Morning by Morning, December 19 - Something Began in Bethlehem

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are worthy of my worship and the first moments of my day - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.  ...

 

"But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore He shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of His kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they shall live secure, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; and He shall be the One of peace" (Micah 5:2-5).

 

Father, You spoke to the prophet Micah seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, declaring Bethlehem to be the birthplace of the Messiah. It's another one of Your Scriptures that powerfully proves the Bible is true and inspired by God. In the little town of Bethlehem - the birthplace of David and now the birthplace of the Son of David - the virgin in labor would give birth to the Messiah who would be the One of peace, the One who would come in the majesty of the name of the Lord, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days, from everlasting to everlasting, who alone is great to the ends of the earth (Luke 2:4; Matthew 2:6).

 

Though our Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God, with no beginning and no end, forever One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit in the holy union and trinity of God, the Word became Flesh in a precise moment in eternity and was born in Bethlehem (John 1:1-14). The God of all eternity chose to humble Himself "in human form" to live and die and live again among us (Philippians 2:5-11). You are Emmanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7:4; Matthew 1:23).

 

Something began at Bethlehem. Though Your plans are eternal, there was a moment of time, in the unfolding of Your plan when the eyes of all of Heaven looked upon this little town on this earth to proclaim, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14 NKJV)

 

Something began that will have no end. "For a Child has been born for us, a Son given to us; authority rests upon His shoulders; and He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore" (Isaiah 9:6-7 fulfilled in Matthew 1:22-23). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

May all that began in Bethlehem continue to be birthed in you with the One of peace in your heart forever, in Jesus' name!  Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

  

   

Friends, I'm excited that we just published my new book Morning by Morning, Second Edition that is now available through Amazon and Kindle. It's a 365 Day Devotional with a selection of many of my favorite devotionals from the last several years of my prayer journey. Thank you for joining with me on this journey! And I pray these simple morning prayers are a great blessing and encouragement to you to start your day embraced by the love of our Father, centered in Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. God bless you and Merry Christmas!

 

Click Here to Order Today through Amazon.com

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, December 16 - "Your Prayer Has Been Heard!"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with my Father, One with the Holy Spirit. Come be One within me today, I pray (John 17:21).  ...

 

"But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard!" (Luke 1:13)

 

Zechariah and Elizabeth longed to have a child. And like every mother and father, they longed for their child to make a difference and leave a legacy. But "Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years" (v. 7). So they prayed. And even as Zechariah was "serving as priest before God" with the high honor of being chosen to "enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense," he continued to offer up to You the deepest prayer of his own heart (v. 9).

 

And You answered. You sent Your angel to speak to his heart that You heard his prayers. He and Elizabeth would have their child, their miraculous birth they had longed to see before they passed from this world. They would have a son and he would have significance. As You encouraged them and blessed them through the angel:  "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord!" (v. 15)

 

Even before his birth, their son, John, would be "filled with the Holy Spirit;" and he would "turn many people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he (would) go before (You), to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (v. 15-17).

 

No doubt this was a measure of the fulfillment of Your Word through the prophet Isaiah, spoken centuries before:  "Sing, O barren one who did not bear; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate woman will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord!" (Isaiah 54:1).

 

Thank You for answering Zachariah and Elizabeth's prayer. Thank You for giving birth to the one who would "prepare the way of the Lord" (Luke 3:4 fulfilling Isaiah 40:3). You put that prayer in their hearts for them to pray, along with the persevering faith to continue to pray until it came to pass. You are the God who declares, "I Am the One who answers your prayers and cares for you.... All your fruit comes from Me" (Hosea 14:8).

 

Put Your prayers in my heart to accomplish Your purposes through my life. Give me the grace to persevere in faith until I see it come to pass - all in Your time and all in Your way. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

May you fervently pray, in the persevering faith that God supplies by the power of His grace, the prayers the Lord puts into your heart to pray to fulfill His purposes through your life. May you see every one come to pass, in Jesus' name!  Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

  

   

Friends, I'm excited that we just published my new book Morning by Morning, Second Edition that is now available through Amazon and Kindle. It's a 365 Day Devotional with a selection of many of my favorite devotionals from the last several years of my prayer journey. Thank you for joining with me on this journey! And I pray these simple morning prayers are a great blessing and encouragement to you to start your day embraced by the love of our Father, centered in Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. God bless you and Merry Christmas!

