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Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Morning by Morning, July 3 - "Have Faith in God"
Tuesday, July 02, 2013
Morning by Morning, July 2 - Wide Open Door
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Monday, July 01, 2013
Morning by Morning, July 1 - "With Mighty Victories"
Morning by Morning, July 1 - "With Mighty Victories"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name be exalted above all my thoughts, all my desires, all the moments of my day. ...
"The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May He send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion.
May He remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.
May He grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all your plans.
May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
Now I know that the Lord will help His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with mighty victories by His right hand"
(Psalm 20:1-6).
"With mighty victories," You answer our prayers and move in our lives. You make it clear that it's not by our might or power, but by Your Spirit that You grant our heart's desire and bring our fulfill our plans, all in Your time and all in Your way.
When we look back and see Your hand at work in ways we couldn't begin to imagine, much less orchestrate or schedule, we are awed and amazed at Your patience with us and Your favor upon us. We are astounded at Your mercy and stunned by redemption, causing all things to work together for the good of our souls and the glory of Your name.
So we shout for joy! And than set our hearts to follow You into our next adventure. "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you see mighty victories in the adventures the Lord has planned for you, as He sanctifies your soul and glorifies His name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, 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
Friday, June 28, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 28 - Guiding Light
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am Yours and You are mine. I'm Your disciple and You're my Teacher. I'm Your sinner and You're my Savior. I'm Your servant and You're my Master. I'm Your child and You're my Father. As I start my day in prayer with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- come fill my spirit, direct my thoughts, and order my steps. ...
"By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:74).
Savior of our souls, You are our Guiding Light. You are the Light of the world that breaks into our darkness (John 8:12). And darkness can never overcome Your Light.
And even though darkness may increase and obscure much, even seeking to eclipse the light of the glory and truth of our God if that were possible, the Light always wins, the Light always shines through. "For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your Light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn" (Isaiah 60:2-3).
Though there is always darkness before the dawn, there will always be a dawn of a new day when the light of the son bursts forth to overcome the darkness of the night. So let it be in our hearts and so let it be in our land. "The sun of righteousness shall arise" (Malachi 3:2). "It is You who light (our) lamp; the Lord, (our) God, lights up (our) darkness" (Psalm 18:28). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray you hold fast in faith through the darkness of whatever night you may ever endure until the Son of Righteousness breaks forth with the dawn of a new day in the light of His glory in your heart and your land. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, 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
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 27 - Still Seeking the Welfare of the City and Nation of our Exile
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch and wait for the leading of Your voice in the communion of prayer to start my day grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. ...
"Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters in marriage; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do no decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare" (Jeremiah 29:4-7).
With the choices our nation is making, it may seem as though we've been sent into exile. It may seem as though we've been taken captive from Jerusalem, the holy city on a hill in the heart of our promised land, into the world and culture of Babylon. According to the spiritual principles of the Kingdom of God, You give us over to the desires expressed in our hearts and confirmed with our choices, even if those choices break Your heart because You see the devastation that follows in the consequences of our choices. "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done" (Romans 1:28).
But even so, "we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9). We will continue pray for the cities and the nations where we find ourselves immersed in a culture that seems to be increasingly failing to acknowledge our God and the authority of Your Word as the standard of morality for our lives. We will continue to seek the welfare of the cities and nations where You've sovereignly chosen to strategically position us for Your divine purposes, seeking to shine as light in the midst of the darkness, only by the grace of God. "Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world" (Philippians 2:14-15).
By the power of the grace of God, let us be found faithful to You, "holding fast to the Word of Life that (we) can boast on the day of Christ that (we) did not run in vain or labor in vain" (Philippians 2:16). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray you will be encouraged and strengthened by the Holy Spirit of God with passion in prayer for our nation, not losing heart but bold to stand firm in your faith and shine like light in the midst of the darkness. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, 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
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 26 - "Encouraged and United in Love"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King and Lord of every moment of my day. ...
"I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2-3).
We are to be a people encouraged and united in love -- not in a common cause to do good things, not in great expectations of great victories for our favorite team, not in our agreement about forms of government or philosophies of life -- but in love. The bond we have as the Body of Christ, growing in the understanding and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Himself, is what unites us and encourages us to become all we were created to be. And it's in our journey together we become "mature in Christ" (v. 1:28).
Free us from what divides us. Remind us of what's really important. Let our lives be the passionate pursuit of seeking out the hidden treasure of Christ Himself. Bring us to the place where we can say with Paul, "I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... I want to know Christ..." (Philippians 3:8-11). Let that be the common bond that encourages us and unites us in love. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray you will be encouraged and united in love with our fellow travelers in our passionate pursuit of Christ Himself. May we all become mature in Christ. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, 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
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 25 - Go Through the Gates!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I begin this day in the communion of prayer with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
"Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway! Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples! Indeed the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world: Say to daughter Zion, 'Surely your salvation is coming; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him' " (Isaiah 62:10-11, NKJ).
