Morning by Morning, April 2 - The Cup of Communion in Christ

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me to the cross and through the cross into resurrection life in You.  ...

"While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' Then He took the cup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:26-29).

On the night You were betrayed, You offered Your disciples the bread, speaking of Your body, and the cup, speaking of Your blood. You offered Yourself completely to them, inviting them of offer themselves completely to You in the cup of communion in Christ.

Once before, You had spoken of this cup. James and John were seeking places of position and power in Your kingdom to come, saying, "Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory" (Mark 10:37). And that's when You told them about the cup of communion in Christ -- that the same cup of communion of life in Christ is also the cup of communion of death to self in Christ:  "But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?' They replied, 'We are able.' Then Jesus said to them, 'The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared'" (Mark 10:38-40).

This cup of communion in Christ that leads to the place of glory in the intimacy of Your presence begins in the place of suffering the death of self -- surrendering our will to Your will, no longer living for ourselves but living for You. Through Your sacrifice of love for us, "we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ -- if, in fact, we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:16-17).

Truly our minds can't fully fathom and our hearts can't begin to conceive just how much that cup of communion cost You in the sacrifice of the cross. After You offered the cup to Your disciples, You went away to pray in the communion of the presence of the Father, "deeply grieved, even to death" (Matthew 26:38). You spoke again of this cup, crying out to the Father in the anguish of Your spirit, knowing the cost of this cup of sacrifice at hand:  "And going a little farther, He threw Himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible; let this cup pass from Me; yet not what I want but what You want" (Matthew 26:39).

It's only by the power of the grace of God that I can drink of this cup that You drank for me. It's only by the power of the grace of God that I can choose, or even desire, to lay down my life in the death to my self, to take up my cross and follow You (Matthew 16:24). I may never fully know just how much it cost for You to drink that cup, but with all my heart, I'm thankful You did. I'm forgiven and free, all because of Your sacrifice in love and grace for me. Now I can live forever in communion with You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  by the power of the grace of God, may you live your life fully surrendered to Him in the communion of Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

         

  

Friends, Thank You for your prayers for me and and our team at the First Wednesday Worship & Healing Service last night at Oak Hills Church. I was honored to get to share a message on hope and healing, then join our Rapha God Ministries team and the Oak Hills Prayer Team to pray personally with people after the message. I had the joy of leading someone to embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior in their  heart last night and at least one other young man did too with one of our other teams. Many gave testimonies of healing and encouragement at the end. Praise God! I pray God's blessing for you and your ministry to others in the name of Jesus!
 

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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, April 1 - Looking for a Way to Kill the Spirit of Christ

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here in the communion of prayer, help me start off my day and every day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  ...

"Every day He was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill Him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard" (Luke 19:47-48).

Control and conformity hate freedom. Self-righteousness and arrogance detest humility. Power and position fear persistence and passion. And evil abhors all that is holy and pure and good.

But every day, You proclaimed the truth. Every day You taught about the righteousness, peace, and joy of the kingdom of God in the power of Your Spirit (Luke 9:11; Romans 14:17). Every day You lived out the law of love and the power of grace in the face of lifeless ritual, suffocating legalism, and spiritual oppression. And they hated You for it.

They looked for a way to kill You. The spirit of evil was looking for a ay to kill the Spirit of Christ. And finally the evil thought came to their evil minds to use the authority of this world to put You to death in the most cruel and humiliating way they could conceive (Matthew 27:15-23). Yet at the same time, all was foreseen in the sovereign will of the Father to turn this greatest travesty of justice into the greatest act of mercy, this horrendous act of evil into the eternal victory of good over evil, love over hate, and life over death. "But we speak of God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).

Lord Jesus, come speak Your truth in the temple of my heart every day. Give me courage to stand firm in the faith, persisting with passion, to do the will of my Father in the power and grace of Your Holy Spirit, overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:21). Let me look for a way to die to my self, crucified with Christ, and alive in Your Spirit (Galatians 2:19-20). Empower me to live in the grace of Your eternal victory of life over death through the power of the cross. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friend,  May the Spirit of Christ arise in you to overcome evil with good in the grace of God and the power of the cross as you die to self, alive 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 31 - Very Costly Anointing

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You call my name to come along and follow You along the journey of my day in the constant communion of prayer.  ...

"Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, 'Why this waste? For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.' But Jesus, aware of this, said to t hem, 'Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service to Me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me. By pouring this ointment on My body she has prepared Me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her' " (Matthew 26:6-13).

