Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Morning by Morning, April 4 - Determined for Destiny
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice, for Your sheep hear Your voice and follow You (John 10:3).  ...
 
"From that time on, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to You.' But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things'" (Matthew 16:21-23).
 
You were determined to fulfill Your destiny. Even the anticipation of rejection, betrayal, and abuse could not dissuade You or distract You. Even the seemingly encouraging rebuke of love from an assuring friend and faithful disciple could not redirect Your steps, confuse Your thoughts, or alter Your course. You had set Your face like flint to go to Jerusalem and fulfill all righteousness with the holy sacrifice of Your holy life for all of us (Isaiah 50:7 fulfilled in Luke 9:51).
 
All along the way, You had the freedom to say "No," but continued to say "Yes" -- "Yes" to the will and the way of God, "Yes" to Your identity and Your destiny (Luke 22:42). And all along the way, it was necessary to have Your mind set on divine things, not human things, to "set Your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2).
 
Peter thought he knew best. He even "took (You) aside and began to rebuke (You)" (Matthews 16:22). Wow, what chutzpah! But how many times have I done the same -- maybe not as directly, maybe a little more passively-aggressively, but with just as much insistence on the things and the ways of this world, instead of the things and the ways of God, nonetheless.
 
But You were resolute. Give me grace to do the same -- humility to seek the will of my Father, the faith to believe it's always God's best from heaven's perspective even if it doesn't look like it from earth's perspective, and the courage to obey. "For (I) died, and (my) life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Give me grace to be determined for destiny, as I seek to walk "in (Your) steps" (1 Peter 2:21). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you will be empowered by the grace of God with humility, faith, and courage to be determined in the destiny our Father has for your life, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 


Please keep us in prayer for the First Wednesday Service of Worship and Prayer for Healing at Oak Hills Church, Crownridge Campus in San Antonio this coming Wednesday Night, April 5 at 7pm. I'm excited to be sharing a message of hope and healing. Come join us! 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, April 03, 2017

Morning by Morning, April 3 - We Don't Always Understand, but We Can Always Trust
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart, in my thoughts, in every area of my life and every moment of my day.  ...
 
"They went on from there and passed through Galilee. (Jesus) did not want anyone to know it; for He was teaching His disciples, saying to them, 'The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill Him, and three days after being killed, He will rise again.' But they did not understand what He was saying and were afraid to ask Him" (Mark 9:30-32).
 
You were trying to teach Your disciples, but they didn't always understand. And though You were always with them and always available to them to answer the questions on their minds and speak to the needs of their hearts, sometimes they still found themselves too timid to ask and maybe even a little afraid of hearing the truth. So many times, we're just the same.
 
You understand that we don't always understand and Your Word inspires faith that steadies our fears and helps us trust in Your ways. You invite us, "Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to Me; listen, so that you may live.... Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near... For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:2-9). We don't always understand, but we can always trust (Isaiah 26:4).
 
In the thoughts and ways of God that are so much higher and wiser than we could ever imagine, You turned death into life, brought victory from what seemed like certain defeat, and everlasting honor from rejection and shame. So give me faith to trust in You and Your ways when I don't understand and when I still struggle with doubt. You are the God who is sovereign over all, "declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill My intention.... I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have planned, and I will do it'" (Isaiah 46:10-11). Yes, You are; and yes, You will. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you will confident in the One who is worthy of your trust, even when you don't understand, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!



Friends, thank you so much for your prayers for us at the "Glory to Glory" Healing Conference hosted by Voice of Joy Ministries at the Francis Asbury Society Headquarters in Wilmore, Kentucky last weekend. We experienced the healing love of God in so many ways in the deep presence of the Lord.

Please keep us in prayer for the First Wednesday Service of Worship and Healing at Oak Hills Church, Crownridge Campus in San Antonio this coming Wednesday Night at 7pm. I'm excited to be sharing a message of hope and healing. Come join us! 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 29 - Holy Spirit, Speak to Me
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, filled with the Spirit -- I seek Your face and listen for Your voice as I begin my day in worship and prayer.  ...
 
"The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us" (Acts 11:12).
 
Holy Spirit, speak to me, I pray. You spoke with specificity to Peter. He "heard a voice" speaking to him and recognized it as Your voice (v. 7). You led him "step by step" to speak and to act according to Your will through Your leading (v. 4).
 
Lead me, Lord. I need Your wisdom, Your guidance. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Let me hear and recognize Your voice. Then give me the grace to trust You and the humility to obey You, knowing that You know what's best, knowing You always desire Your very best for me (Luke 11:13). "How much more will (my) Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him" (Matthew 7:11).
 
I want to receive every good thing You have for me. I want to follow You step by step. "And when (I) turn to the right or when (I) turn to the left, (my) ears shall hear a word behind (me), saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (Isaiah 30:19). Just as Peter was a child of God, a disciple of Christ, filled with the Spirit, seeking to hear Your voice and follow Your leading, so am I. So I'm trusting You to speak to me and lead me in the way "that leads to life" -- today and every day (Acts 11:18). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you hear the voice of the Spirit speaking to you and leading you in the way that leads to life, filled with every good thing your Father has for you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!



