Friday, March 17, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 17 - Compassionate Command
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as You guide my steps in the way that leads to life in You today.  ...
 
"A funeral procession was coming out as (Jesus) approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow's only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. 'Don't cry!' He said. Then He walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. 'Young man,' He said, "I tell you, get up.' Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother" (Luke 7:11-15 NLT).
 
Your heart overflows with compassion for us. And one of the ways You express Your compassion is through Your power. The power of Your compassion, the power of Your love, confronts sin and death, sickness and disease, and all that is less than Your will for our lives.
 
From Your heart of compassion, You speak with authority to command our circumstances to align with Your compassion. And You call us to do the same in the authority of Your name and the power of Your Spirit (Acts 1:8; John 14:12; John 20:21). As the Word of God says:  "Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:22-24).
 
Increase my faith to believe in Your compassion and Your power. Increase my faith to believe Your will to express Your compassion and Your power through us as Your disciples and the sons and daughters of God we are as Your church, just as Your Word commands us:  "Are any among you suffering? They should pray.... Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective" (James 5:13-16).
 
By the power of Your grace, bring my faith into alignment with the Biblical faith Your Word requires:  "So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24). Let me not "shrink back" but press on in my journey to grow in the faith that flows out of Your compassion and love. "But My righteous one will live by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back" (Hebrews 11:38). "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).
 
By the grace of God, I do want to please You. So let Your compassion and power and love flow through me and my prayers today. Through my prayers and my words in the authority of Your name, command the circumstances of my life to come into alignment with Your will (Matthew 6:10). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray the compassion of God flows through your prayers and your words in faith, as He causes the circumstances that touch your life to come into alignment with His will, 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, March 16, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 16 - Restored to a Right Mind
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come fill my heart with Your Spirit and awaken my spirit to Your Word.  ...
 
"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind" (Luke 8:33).
 
When we come to You, Lord Jesus, we see the heart of God who's "mighty to save" (Isaiah 63:1). We see the heart of God who's compassionate to make us whole and persistent to set us free. You clothe us in Your mercy and fill us with Your love. You forgive our sins; You heal our hurts; You break our chains; and You cast away our demons -- restoring us to a "right mind" and renewing us with a right heart (Isaiah 53:4-6, fulfilled in Matthew 8:16-17).
 
Father God, clothe me in Christ today (Galatians 3:27). Fill me afresh with the presence and the power of Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). I pray this for myself, for those I love, and for those entrusted to my care. Let Your kingdom come and Your will be one, here on earth as it is in heaven -- here in our minds, here in our hearts, here in everyone and everything that matters to us today just as it matters to You forever (Matthew 9:35-36). Restored to our "right mind," "we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16).
 
By the power of the grace of God, send forth Your word for our healing and deliver us from every demon and attack from the kingdom of darkness sent for our destruction (Psalm 107:20). Bring us "out of darkness and the shadow of death, and break (our) chains in pieces" (Psalm 107:14 NKJV). Restore us to our right mind and renew us with a right heart, setting us free and making us whole in "spirit and soul and body" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  We believe the promise of Your Word, "The One who calls (us) is faithful, and He will do this" (1 Thessalonians 5:24). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you and those you love are restored and renewed in spirit and soul and body, whole and free, in the power of the grace 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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Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 15 - The Good Shepherd of My Soul
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart and the moments of my day.  ...
 
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; 
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; 
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; 
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever" (Psalm 23 NKJV).
 
You're my Good Shepherd (John 10:11). And You're my Best Friend (John 15:15). You walk with me and You comfort me. You lead me in the paths that are right for me. You quiet my spirit and restore my soul as I rest in You and entrust all things to You. You see me and know me and You are always with me.
 
There's nothing I'll ever have to face alone. And there's nothing I'll ever have to endure that You've not already overcome (Hebrews 4:15). Even in the face of the enemies of my soul who would seek to steal my peace and distract my thoughts from the presence of Your goodness and mercy and love, You anoint me and empower me, You pour out Your abundance for me, and remind me that You are with me all the days of my life. For You are the Good Shepherd of my soul. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you rest secure in your journey with your Good Shepherd 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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Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 14 - God's Throne of Grace
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- You are One and You are holy. And I choose to be wholly Yours, as I begin my day in trusting surrender to Your mercy and love.  ...
 
"Since, then, we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16).
 
Yours is a throne of majesty, but also mercy; a throne of sovereignty, but also salvation; a throne of glory, but also grace. You know everything about me and yet You love me. You know everything I need before I ask, yet invite me to ask because in the asking You're inviting me to humble my heart, to seek Your face, and engage in living relationship with You, my God.
 
