Morning by Morning, August 7, 2026 — A Father’s Blessing

 

Morning by Morning, August 7, 2026 — A Father’s Blessing Good morning, Lord Jesus. You and our Father and Holy Spirit are One, abiding in me as I abide in You, in the communion of life I have in You as a son of God. … “What great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1) Last night I was invited to join with other men for a time of fellowship and prayer out at our local park. My youngest son, Josiah, was in town visiting us and he wanted to go. At the end, the group leader invited Josiah to come stand among us, as we laid hands on him and prayed blessings over him. When it was my turn, I was moved by Your Spirit to speak a father’s blessing over him, as I asked him to look me in the eyes and listen for our Father’s words. As I spoke what Your Spirit gave me to say in those moments, I was reminding him of the meaning of his name: Josiah—meaning The Fire of the Lord. May the Fire of God burn in his heart all the days of his life. Benjamin—meaning Son of My Right Hand, speaking of the right hand of authority. May he be a man of God, seeking to live his life under the authority of the hand of God, as the Lord his God stretches out His hand of authority through his life in the unique ways the Lord will choose, all in His time, all in His way. Hays—meaning he is my son, carrying my name, but much more importantly, he is a son of God, created and called by his True Father in Heaven. Freed to live his life freely from any of my own personal desires for his life but fully into all God’s personal desires for his life. You reminded me of one his struggles, which is also being redeemed into one of his great blessings. He can think in ways he thinks is conflicting, with skepticism. But I saw with the eyes of my heart two swords, and the biblical phrase that “Iron sharpens iron” from Proverbs 27:17. You are using his conflicting thoughts to sharpen his discernment and teach him how search for the truth, at a much deeper level than most do. And when he finds it, he will know from the depths of his heart what is true, firmly established in unwavering faith, because he’ll be grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. No longer conflicted but certain. Not because somebody else told him or taught him, but because You brought him to know the truth for himself. Thank You, Lord, for Your Father’s blessing over each of us. What great love You have lavished upon us, Father God. Just as You spoke over Jesus at his baptism, so You with Your same Spirit over us: “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). That was before Jesus ever spoke His first sermon or worked His first miracle. You affirmed Your love and affirmed His identity as a Son, affirming Your pleasure in Him not based on what He would do but who He was. You do the same for us. You love us no matter what, because we are Your sons and daughters through Jesus Christ our Lord. We’ll make our mistakes and have our regrets, as we seek to find our way, coming to understand our true identity in You and then fulfilling our destiny in You. But You’ll be with us through it all, loving us through it all, blessing us with Your Father’s Blessing with Your Father Heart through it all. Freely we receive, and freely we can give. Thank You for the joy and blessing of getting to speak a father’s blessing over my son last night. And thank You for the Father’s Blessing You speak over each of us to receive from Your Heart: “This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:23-27). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day. In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, may you receive Your Father's blessing, this day and ever day: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace, in Jesus' name. God bless you, my friend! And you have a great day! Click Here to Listen to Today's Prayer: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375760 Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries 502 North Milam Street Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org My Books on Inner Healing, Spiritual Freedom and Spiritual Intimacy with God are Available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays “Setting hearts free to be all you were created to be —Free to Be Like Jesus— secure in your identity, growing in maturity, fulfilling your destiny" https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Please Keep us in Prayer for These Messiah Ministries Events Aug Finishing writing my new book The Elijah Awakening. Please pray I'll express the Father's Heart Aug 4 New Weekly Prayer Meeting at Noon on Tuesdays at our Cabin at Messiah Ministries Aug 9 Leading Prayer at Gillespie County High at 5:30PM during our School to School Prayers Gatherings sponsored by the Gillespie County Ministerial Alliance. All are welcome to come and pray at each school. Aug 25 Leading in Opening Prayer Invocation for Gillespie County Commissioner's Court Aug 30 Preaching at Lake Toxaway Chapel in Lake Toxaway, Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina Sept 1 Leading in Opening Prayer Invocation for Fredericksburg City Council Sept 3 Speaking at Boerne, Texas Aglow Lighthouse at Kendall Inn Conference Center 7PM. All are welcome! Sept 8 Beginning My Annual Free to be Like Jesus Tuesday Night Classes at Bridge Church in FBG, TX Sept 18-20 Leading our Free to Be Like Jesus seminar in Belgium, then traveling to Slovenia Sept 24-27 Teaching a 4 Day Conference in the nation of Slovenia Oct 4 Preaching at Crossroads Church in Greenville, Texas Oct 22-25 Teaching Free to Be Like Jesus seminar, Healing Service, and preaching Sunday services at St. James Methodist Church in Athens, Georgia Nov 9 Speaking at Hillsboro, Texas Aglow 7Pm. All are welcome. Personal Ministry Appointments, Spiritual Direction Sessions and Personal Prayer Ministry Sessions of Inner Healing & Spiritual Freedom by Appointment in Person and Online through Zoom. tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org  Sessions are without set cost and all contributions help support the calling and vision of Messiah Ministries. https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Free On-line Video Series: Setting Hearts Free!  My Core Teaching and Ministry https://messiah-ministries.org/resources

https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays Some of My Books are Now in Other Languages (Spanish, French, Urdu) For Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/tommyhaysenespanol