The anointing of the oil poured over Your head prepared You for burial. And the anointing of Your Spirit poured over my heart prepares me for the death to my self and the resurrection into life in Christ.

The ointment was very costly. And so is the anointing of Your Holy Spirit. It costs us all we have. It costs us our self-centered pride, our insistence on our own will apart from Your will, our claim to absolute ownership of all we have and all we are.

And the disciples who saw the extravagance of her sacrifice were angry. Though their time would come when they would also experience the anointing of Your Spirit, they had not yet come to the place of complete surrender of self. They were resentful of one who was, mocking her and judging her for wasting her time and her resources, foolish in her choices of priorities.

They didn't get it because they didn't have It. They had not yet been willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Christ, to be emptied of themselves that they could be filled with Your Spirit. "Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Lord, don't let me be that kind of disciple. Don't let me ever settle for that -- following You with my words, but not fully following You with all my heart, resentful of those who long to be closer to You and of those who seem to have Your blessing and favor, as they offer all they are and all they have to You alone. Give me a right heart, an extravagant heart, that's willing to pour out my life for the fullness of life in You. 

This is what it really means to follow You on the journey to the cross. Your invitation to Your first disciples is still Your invitation to every disciple:  "Whoever does not take up the cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 10:38). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friend,  May you freely pour out all you have and all you are to Christ alone, as He anoints you with His Holy Spirit to fully follow Him, 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 30 - Cleanse the Temple of My Heart

Good morning, Lord Jesus. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit -- I worship You, O Lord, my God; and I welcome You in every dimension of Your Being into every dimension of my being.  ...

"Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said them, 'It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers.' The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that He did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' they became angry and said to Him, 'Do You hear what these are saying?' Jesus said to them, 'Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself'?" (Matthew 21:12-17)

In the temple You confronted the money changers and spiritual merchandisers. You confronted the false teachers and religious hypocrites. And You confronted the spirit of antichrist that blinded the eyes and hardened the hearts of the leaders and the people from seeing that You were the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who had come to rule and reign the temple of their hearts in fulfillment of the promises and prophecies of the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).

"By this you know the Spirit of God:  every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world" (1 John 4:2-3).

One day the spirit of antichrist will be fully manifested in one who will seek to rule and reign from the temple of God. "He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God" (1 Thessalonians 2:4). He will deny You and try to replace You as Lord and Christ, in Your temple and in the hearts of all people. "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also" (1 John 2:22-23).

Come, Holy Spirit. You are "the Spirit of Christ," living the temple of the hearts of all who believe and confess Jesus as Christ and Lord of all (Romans 8:9). Drive everything out of the temple of my heart that would deny or dishonor Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:16). I reject and renounce the spirit of antichrist in the name of Jesus and command it to go (James 4:7). In its place, keep filling me with the Spirit of Christ, to rule and reign in the temple of my heart, forever in communion with You (Ephesians 5:18). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friend,  May your heart be cleansed from all that would ever deny or dishonor Jesus as Christ and Lord of all, as you are forever filled with the Spirit of Christ in the temple of your heart, 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 27 - "Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord!"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your words of spirit and life saturate my soul and set me on the path of Your will for my life today. ...

"At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to Him, 'Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.' He said them, 'Go and tell that fox for Me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish My work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on My way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house s left to you. And I tell you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord' " (Luke 13:31-35).

Your heart was to heal the broken and free the bound, to bring the good news of the kingdom of God to all who would hear (Luke 4:18-21). But not all would hear. In their power and pride, in their self-righteousness and legalism, they hardened their hearts against Your words of spirit and life, blaspheming the Spirit of God and rejecting the Author of Life (Matthew 12:31).

Yet even though You saw with sadness their suffering and destruction to come as Jerusalem would reject her Messiah, You also spoke a word of hope. A day would come when they would see You again. And on that day, Jerusalem would look up to You and speak out from her heart, "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord."

Your Word prophesied long before Your first coming of Your second coming, foreseeing Your rejection by Your people at first, but also followed by Your redemption of Your people in the end:  "And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the One whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.... On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (Zechariah 12:9-13:1)

Thank You for Your heart of mercy for me and for all who ever harden their hearts in self-centered, self-sufficient pride to reject the One who loves them so. You never give up and Your love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). Your steadfast love never ceases and Your mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23). You are not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and a knowledge of the truth of the love and mercy of God revealed in You as Lord and Savior of all (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16).