You've been speaking to me about going through the gates. Your Holy Spirit is preparing the way of the Lord in the hearts and souls of Your people. You're revealing and removing every barrier that would hinder the flow of Your life through our lives. You're raising up the banner of Your name and the banner of Your love and power over us as we advance into the fullness our salvation to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth.
As we arise and advance, all by the power of Your grace, "the gates of hell will not prevail against (Your Church)" (Matthew 16:18, KJV). In Your power, we will go through, go through every gate of hell and enter into gates of Your righteousness. "Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteousness shall enter through it. I thank You that You have answered me and become my salvation" (Psalm 118:19-21, NRSV).
In the name of Jesus, by the power of the grace of our God, we will go through the gate of pride and enter the gate of humility, through the gate of fear and enter the gate of love, through the gate of shame and enter the gate of honor, through the gate of rejection and enter the gate of acceptance, through the gate of lust and enter the gate of intimacy, through the gate of judgment and enter the gate of mercy, through the gate of death and enter the gate of life.
We are honored and excited to be chosen by You to live in these days the prophets and fore-fathers of our faith longed to see. In our generation, let Your Church arise, let Your Kingdom advance. There's an army of the Lord of hosts rising up. Let Your glory fill our hearts and fill the earth "as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). "Christ in (us), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Let us open up our hearts and let us go through Your gates. "Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! That the King of glory many come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory" (Psalm 24:9-10). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray you will arise and advance and break through the gates hell into the gates of God's righteousness in every area of your life. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, the Lord woke me up early Sunday morning with this message to Go through the Gates to speak at the Life Changer Church of Claremore, Oklahoma after our Above the Storm Conference this weekend, encouraging the intercessors and watchmen on the wall of the region, hosted at the CMore House of Prayer. We had an exciting time in the powerful Presence of the Lord! Thank you for your prayers for us. I pray for breakthrough in your prayer life and in the Church of Jesus Christ in your region. Thank you for joining with me in this journey of prayer.
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Thursday, June 20, 2013
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Wednesday, June 19, 2013
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 18 - "Saved through the Grace of the Lord Jesus"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up in my heart and attitude, in my words and actions, throughout my day. ...
"And God, who knows the human heart, testified to (the Gentiles) by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith He made no distinction between them and us.... We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will" (Acts 15:8-11).
In the early church, there was "much debate" about whether Gentiles and Jew were saved by their performance and conformance to the law of Moses or by the openness of their heart to the power of Your grace (v. 15:7). There was "no small dissension and debate" over whether apart from compliance to the outward standards of the letter of the law and "the custom of Moses" anyone could be saved (v. 15:1-2). But through listening to one another's hearts and listening together to Your Holy Spirit, they came to agreement in their understanding of Your plan of salvation through the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ (v. 15:22-29).
By the power of Your grace, You give us Your Holy Spirit. By the power of Your grace, our hearts are cleansed by faith. And by the power of Your grace there is no distinction in the means of our salvation between Jews and the Gentiles of every nation and race.
You know our human hearts. You hear our human questions. You see our human failures. You are all too aware of our human desire to be in power and control, to try set our own standards of righteousness and impose our own will as moral authority for ourselves and for everyone else. Yet You love us and reach out to us. You are painstakingly patient with us, "not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance" and embrace the grace of Your unfailing love (2 Peter 2:9).
Thank You for the peace of Your promise that You look to our hearts to determine our salvation. Then by Your leading of our hearts, You lead us and empower us to know Your truth and follow Your ways (Philippians 2:13). "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; is it the gift of God -- not the result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8). "For the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearances, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
Lord, give me Your heart. Make me more like You each day. Lead me to know Your truth and follow Your ways. Give me patience and grace for myself and for others, reminding me every day that it's Your gift to me -- to be willingly embraced or willingly rejected, but never earned. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray your heart will be strengthened and empowered to be a faithful disciple of Jesus today, all by the power of the grace of God at work within you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, I'm excited to be going to Claremore, Oklahoma next weekend at the CMore House of Prayer to encourage the intercessors and watchmen on the wall of the region, being hosted by my good friend, Tiffany Miller Lotz called Above the Storm. Come join us if you can!
https://www.facebook.com/events/132789113590250/permalink/132840726918422/
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Monday, June 17, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 17 - "A Door of Faith"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. With honor and humility, with reverence and respect, I bow low before You and lift up my heart toward You, O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...
"When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how He had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles" (Acts 14:27).
Your first disciples went everywhere Your Spirit sent them. And everywhere Your Spirit sent them, Your Spirit went before them, preparing the way of the Lord in the hearts of those who were to hear the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
They were excited that You would use their lives to bring life to others, even if it meant "many persecutions," hardships, and rejection (v. 14:22). And they were excited to come back together with their fellow disciples to share with joy all God had done. With just as much excitement and passion, they looked forward to see all that God would do next.