And by the power of Your grace, I can come "with boldness" before You because of the boldness of Your sacrifice for me. You suffered for me; You died for me; You dashed Your blood upon the altar of heaven at the mercy seat of God for me (Hebrews 9:11-14). So I will not hold back nor shrink back from the extravagant gift of Your mercy and grace You sacrificed so much for me to have. I will "hold fast to (my) confession" and honor You by embracing all You are and all You've done in Your love for me.
 
I come boldly to Your throne of grace "in (my) time of need." And I need You every hour -- every moment of every day. Apart from You, I can do nothing (John 15:5). And I praise You, O Lord my God, that I never, ever have to be apart from You (Hebrews 13:5). You are with me always (Matthew 28:20). And I'm always welcome, with all boldness, to be with You at Your throne of grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you embrace the fullness of God's love and grace for you every moment of every day, as He abundantly satisfies every need according to His riches in glory, 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, March 13, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 13 - "Heads Held High!"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I need You and welcome You, here in my heart and every moment of my day.  ...
 
"If you follow My decrees and are careful to obey My commands, I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. Your threshing season will overlap with the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land. I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land. In fact, you will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. Five of you will chase a hundred and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword. I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill My covenant with you. You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be My people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high!" (Leviticus 26:3-13 NLT)
 
Your heart is to protect us and empower us, to favor us and fulfill us. You invite us to trust You and obey You, to believe You and embrace You, so that it will go well with us. When we bow our will low in humility, You lift our heads high in honor.
 
We can "walk with (our) heads held high" because You fulfill every law with Your obedience and Your love on our behalf (Isaiah 53:5; Acts 13:38-39; 2 Corinthians 5:17). As You said:  "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished" (Matthew 5:17-18). By the power of Your grace, even when we falter, You never fail; and even when we are faithless, Your faithfulness always prevails (2 Timothy 2:10). "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)
 
"You, O Lord, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the One who holds my head high" (Psalm 3:3 NLT). By the grace of God, I thank You for holding my head high, for Your forgiveness and Your favor, for conquering my fears and defeating the enemies of my soul, to establish me forever in the blessings of Your promises through the provision of Your faithfulness (Galatians 3:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray the Holy Spirit of the living God will fill your heart and hold your head high, as you walk in the forgiveness of Christ and the promises of the Father 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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Friday, March 10, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 10 - Blazing Fire from the Presence of the Lord
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Be King of my heart and Lord of my life in every moment of my day.  ...
 
"'Present these offerings to the Lord because the Lord will appear to you today.' ... So the people presented all these things at the entrance of the Tabernacle, just as Moses had commanded. Then the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord. And Moses said, 'This is what the Lord has commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.'  ... After that, Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. Then, after presenting the sin offering, the burnt offering, the peace offering, he stepped down from the altar. Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. Fire blazed forth from the Lord's presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground" (Leviticus 9:4-24 NLT).
 
Lord, send the fire of Your presence! Let the glory of the Lord appear to us today! Fill our hearts with Your Spirit to shout with joy, even as we humble ourselves to fall face down before You!
 
The sacrifices of the Old Covenant speak to us of Your Sacrifice of the New Covenant. You are our Sacrifice (John 1:29). You are our High Priest (Hebrews 8:1). And You are the Consuming Fire of the Presence of the Lord (Hebrews 12:29). And when we offer to You the sacrifice of our hearts through the trusting surrender of our lives, Your Holy Fire consumes us and the Spirit of Your Joy fills us.
 
Come, Holy Spirit! Light Your revival fire in my heart and in the heart of my "whole community." May we see the glory of Your presence "today!" Let "today" be "the day of salvation" -- the day of Your visitation and forever the day of Your habitation -- here in our hearts, here in our community, here in our land! (2 Corinthians 6:2)  May we be a people who bow before You in our hearts in humility, that we may rise up in our spirits with joy, as Your Fire blazes forth from Your presence to consume the sacrifice of our trusting surrender! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray the blazing Fire from the presence of the Lord consumes you and your community in a fresh revival of His glory today, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
       
     


Friends, please keep us in prayer this weekend as I continue my series on Knowing Our Identity, Fulfilling Our Destiny as the guest preacher at Vineyard Church of San Antonio. May God's consuming Fire of revival fall in your church and your heart and throughout the body and bride of Christ in our day! God bless you!



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, March 09, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 9 - Seated with Christ in the Heavenly Places
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today.  ...
 
"But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved -- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).
 
Lord, what does it mean that I am "seated" with Christ "in the heavenly places?"  ...
 
It seems I hear You speaking in my heart:  "You are in Me and I am in you. Where I am, you will be also. In the heavenly places of My eternal realm, you have overcome because I have overcome. My heavenly realm transcends the earthly realm, and as you allow Me to align your heart with My heart, your will with My will, My kingdom comes and My will is done on earth as it is in heaven -- in this earthly realm as it is in My heavenly realm."  ...
 