I pray for Jerusalem to receive her Messiah. In the same way, I pray for the people of this world who have been blinded to the truth of Your mercy and love to be set free to see how good You are and embrace Your good news of the kingdom of God available to all (2 Corinthians 4:4). And I look forward to the day when even the hearts of the people of Jerusalem will turn to You and say, "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord." This is the peace I pray for Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).

In the power of Your grace, let Your Word be fulfilled:  "All Israel will be saved.... And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins" (Romans 11:26-27). And let Your message of hope and Your words of spirit and life fill my heart and the heart of my world today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

My Friend,  may your heart be filled with the words of spirit and life from Jesus our Lord as you look to Him and welcome Him in as the One who comes in the name of the Lord, 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 26 - Determined for Destiny

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Where You lead, I will follow, as best as I can and all by Your grace.  ...

"When the days drew near for (Jesus) to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51).

You knew in Your heart it was time to die. The Child of Bethlehem had grown to become the Sacrifice of Calvary. You had "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:25 NKJV). And now You were determined for Your destiny, confidently and resolutely secure in Your identity as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

You heard in Your heart what the Father was saying and saw with the eyes of Your spirit what the Father was doing. And though You knew all You must endure, You also knew that the judgment of man and the schemes of Satan would not stand. So You set Your face like flint to go up to Jerusalem, trusting the ultimate vindication of God:  "The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; He who vindicates me is near" (Isaiah 50:7-8).

Death couldn't overcome You, and Hell couldn't hold You:  "But God raised (You) up, having freed (You) from death, because it was impossible for (You) to be held in its power. For David says concerning (You), 'I saw the Lord always before me, for He is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let Your Holy One experience corruption. You have made know to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence' " (Acts 2:24-28).

With Your Spirit abiding in me, give me humility to listen to hear and look to see what You are doing in my life. Give me the determination of spirit to be resolute and uncompromising in the knowledge of my identity and the fulfillment of my destiny. "For the sake of the joy that was set before (You)" you endured and overcame all that came against you for the glory of God (Hebrews 12:2). Let it be so in me, as I seek to follow You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friend,  may you hear and see what the Father is doing and where He is leading, as He empowers you to know your identity and be be determined to fulfill your destiny, 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 24 - No Longer a Slave, but a Son

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face and open my heart to welcome Your Spirit into the moments of my day.  ...

"For in Christ Jesus (we) are all children of God through faith.... And because (we) are children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So (we) are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God" (Galatians 3:26-4:7).

No longer a slave, but a son

No longer defeated, I've won

No longer the tail, but the head

My rags to Your riches instead

I'm a child of the King

So forever I'll sing

Of the One who loves me and saves me

And sets me free

Abba! Father! You've set me free in Christ. Now Your Spirit is at work in me to make me more like Christ each day (Romans 8:29). Come, Holy Spirit -- Spirit of the Son of God -- come make me more like Jesus today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friend,  may the Spirit of the Son of God move in your heart to make you more like Jesus today, as you cry out to Abba our Father as the child of God you are, 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 23 - Father's Blessing of Innocent Faith

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart throughout the moments of my day.  ...

" 'Let the little children come to Me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not received the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.' And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them" (Mark 10:14-16).

With the innocent faith of a trusting child in the secure, strong arms of good father, I want to receive a Father's blessing upon my life today. You are my "Everlasting Father" (Isaiah 9:6). And in my faith, I seek to be Your ever-loving child. "For in Christ Jesus (we) are all children of God through faith" (Galatians 3:26).

In Your embrace, let me enter into the kingdom of God. And in my faith, let the kingdom of God enter into me. "For, in fact, the kingdom of God is within (me)" (Luke 17:21). "The kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

In my Father's blessing, I find my righteousness; I find my peace; and I find my joy. Let no one stop me from entering in to the fullness of my Father's blessing in You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friend,  may you enter into the fullness of your Father's blessing and may you be filled with the righteousness, peace, and joy of the kingdom of God always within 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 20 - Serve One Another with the Gifts of God

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm excited to see all You have for me, as I seek to give all I have to You today.  ...

"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received" (1 Peter 4:10).

Yesterday, I was so excited for the opportunity to share my heart for You and passion for healing prayer ministry at the Medical School with some of the Christian students and faculty of the University of Texas Health Science Center. You've gifted them with passion and skills to serve the hurting and the sick to restore them to health. And You also desire to fill them with Your Spirit and a passion for Christ, as You send them into their spheres of influence through doors of opportunity You open for them as "ambassadors for Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20).

