Morning by Morning&#8212;Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays

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, June 27, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 27 - Fit and Faithful

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart to make me more like You today. ...

"Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.... May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 NLT).

Lord, make me fit and faithful in "spirit and soul and body." Make me whole and holy, aligned with Your will to walk in Your ways. I have far to go -- in my spirit, in my soul, and in my body. But You are faithful and You will do it, as I humble myself to ask You to do it in me. "For it is God working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" and to become all You created me and called me to be in You (Philippians 2:13). You're making me into Your vessel, "fit for its purpose" (Isaiah 54:16).

Apart from You, I can do nothing (John 15:5). But I thank You that I'm never apart from You, that You're always with me and always at work within me, conforming me into Your image day by day (Hebrews 13:5; Romans 8:29). So in my weakness, I cry out to You and call on Your name to inspire me and empower me. "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.... For whenever I am weak, then I am strong;" and "(Your) grace is sufficient for (me)" when "(Your) power is made perfect in (me) weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). By the power of the grace of God, make me fit and faithful in You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, I pray you are inspired and empowered to be fit and faithful by the power of the grace of God at work within you every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I recently began an exercise plan -- finally, after all these years! I'd appreciate your prayers to be faithful and consistent. I need them more than you know! And I pray the same for you in every way the Holy Spirit is leading you to be holy and whole in spirit and soul and body :)

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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, June 26, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 26 - Power in the Waiting

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit today. ...

"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 1:4-8).

How I need You every day, every hour. I need Your Presence and Your power. I need Your Spirit to infill me and infuse me, to equip me and empower me, to anoint me and appoint me to go and be Your witness in my world -- whether to the end of my street or the ends of the earth.

So You invite me to wait on You. You bring me into the secret, quiet place of beginning my day in contemplative prayer, where I listen for Your leading before laying out all my burdens and requests before You. There will be time for all of that -- for prayers of intercession, supplication, confession, and everything else. But You invite me to first look to You and listen for You. First things first. And You are always first -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.

As I wait on You -- being embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, filled with Your Holy Spirit -- You strengthen me before You send me in Your power and love to make a difference in my world: "The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:28-31). You are the God "Who acts for the one who waits for Him" (Isaiah 64:4).

You're teaching me there's so much power in the waiting. So thank You, Lord, for giving me eagles' wings before I fly off into my day. Thank You for the leading and the grace to first wait on You to begin my day in the intimately personal communion of Your Presence in prayer. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray that as You wait on the Lord in contemplative prayer you are infilled and infused, equipped and empowered, anointed and appointed to go be a witness of Jesus in your world today -- whether to the end of your street or the ends of the earth, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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!

Monday, June 25, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 25 - Flourish like a Tree Planted by the Water

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father, One with the Holy Spirit; and I welcome You to be One within me, now and throughout the moments of my day. ...

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

Prayer is the way Your living water of Your Holy Spirit rises up into the roots of my human spirit to bear Your good fruit through my life. It keeps me connected with You, in deep, intimate relationship with You. It refreshes me and renews me. It's life to me. Even in the times of doubt and drought, You just cause my roots to grow that much deeper, so that I'm always connected with You through the communion of prayer. You keep my heart green and full of life, even when the heat of hurts and hardships comes.

And You help me keep my roots grounded in Your Word, in the good soil of Your promises that give me encouragement, inspiration, vision, guidance, and hope. By Your Spirit and Your Word, You keep me "rooted and grounded in love" so that I "may be strengthened in (my) inner being with power through (Your) Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in (my) heart through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).

Like a tree planted by the water, I'm "filled with all the fullness of God" so that I can grow and flourish in the ways of life in You (Ephesians 3:19; Psalm 1:3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you flourish and bear God's good fruit through your life, rooted and grounded in His love through the intimate communion of prayer, to keep growing in His grace by His Spirit and His Word within you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you for joing with me on this daily journey of prayer, "morning by morning" each day. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these fresh from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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!

Friday, June 22, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 22 - God's Good Mood and "Good Pleasure"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that You are Lord, raised from the dead and raising me up to live my life in You this day. ...

"He destined us for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us" (Ephesians 1:5-8).

It's Your "good pleasure" to pour out Your grace into my life. You don't do this begrudgingly, but freely; and not in scarcity, but in abundance. Out of the riches of Your grace, You lavish me with Your goodness -- all in Your joy and "good pleasure." "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 136:1)

Thank You, Lord, that You are a good God, in a good mood! 'He who sits in the heavens laughs!" (Psalm 2:4). It was "for the sake of the joy that was set before (You that You) endured the cross" (Hebrews 12:2). And despite what's going on around us -- even in the things that break Your heart and ours -- You're always inviting us to know the truth of Your Word: "In Your presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!" (Psalm 16:11).