Friends, please come join us and spread the word for our "Glory to Glory" Healing Conference hosted by Voice of Joy Ministries at the Francis Asbury Society Headquarters in Wilmore, Kentucky March 31-April 1st. I'm excited to be sharing a message and ministry time along with one of my mentors in ministry, Dr. Steve Seamands of Asbury Seminary, as well as Jeff Rogers of Wellspring Prayer Center, Chris Dunagan, and Pastor Amy Barkman.

Attendance is Free, but please Register for the Conference:


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!

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 28 - Powerful Proof of the Presence of God
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I return to my morning place of prayer, I return to my first love. I love You, Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- and welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day.  ...
 
"God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us" (1 John 4:13 NLT).
 
Holy Spirit of God -- when I sense Your presence welling up inside of me, when I experience Your anointing flowing through me, when I know deep down in my soul that I am not alone, that I am deeply loved, that I'm a child of God created for His pleasure and for His glory, You are my proof -- powerful proof -- that I live in God and God lives in me. "The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in (me). And just as God raised Jesus from the dead, He will give life to (my) mortal body by this same Spirit living within (me).... For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.... For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children" (Romans 8:11-16 NLT).
 
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill me afresh today (Ephesians 5:18). Remind me of who I am, of Whose I am today. Let me live out this day in the full awareness of Your ever-abiding presence leading me, empowering me, and always assuring me I am a child of God. In Jesus' name pray. Amen.

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


I pray you experience and embrace the powerful proof of the presence of God through a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit in your heart today, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!



Friends, please come join us and spread the word for our "Glory to Glory" Healing Conference hosted by Voice of Joy Ministries at the Francis Asbury Society Headquarters in Wilmore, Kentucky March 31-April 1st. I'm excited to be sharing a message and ministry time along with one of my mentors in ministry, Dr. Steve Seamands of Asbury Seminary, as well as Jeff Rogers of Wellspring Prayer Center, Chris Dunagan, and Pastor Amy Barkman.

Attendance is Free, but please Register for the Conference:


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!

Monday, March 27, 2017

Glory to Glory Healing Conference March 31-April 1 in Lexington, KY Are

Please join us for our "Glory to Glory" Healing Conference 
hosted by Voice of Joy Ministries at the Francis Asbury Society headquarters in Wilmore, Kentucky, south of Lexington.

I'll be teaching and ministering with 
Dr. Steve Seamands of Asbury Seminary, Jeff Rogers of Wellspring Prayer Center, Chris Dunagan, and Pastor Amy Barkman 
of Voice of Joy Ministries

Registration is free but please let Pastor Amy know if you may be attending with an email to her at  amyb_love@att.net or

Please Come and Spread the Word!



God bless you,
Tommy Hays

Founder | Messiah Ministries
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

Morning by Morning, March 27 - Resilient, Indestructible, Uncontainable
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day well, as I choose to start it with You.  ...
 
"Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.... We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.... That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day" (2 Corinthians 4:1-16 NLT).
 
With Your Spirit renewing me every day, my faith is resilient. With Your grace empowering me to see with Your eyes and love with Your heart and walk in Your ways, my hope is indestructible. With Your Word sown into my spirit, establishing me in the confidence of Your truth and the assurance of Your presence, my love in uncontainable. These "three things will last forever -- faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT). "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance" (1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT).
 
You are Love (1 John 4:8). And You've filled me with Your Spirit -- the Spirit of the power of Your love (1 John 4:16). It's that love that's renewed every day, through every circumstance, even growing stronger through every battle, which just becomes another opportunity to grow in the grace of Your love. That's the heart, the heart of love, that never gives up, no matter what -- resilient, indestructible, uncontainable. That's the heart You've given me and all who seek to follow You (1 John 4:17). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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



I pray you experience the power of God's love flowing through you today in every circumstance -- resident, indestructible, and uncontainable, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!



Friends, please come join us and spread the word for our "Glory to Glory" Healing Conference hosted by Voice of Joy Ministries at the Francis Asbury Society Headquarters in Wilmore, Kentucky March 31-April 1st. I'm excited to be sharing a message and ministry time along with one of my mentors in ministry, Dr. Steve Seamands of Asbury Seminary, as well as Jeff Rogers of Wellspring Prayer Center, Chris Dunagan, and Pastor Amy Barkman.

Attendance is Free, but please Register for the Conference:


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!

Friday, March 24, 2017

Glory to Glory Healing Conference- March 31- April 1, 2016 Lexington, KY Area

Please join us for our "Glory to Glory" Healing Conference 
hosted by Voice of Joy Ministries at the Francis Asbury Society headquarters in Wilmore, Kentucky, south of Lexington.

I'll be teaching and ministering with 
Dr. Steve Seamands of Asbury Seminary, Jeff Rogers of Wellspring Prayer Center, Chris Dunagan, and Pastor Amy Barkman 
of Voice of Joy Ministries

Registration is free but please let Pastor Amy know if you may be attending with an email to her at  amyb_love@att.net or

Please Come and Spread the Word!