Morning by Morning, July 30, 2026 — “Speak Up”

 

Morning by Morning, July 30, 2026 — “Speak Up” Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your leading. … As I wait, I hear in my heart, “Speak up.” And this Scripture comes to mind: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,    for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly;    defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV). Across the world and even here in our own nation, where we have the blessing of God for the freedom of speech and religion, people are being intimidated into silence or mocked to scorn for the beliefs of their conscience. In the face of the fear of rejection and cultural pressure—whether through unspoken expectations or right in our face—we’re threatened to sit back and shut up; and we’re tempted to give in to the insecurities of our need to be liked and approved. We desperately need Your grace for our courage to stand up and speak out whenever You lead. When those who cannot speak for themselves are being suppressed, when those whose rights are being trampled cannot fight back and overcome, when truth is being distorted, when history is being rewritten, when Your name is being defiled, when Your Word is being perverted, these are times to stand up and speak out, as You lead. We must be “strong and very courageous” in obedience and faithfulness to go where You send us to go and to say what You lead us to say, not “turning” from Your word and Your will “to the right or to the left, that (we) may be successful wherever (we) go” (Joshua 1:7). In the power of Your grace, we must be faithful and bold to obey Your command with the assurance You give: “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (v.9). This doesn’t mean we become reactionary, argumentative, or politically combative. We don’t go looking for a fight. We seek You. We listen in prayer for Your heart, Your perspective, Your timing, and Your words. Then, when You prompt us to speak, we don’t hide or run away, but stand up and speak up as You lead. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). May we “stand therefore” and “speak boldly, as (we) ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:14-20). All the everyday settings of our lives are both challenges and opportunities to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Not just truth, but the truth in love; not just love, but the truth in love. May we be found faithful and obedient to represent Your heart in the way You lead. For the children of God are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). Maybe in family conversations, a workplace meeting, a church discussion, a classroom, a school board gathering, a courtroom, a public office, or an exchange with friends. Maybe concerning issues of the oppression of the poor, sanctity of life, human identity and sexuality, religious liberty, justice, reconciliation, the right of Israel or any nation to exist and defend itself from terror, or any place where truth and love are being separated. The subject may be public, but the assignment is personal: What is the Holy Spirit asking me to say or do right here, right now? We speak with courage, but always with the character of Christ (Colossians 1:27)—“speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), ready to give an answer “with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15), with words that are “gracious, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). We’re not to be controlled by the fear of controversy, but neither are we driven by a spirit of controversy. We’re led by the love of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit of the Living God (Ephesians 5:18). Not every moment calls for confrontation. Sometimes Your Holy Spirit tells us to listen, ask a question, wait, or remain silent. “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32). As Your Spirit leads, let us “be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19). But when You say, “Speak,” silence becomes disobedience. When You say “Go,” reluctance becomes sin. In those moments we’re not to “shrink back,” but stand up and speak up in courage and faith (Hebrews 10:39). “The righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). This is one of the ways we “raise up the foundations of many generations” (Isaiah 58:12). This is one of the ways we fulfill our calling as sons and daughters of God “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom (we) shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). With Your Spirit in our hearts, we are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” like “a city that is set on a hill (that) cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:13-14). Lord, give us that courage in our hearts and with our voices to stand up and speak up, as You lead, to arise and shine with Your Light for Your glory in the midst of the darkness and challenges of our world (Isaiah 60:1-3). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day. In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, may you be empowered by the grace of God and led by the Spirit of God to speak up as He leads in the challenges and battles against darkness you face in your world, in Jesus' name. God bless you, my friend! And you have a great day! Click Here to Listen to Today's Prayer: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375760 Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries 502 North Milam Street Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org My Books on Inner Healing, Spiritual Freedom and Spiritual Intimacy with God are Available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays “Setting hearts free to be all you were created to be —Free to Be Like Jesus— secure in your identity, growing in maturity, fulfilling your destiny" https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Please Keep us in Prayer for These Messiah Ministries Events Aug 4 New Weekly Prayer Meeting at Noon on Tuesdays at our Cabin at Messiah Ministries Aug 9 Leading Prayer at Gillespie County High at 5:30PM during our School to School Prayers Gatherings sponsored by the Gillespie County Ministerial Alliance. All are welcome to come and pray at each school. Aug 25 Leading in Opening Prayer Invocation for Gillespie County Commissioner's Court Aug 30 Preaching at Lake Toxaway Chapel in Lake Toxaway, Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina Sept 1 Leading in Opening Prayer Invocation for Fredericksburg City Council Sept 3 Speaking at Boerne, Texas Aglow Lighthouse at Kendall Inn Conference Center 7PM. All are welcome! Sept 8 Beginning My Annual Free to be Like Jesus Tuesday Night Classes at Bridge Church in FBG, TX Sept 18-20 Leading our Free to Be Like Jesus seminar in Belgium, then traveling to Slovenia Sept 24-27 Teaching a 4 Day Conference in the nation of Slovenia Oct 4 Preaching at Crossroads Church in Greenville, Texas Oct 22-25 Teaching Free to Be Like Jesus seminar, Healing Service, and preaching Sunday services at St. James Methodist Church in Athens, Georgia Personal Ministry Appointments, Spiritual Direction Sessions and Personal Prayer Ministry Sessions of Inner Healing & Spiritual Freedom by Appointment in Person and Online through Zoom. tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org  Sessions are without set cost and all contributions help support the calling and vision of Messiah Ministries. https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Free On-line Video Series: Setting Hearts Free!  My Core Teaching and Ministry https://messiah-ministries.org/resources

