Morning by Morning—Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays

Morning by Morning, February 20 - God's One Church Plan

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the heart and lead me in the path that leads to the fullness of life in You today. ...

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33 NKJV).

We all come from different streams of the Body of Christ. We are to flow together as one in a River of Life to bring salvation and peace, hope and healing, grace and mercy in the love of God our Father, revealed in Jesus Christ, and offered freely to all through the Holy Spirit to a world desperately in need of You. Together as one, out of our hearts that are seeking Your heart "flow Rivers of Living Water" (John 7:38). Together as one, the world will know that the Father has sent His Son in mercy and love (John 17:23).

And we long for that Living Water of Your heart flowing through our hearts to be pure -- holy and clean, full of life and love, untainted and undefiled. We long to honestly, sincerely represent You and Your heart with integrity and clarity, with humility and kindness, with courage and boldness, with truth and love, grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

I've come from the stream of the Methodist Church, being ordained for ministry when You called me out of my career as a trial lawyer to be a servant leader in the Body of Christ. Rather than pastoring a local church, You called me into healing prayer ministry to minister Your healing love and power in the authority of Your Name, to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free across denominational lines and throughout the broader Body of Christ, at home and abroad. I've been seeking to faithfully live out my calling in fulltime ministry now for twenty-two years -- all in Your power and all by Your grace.

In the coming days, leaders and delegates from my stream will be meeting at a special-called General Conference in St. Louis to make huge decisions that will influence the direction and flow of our stream. And every stream affects all the streams of this River of Life that flows through this world-wide Body of Christ, no matter our denominational or non-denominational identity. We are "one Body" (1 Corinthians 12:12) and we have one Head of this Body of Christ, for "Christ is the head of the Church, the Body of which He is Savior" (Ephesians 5:23). "There is one Body and one Spirit, just as (we) were called to the one hope of (our) calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Along with other spiritual leaders in my stream, I received a call to fasting and prayer for the delegates and decisions that will be made at this upcoming General Conference. For us, our stream is flowing into "the Valley of Decision" (Joel 3:14). And as I turn my heart to prayer, I believe I hear You speaking this Scripture in my heart: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). It actually came to me in the form of the old song, sung in the old King James, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And all these things shall be added unto you. Hallelu, Hallelujah...."

And I believe I hear You speaking in my heart: "Seek Me first. Not unity for the sake of unity, but the unity of your spirit with My Spirit as you yield your will to My Will. Not your kingdom but My Kingdom. Not your ways but My Way. Not your plan but My Plan. If you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me. Be willing to hear My voice. Be willing to obey My Word. Be willing to be led by My Spirit. I am the Head and you are My body. I am the Vine and you are My branches. You are My ambassadors, sent to represent My heart, revealed through My Word by My Spirit. Seek Me first. Seek My Kingdom. Seek My righteousness. Have no other gods, no other agendas, no other motives, no other desires before Me. Humble yourselves, seek My face and pray. If you are willing to listen, I will speak and I will lead. But do not tell Me what you want to hear. Listen to Me and I will speak. I always speak from My Heart and according to My Word. So test everything you believe you hear by the Plumb Line of my Word and hold fast to what is True." ...

Yes, Lord. ...

I pray for humility and faithfulness in my own heart and in the hearts of all who will be making these major decisions. I pray the same for every brother and sister in Christ in every stream throughout Your Church throughout the earth. May we seek You first and Your Kingdom and Your Righteousness. May we not waiver or compromise. May we not shrink back or give up. But may we listen and trust and obey. May we awaken and arise to stand firm in the Faith as we seek Your face and love in Your grace. May we represent Your heart to our world with integrity and courage. May we be like Christ -- for as You are, so are we to be in our world (1 John 4:17; 2 Peter 1:4; Romans 8:29). And may we be Your witnesses in Your power and Your love to the ends of earth, together as one (Acts 1:8). Seeking Your Face, listening for Your Voice, trusting Your Will, and obeying Your Word should be our one church plan because this is Your Pan for Your Church. This is our way forward -- "for there's no other way but to trust and obey." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, may you seek the Lord's Face, listen for His Voice, trust in His Will, and obey His Word, as He sends you forth in the power of His love to be His witness in your world, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. And please join with me in prayer for all who are making momentous decisions upon behalf of the United Methodist Church in these coming days. I pray for God's wisdom and guidance in your stream and in the world-wide Body of Christ. God bless you, my friend!

Pakistan Internet Ministry Report. Friends, I had another opportunity to share a message of hope and healing in a remote village in Pakistan on Saturday Night through our Internet Ministry. I preach though an interpreter and a large screen in a different village each month, as our resources permit. I just received this praise report from Pastor Fazal who coordinates these meetings for us -- 287 Salvations and 98 Reports of healing and freedom from pain and sickness of different kinds! Praise God! Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement for us!