 

Click Here to Order Today through Amazon.com

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, December 15 - Filled with the Joy!of the Holy Spirit

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and wait for the leading of Your Spirit to begin my day surrendered to Your will and embraced in Your presence.  ...

 

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.... For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord" (Luke 1:41-45).

 

Mary was blessed and believed. And everywhere she went she carried the life of Christ in her. When Elizabeth encountered the Christ within Mary, she was "filled with the Holy Spirit" long before the day of Pentecost. As a forerunner, Elizabeth experienced a foretaste of the Spirit-filled life for all who encounter the living Christ and are "filled with the Holy Spirit" (v. 41). She shouted with joy because she was filled with joy! (v. 42) And everything within her "leaped for joy!" (v. 44)

 

Then in her joy, filled with Your Spirit, Elizabeth was able to see the blessing of those who believe. She was overjoyed for Mary who chose to live her life in faith and "believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord" (v. 45). The "Spirit of Christ" in one stirred up the "Spirit of Christ" in the other (Romans 8:9). And both overflowed with joy.

 

Lord, let the Spirit of Christ arise with joy in me today. Remind me that I carry the life of Christ in me everywhere I go. So fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit every day (Ephesians 5:18). And let the joy in me stir up the joy in everyone I see. Your joy in us, overflowing through us, is at the very heart of all it means to have the kingdom of God established and growing within us. "For the kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy! in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

May you be filled with the joy! of the Holy Spirit to day, knowing you carry the life of Christ within you everywhere you go,  in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

 

   

Friends, I'm excited that I just published my new book Morning by Morning, Second Edition that is now available through Amazon and Kindle. It's a 365 Day Devotional with a selection of many of my favorite devotionals from the last several years of my prayer journey. Thank you for joining with me on this journey! And I pray these simple morning prayers are a great blessing and encouragement to you to start your day embraced by the love of our Father, centered in Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Consider ordering some today for you and your family and friends and spread the word!

 

Click Here to Order Today through Amazon.com

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, December 14 - Turning All Our "How?s" to "Who"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My heart is open to hear Your heart, as I begin my day embraced by my Father's love, centered in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and filled the Holy Spirit of the living God.  ...

 

"Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God" (Luke 1:34-35).

 

Mary asked "How?" But the angel answered her "How?" with "Who."  The Holy Spirit would come upon her and empower her to fulfill her destiny as the mother of the Son of God. As the angel Gabriel assured her, "Nothing will be impossible with God" (v. 37).

 

Then believing by faith in her heart Who it was that chose her and Who it was that would empower her, she was able to say in obedience and trust, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (v. 38). All her questions of "How?" were suddenly consumed in Your assurance of "Who."

 

Just as You chose Mary, You've chosen me. Just as You empowered Mary, You will empower me. As the children of God in Christ, "(we) are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that (we) may proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:6). You "chose us in Christ before the foundations of the world to be holy and blameless before (You) in love. (You) destined us for adoption as (Your) children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of (Your) will, to the praise of (Your) glorious grace that (You) freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.... In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to (Your) purpose Who accomplishes all things according to (Your) counsel and will.... (We) were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit... to the praise of (Your) glory" (Ephesians 1:4-13).

 

Like Mary, may Your Holy Spirit come upon me today. May the power of the Most High overshadow me. And may I faithfully embrace my chosen identity and fulfill my chosen destiny to the praise of Your glory. Take every one of my "How?s" and turn my faith to "Who" - the One Who will be faithful to bring to completion every good work You have begun in me (Philippians 1:6). Like Mary, let me say in my heart each day, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to Your word" (Luke 1:38). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

May the Holy Spirit come upon you and the power of the Most High overshadow you to know your identity and fulfill your destiny to the praise of God's glory through your life 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, December 13 - Generations of God's Glory

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear Your voice as I seek Your face and listen for Your leading.  ...

 

"An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the son of Abraham.... Abraham was the father of Isaac.... And David was the father of Solomon.... and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations" (Matthew 1:1-17).

 

In all, there were forty-two generations from Abraham to Jesus. There were forty-two generations from Your promise to Abraham that "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" to the fulfillment of that promise through Jesus the Messiah (Genesis 12:3). There were forty-two generations until it could be said, "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great Light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned" (Matthew 4:16 fulfilling Isaiah 9:2).

 

And how many generations have there been since the dawning of Your great Light? It's been many years ­- over two thousand - and many generations since Your first coming. How many more before Your second coming? ...  We don't know (Matthew 25:13). But we do proclaim by faith, "Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again!" We eagerly long for the fulfillment of the promise of Your Word, "Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him" (Hebrews 9:28 NLT).

