Morning by Morning, February 13 - "The Surpassing Value of Knowing Christ"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Change me into Your image from the inside out, morning by morning and step by step.  ...

"Yet whatever gain I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings by becoming like Him in His death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:7-11).

Paul cared deeply for all that was entrusted to him, with both responsibility and authority, always seeking to serve You and serve Your people in love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). He said he was like a woman in labor, in the anguish of childbirth, yearning to see the nature of Christ formed in those who were touched by the words and ministry that flowed through his life in the power and grace of Your Holy Spirit (Galatians 4:19). 

At the same time, nothing compared to his passion for You. In comparison to his pursuit of knowing You, everything else -- even every person, every gift, every blessing, every calling and responsibility You personally put in his heart and life with even eternal value and significance -- was as nothing in light of Your place in his life. You were his Foundation; You were his Center; You were his "All in All" (Ephesians 1:23).

Lord Jesus, according to Word of God, nothing surpasses the value of knowing You (Philippians 3:8). Help me know You more. Help me pursue You more. Help me keep You in Your rightful place at the foundation and the center of all of my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  may you continue to grow in your knowledge and experience of the surpassing value of knowing Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

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Morning by Morning, February 12 - "Go On Toward Perfection"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of my morning, I look to You and listen for Your leading. ...

"Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation:  repentance from dead works and faith toward God, instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment" (Hebrews 6:1-2).

Thank You for teaching me the foundations of our faith. And thank You for giving me a hunger and a thirst to learn more. "Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God" (v. 6:7). I want my heart to be good ground for the rain of Your Spirit and Your Word, as I seek to press on toward perfection and to grow up into spiritual maturity.

Even the Apostle Paul, after all he learned and experienced with You and for You, never grew satisfied in his passionate pursuit for more. "Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind" (Philippians 3:12-15). In the power of Your grace, let me be that same mind and same heart in my personal, passionate pursuit of more of You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit will stir in your spirit to press on toward perfection in your passionate pursuit for more of Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, February 11 - "Clothe Yourselves with Humility"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I humble myself to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone.  ...

"And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time" (1 Peter 5:5-6).

Keep me free from every prideful desire that wants to exalt myself. Free me from every temptation to put someone else down in order to build myself up and from every insecurity that says I only find my worth in the unworthiness of someone else in comparison to myself. Give me a hatred for any seed of self-centered, self-serving pride hidden in my heart and put the axe of Your Spirit to every root that bear the ugly fruit of self-righteousness and vainglory.

Give me a humble heart. Give me a heart that exalts Your name alone instead of ever trying to make a name for myself. Give me a heart that honors You and honors others. As Your Word says:  "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to eh interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who ... humbled Himself ..." (Philippians 2:3-8). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit will lead you to seek to clothe yourself with humility under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, secure in your identity and fulfilling your destiny in Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

  

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, February 10 - One God in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day and every day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit.  ...

"When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but will speak whatever He hears, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, because He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All the Father has is Mine. For this reason I said He will take what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-15).

Come, Holy Spirit. You are always leading me to Jesus. Lord Jesus, You are always perfectly revealing the Father. Father God, You are always sending Your Holy Spirit to lead me to Jesus.

Lord God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- You are One God in three Persons. And You desire me to know You in every dimension of Your Being. You're the One who created me, the One who saves me, the One who changes me into Your image. "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).

In the mystery of faith, You live in me and through me (John 14:23). You make me one with You, one with the Body of Christ, and one in ministry to all the world, until I feast with You at Your heavenly banquet in final victory. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God (our Father), and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of (us)" (2 Corinthians 13:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you will know the Lord our God in every dimension of His Being -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, thank you so much for your prayers for me and all of us while I was away last week speaking on Spiritual Maturity, Healing & Freedom at the annual retreat of St. James United Methodist Church of Athens, Georgia. Words can't describe what an incredible, powerful, intimate time we had in the presence of the Lord away in the northeast Georgia mountains. I pray for a mighty move of God's Spirit in the heart of your church as well. God bless you!

 

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

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Morning by Morning, February 4 - The Deep Truth of Mercy and Love

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am, Lord. Teach me Your truth; lead me in Your ways. Make me more like You.  ...

