Morning by Morning, May 20 - "Water of Rebirth and Renewal by the Holy Spirit"

 

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

 

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is sure" (Titus 3:4-8).

 

Every day I want to drink deeply from the "water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." Every day I want to "draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3). Fill me up and overflow, afresh and anew. Let Your living waters never run dry in my soul. "Those who drink of the water that (You) will give (us) will never be thirsty. The water that (You) will give will becomes in (us) a spring of water gushing up to eternal life" (John 4:14).

 

Come, Holy Spirit. I pray for Your renewal. Fill me afresh with the living waters of life in Christ today (Ephesians 5:18). It's not by any works of my righteousness, but all by Your great mercy, by the goodness and loving kindness of God my Savior, that I am saved and being saved, that I am filled with Your Spirit and being filled with Your Spirit, that I am a son of God and continually being conformed into the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29). I pray for Your renewal in me and in Your Church throughout our land and all the earth. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be refreshed and renewed by the Holy Spirit today and every day in the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me and for all the Church of Jesus Christ in our land and all the earth. 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, May 19 - "Close to the Father's Heart"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart, as I begin the journey of my day with You.  ...

 

"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.... From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made Him known" (John 1:14-18).

 

Lord Jesus, You are the Son of God; You are God the Son. You are "close to the Father's heart" because You and the Father are "One" (John 10:30). You are "the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very Being" (Hebrews 1:3). You are "the image of the invisible God" for "in (You) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:15-19).

 

Just as You are "close to the Father's heart," You long for every one of us, as sons and daughters of God, to be just as close. You passionately prayed that prayer for us when You walked this earth:  "As You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, may they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. That glory that You have given Me I have given them, so that they may be one, as We are One, I in them and You in Me, that they may be completely one, so that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me" (John 17:21-23). That's a deep expression of the desires of Your heart that we fully receive "grace upon grace" (v. 1. 16).

 

My Father God, I draw near to You, close the Father's heart, as best as I can all by Your grace, through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I embrace Your Holy Spirit, abiding in me -- living in me that I may live in You (John 14:17). "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, 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

I pray you will draw close to the Father's heart -- closer every day, with grace upon grace in deepening communion with Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit abiding in 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, May 17 - Boldness in Prayer through Boldness in the Heart of God

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm looking and listening, watching and waiting, to see and to hear where You'll lead me today, as I begin my morning with You in the communion of prayer on my adventure of faith.  ...

 

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of Him" (1 John 5:13-15).

 

I can have boldness in prayer because I have boldness in You. I can have faith for what I ask because I have faith in You. I can have boldness and faith in Your heart for me that is always good (Matthew 19:17). As I seek You first -- seeking Your will, Your way, and Your heart for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done in my life -- I can boldly trust in Your promise "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

 

By the grace of God, I do believe in Your name and I seek to pray in Your name -- in Your nature, with Your heart, in alignment with Your will. And by the grace of God I choose to believe the promise of Your Word:  "Very truly, I tell you, that one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in My name you ask Me for anything, I will do it" (John 14:12-14).

 

Increase my faith, increase my boldness -- in prayer and in life. Increase my desire to align my life, my heart, and my will with Yours  -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. Not my will, but Yours be done (Luke 22:42). As I seek to pray in both deep humility and faithful boldness, give me greater faith to believe that You will be answering my prayers. Give me greater faith to believe Your Word that whenever I pray according to Your will I know that You hear me; and if You hear me, I know that I will have the petitions of my heart (1 John 5:15). Make my heart more like Yours every day (John 15:5). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will grow in your faith, grace upon grace, believing God and His promises for you and your destiny in Him, in Jesus' name. May you in your soul that your faith in Him is reckoned to you are righteousness by the power of the grace of God at work within 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 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, May 17 - Boldness in Prayer through Boldness in the Heart of God

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm looking and listening, watching and waiting, to see and to hear where You'll lead me today, as I begin my morning with You in the communion of prayer on my adventure of faith.  ...