From those first days until the last days to come, our calling and commission is the same. We come together in praise and prayer and then we go out as Your Spirit leads to share the same Good News. You're still opening "a door of faith" before every person in every nation and every generation with an invitation to step through that door into eternal life in the Kingdom of God. "And this Good News of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).
Lord Jesus, as one of Your disciples, proclaim Your Good News through my life to my generation everywhere Your Spirit sends me today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray the Holy Spirit will go with you and before you, opening doors of faith in the hearts of those you encounter everywhere He sends you today. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, I'm excited to be going to Claremore, Oklahoma next weekend at the CMore House of Prayer to encourage the intercessors and watchmen on the wall of the region, being hosted by my good friend, Tiffany Miller Lotz called Above the Storm. Come join us if you can!
https://www.facebook.com/events/132789113590250/permalink/132840726918422/
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Friday, June 14, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 14 - Strengthen the Souls of the Disciples
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Savior and I am Your son. Speak to me as I listen for Your leading, I pray. ...
"After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch. There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, 'It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God' " (Acts 14:22).
Our souls needed to be strengthened. Our faith needs to be encouraged. We face many persecutions as we persist in our journey to enter the fullness of the kingdom of God. We are disciples because we need to be taught, we need to learn, we need to grow up into the full measure of the stature of Christ, both individually and together.
Thank You for those along my journey who have strengthened my soul and encouraged my faith. Thank You for teaching me through them to be more like You. And what I have learned along the way, help me be faithful to impart to those You entrust to me to strengthen and encourage. Freely we receive and freely we give. And in order to always have something of value to give, we have to be willing to always be willing to continue to receive. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, may you be strengthened and encouraged by the spiritual leaders and mentors the Lord bring into you life, and may He use you to strengthen and encourage those He entrusts to your leadership. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, I'm excited to be going to Claremore, Oklahoma next weekend at the CMore House of Prayer to encourage in the intercessors and watchmen on the wall of the region, being hosted by my good friend, Tiffany Miller Lotz called Above the Storm. Come join us if you can!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 11 - Complete Joy
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face and listen for Your voice as I sit at Your feet to begin my day with You in the holy communion of prayer. ...
"I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11).
Jesus, Your words speak life to my spirit and bring joy to my heart. I thank You for the living word of Your Scripture. And I thank You for the living word of Your voice. I am "cleansed by the word" You speak into my life to be my comfort and guide, my strength and shield, the very source of my peace and joy (v. 15:3). You are the very Word of God (v. 1:1).
It seems I hear You say, "In this world you will have much tribulation, but through it all you will have my joy. My joy is in you."
Thank You, Lord Jesus. Thank You for Your promise that as we abide in You and You abide in us, we will have joy. In the pain and through the challenges of life in this broken, fallen world You promise our "pain will turn to joy" and "no one will take (our) joy from (us)" (v. 16:20-22). Though "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God," we can do it with joy in our hearts because the One who is perfect Joy, the One who completes our joy, ever abides in our hearts (Acts 14:22, KJV).
Let my spirit awaken to seek to see what You're doing, hear what You're saying, and sense what You're showing as I willing choose to live for You today in joyful obedience. Thank You for saying these things to me so that my joy may be complete. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may your joy be made complete in Jesus today! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Thank you for joining with me in the this journey of prayer, morning by morning, 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
Monday, June 10, 2013
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Friday, June 07, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 7 - Golden Rules of Kindness and Mercy
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the heart and lead me in the way that leads to life in You today. ...
"Do to others as you would have them do to you.... Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:31-36).
Your rules are golden and Your ways are true
Your heart is merciful and kind
And Your desire is that Your disciples would be more like You
Make me more like You today, Lord Jesus. When You say, "Follow Me," it's not just a destination, but also a transformation. That's the very purpose of our journey of life through this broken, fallen world full of broken, fallen people - to be conformed to the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29).
So write Your law on my heart; form Your nature in my spirit. Show me when to hold firm and when to yield. Show me when to stand tall and when to bow low. Let my 'yes' be 'yes' and my 'no' be 'no.' Let my boundaries be clear and my conscience be clean.
I won't always be understood; I won't always be liked. But by the Spirit of God at work within me, I can always choose to follow You as best as I can and all by Your grace. May Your Spirit be at work within me to will and to do what is right and true. "For it is God who is at work in (me), enabling (me) both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may the Spirit of God at work within you make you more like Jesus every day. May you embrace your transformation on the way to your destination, as you follow Jesus in your heart. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Please keep us in prayer the rest of this week in Corpus Christi, Texas, as I join the other Methodist Ministers from my region for our Southwest Texas Annual Conference. Though our ministry is independent and non-denominational, I'm personally under appointment from my Bishop to lead Messiah Ministries, now in partnership with Rapha God Ministries in San Antonio. Like a missionary, I raise my own prayer covering and financial support. Thank you for all your support and encouragement that have made this ministry of prayer and healing beyond the walls of the church possible for over fifteen years!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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