Tuesday, November 03, 2015

Morning by Morning, November 3 - "Quite a Character"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King and Lord of my life and this day.  ...
"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).
It was said of me when I was younger, "He's quite a character." And I'm pretty sure that wasn't always intended as a compliment! I think the statement was usually accompanied with at least a little bit of rolling the eyes, raising an eyebrow or shaking the head. But sometimes those words came with a smile, a wink, and a knowing nod. I think I just liked the attention and convinced myself that everybody loves a character. So quite a character I became -- for better or for worse -- some days more better; some days more worse!
But along the way, purely by the grace of God -- and I do mean the unmerited, undeserved, much needed unlimited grace of God -- I opened my heart to Your Holy Spirit and let You pour Your love into my life. I found deep peace with God but also great pleasure in this exciting adventure of a life of faith in Jesus Christ.
Through the days of glory and also, just as importantly, through the days of suffering, You've been with me, stirring up hope and passion within me to hold on to hope -- to endure, to persevere, and to overcome. You've empowered me by Your Spirit to not merely survive, but to thrive. And somehow along the way of this daily journey of faith, You've been at work within me to make me more like You, to make my character more like Your character.
Lord knows, You still have a lot of work to do in me! But through all we've been through together, I'm "confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in (me) will (be faithful) to complete it" (Philippians 1:6 NKJV). And when it's all been said and done -- all by the power of the grace of my God who gives me all the attention I'll ever need -- I'll be "quite a character" indeed. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you will be quite the character God has created you to be, not just surviving but thriving every day in the love and power and grace of God at work within you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 
             


Friends, I'm excited to be sharing a message Hope and Healing with Max Lucado this Wednesday Night, Nov 4, at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. Please come join us for the First Wednesday Worship and Healing Service. Our Rapha God Ministries team will be joining the Oak Hills Church Prayer Team to offer personal prayer ministry for everyone. All are welcome!


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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Monday, November 02, 2015

Morning by Morning, November 2 - Finding the Favor of God
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Embrace me in Your arms and lead me by my heart in our communion of prayer -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.  ...
"But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord" (Genesis 6:2).
Favor was not lost and needing to be found. No, when Noah found favor in Your sight, he began to realize Your favor was upon his life. It was a time of deep darkness when "the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth" (v. 6:5). But in the midst of the chaos and confusion, the darkness and degradation, You found one who had the heart of "a righteous man" and who "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9).
Lord Jesus, You said long ago, "For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.... Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour" (Matthew 24:37-44). One day You'll come again in Your glory in the sky (1 Thessalonians 4:16). But everyday between now and then, You want to come in Your glory into our hearts (Colossians 1:27).
Come into my heart every day, Lord Jesus. Fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit and embrace me always in the arms of my Father (Ephesians 5:18). To find favor in Your sight is to embrace Your Spirit in my heart. "He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee" -- a guarantee that whatever we go through in this broken fallen world, no matter how dark it may get before the dawn, You are with us and Your favor is upon us (2 Corinthians 5:5). By the "Holy Spirit of God" we are "marked with a seal for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30).
The ancient, prophetic words of Isaiah are being fulfilled in our day:  "For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;" but at the same time, for all who have found favor in Your sight, You call us to "Arise, shine; for (our) light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon (us)!" (Isaiah 60:1-2) In the midst of the darkness, even if it grows to be as dark as in the days of Noah, we will "lift up (our) eyes," we will "see and be radiant," and "(our) heart shall thrill and rejoice!" (Isaiah 60:4-5)  
"For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround (them) as with a shield" (Psalm 5:12 NKJV). And it's by the mercies of God and the sacrifice of Christ alone, that we are forever righteous in Your sight with Your favor upon our lives (2 Corinthians 5:21). You are our Favor; and the power of Your steadfast love that never ceases, we are forever found in You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you will find favor with God, knowing He is your Favor upon your life, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 
           

Friends, I'm excited to be sharing a message Hope and Healing with Max Lucado this Wednesday Night, Nov 4, at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. Please come join us for the First Wednesday Worship and Healing Service. Our Rapha God Ministries team will be jointing the Oak Hills Church Prayer Team to offer personal prayer ministry for everyone. All are welcome!