 

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of Him" (1 John 5:13-15).

 

I can have boldness in prayer because I have boldness in You. I can have faith for what I ask because I have faith in You. I can have boldness and faith in Your heart for me that is always good (Matthew 19:17). As I seek You first -- seeking Your will, Your way, and Your heart for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done in my life -- I can boldly trust in Your promise "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

 

By the grace of God, I do believe in Your name and I seek to pray in Your name -- in Your nature, with Your heart, in alignment with Your will. And by the grace of God I choose to believe the promise of Your Word:  "Very truly, I tell you, that one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in My name you ask Me for anything, I will do it" (John 14:12-14).

 

Increase my faith, increase my boldness -- in prayer and in life. Increase my desire to align my life, my heart, and my will with Yours  -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. Not my will, but Yours be done (Luke 22:42). As I seek to pray in both deep humility and faithful boldness, give me greater faith to believe that You will be answering my prayers. Give me greater faith to believe Your Word that whenever I pray according to Your will I know that You hear me; and if You hear me, I know that I will have the petitions of my heart (1 John 5:15). Make my heart more like Yours every day (John 15:5). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will grow in your boldness in prayer, believing God will give you the petitions of your heart, as you allow Him make your heart more like His 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

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, May 16 - By the Word and the Spirit

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit and make me more like You today.  ...

 

"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what My Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high'" (Luke 24:49).

 

Open my mind to understand Your Word. Open my heart to embrace Your Spirit. Help me grow in Your wisdom, clothed in Your power to be Your witnesses in my world (Acts 1:8). 

 

"In Him (we) also, when (we) had heard the word of truth, the gospel of (our) salvation, and had believed in Him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14). By Your Word and Your Spirit, let my life be a witness of Your love, Your mercy, and Your power. "The Spirit is the One who testifies, for the Spirit is the truth" (1 John 5:6). Come live Your truth through me today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be filled with the Word and the Spirit of God to be a witness of Jesus and the good news of His love, mercy, and power everywhere He sends you today, 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, May 13 - Come to Jesus Meeting

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to begin my day in the communion of prayer -- embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  ...

 

"Then they came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house He asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the way?' But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 'Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:33-35).

 

Sometimes we need a little realignment of our priorities or a little reassessment of our motives. Sometimes we need to search our hearts or listen to our words and ask ourselves "Whose kingdom are we really building?" and "Whose name are we really promoting?" So sometimes You need to sit us down and have a little Come to Jesus Meeting with us.

 

In Your Kingdom dynamics, the way up is down, the way to lead is to serve, and the place of honor comes from the place of humility. "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12). In that way the last become first and the losers in the eyes of the world become the winners in the kingdom of God.

 

"O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from far away" -- and yet, You still love me; and yet, You still patiently bear with me (Psalm 139:1-2). "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

 

Thank You for the times You sit me down and then sit down with me. Thank You for our little Come to Jesus meetings where You lovingly and firmly realign me and remind me of Your kingdom ways so I can be a better servant of my God and ambassador of my King. "We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). I want Your appeal through me to be pure and inviting, exalting Your kingdom and You name alone. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be a mighty messenger of God and ambassador for Christ, with a humble heart and serving spirit, always honoring and exalting the name of Jesus with your life and ministry, 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, May 12 - Simply "Believe"

 

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

 

"When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, 'Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.' The jailer called for lights, and rushing in he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They answered, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.' They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.... He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God" (Acts 16:27-34).

 

"What must I do to be saved?" It's simple -- simply "believe." It's not " work hard and believe." It's not "be good and believe." It's not "be holy sanctified and sinless and believe." It's not "memorize all the Scriptures, pray all day, spend your day giving doing only good things and believe." And it's certainly not "learn all the doctrines and dogma, all the rituals and rules, all the traditions and trappings and believe." It's simply "believe." "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (v. 31).