The gifts we have are by the grace of God. "Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17). Help us all find our gifts and grow in grace, acknowledging You as the Source of all that's good in our lives. Help us all serve You with all we have, by serving others in Your name (Mark 9:41). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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

Friends,  may you find your gifts and serve our God, filled with the Holy Spirit and a passion for Jesus, going out as an ambassador for Christ everywhere He sends you in your spheres of influence, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

      Students at University of Texas Health Science Center

Hearing about the Healing Power of God in Jesus' Name

San Antonio Christian Medical & Dental Associations

Friends, thank you so much for your prayers for us at the University of Texas Health Science Center for a luncheon with the San Antonio Christian Medical & Dental Associations. The room was full and the Holy Spirit was present! Please keep keep these students in prayer as they go out into the medical field with Jesus in the hearts and the gifts of God flowing through their lives!

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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 19 - The Peace of Christ Crushes Satan under Our Feet

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All to You, I surrender all. ...

"The God of peace will shortly crush Satan (our) feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with (us)" (Romans 16:20).

You are the God of peace. You are the "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). But Your peace is not a passive peace. It's not appeasing of wrong or compromising of truth. It's not a false peace like the peace of the world that turns a blind eye to tolerate evil or condone injustice (John 14:27). It's a peace that courageously confronts evil and crushes Satan under our feet.

Every day, You crush the enemy of our souls under our feet as we stand in Christ and allow Christ to stand in us. "For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1). In Christ, we are "strong in the Lord and in the strength of His power ... so that (we) may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:10-11). So Your Word commands us, "Stand therefore" (Ephesians 6:14).

Come, Holy Spirit. By the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ, empower me to stand firm in Christ today. Embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, filled with the Spirit, give me courage to overcome, as I pray in faith and live by grace, "persistent in (my) prayers for all believers everywhere" (Ephesians 6:18 NLT). 

In the power of Your peace that never tolerates evil, You will crush Satan under my feet. And in the power of Your peace, my heart need not be troubled or afraid, but only confident and secure in You and Your victory for us (John 14:27). As You said long ago, You still speak to us each day:  "I have said this to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!" (John 16:33) And that gives me peace, even as I stand firm in You to pray by Your Spirit against the evil in this world. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friend,  may you stand firm in your faith, filled with Spirit in the peace of Christ that crushes the enemy of our souls under our feet, in Jesus' name. May you be empowered by the God of peace in your intercession for all believers and all people  everywhere, as the Spirit leads you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

      

Friends, I'm excited to be speaking about Healing Prayer today at the University of Texas Health Science Center for a luncheon with the San Antonio Christian Medical & Dental Associations. Please keep us in prayer for the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts, if you would!

 

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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 18 - Standing as One Body against Persecution and Terror

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call on Your name and listen for Your voice.  ...

"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now (we) are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Corinthians 12:26-27).

Lord, as I seek to quiet my spirit in the communion of prayer to start my day, my thoughts keep going to my friends and the people of Lahore, Pakistan, where You sent me to minister Your healing love and power a few years ago. Sunday morning, two suicide bombers tried to come into the morning services of two churches, one Catholic and one Protestant, and blew themselves up at the entrances among the worshippers in this heinous and cruel, cowardly act of terror. Then the Taliban of Pakistan promised more attacks to come.

Already, our Christian brothers and sisters in that land are heavily persecuted and driven to live in isolation in "Christian colonies." And now they feel unprotected and vulnerable to this shocking and violent hatred against them for their faith.

Father God, comfort them in their shock and trauma and grief. Guide them to release their anger to You and give them a voice to expose this cruelty and injustice. Give them courage to respond in the way of Christ and turn away from vengeance. Turn their rage into intercession and action in the power of Your Spirit. And turn our hearts to intercession and action to stand with them as one in the body of Christ.

Open our eyes to see this intensifying persecution throughout the world. Give us grace to not be overwhelmed, along with the power to overcome. Show us how to pray, how to respond, how to speak up, how to stand firm in the faith as one body throughout the nations of the earth.

As You said long ago, "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth.... You are the light of the world.... Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:11-16).