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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Thursday, October 29, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 29 - The Word of the Lord
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and listen for Your leading, O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...
"For the word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.... By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and all their host by the breath of His mouth.... For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm" (Psalm 33:4-9).
I call my spirit to attention to hear the word of the Lord. I call the mind and will and emotions of my soul to hear the word of the Lord. I call every cell and tissue and fiber of my body to hear the word of the Lord. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I willingly choose to align my life with the word of the Lord today.
"Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before Him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the One to whom we must render an account" (Hebrews 4:12-13).
Lord Jesus, You are the Word of the Lord. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory as of a Father's only Son, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-14). You are "called Faithful and True" and Your "name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:11-13).
So when I position myself to hear the word of the Lord, I'm positioning myself to embrace the One who is the Word of the Lord. As I trust You to be Faithful and True, Your word is alive and active within me, exposing everything within me, down to the depths of my spirit and soul, my bone and marrow. All is bare before You, and all is surrendered to You.
So speak the word of the Lord over my life today. I know it will be Your best for me. And I know it will go forth and not return void, but it will accomplish all to which You have purposed in Your heart for my life this day (Isaiah 55:11). "But only speak the word" and whatever You will shall be done (Luke 7:7). 
And it shall be good (Genesis 1:1-30). In fact, it shall be "very good" because it is created by the word of the One who is so good to me (Genesis 1:31). "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by God's word and by prayer" (1 Timothy 4:4). With Your word in my heart and every dimension of my being through trusting surrender and prayer, I thankfully embrace Your will for my life this day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray the word of the Lord will penetrate every dimension of your being and every moment of your day with His perfect will for your life this day, in Jesus' 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

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 28 - First Things First
Good morning, Lord Jesus. First things first. And You're the first thing I want to think about, the first name I want to speak out, as I begin the journey of this new day.  ...
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33 NKJV).
The first step is often the hardest, but often the most important. It's hard to finish well when you don't begin well. It's easier to stay the course than change the course. And momentum builds with consistency.
So I don't want to begin my day filling my mind with bad news and negative thoughts. I don't want to start down the path of worrying about what's wrong with the world or wrestling with what's wrong with me right off the bat and just out of the chute. There will be plenty of time to keep it real soon enough. "Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (v. 6:34).
No. Before I open myself up to the world, I want to first open myself up to my God. Before I get consumed in my concerns, I want to first be consumed by my Creator. You're my first love (Revelation 2:4). And I want to honor You by offering You the "first fruits" of my focus, the first word from my mouth, the first moments of my day, the first thoughts of my mind, the first desires of my heart -- my first and my best of all that I am and all that I have (Exodus 23:19).
So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to seek You first. As I seek You and Your righteousness, You're setting things right within me. Your Spirit is going before me into every moment of my day so that all I need will be added to me. "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him" (Isaiah 64:4). Here I am to worship and wait in this holy communion of prayer as my offering to You of the first moments of my day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will awakened by the Holy Spirit to look up to Jesus in the embrace of our Father to begin each day offering Your first love and first fruits of your day to our God, in Jesus' 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

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Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 27 - "Miracle in the Mountains"
"A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him up and said to Him, 'Teacher, do You don care that we are perishing?' He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?' And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'" (Mark 37-41)This weekend, the most powerful hurricane ever recorded was headed for coast of Mexico. They braced for the deaths of thousands and the devastation of regions. But as soon at it hit the mountains at the sea the great storm suddenly, inexplicably dissipated and died. And Mexico erupted in praise! Even the press called it a "miracle in the mountains."Thank You, Jesus, for every time You've been my miracle in the mountains and my miracle in the valleys and my miracle in the wilderness. Thank You for every time You've been my miracle in every moment when I was about to be devastated by something I couldn't control that threatened to wash me away with everything around me.Every time, You arose to rebuke the storm. Every time You spoke to the wind and waves of my anxieties and fears, saying "Peace! Be still!" And I know You always will.You never promised me there would never be any storms. But You did promise me that even when the storms come You'll be with me through them all. Like You say in Your Word that always gives me great hope and peace through every storm:  "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.... Because you are precious in My sight, and honored, and I love you.... Do not fear, for I Am with you" (Isaiah 43:1-5).By the power of the grace of God at work within me, by the peace that comes from the One who rebukes my storms and settles my soul, I choose to trust in You today. Through every storm, I'm trusting You to empower me to choose to not give in to fear, but hold on in faith, excited to see the next miracle of Your power and peace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you will keep choosing to trust in our God to be with you and empower you in His peace to overcome every fear through any storm that ever comes, in Jesus' 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