 

And just as You invite me to be saved from my sins, that's how You invite me to be saved from my sickness, from my fears, from my addictions, from my shame, from my bitterness, from my poverty, from my regrets, from my confusion, from the self-centeredness of my selfishness and pride and everything else that's anything less that all You created me to be. It's simple -- simply believe. "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and (I) will be saved" (v. 31).

 

You said to Jairus, the leader of the synagogue whose daughter was sick and died, "Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved" (Luke 8:50). You said to the man whose son struggled with fits and seizures from demonic attack, "All things can be done for the one who believes" (Mark 9:23). When the father cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" You set the boy free and saved him from his oppression (Mark 9:24-28).

 

Lord Jesus, I believe. And at the same time, I pray You help my unbelief in every place where I'm not yet able to fully believe. I want to live my life simply believing, simply trusting in You alone for the fullness of Your salvation in every area of my life. And I renounce in the name of Jesus every additional burden or requirement imposed by man or myself or the enemy of my soul. I choose by the power of the grace of God to simply "believe." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray by the power of the grace of God at work within you, you will simply believe on the Lord Jesus and embrace the fullness of your salvation in every area 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!

Morning by Morning, May 10 - "Follow Me."

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the way that leads to life in You today.  ...

 

"And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' They immediately left their nets and followed Him" (Mark 1:16-18).

 

Simon and Andrew knew what they were, but You saw who they were created to be. They knew what they could do, but You wanted to show them what You could do through them. But You wouldn't make them become something they weren't willing to be. So You spoke to their ears, but moved their hearts. And everything inside of them that was created to long for the coming of that day said, "Yes, Lord. Here I am. I will follow You." 

 

And "immediately" they left their nets -- and all that meant about life as they had know it -- and followed You. They were willing to hear and willing to come. They were willing to follow You and willing to allow You to form them and make them become who You created them to be.

 

Lord Jesus, give me faith to follow You today. Give me the courage to let go of everything that's anything less than who You created me to be. As much as I may think that I know what I am, You know better, for "all things were created through (You) and for (You)" (Colossians 1:16). 

 

You created me and You call me to come, follow You and be fulfilled, as You fulfill Your plans through my life. "For (I am Your) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that (I) should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you hear with your ears and be moved in your heart to come follow Jesus today, as He makes you into all He created you to be, 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, May 9 - God Will Provide

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship and welcome You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- into my morning and every moment of my day.  ...

 

As I listen for Your leading this morning, I hear You writing a new song in heart.  ...

 

My God will provide

He's always on time

So why ever should I

Be afraid?

 

My God is near

He's forever here

So why should I fear

A thing?

 

My God is great

He never runs late

So why should I waste

My time?

 

O God You are my Faithful One

O God through You I overcome

So I will seek Your will

I'll let my heart be still

As I watch and wait for You

 

Yes, Lord. You're the God who provides (Genesis 22:14). Trusting in You, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning" (Psalm 130:5-6). 

 

There's no challenge I'll face that You've not already seen. There's no problem I'll encounter You've not already overcome. So I will trust You to guide my thoughts and direct my steps in the way that leads to life (Matthew 7:14). "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You" (Psalm 56:3 NKJV). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will trust in the One who will always provide, 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, May 6 - The Messenger to a Nation

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear Your voice in my heart and sense the leading of Your Spirit in these morning moments of communion with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...

 

"See, I am sending My messenger to prepare the way before Me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight -- indeed, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offering to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.... For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts" (Malachi 3:1-6).

 

People across our land joined in prayer for our nation yesterday on the National Day of Prayer. Since the first call to prayer by the Continental Congress in 1775, beseeching the people of the American colonies to seek You in humility and faith for wisdom and courage in the forming of our nation, prayer has been at the core of national identity. But like the nation of Israel before us, we've also so often "turned aside from (Your) statutes and have not kept them." We've so often compromised in our values of integrity and purity in the godly fear of the Lord. And as in the days of Israel, You "draw near to (us) for judgment" (v. 5).