Give us grace in our generation to live that way in the midst of whatever persecution and terror we face. Let us mourn with each other and rejoice with each other, as one the Spirit and one in the Lord. As we acknowledge and release our grief and our anger to You, give us courage to follow You and allow You to empower us to respond and not react, to advance and not retreat, and to overcome with Spirit of Christ. "We do not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  may you filled with the Spirit to stand firm in your faith in Christ and intercede with the heart of the Father for our brothers and sisters experiencing persecution and terror in the world, 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Please Pray. My friends in the Christian Community in Lahore, Pakistan, where I went to preach and minister a few years ago, are under siege with terror and persecution from religious hatred. Suicide bombers killed and maimed many at two churches Sunday morning, one Protestant and one Catholic, in this small area of refuge within the city. We must pray for our Christian family there and throughout the world in these days where our faith is relentlessly challenged. 

    

http://www.reuters.com/news/picture/church-bombings-in-pakistan 

  

"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Corinthians 12:26-27) 

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 

Morning by Morning, March 17 - St. Patrick's Prayer - "Christ Be with Me, Christ Be within Me"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Embraced in my Father's arms, centered in Christ my Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit of the Living God, I draw near to You in the communion of prayer.  ...

"For in Christ Jesus (we) are all children of God through faith. As many of (us) as were baptized into Christ have clothed (ourselves) with Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27).

They say St. Patrick clothed himself with Christ in prayer every day as a missionary to the people of Ireland. His "Breastplate Prayer" gave him courage in Christ, as he went into spiritual battle the land of the Druids every day on his knees and with his heart. And the fires of revival burned across the land.

On this St. Patrick's Day, I thank You for the missionaries You send to the people and the nations of the world with the good news of Jesus Christ and the coming of the kingdom of God. May they be bold in faith, courageous and clothed in Christ, fearless in the face of spiritual opposition, and patient in the face of human resistance. "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4).

St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer

I bind unto myself today

The strong Name of the Trinity,

By invocation of the same,

The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.

By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;

His baptism in the Jordan river;

His death on Cross for my salvation;

His bursting from the spiced tomb;

His riding up the heavenly way;

His coming at the day of doom.

I bind unto myself the power

Of the great love of the cherubim;

The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,

The service of the seraphim,

Confessors' faith, apostles' word,

The patriarchs' prayers, the prophets' scrolls,

All good deeds done unto the Lord,

And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today

The virtues of the starlit heaven,

The glorious sun's life-giving ray,

The whiteness of the moon at even,

The flashing of the lightning free,

The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,

The stable earth, the deep salt sea,

Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today

The power of God to hold and lead,

His eye to watch, His might to stay,

His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,

His hand to guide, His shield to ward,

The word of God to give me speech,

His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,

The vice that gives temptation force,

The natural lusts that war within,

The hostile men that mar my course;

Or few or many, far or nigh,

In every place and in all hours,

Against their fierce hostility,

I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,

Against false words of heresy,

Against the knowledge that defiles,

Against the heart's idolatry,

Against the wizard's evil craft,

Against the death wound and the burning,

The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,

Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,

The strong Name of the Trinity;

By invocation of the same.

The Three in One, and One in Three,

Of Whom all nature hath creation,

Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:

Praise to the Lord of my salvation,

Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Lord Jesus, You are my "Breastplate of Righteousness" and my "Whole Armor of God" (Ephesians 6:13-18). May I be "clothed with Christ" today to share Your good news with how I live my life, carrying the coming of Your kingdom in my heart everywhere You send me. "Christ be with me, Christ be within me" (from Colossians 1:27). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friend,  may you be clothed with Christ each day, as you carry the light and love of Christ within you everywhere the Lord sends 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, March 16 - Courage and Kindness

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I give all that I am and all that I have all to You today.  ...

"Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).

We went with one of our daughters to see the new Cinderella movie last night. It was good to see that even in the midst of fantasy and fairytales, good still triumphs over evil, kindness overcomes cruelty, and forgiveness is a mighty weapon to be wielded with both courage and humility.

We don't have fairy godmothers to come to us in our darkest hour of deepest despair to remind us who we are in our identity and guide us in our journey to our destiny, changing our filthy rags into garments of praise. But best of all, we have Your Holy Spirit of God, who comes wash the cinders from our faces and heal the hurts in our hearts, to give us beauty for ashes and hope for despair, causing the dreams You put into our hearts to all come true (Isaiah 61:3).

When all is said and done, courage and kindness will always prevail. "The one who endures the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13). And one day our Prince of Peace who has become our King of Glory will come after us riding on white horse, Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11). We'll take our place in Your heavenly palace for "the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9). And we will live happily ever after (John 3:16). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friend,  may the courage and kindness of the Holy Spirit in your heart give you power to overcome every challenge you face in the unfolding story of your life, 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!