As I pray for You to speak to me some deep spiritual truth from the deep things of God, this story from Your Word comes to mind:

"One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with Him, and He went into the Pharisee's house and took His place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that He was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind Him at His feet, weeping, and began to bathe His feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing His feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he said to himself, 'If this Man were a prophet, He would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching Him -- that she is a sinner.' Jesus spoke up and said to him, 'Simon, I have something to say to you.' 'Teacher,' he replied, 'speak.' 'A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?' Simon answered, 'I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.' And Jesus said to him, 'You have judged rightly.' Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman? I entered your housed; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has bathed My feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.' Then He said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' Then He said to her, 'You sins are forgiven'" (Luke 7:36-48).

The one who has been forgiven little, loves little; but the one who has been forgiven much, loves much. ...

I love You very much, Lord. You've forgiven me for so much. You know all about me, and yet You love me. You know everything I've ever done and everything I'll ever do, and yet You love me. "In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

Let this deep truth settle deeply into my heart. Deliver me from me every vestige of a pharisaical spirit; purge me from every shed of the sin of self-righteousness and spiritual arrogance. Thank You for allowing me to come bow low and humbly at Your feet, forgiven and free in the power of Your love. Thank You for give me Your heart of mercy and grace for every sinner, like me, who needs it so desperately. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you will know how much you are loved in the mercy of God and will pour out that mercy and love everywhere you go, in Jesus' name. Because you've been forgiven much, may you love much. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   

Friends, I'll be preaching tonight with Max Lucado tonight at the First Wednesday Healing and Worship Service at Oak Hills Church, Crownridge Campus in San Antonio at 7pm Central Time. We'll be sharing a message on hope and healing, then our Rapha God Ministries team will join the Oak Hills Prayer Team to offer personal prayer ministry. All are welcome. Please come join us if you can or by Live-stream at oakhillschurch.com/live-stream

Friends, I'm excited to be speaking on Spiritual Maturity and Freedom at the yearly spiritual retreat with St. James United Methodist Church of Athen, Georgia this weekend. I'll also have time to share and minister with their leadership and prayer team Thursday night. Please keep us all in prayer for the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts and change our lives to be more like Jesus. I pray for a mighty move of God's Spirit in the heart of your church as well. God bless you!

 

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, February 3 - Spiritual Maturity

Good morning, Lord Jesus. With all that I am and all that I have, I give myself all to You.  ...

"... until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children.... But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ..." (Ephesians 4:13-15).

Grow me up in every way into the maturity of Christ. Spiritual maturity is to know Christ. Spiritual maturity is to become like Christ, the full stature of Christ. Spiritual maturity is to be conformed into the image of the Son of God.

Spiritual maturity is not becoming one with the universe or reaching a state of peaceful nothingness or indistinguishable emptiness. It's not becoming enlightened by the ways of the world or the ways of the masters or going along to get along and accepting the lowest common denominator of all the world's beliefs and faiths as my tolerant truth. Spiritual maturity is to be like Jesus.

So every challenge I'll face today is an opportunity to grow in maturity. Every opportunity to speak the truth in love and hear the truth spoken in love, to forgive and be forgiven, to encourage and be encouraged, is an opportunity to be more like You.

Make me more like You today, Lord Jesus. Help me know You more as You truly are. Fill me with Your Spirit. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Remind me of Your ways and empower me to live them, as best as I can and all by Your grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you will grow in spiritual maturity today, knowing more of Jesus and becoming more like Him, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

  

Friends, I'm excited to be speaking on Spiritual Maturity and Freedom at the yearly spiritual retreat with St. James United Methodist Church of Athen, Georgia this weekend. I'll also have time to share and minister with their leadership and prayer team Thursday night. Please keep us all in prayer for the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts and change our lives to be more like Jesus. I pray for a mighty move of God's Spirit in the heart of your church as well. God bless you!

 

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, February 2 - Diving in to "the Depths of God"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart, every moment of every day. Be Lord of my life and Lord of all.  ...

"But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him' -- these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

Holy Spirit, search my heart. Reveal and remove, uproot and purge everything from me that would keep me from going deeper with You. Free me from the restrictions of religious ritual, the traditions of man, and the ways of the world. Free me from every hesitation and hindrance from the revival of spirit You want to awaken in my heart. Free me from every insecurity or fear, every sense of unworthiness or inadequacy, and every self-imposed limitation or demonically sent assignment that would keep me from plunging in to the depths of God.