https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays Some of My Books are Now in Other Languages (Spanish, French, Urdu) For Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/tommyhaysenespanol

Morning by Morning, July 9, 2026 — The Word of God is “Very Near” to the Children of God

 

Morning by Morning, July 9, 2026 — The Word of God is “Very Near” to the Children of God Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. … “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14). Your word is very near to me. Let Your commandment be very dear to me. Let Your word be in my mouth and in my heart. Give me a deeper hunger for Your word, a greater sensitivity for Your word. Not just that I may hear it, but also that I “may do it.” Even under the Old Covenant and the commandments You spoke through Moses, You called Your people who are called by Your name to listen and trust and obey. How much more for us? Through You and Your ever-abiding Presence with us and within us by Your Spirit, we now have “a better Covenant, which as established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 8:8-10). Your word is now in our mouths and in our hearts every moment of every day because You are the Word of God (John 1:14) and the Spirit of God lives in us (Romans 8:9). You are very near and You are very dear. With You and Your words in my heart and in my mouth, may I listen and speak, may I trust and obey. May I embrace Your promise as my identity as a child of God and a disciple of Jesus Christ, grounded in Your Word and led by Your Spirit: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God…. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:14-16). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day. In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, may you listen and trust and obey the word of God as He lives in you and leads you in His will, in Jesus' name. God bless you, my friend! And you have a great day! Click Here to Listen to Today's Prayer: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375760 Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries 502 North Milam Street Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org My Books on Inner Healing, Spiritual Freedom and Spiritual Intimacy with God are Available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays “Setting hearts free to be all you were created to be —Free to Be Like Jesus— secure in your identity, growing in maturity, fulfilling your destiny" https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Please Keep us in Prayer for These Messiah Ministries Events July 6 Teaching in Pakistan on-line at New Life Bible School July 13 New Weekly Prayer Meeting at 9am for Messiah Ministries at our Cabin at Messiah Ministries July 24-26 A Keynote Speaker at Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Regional Conference in Ollie, Iowa Aug 25 Leading in Opening Prayer Invocation for Gillespie County Commissioner's Court Aug 30 Preaching at Lake Toxaway Chapel in Lake Toxaway, Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina Sept 1 Leading in Opening Prayer Invocation for Fredericksburg City Council Sept 3 Speaking at Boerne, Texas Aglow Lighthouse at Kendall Inn Conference Center 7PM. All are welcome! Sept 8 Beginning My Annual Free to be Like Jesus Tuesday Night Classes at Bridge Church in FBG, TX Sept 18-20 Leading our Free to Be Like Jesus seminar in Belgium, then traveling to Slovenia Sept 24-27 Teaching a 4 Day Conference in the nation of Slovenia Oct 4 Preaching at Crossroads Church in Greenville, Texas Oct 22-25 Teaching Free to Be Like Jesus seminar, Healing Service, and preaching Sunday services at St. James Methodist Church in Athens, Georgia Personal Ministry Appointments, Spiritual Direction Sessions and Personal Prayer Ministry Sessions of Inner Healing & Spiritual Freedom by Appointment in Person and Online through Zoom. tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org  Sessions are without set cost and all contributions help support the calling and vision of Messiah Ministries. https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Free On-line Video Series: Setting Hearts Free!  My Core Teaching and Ministry https://messiah-ministries.org/resources

https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays Some of My Books are Now in Other Languages (Spanish, French, Urdu) For Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/tommyhaysenespanol