God bless you,
Tommy Hays

Founder | Messiah Ministries
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

 
   
Morning by Morning, March 24 - "From Glory to Glory"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the right paths of Your plans for my life today.  ...
 
"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NKJV).
 
Come, Holy Spirit -- "the Spirit of the Lord." Unveil my face; open my heart. Let me behold the glory of the Lord; let me see You clearly as You are, Lord God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- in the glory of Your manifest Presence.
 
You are with me. And You are forever, consistently changing me into Your image "from glory to glory" as I seek Your face and behold Your glory. You're taking my heart and forming it, taking my will and conforming it, taking my mind and transforming it. You're making me more like You each day (Romans 8:29).
 
Let there be no veil that would distort my vision of who You are or who You've created me to be. You're a good Father; You're a merciful Savior; You're an ever-abiding, ever-comforting, ever-empowering Presence in my life every moment of every day. Remove every veil of doubt or discouragement, of confusion or compromise, of fears of rejection or feelings of regret, of sorrow or shame, and everything less than all You desire for me in Your purpose and plan for my life in my loving, trusting relationship with You.
 
In the Presence of Your Spirit, "there is liberty" -- there is freedom from every blinder and barrier that would seek to separate me from You. "When one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (2 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV). So by the power of Your grace, I turn to You; I behold You; I embrace You. And I ask You to keep changing me into Your image "from glory to glory." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you are transformed into the image of the Lord our God from glory to glory every day, as you behold the glory of the Lord, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!



Friends, please come join us and spread the word for our "Glory to Glory" Conference hosted by Voice of Joy Ministries at the Francis Asbury Society Headquarters in Wilmore, Kentucky March 31-April 1st. I'm excited to be sharing a message and ministry time along with one of my mentors in ministry, Dr. Steve Seamands, as well as Jeff Rogers, Chris Dunagan, and Amy Barkman.

Attendance is Free, but please Register for the Conference:


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!

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Morning by Morning, March 22 - Never Abandoned by Joy
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of my life, be Lord of every moment of my day.  ...
 
"How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
and my enemy will say, 'I have prevailed';
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
But I trusted in Your steadfast love;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because He has dealt bountifully with me" (Psalm 13).
 
I received word that a dear friend of years past and fellow-laborer in the cause of Christ has passed on into the fullness of Your presence. She's now run her race and finished her course and received her reward. I thank You for the life of Susan Joy Lewis. And I honor the Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of Your joy that lived in her heart all the days of her life.
 
Truly, she trusted in Your steadfast love through her final breath and her heart rejoices in Your salvation. She's singing for joy because You have dealt bountifully with her. Not a moment of "this slight momentary affliction" of her faithful journey through this broken and fallen world is worth comparing to the "eternal weight of glory beyond all measure" that she is now experiencing with You, "face to face" (2 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 13:12). 
 
Thank You for every moment that Your joy was her strength and every moment she shared her joy in You with me and so many (Nehemiah 8:10). Now her joy has been made complete (John 15:11).
 
Thank You that we can express our struggles and disappointments with You. We never have to suffer in silence or struggle alone. You're with us and You listen to us and You love us. You fight for us in ways we don't always see and move mightily through in our lives in ways we don't always know. But our suffering and struggles will not have the last word, for even "death has been swallowed up in victory" in You -- "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:57)  In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray the joy of the Lord will be your strength through every battle and struggle, rejoicing in His salvation and abounding in His love, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. Please join with me in holding the family of Susan Joy Lewis in your hearts and prayers, as they both celebrate her homecoming to heaven but also mourn her absence here on earth. God bless you, my friend!

 
Joy of the Lord Painting by Greg Olsen


Friends, please keep us in prayer as I finish my 
teaching series on inner healing prayer ministry at 
Life in the City United Methodist Church in Austin tonight. God bless you and move mightily through you and your church.


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!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Morning  by Morning, March 21 - "The Soul that Seeks Him"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, I want to begin my day deeply connected with You, O Lord my God.  ...
 
"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:25).
 
Lord, I seek You. I watch and wait for You. I desperately need You and want to live each day completely trusting You, resting in You, and walking with You. 
 
Thank You for the promise and encouragement of Your Word, "If you seek Him, He will be found by you" (1 Chronicles 28:9). You are the God who "rewards those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). "They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob" (Psalm 24:5-6).
 
Help me grow in this grace of seeking You, Lord. What is it to "seek" You?  ...
 
It seems I hear You saying in my heart:  "To seek Me is to pursue Me, to actively desire to encounter Me, opening your heart and your mind to Me to expectantly interact with Me in personal, living relationship with Me."
 
Yes, Lord. I want to "seek" You more. I want to expectantly interact with you more. Increase that desire within me, I pray. "Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven" (Lamentations 3:41). 
 
"Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:24). How much more can I, with Your very Spirit abiding here in my heart, every moment of every day? (Romans 8:9) Let me be one who seeks You and pursues You, actively desiring to encounter You, opening my heart and my mind to You, expectantly yearning to interact with You in a personal, living relationship that grows deeper each day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


I pray you will be stirred in your spirit to seek our God and encounter Him more deeply each day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. May you receive the fullness of every reward He has for those who seek Him. 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!