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Monday, October 26, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 26 - "Be of the Same Mind"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look and listen; I watch and wait, as begin my day focused on You.  ...
 
"If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete:  be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.... Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:1-5).
 
Lord Jesus, help me think more like You think. I want to be of the same mind and the same love because I'm with the same Spirit that fills Your heart. Let Your compassion and Your joy fill my soul.
 
Let my words and my actions be an encouragement and comfort, speaking the truth in love but also living the truth in love. Give me the humility of heart and motivation of love to "look not to (my) own interests, but to the interest of others," just has You have modeled for me (Philippians 2:4).
Let it be Your name that's lifted up through my life today (Philippians 2:9). 
In humility, I have to admit Your ways are not my ways and Your thoughts are not my thoughts, "for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are (Your) ways higher than (my) ways and (Your) thoughts than (my) thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9).  But also in faith, I have to embrace Your invitation to seek more and come up higher in my thoughts and my ways, by the power of Your Spirit at work within me, to "let the same mind be in (me) that was in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).
So I desperately need You to put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, to fill my spirit with Your Spirit. I passionately desire for You to make me more like You each day. That's a measure of the same mind You're giving me and the same desire You're stirring up within me. And by the grace of God, "I am confident of this, that the One who began a good work (in me) will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will grow in the image of Christ each day by the Spirit of Christ at work in you, putting His thoughts in your mind and His desires in 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
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Friday, October 23, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 23 - "I AM Your Salvation"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. When I'm centered in You, I'm confident in You. You are my Security and Strength, my Conscience and Companion, my Father and Friend, my "All in All" 
(1 Corinthians 5:28).  ...
 
"Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation" (Psalm 35:3).
 
O, Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- You are my Salvation. You bring me out of darkness and into Your light. You bring me out of death and into Your life. You break every chain and heal every wound. You are the God who saves and heals and delivers, as You say to my soul, "I AM your Salvation."
 
You alone, O Lord, are my Salvation. "There is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). But what a powerful name You have! And what a mighty God You are!
 
So I humble my heart to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. I turn to You and cry out in faith to the God of my salvation. 
 
I speak out the name of Jesus. I proclaim the power of Your name over every battle I'll fight, every enemy I'll face, and every challenge I'll overcome by the power of Your grace and to the glory of Your name. All must bow before the One who forever proclaims, "I AM" (John 8:58). Yours is "the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11 NKJV).
 
You are my Lord and Savior, my Healer and Deliverer, my All in All. And as my soul embraces You and the fullness of Your salvation for me, I will "shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, 'Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of His servant!' Then my tongue shall tell of Your righteousness and of Your praise all day long" (Psalm 35:27-28). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you experience the power of the name of Jesus as Lord and Savior over all you encounter today and every day, in Jesus' 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

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Thursday, October 22, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 22 - "The Soul that Seeks Him"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I start this day speaking out Your name and lifting up Your praise.  ...
 
"'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:24-25).
 
I seek You with all my soul. In these early moments of every morning, You draw me into my prayer chair and invite me up into the heavenly place You've prepared for me (Ephesians 2:6). You quiet my thoughts and direct my attention to seek Your face, to embrace Your presence, and hear Your voice (John 10:3). You're a God who longs to be sought out and pursued as the Source of our strength and hope by those You've created in love (Isaiah 65:1).
 
Morning by morning, You remind me that You are good, as I experience Your goodness and the security of Your embrace in the communion of prayer to begin my day. You are good to me and it's good to take some time to intentionally, deliberately wait on You and seek Your face. "As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding Your likeness" (Psalm 17:14). "'Come,' my heart says, 'seek His face!' Your face, Lord, do I seek" (Psalm 27:8).
 
