, immerse me -- filled to overflowing -- with the fullness of Your Spirit. May I be "filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Fill me afresh every day. Rekindle the flame every day. Set me ablaze every day to burn with a passion for You, as You display Your glory through my life and Your church. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
I pray you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit and filled with the Spirit of the Lord every day to be a faithful disciple and passionate witness of Jesus Christ everywhere He sends you in His name and His power, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, thank you so much for all your prayers for us these past two weeks in Budapest, Hungary to teach and minister inner healing personal prayer ministry with my wife Rocio, invited to join the team from the Vineyard Church of San Antonio. Our team was ministering almost non-stop in many personal prayer ministry appointments, teaching and equipping sessions, preaching and ministering in healing, deliverance, and words of encouragement, as well as divine appointments all along the way. We saw much healing and freedom of spirit, soul, and body. All by the grace of God, we were able to have significant impact in the local church as well as the national leadership for the Alpha Course evangelistic ministry in Hungary. I was excited to be teaching the Biblical, spiritual principles from my book Free to Be Like Jesus! -- Transforming Power of Inner Healing & Deliverance. Please continue to keep us in prayer for all the seeds the Lord has sown to grow to maturity in His harvest. And I pray for His anointing upon you for His ministry through your life! God bless you!
Sorry that our schedule didn't allow the time I needed to write and send out my morning devotional while we were away! Thank you for continuing to join me in this daily journey of prayer, 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
Please share this word to encourage a friend!