In my heart, I'm diving in. In my heart, I'm choosing to seek You, to passionately pursue You, and all You have desired and prepared for me -- even the depths of God. I love You; and I desire to embrace Your love and freedom for me. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I'm going for it. I'm not holding back. I'm taking the plunge. I'm diving in. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you will take the plunge and dive in to the depths of God, passionately pursuing Him and all He has prepared for you in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

    

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, January 30 - Restoration of All that was Lost

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You said when You are lifted up You draw us to You. Be lifted up and draw me near, as I begin my day looking to You.  ...

"But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?' He said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.' He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.' Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent tricked me, and I ate'" (Genesis 3:9-13).

Your Word speaks of the time of the "restoration of all things" (Acts 3:21 NKJV). And there is much to be restored -- restoration from sin and all its effects, restoration from the brokenness of relationships, restoration from the consequences of the curses upon the land and our lives (Genesis 3:14-19). All "creation waits with eager longing" for the fullness of Your restoration of all that was lost with our innocence and intimacy in the garden where we began our journey with You (Romans 8:19-23).

Father God, You've made provision for our restoration through the blood of the cross of Jesus Christ. "For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:19-20). You've made provision to restore our innocence and our intimacy, giving us invitation to willingly embrace Your mercy and love every day. "And (we) who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His fleshly body through death, so as to present (us) holy and blameless and irreproachable before Him -- provided that (we) continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that (we) heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven" (Colossians 1:21-23).

By the power of Your grace, I am restored and redeemed. I can walk with You again in the cool of the evening and throughout the moments of my day. My relationships can be loving, honoring, and respectful. Every curse can be broken and replaced with Your blessing (Galatians 3:13-14). I can see You crush the serpent under my feet as I overcome him and his schemes by the blood of the Lamb (Romans 16:20; Revelation 12:11). 

And through the Spirit of Christ in me, the hope of glory, I can embrace Your invitation to participate with You in the place of dominion You've entrusted to us to see Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, as You manifest Your restoration of all things in Your time and in Your way (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 115:16; Matthew 6:10; Colossians 1:27; Acts 1:8). "And after (we) have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called (us) to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish (us). To Him be power forever and ever" (1 Peter 5:10-11). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you will experience the fullness of your redemption and restoration though the blood of the cross of Jesus Christ, embracing the invitation of our God to take the place of authority and responsibility He has entrusted to you in His restoration of all things in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

  

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, January 29 - "Where are You?"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Be King and Lord of every moment of my day.  ...

"They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden a the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?'" (Genesis 3:8-9).

Like every generation before us, we stumble and sin, we defy Your will and then try to run and hide. We pull away from Your presence because we feel unworthy and ashamed. But Your love never fails. "Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue (us)" (Psalm 23:6 NLT). In Your mercy and love, You pursue us and call out to us, "Where are you?" It's in Your heart to "seek out and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).

Thank You for every time You've sought me out. Thank You for every time You've forgiven my sins and restored my soul. Thank You for every time You didn't take "No" for an answer when I spurned Your grace in my self-pity. Thank You for every time You wouldn't allow "I'm not worthy" to stand as my identity and steal my destiny. Thank You for Your unrelenting, unfailing pursuit of my heart despite my sin.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Every morning, You speak to my spirit, "Where are You?" And weather I'm feeling like a sinner or a saint or a little of both, You draw me near to Your presence and remind me who I am -- a child of God, forever forgiven and deeply loved. 

Here I am, Lord. Thank You for pursuing me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you will hear the voice of the One who loves you and forgives you and always pursues you to embrace you in His presence in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

  

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, January 28 - Free to Eat of the Tree of Life

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take my heart in Your hand and set my feet on Your path to live out my destiny for this day according to Your will and Your way.  ...

"The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves" (Genesis 3:2-7).

You want our eyes to be open (Ephesians 1:18). You want us to be wise (Ephesians 1:17). You want us to be like You (Ephesians 1:4).

The enemy of our souls wants us to believe You hold out on us from Your goodness and blessings because of some sort of divine insecurity or jealousy that we will be gods like You if we just assert our own will and insist on our own way and try to take hold of what should be ours (Genesis 3:4). But the opposite is true. You want the best for us and hold nothing back from us. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3).

You invite us to taste and see that You are good (Psalm 34:8). And You teach us how to eat of the fruit that fills our hearts with satisfaction and joy. "Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you" (Psalm 128:1-2).