Morning by Morning, June 29, 2026 — “Turn Aside and See” the Presence of God

 

Morning by Morning, June 29, 2026 — “Turn Aside and See” the Presence of God Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are faithful and true, forever with me, here in my heart and every moment of my day. … “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.’ “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ “And he said, ‘Here I am’” (Exodus 3:1-4). Moses got up one morning–maybe even a Monday morning like today—and went about to begin his week of work. He was going about his business, tending the flock and the things entrusted to his care. But at the beginning of his morning, Moses didn't yet realize just how close he was to “the mountain of God.” He thought it was just another mountain and just another morning. He didn't yet realize the Living Presence of the Living God was so near, even in the everyday moments of his everyday life, “though (the Lord Himself) is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). The key moment of Moses’ revelation of Your Presence came when he made the choice to “turn aside and see.” That’s when You spoke to him out of the flame of fire of the blazing bush. That’s when You gave him eyes to see and ears to hear that You were present. And there in Your Presence, Moses stood on “holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). Lord God, You are “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). And You have “poured out in our hearts” the consuming fire of Your steadfast love and ever-abiding Presence “by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” the moment we embraced Jesus Christ as Lord in our hearts (Romans 5:5). Every day, Your Spirit moves in the hearts of all who would take time to “turn aside and see,” as You set our hearts ablaze again with the fiery passion for You and to be about Your business of all You’ve entrusted to our care. By Your grace, we carry the fire of God within us wherever we go. We don't have to go to a mountain in the desert or to a temple downtown to “turn aside and see” You in our midst. You’re always here, always with us (Matthew 28:20). You’re always abiding within us by Your Holy Spirit—the "Spirit of Christ" within us (Romans 8:9), “Christ in (us), the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Because of Your Presence, burning in our hearts like a bush aflame, wherever we go is “holy ground,” for the Holy One lives in us and goes with us. And like Moses, our right response to Your mercy and love is to take time to notice, to take time to embrace Your ever-abiding Presence, to take time to “turn aside and see” and say, “Here I am” because here You are (Exodus 3:4). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. My friend, may you embrace the ever-abiding Presence of God as you take time to turn aside and see Him throughout the everyday moments of your everyday life in Christ, in Jesus' name. God bless you, my friend! And you have a great day! Click Here to Listen to Today's Prayer: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375760 Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries 502 North Milam Street Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org My Books on Inner Healing, Spiritual Freedom and Spiritual Intimacy with God are Available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays “Setting hearts free to be all you were created to be —Free to Be Like Jesus— secure in your identity, growing in maturity, fulfilling your destiny" https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Please Keep us in Prayer for These Messiah Ministries Events July 2 Prayer Ministry Team Retreat of Mid-Texas Conference of Global Methodist Church in Lampasas, TX July 24-26 A Keynote Speaker at Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Regional Conference in Ollie, Iowa Aug 25 Leading in Opening Prayer Invocation for Gillespie County Commissioner's Court Aug 30 Preaching at Lake Toxaway Chapel in Lake Toxaway, Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina Sept 1 Leading in Opening Prayer Invocation for Fredericksburg City Council Sept 3 Speaking at Boerne, Texas Aglow Lighthouse at Kendall Inn Conference Center 7PM. All are welcome! Sept 8 Beginning My Annual Free to be Like Jesus Tuesday Night Classes at Bridge Church in FBG, TX Sept 18-20 Leading our Free to Be Like Jesus seminar in Belgium, then traveling to Slovenia Sept 24-27 Teaching a 4 Day Conference in the nation of Slovenia Oct 22-25 Teaching Free to Be Like Jesus seminar, Healing Service, and preaching Sunday services at St. James Methodist Church in Athens, Georgia Personal Ministry Appointments, Spiritual Direction Sessions and Personal Prayer Ministry Sessions of Inner Healing & Spiritual Freedom by Appointment in Person and Online through Zoom. tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org  Sessions are without set cost and all contributions help support the calling and vision of Messiah Ministries. https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Free On-line Video Series: Setting Hearts Free!  My Core Teaching and Ministry https://messiah-ministries.org/resources

https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays Some of My Books are Now in Other Languages (Spanish, French, Urdu) For Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/tommyhaysenespanol