You are my portion, and my hope is in You. And now, after this time of pursuing Your presence, I feel strengthened in spirit, more confident in Christ, to go out into my day to overcome whatever comes my way. In a deeply personal and practical way, You've allowed me, once again, to experience "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit" (2 Corinthians 13:13). "Such is the company of those who seek (You), who seek the face of the God of Jacob" (Psalm 24:5). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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

I pray you be drawn by the Holy Spirit to take some time to seek the Lord and pursue His presence every day, being strengthened and encouraged by the One who is your Hope, in Jesus' 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

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 21 - Created for the Glory of God
 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my heart and every moment of my day.  ... "Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your (descendants) from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, 'Give them up,' and to the south, 'Do not withhold; bring My sons from far away and My daughters from the end of the earth -- everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made'" (Isaiah 43:5-7). Your Word says I'm called by Your name and created for Your glory. That's my identity and that's my destiny. I'm a child of God, created for the glory of God. So keep reminding me of my identity as I go about my destiny today. "So, (as best as I can and all by Your grace) whether (I) eat or drink, or whatever (I) do, (I will) do everything for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). And whatever I do, I will do it in the confidence that I am a child of God, deeply loved by God. Even if I falter or fail, even if I stumble and fall, You'll still love me, You'll still be with me. And You'll still even use that to work together for good because You love and me and You've called me according to purposes (Romans 8:28). Then even my sins and failures are redeemed for the glory of God as I give them over to You for all the world to see that "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). So by the power of the grace of God at work within me, I will not fear. And I will not forget that You are with me and You have called me and created me for the glory of God. I'll keep trusting in You to give me all the grace I need to keep knowing my identity and fulfilling my destiny. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you know you identity and fulfill your destiny today in the confidence of the truth that you are a child of God created for the glory of God, in Jesus' 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

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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 20 - Hear the Words of God
 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear what's on Your heart, so what's on Yours can be on mine.  ... "Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God" (John 8:47). Lord, in these moments of silence in surrender to You, help me quiet my spirit so I can be led by Your Spirit. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). Help me listen so it's Your voice I hear. You said, "(My) sheep hear (My) voice.... I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me" (John 10:3-14). I'm a child of God, growing in the depth of my relationship with God. I'm one of Your sheep and You're my Good Shepherd. I don't want to just read about You, I want to know You. I don't want to just talk to You, I also want to listen to You. I don't want to just hear about You and what You did a long time ago, I also want to hear You now and experience what You're actively doing in my life today.  Your Word says, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). I want to live and move and have my being in You in a living, vital, active, intimate, passionately personal relationship every day. So open the eyes and the ears of my heart (Ephesians 1:18). Here in the silence of surrender before You, help me hear what Your saying, see what You're doing, and sense Your presence and every way You choose to reveal Yourself to me in these moments.  ... As I listen, it seem I hear Your words in my heart:  "As You seek Me, you will find Me. As You listen, you will hear Me." Yes, Lord, I'm seeking. I'm listening.  ... "I'm stretching you to seek even more deeply. The peace you feel in your heart, the sense of the thickness of My presence embracing you like a hug is My Spirit embracing your spirit, My Spirit in communion with your spirit." Yes, Lord. I receive Your embrace. Hold me in Your embrace and fill me with Your Spirit. I rest in You. This feels to me like "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit" (2 Corinthians 13:13).  ... "My son, I am strengthening you in your spirit. I am preparing you in My presence. I'm reminding you of what it feels like to know that I am with you, I'll always be with you, I'll never forsake you, I'm always for you. You never have to question My presence. You never have to doubt My heart. No matter what challenges may come, I've already gone before you and I will always go through them with you. I am the Lord, your God. I am your Rock and Refuge. I am your Good Shepherd. I am your Father and your Best Friend. I Am That I Am. And I Am always with you and every one of My children." Yes, Lord. You always have been. And I know You always will be. You are "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). You are the God of grace and peace "who is and who was and who is to come" (Revelation 1:4). And You are God who always says, "Fear not, for I Am with you" (Isaiah 43:5, NKJV). Thank You for speaking deeply to my heart and embracing me tightly in the arms of Your Spirit today. It feels good to take time to notice Your ever-abiding presence. As the old hymn says, it gives me "strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow ... Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord to me." And as Your son and my friend Max likes to say, "The God who spoke still speaks, the God who forgave still forgives, and the God who came still comes." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you hear the words of God today and experience the depths of His ever-abiding presence with you and 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
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Monday, October 19, 2015