Forgive me for every time I've ever been willing to listen to the voice of my enemy to question Your goodness or doubt Your intentions. Forgive me for every time I've insisted on my own will and my own way from the pride and rebellion of my selfishness and self-centeredness that only blocks the power of Your grace in my life where I need it the most (James 4:6).

Thank You for the fruit of salvation that comes from the tree at Calvary that broke the curse from the fruit of the tree in the Garden of Eden (Romans 5:15). Thank You for loving me and wanting the best for me, never holding out on me. "In (You) we have redemption through (Your) blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according the riches of (Your) grace that (You) lavished on us" (Ephesians 1:7). Today I choose by the grace of God to eat of the fruit of the tree of life (Genesis 2:9; Proverbs 3:18; Revelation 22:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray that by the power of the grace of God available to all through the sacrifice of the cross and the blood of Christ you will eat the fruit of the tree of life and fully embrace all the blessings of God He has given to you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, January 27 - Intimacy and Innocence

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your name be my first thought and my first word, as I begin my day seeking first the kingdom of God and Your righteousness before all else.  ...

"And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25).

Before the fall of the first sin, the children of God were naked and not ashamed. They were free to be intimate and innocent, passionate and pure, uninhibited and undefiled. No guilt, no shame, no regrets. They were as You created them to be.

Your Word doesn't say how much time passed between that verse and the next. It doesn't mention how many evenings Adam and Eve walked with You in the garden in the cool of the day, enjoying the peace of Your presence and the undefiled intimacy of their relationship with You. But into this beauty and bliss, the next character introduced in the real-life drama of Your creation is "the serpent" who was crafty and deceitful, challenging Your character and Your word (v. 3:1).

After that day, even after our redemption and forgiveness from Your sacrifice of love for us on the cross, we still find it challenging to fully embrace our restoration to the place of intimacy and innocence. The serpent still tries to swirl around in our thoughts to steal our sense of passion and purity with You and one another, despite the truth that we are forgiven and free, cleansed from all unrighteousness by the blood of the Lamb. So often we still want to grab at our "fig leaves" and cover ourselves from the holiness and purity of Your presence to hide ourselves from the uninhibited, unrestrained intimacy of Your embrace (v. 3:7).

But the truth is we have "been set free from sin" (Romans 6:18). "So (we) also must consider (ourselves) dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11). As we call on Your name and repent in our hearts to embrace what You have done for us in Your love, we are cleansed from all unrighteousness and restored to intimacy and innocence (1 John 1:9). "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of the God" (2 Corinthians 7:1).

Thank You for forgiving me and freeing me to walk with You again in the cool of the day and the depths of my heart. I don't have to hide or hold back. I can be naked and unashamed in the intimacy of innocence, uninhibited and unrestrained in my passion for You. Whenever I do, You silence the voice of my accuser, the serpent, and crush his head under my feet in the power of Your grace and the promise of Your peace (Romans 16:20). Praise You, God! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you will embrace the intimacy and innocence you have with God in Christ, uninhibited and unrestrained in your passion for Him. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

 

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, January 26 - Not Good to Be Alone

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Fill my spirit with Your Spirit and my day with Your plans.  ...

"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.' ... So the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and close up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, 'This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.' Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:18-25).

Sometimes we say things like, "I only need God." It sounds humble and holy. But it's not true. We need You above all. We need You first and foremost. But You've also created us to need one another. 

It's not good for us to be alone. We need a helper. "Surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life" (Psalm 54:4). "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6) And You give us Your abiding Presence, Your Holy Spirit as our heavenly Helper (John 14:16). But we also need a helper in human flesh and blood -- not just a helper as in someone to make life a little easier or a little less lonely, but someone we can't live without, someone who becomes a part of us, as much a part of us as our very bones and our very flesh (Matthew 19:6).

"Two are better than one ...  (and) woe to one who is alone" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). We need the encouragement and companionship. We need the counsel and correction. We need the challenge to our selfishness and self-centeredness. "The one who lives alone (can become) self-indulgent, showing contempt for all who have sound judgment" (Proverbs 18:1). 

So You give us the gift and the command to "love one another" (John 13:34). You encourage us to serve one another (John 13:14). And You challenge us to "outdo one another in showing honor" to each other (Romans 12:10).