 

And every day of every generation between Your first coming and Your second, we welcome Your great Light within us. We welcome the great Light of our promised Messiah to shine in us and shine through us to change the world around us in our generation. Every generation is to be generation of God's glory.

 

You are "the Light of the world" (John 8:12). And in Christ - through Christ in us, the coming of Jesus the Messiah in our hearts and lives - we are to be "the light of the world" in our generation (Matthew 5:14). "Christ in (us), the hope of glory" - The light of Your glory shining through us as the body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, here in our hearts and here in our world (Colossians 1:27; Romans 8:9). 

 

Come, Lord Jesus. One day soon You'll come again, shining with light of Your glory "on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 24:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). Come let the light of Your glory shine through me today (Philippians 2:15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

May you shine with light of God's glory through your life in Christ 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, December 12 - "Do Not Be Afraid"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- You are welcome into my heart and into my day.  ...

 

"Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with Child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:  'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall name Him Emmanuel,' which means, 'God is with us'" (Matthew 1:18-23).

 

As I read this story with the eyes of Your Spirit this morning, I see something different in this familiar passage of Scripture. I've always thought of Joseph as being shocked and angry at Mary, extremely disappointed in the revelation of her pregnancy, supposing her to have been unfaithful. But when You spoke to him through the angel in his dream, You didn't tell him "Do not be angry" or "Do not be disappointed." Instead, You said "Do not be afraid." 

 

That touches me in a new way. It moves me to see Joseph in a different way than I've seen him before. I've seen him as compassionate and forgiving and righteous, because he didn't want to expose Mary to disgrace. But now I also see that he was feeling afraid to take her as his wife, which means he must have been desiring to still take her as his wife -- despite all he knew and all he suspected -- but he was afraid. No doubt he was also angry and hurt and disappointed, but of all those mixed emotions, You spoke directly to his fear above all else.

 

What was he afraid of? ...  He was probably afraid of what people would think, afraid of how he would be judged, maybe even ridiculed and mocked. He was probably afraid of what people would say -- "How could you just forgive her? Have you no respect for yourself? What kind of message does that send to our kids and our community if you allow her to have no consequences for her actions? You're just as bad as she is, just as deserving of our judgment and disgust."

 

But You spoke to his heart. Your perfect love filled his heart and cast out his fear. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). Faith in You and Your word to him overcame all his fear of whatever would be said and whatever he would face. He knew in his heart You would be with him (Matthew 1:23). So when he woke from his sleep, he did just as You said, so that love and faith won his heart and saved the day to prepare the way of the Lord to come (Matthew 1:24).

 

Like Joseph, set me free from the fear of what people think. Fill me with Your love and faith to embrace my calling and fulfill my destiny, no matter how anybody else may judge my choices to follow You and what I believe You've spoken into my heart. "The fear of others lays a snare, but one who trusts in the Lord is secure" (Proverbs 29:25). Deliver me from every insecurity, so that I may awake and arise each day to walk in faith, trusting in You and secure in Your word to me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

May you awaken and arise to walk in faith, free from every insecurity and fear, trusting in the Lord and His word to you 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, December 9 - "Greetings, Favored One!"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in my Savior, and filled with Your Holy Spirit.  ...

 

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.... Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end'" (Luke 1:26-33).

 

My Father God, You favored Mary to be the mother of Jesus. You conceived the earthly life of the Son of God in her womb. And there will never be another woman throughout all eternity who will ever be favored by God in that way again. She alone bears that honor.

 

But just as You sent Gabriel to speak to Mary's heart, You send Your Holy Spirit to speak to each of ours -- "Greetings, favored one!" As the children of God we are each favored by God. Through the coming of our Savior who now lives in our hearts, "God has looked favorably on His people" (Luke 7:16).

 

We will not give birth to Jesus the Messiah, but each of us are greeted by God as Your favored ones to give birth to all You have conceived within us. "For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life" (Ephesians 2:10). And "like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, (we are to) serve one another with whatever gift each of (us) has received ... so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:10-11).

 

Come, Holy Spirit. Give me grace to give birth to all You have conceived in me that God may be gloried through my life each day. Just like Mary, remind me each day I'm also a favored one of God, destined to find favor in Your sight by Your grace, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

May you know you are a favored one of God, created and called to live your life for His glory by the power of His grace, 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!