Yes, Lord. Teach me more. Help me grasp and embrace more of all You've done for me and all You're doing in me, having "seated" me in Christ "in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:17-23). Help me live into the fullness of all You intended in these "riches of (Your) glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of (Your) power for us who believe, according to the working of (Your) great power" (Ephesians 1:18-19).
 
It's all by Your grace and only in Your grace -- the power of Your grace that frees me to be all You created me to be (Ephesians 2:8). "For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand to be our way of life" (Ephesians 2:10).  In the power of Your grace, let me "lead a life worthy of the calling to which (I) have been called" (Ephesians 4:1). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you grow in the grace of God to more fully grasp and embrace all He has done for you and is doing in you through Christ, 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, March 08, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 8 - "With Great Joy!"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin this day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.   ...
 
"Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to Him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are His before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen" (Jude 24-25 NLT).
 
It's "with great joy" that You bring us into Your presence. And to You alone belong all glory. It's not by our power or righteousness, not by our good works or careful plans, but by Your grace alone.
 
You save us and raise us up to embrace us in the glory of Your presence (Ephesians 2:6). You forgive us and cleanse us from everything between us, so that nothing can separate us from You 
"--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39 NLT).
 
As I contemplate this great truth and allow Your Spirit to wash over me in the water of this Word, I'm struck this morning by Your expression of the joy You take in fulfilling this promise. It's "with great joy!" It's "for the sake of the joy that was set before (You)" that "(You) endured the cross" to bear every sin and break every barrier between us forever -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God (Hebrews 12:2).
 
Fill me with a fresh sense of Your joy today -- "the joy of Your salvation!" (Psalm 51:12). "With great joy" I rejoice in You and embrace this gift of Your glorious presence. "With great joy" I take delight in the One who "delights in (me)" (Isaiah 62:4). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you will be filled afresh with great joy today, knowing the heart of our God who delights in you and takes great joy in your presence with Him through His salvation for you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
       
    

Friends, thank you so much for your prayers for us during our prayer ministers retreat for Rapha God Ministries at Lake LBJ. We were thrilled that Max Lucado and Travis Eades came out to give us words of encouragement and inspiration! We experienced the deep love of God in times of personal intimacy and also community together. I pray the same for you! 

And please keep us in prayer as I finish up my teaching and ministry series of Free to Be Like Jesus! on inner healing prayer ministry tonight at Life in the City United Methodist Church in Austin. We are making plans for a healing prayer weekend conference there in the near future. All will be welcome. God bless you!

 




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, March 02, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 2 - Humility and Honor
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Welcome into my heart and every moment of my day.  ...
 
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him 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 should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV).
 
To have the mind of Christ is to have a heart of humility. You are eternally, fully God. At the same time, You willingly chose to also become fully man. You set aside the glory of heaven to humble Yourself in the likeness of human flesh and blood -- to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins and the example for our lives. And in Your infinite, unfathomable humility, You are eternally honored. Your name is forever exalted.
 
I admit I need more humility. I admit I need to entrust more of my authority to Your authority, to submit more of my will to Your will, to allow You to put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart so that my ways become more like Your ways and my will becomes more like Your will.
 
To "confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" is to confess that You are Lord and I am not, that You are in control and I am entrusting control of my life to You. To humble myself in the humility of Christ is to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. It's believing in my heart and confessing with my mouth You are my Lord and my Savior, that You have the place of lordship and authority in my life, that there is no other name and no other thing that is higher than Your name and Your place in my life (Romans 10:9).
 
Your Word teaches us that "God opposes the proud, but give grace to the humble," inviting us to continually, willingly choose to "submit ourselves therefore to God" that we may embrace "all the more grace" (James 4:6-7). And in that deep heart of humility, being renewed in our minds with the mind of Christ, being transformed in our hearts with the heart of God, You are conforming us into Your image (Romans 12:1-2 and 8:29).
 
You show Your "favor" to the humble that we may "inherit honor" (Proverbs 3:34-35). "A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). And a life fully surrendered and devoted to You is a life You will exalt for the honor of Your name. As Your Word invites us and promises us, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:10). Help me grow in this grace of humility in Christ each day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray the Lord will exalt you for the honor of His name as you humble yourself in His sight and grow in the humility of Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
       
   

Friends, our leaders and prayers ministers of Rapha God Ministries are getting away for a spiritual retreat for the next several days. Our theme will be "You are Loved!" I will probably not be sending out my daily devotional until we return. Please keep us in prayer to be renewed and refreshed, growing in the grace of God in both intimacy and community with Him and one another to more faithfully fulfill our calling and destiny. I pray the same for you! God bless you




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!
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