We need You and we need each other. We need Your help and we need to help each other (Romans 14:19). That's how You created us from the beginning. And that's why You still love to heal us and free us from loneliness to align us and unite us in the relationships You've chosen for us. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray the Lord will align you and unite you in the relationships He has chosen for you, and that you would be deeply loved as you deeply love the ones on the journey with you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

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Morning by Morning, January 23 - Choose the Tree of Life

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are one and You are holy. I welcome You to be one within me today.  ...

"And the Lord commanded the man, 'You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die" (Genesis 2:16-17).

You create us for freedom and obedience. You give us the freedom to trust You or not, to follow Your ways or make up our own, to yield to Your will or insist on ours. 

You give us the right to choose, but You invite to choose well, according to Your word. You allow us to seek our own wisdom and give us power to obtain our own knowledge if we decide to choose for ourselves what is right or wrong, what is good or evil, apart from seeking You and trusting You. 

There are consequences for our choices. With freedom comes both authority and responsibility. But You don't take away our freedom to choose even when the consequences of our choices can mean life or death, blessing or curse, for our lives and for generations to come.

We are created in Your image for a relationship of love -- a relationship of love with You and with one another. But love requires freedom. Unless we have the freedom to choose to love, it's not really love. And unless we have the freedom to choose to obey, it's not really obedience. So You give us the freedom that our relationship of love requires, but You also give us the grace to choose to trust You with our freedom. And thankfully, mercifully, You also give us the grace to repent and return to trusting You again when we don't choose well, rebel from Your will, and suffer the consequences of our choices.

Lord, give me wisdom to use my freedom well. Give me humility to trust You and obey You in the freedom of choice You've given to me. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I want to choose life and eat of the fruit of "the tree of life" (v. 2:9). I want to learn to trust You to know what's best for me. I want to learn to allow You and Your word to determine for me what is good and evil, instead of seeking to be my own god and make my own choices by the knowledge I attain apart from You (v. 3:5). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you that as best as you can and all by God's grace you will choose well in the freedom you have to trust and obey God, eating and enjoying the fruit of the tree of life. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, January 22 - Relationship and Responsibility

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice, Good Shepherd of my soul.  ...

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15).

You create us for relationship and responsibility. You create us with a need to be productive, not passive. And You give us a sense of joy, security, and direction as we put our hands and heart to the work You've prepared for us.

Adam was to till the soil, to prepare the ground and prepare the way for the blessings of fruit and harvest to come. He was to keep it and tend it, to take a sense of ownership in it, as he cultivated and cared for what You entrusted to him.

You didn't need that garden to give You fruit in heaven. Adam needed that garden as a means of Your grace to bring fruit and fulfillment into his life. Adam needed identity and direction. He needed relationship and responsibility. And as he cultivated his garden, You were cultivating his heart. As You were teaching him the principles of seedtime and harvest, You were teaching the principles of spirit and life in the kingdom of God.

Thank You for the garden You've given me. Thank You for my relationship with You as a son of God and the responsibility You've entrusted to me as a servant of God. I pray You will favor and prosper the work of my hands as You continue Your work of ministry in the spiritual maturity of my heart. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you experience deep joy, security, and direction, as you are about your Father's business, caring  for and cultivating all He has entrusted to you and growing in your relationship with Him. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!  

Morning by Morning, January 21 - "Breath of Life"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today.  ...

"Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7).

You give me the breath of life. "It is the Spirit that gives life" (John 6:63). And Your Holy Spirit abides in my human spirit. I am "in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in (me)" (Romans 8:9). Your divine power is at work within me, empowering me to be like You, to live in You, conforming me into Your image (Romans 8:29).

By the power of Your grace, I am a living being, fully alive and fully free to willingly choose to open wide my human spirit and welcome in Your Holy Spirit to fill me afresh with the fullness of life in You. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set (me) free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).

Come, Holy Spirit. Fill me afresh with the life and breath of God today (Ephesians 5:18). It is Your "very Spirit bearing witness with (my) spirit that (I am one of Your) children of God" (Romans 8:16). And as a child of God, filled with the Spirit of God, I choose to arise from this intimate time of worship and prayer to "walk in newness of life" with You throughout the moments of my day (Romans 6:4). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  I pray you will be filled afresh with the breath of life though God the Holy Spirit, empowering you to walk in newness of life and grow in the nature of Christ every day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Share this word to encourage a friend!