Morning by Moring, October 19 - "Sow to the Spirit"
 Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice to begin my day pursuing Your presence.  ... "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:7-9). Like a farmer sowing seeds in his field, what we sow is what we will harvest. Cactus seeds don't grow up into apples and apples don't grow up into cactus. What we sow today determines what we'll reap at harvest. Lord, give me wisdom to sow good seeds today. Give me a heart to sow to the Spirit and not to the flesh. Let me sow words of spirit and life through the words I speak and sow thoughts of expecting good things in the thoughts I think. Let me sow into my spiritual life, spending some time in the Word of God and devoting some time to seeking the presence of God. Let me sow into the lives of those around me through my time and my prayers and all You've entrusted to me. There will come a time of harvest for all that's been sown. And I want my harvest to be good. I want my harvest to matter. I'd rather eat apples than cactus (though my wife loves her nopalitos con huevos, but without all the cactus needles). And I'd rather live in the peace of mind and the expectancy of heart that I didn't just squander away every seed of opportunity I had to make an eternal difference in the fields entrusted to me during my time on this earth. "For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:10).  By grace we are saved through faith -- "it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). And at the same time, You invite us to live out our grace every day, to live out our faith every day, as You increasingly move in our hearts with Your desires, growing us up into maturity in Christ (Philippians 2:13). We've been given much; and to whom much has been given, much is expected (Luke 12:48). "On the day of judgment (we) will all have to give an account for every careless word (we) utter; for by (our) words (we) will be justified, and by (our) words (we) will be condemned" (Matthew 12:36-37). "So then, each of us will be accountable to God" (Romans 14:12). So give me a harvest perspective. Give me an eternal perspective. And from that perspective, give me a heart to sow to the Spirit every chance I get through every opportunity You give. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Tommy,  I pray you will reap a great harvest by the grace of God through all you allow His Spirit to do through your life this day and every day, in Jesus' 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

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Friday, October 09, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 9 - “Live and Increase” in the “Good Land”

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me near in prayer, as I begin my day focusing first on You alone.  ...

“This entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised an oath to your ancestors. Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in or der to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell those forty years. Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so that the Lord your God disciplines you. Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in His ways and by fearing Him. For the Lord your God is bring you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barely, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you many eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:2-10).

You are the same yesterday and today and forever. And throughout all Your Scripture, both Old Covenant and New, You are teaching us to trust You and obey You. You’re teaching us to learn to love -- to love You, to love one another, to love ourselves. You’re teaching us to choose to believe You know what’s best and to choose to believe You want what’s best for every one of us. You want us to “live and increase,” to “go in and occupy” the fullness of inheritance as children of God.

Some would say obedience is old-fashioned, Old Covenant. Some would say trust is for children, but we’re supposed to be all grown up now to trust in ourselves, no longer needing anyone to teach us. Some would say it’s about love, not laws; it’s about freedom, not following some words in a Book written a long time ago.

Yet the words of Your New Covenant still affirm Your words of the Old Covenant:  “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And is this the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:2-5).

Lord Jesus, You are the Word made Flesh. You are the fulfillment of every law and commandment, every promise and blessing of God. You are love. And You model for us a life fully trusting the Father, completely obeying the Father. You show us the way of obedience and love, saying, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:10-11).


By the power of Your grace, I want to “live and increase.” I want to love You and trust You and obey You. I want to believe in You and choose to live my life believing You know what’s best for me. Thank you for every way You’ve humbled me and tested me and taught me to be able to trust You more every day. And I know You’ll keep giving me Your grace for the times of humbling and testing and teaching to come all along my journey into the good land You’ve prepared for me -- the land where I live and increase through obedience to You. All of this is so that Your joy may be in me and my joy may be complete. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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