O Lord, my God, "restore unto me the joy of Your salvation" every day (Psalm 51:12). Speak Your words of spirit and life into my heart that "(Your) joy may be in (me), and that (my) joy may be complete" (John 15:11). Though every moment and challenge of every day, help me see You and see myself in the light of Your truth and Your lavish grace and the "good pleasure" of Your will. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you have eyes to see God as He is and see yourself as He sees you, that His joy may. be in your and your joy made be complete in Him, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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, June 21, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 21 - More Like Jesus than Judas

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and welcome You, here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"When it was evening, He took His place with the twelve; and while they were eating, He said, 'Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.' And they became greatly distressed and began to say to Him one after another, 'Sure not I, Lord?' He answered, 'The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.' Judas, who betrayed Him, said, 'Surely not I, Rabbi?' He replied, 'You have said so'" (Matthew 26:20-25).

Sometimes I wonder what happened to Judas. Did he get too close to the money? (John 6:29) With his hand in Your bowl, did he become presumptuous of his access to Your greatness or begin to take his invitation to Your intimacy and his acceptance of Your grace for granted? Did being one of the Big Twelve give him the big head? Or did the seeds of sin and self-seeking sown into his fallen soul finally grow to full harvest in his heart of betrayal? In any event, somehow Satan himself entered his soul to consume his thoughts and influence his choices (Luke 22:3).

You know every choice we will ever make, seeing the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end (Isaiah 46:10). You know every heart and every motive of every choice (Acts 1:24; Jeremiah 17:10). Yet, the choices are ours in the freedom of will that a true relationship of love requires (Joshua 14:15; Deuteronomy 30:14-15; John 7:17).

And what if Judas had made better choices with all that was entrusted to him? Surely Your Word was true of him as It is with us all: "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). "As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live" (Ezekiel 33:11 NLT).

Judas was not born a traitor, but he "became a traitor" (Luke 6:16). And by the time it was time for Judas to choose blessing or curse, life or death, "the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray (You)" (John 13:2). In the end, "Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place" (Acts 1:25 NKJV).

But what if instead of becoming "the one destined to be lost," Judas would have humbled himself in repentance and faith, seeking You healing and freedom of all that would hold him back of being a faithful follower instead of a condemned traitor (John 17:12)? His confession and repentance came too late when finally acknowledged, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!" (Matthew 27:3) What if he could have become a son of God instead of the "son of perdition" (John 17:12 NKJV)? What if he was to spill out his heart to lead others to Christ instead of spilling out his guts after hanging himself on a tree (Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18)? What if even the Book of Jude could have been the Book of Judas, sharing words of encouragement and exhortation from a life that was changed and surrendered to God to fulfill a destiny to honor Christ (Jude 1)?

You are "longsuffering toward us (all), not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). So before I judge Judas for the speck in his eye, give me a humble and teachable heart to see the log in my own eye (Matthew 7:5). Let me "judge not," so that by the measure I judge I will not also be judged and that very thing come up me (Matthew 7:1). Let me never take my grace for granted or presume upon my place of intimacy with You. Convict me of my sins and keep me sensitive in my heart to the leading of Your Spirit, so that it's never too late to choose well and live well in the destiny You desire for me (Ephesians 1:11). By the power of Your grace, may I grow to be much more like Jesus than Judas (Romans 8:29). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you grow in the grace of God to become more like Jesus every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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, June 20, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 20 - Keeping Good Company with Jesus

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All that I am and all that I have is Yours -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals'" (1 Corinthians 15:33).

If bad company ruins good morals then good company inspires good morals. So I want to keep good company with You, Lord Jesus. You are my Companion and my Inspiration. You are my "Friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). And You fill me with Your Spirit so that my thoughts become more like Your thoughts, my desires become more like Your desires, and my ways become more like Your ways (Romans 8:9).

Some would imply that under a dispensation of grace, we are free to do what we want to do, to be with whom we want to be with, to go wherever we want to go. Who the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). Right? "All things are lawful for me" in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:23). Right? Yes, but not all things are good for me; and in the freedom of my salvation I still have the freedom to choose right from wrong, good from evil, to walk in Your ways or walk in the ways of the world, for me to be lord or for You to be Lord (1 Corinthians 10:23).

So even in freedom, You're always leading me to choose You and Your will and Your ways. Even in grace, You desire obedience -- the obedience that freely flows from a heart that truly believes You love me and want the very best for me. So along with companionship always comes discipleship; and along with grace comes obedience -- as You're teaching me Your ways while I'm walking in deeply personal, intimate relationship with You. "Now by this we may be sure we know Him, if we obey His commandments. Whoever says, 'I have come to know Him,' but does not obey His commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys His word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in Him: whoever say, 'I abide in Him,' ought to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:3-6).

Come, Holy Spirit of God. Move in my heart to give me a right heart. Keep creating in me a clean heart and renewing a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Keep transforming me by the renewing of my mind and conforming me to the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29 and 12:2). May I never stop to "grow in the grace and knowledge of (my) Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever!" (2 Peter 3:18) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you keep good company with Jesus on your deeply personal and intimate journey with Him every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257