 

But just as You sent Your Messenger to prepare the way of the Lord in the hearts of Israel, You continue to send Your Messenger to prepare the way of the Lord in the hearts of every people of every nation who will humble themselves to hear Your voice. You do not change (v. 6). And You heart is always to call us to repentance, crying out to us in Your mercy, "Return to Me, and I will return to you" (v. 7).

 

Come, Holy Spirit. You are the Messenger of God. You are the Messenger to our nation. Come turn our hearts. Return the heart of our nation back to You, O Lord, our God. Come refine us and purify us. Come burn in holy fire within us until we again "present offerings to the Lord in righteousness" (v. 3). Let our laws and our ways, what we value and what we defend, speak of the core values on integrity and purity You've sown into the soul of our nation -- "one nation under God."

 

May we yet fulfill our destiny, restored to our identity, with the fierce courage and power in obedience to the will of God, as with the "wings of the great eagle" (Revelation 12:14). "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12 NKJV). By the mercy of God, may we embrace the call to prayer in revival for our land with the revival fire of faith that always begins in the repentant, praying hearts of those who are called by Your name:  "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I join with you in praying for my nation and every nation to turn to God. May the revival fire of the Holy Spirit, the Messenger of God, burn in your heart. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

From NationalDayOfPrayer.com

First Call of Prayer in 1775

 

Because of the faith of many of our founding fathers, public prayer and national days of prayer have a long-standing and significant history in American tradition. The Supreme Court affirmed the right of state legislatures to open their sessions with prayer in Marsh vs. Chambers (1983).

 

The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of our heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln's proclamation of a day of "humiliation, fasting, and prayer" in 1863. In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual national day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations. 

 

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, May 5 - Heart of David

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart, every area of my life, every moment of my day, now and forever.  ...

 

"The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me, His word is upon my tongue" (2 Samuel 23:2).

 

At the end of his life, when all was said and done, David spoke his "last words" from the heart of one who lived his life passionately for You. He saw himself as "the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel" (v. 1).

 

Despite all his sins and failures -- lived large and famously recorded for all to see for all eternity -- he knew Your hand and Your Spirit were upon him. He wasn't ashamed to worship You, passionately and freely, in spirit and truth "with all his might" (2 Samuel 6:14). He wasn't afraid to follow You into every battle, no matter the odds; and he wasn't too proud to cry out to You for help in every distress, no matter how hopeless (2 Samuel 22:3-7). He never let a lion or a bear get away with hurting his flock (1 Samuel 17:34-36). And he never let a giant get away with slandering the name of his God (1 Samuel 17:50). He was "a man after (God's) own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).

 

As You walked this earth -- though You were God incarnate, God with us, the Word made flesh -- You were honored to be welcomed and praised as "the Son of David" (Matthew 21:9). As both Son of God and Son of Man, fully God yet fully man, You were known as "Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1).

 

And now "in Christ" we are, in a sense, sons of David as well (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are in Christ and Christ is in us (Colossians 1:27). We are sons and daughters of God, "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.... And if (we) belong to Christ, then (we) are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:26-29).

 

So like David prayed, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me, never take away Your Holy Spirit from me and always restore unto me the joy of my salvation in You (Psalm 51:10-12). "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise! (Psalm 51:15)  Let Your Holy Spirit fall afresh upon me and the Spirit of Christ rise up within me each day (Romans 8:9). And when it's all been said and done, may I be able to say that as a child of God, by the power of Your grace at work within me, "The Spirit of the Lord (spoke) through me, His word (was) upon my tongue" (2 Samuel 23:2). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray the Spirit of the Living God will fall afresh upon you and the Spirit of Christ will rise up within you, with the words of the Lord upon your tongue and the nature of Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of David, in your heart, in Jesus' name. May you be one of God's children after God's own heart. 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!