Morning by Morning, September 15 - Healing Hope in the Times of the "Bread of Adversity" and "Water of Affliction"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit -- You are One God and You are my God. I welcome You into the moments of my day and embrace Your presence to help me walk in Your ways.  ...

 

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (Isaiah 30:18-21).

 

In these devastating days of turmoil and tribulation, many wonder where's God. Many wonder whether we are under the judgment of God or spiritual attack of our enemy. But even under judgment, Your heart is always that we would return to You, to call on Your name, to humble ourselves in Your sight, that You may lift us up. Even if we eat the bread of affliction or drink the water of affliction, You are ready to hear and ready to answer the who looks to You, who waits for You, who returns to You. 

 

Personally or as a people, You're always calling us to turn to You -- if we have sinned, You call us to repent; if we are under siege, You call us to cry out. Regardless of whether we are under judgment or under attack, the answer is the same -- to call on the name of the Lord our God in faith and trust, in repentance and obedience, with hope in our hearts, resting in the promises of Your Word. "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (v. 15). No matter what we endure and no matter why we are enduring it, You will answer the one who turns to You "on the day when the Lord binds up the injuries of His people, and heals the wounds inflicted by His blow" (v. 26). 

 

Lord, let us turn to You today -- in our hearts and on behalf of our land. Rather than the bread of adversity, may we eat of the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Rather than the water of affliction, may we drink deeply from the Water of Life (John 7:38-39). May even adversity and affliction lead to repentance and revival in our hearts and in our land. "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn form 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 pray you would experience the healing hope of Jesus Christ, in returning and rest, as you turn to the Lord and call on His name through whatever adversity or affliction you may ever endure, whether in your heart or in your land, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, I'm joining with you in the agreement of prayer for all who are recovering from these hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, along with every storm and every shaking any of us are facing in our lives or in our land. May hope in our God abound, and may His love and grace be evident to all through His people who are there to pray and to help as the heart and hands of Jesus Christ. God bless you!

We celebrated graduation last night at our School of Ministry Level 1 Prayer Ministry Training, learning and experiencing the Biblical principles for hope and healing through prayer ministry. Thank you for your prayers for us. We'll begin Level 2 on practical prayer ministry in a couple of weeks. Our books and DVDs are available as well:  RaphaGodMinistries.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, September 14 - No Need for Troubled Hearts Here

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

"The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:26-27 NKJV). 

Thank You for Your Holy Spirit -- the One who comes from our Father in the power and the presence of Your name to help us and comfort us and remind us that You're always with us. You never leave us nor forsake us, so we never have to be afraid. You keep filling us with Your peace, and Your perfect love keeps casting out all fear (1 John 4:18).  

There's no need for troubled hearts here -- here in Your peace, here in Your presence, here in the so-slip grip of Your grace. I'm reminded of what David came to know in his life-long journey with You through every hardship and injustice, through every heart-breaking disappointment -- whether in himself or the world around him or even in You at times. Through it all, his heart continued to turn to You in trusting faith and the steadfast peace that only You can provide, saying for all to hear throughout all generations, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.... 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" (Psalm 23:1-4 NKJV). 

Lord, through it all, let it be so. Let it be well with my soul, as You keep me close and steady in Your peace. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV). There's no need for troubled hearts here. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray your heart is not troubled through whatever valley or struggle you or those you love may be going through, as you keep trusting in the One who is always with you with His peace and comfort and help, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, I'm joining with you in the agreement of prayer for all who are recovering from these hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, along with every storm and every shaking any of us are facing in our lives or in our land. May hope in our God abound, and may His love and grace be evident to all through His people who are there to pray and to help as the heart and hands of Jesus Christ. God bless you!

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, September 13 - "Unprecedented"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Make me more like You today.  ...

 

"For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news of Christ. Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, 'Those who have never been told of Him shall see, and those who have never heard of Him shall understand'" (Romans 15:18-21).

 

As I listen for the leading of Your Spirit this morning, I hear in my heart the word "Unprecedented."  ...

 

Lord, what are You speaking to me and to Your church?  ...

 

I believe I hear You saying in my heart, "These are unprecedented times. These are times -- now and in the days to come -- like nothing ever seen or heard. And though the struggles around you and the struggles within you may be unprecedented, so are the opportunities. These are unprecedented times full of unprecedented opportunities to share the love of God in Jesus Christ -- "by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God." Fully proclaim the good news of My grace. Hearts are open to hear My hope and receive My love by the power of My grace."  ...

 

Yes, Lord. May we be ambassadors of hope, by our words and by our deeds, reaching out to the hurting and the lost in every way You would express Your hope through us as the body of Christ, fully proclaiming the good news of Christ, everywhere we are and in every opportunity we have. Let those who have never been told of You come to see You; and let those who have never heard of You come to understand You -- that You are God and You are love and You are here. Let there be a great harvest of the kingdom of God, now and in the days to come, like nothing ever seen or heard, in these unprecedented times (Matthew 13:39). 

 

"And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). Lord, let it be so -- here in my heart, here in my land, and to the ends of the earth in our generation. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you would experience the unprecedented power of God's Spirit moving in your heart and through your life to display the love and grace of God and the good news of Christ in these unprecedented times, that we may see an unprecedented harvest of God's kingdom in our generation, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, I'm joining with you in the agreement of prayer for all who are recovering from these hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, along with every storm and every shaking any of us are facing in our lives or in our land. May hope in our God abound, and may His love and grace may be evident to all through His people who are there to pray and to help as the heart and hands of Jesus Christ. God bless you!

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, September 12 -  From Humility to Hope

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my eyes up to the hills -- up to You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- for You are my Help and my Hope.  ...

 

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:8-10 NKJV).

 

As we battle the storms, as we struggle to survive, as we press on and persevere, You remind us to draw near to You. You remind us to humble ourselves before You, so You can lift us up. You remind us to remember You. Because apart from You, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

 

To humble ourselves is to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. It's the opposite of pride, which says I can do all things in my power, in my wisdom, with my resources. Pride says, "I will survive; I will thrive; I will restore; I will rebuild -- all in my way, all I as I will, all by myself." Humility says, "I need You, Lord; I'm desperate for You; apart from You, I can do nothing; and I praise You, that I never have to be apart from You, for You are my Help and my Hope."

 

Pride, in this sense, is an unholy independence from You, manifested in rebellion from Your presence and rejection of Your ways. But humility, in this sense, is a healthy, reverential fear of the Lord to honor You, embrace You, and desperately depend upon You to be our provision and protection, our loving Father who always knows what's best and who is always near and always ready to help through whatever we endure. So Lord, slay our pride and give us humble hearts, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6 NKJV).

 

It's a heart of humility that will fill our hearts with hope. And hope is what we need. Hope in You alone is what we need. And hope is what we will have if we humble our hearts to hope in You. "Now may the God of hope fill (us) with all joy and peace in believing, that (we) may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13 NKJV). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, as you humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, willingly choosing to be desperately dependent upon Him alone, allowing Him to lift you up and bring you through whatever you're enduring, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, I'm joining with you in the agreement of prayer for all who are recovering from these hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, along with every storm and every shaking any of us are facing in our lives or in our land. May hope in our God abound, and may His love and grace may be evident to all through His people who are there to pray and to help as the heart and hands of Jesus Christ. God bless you!

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, September 7 - Hearts Filled with Faith, Mouths Filled with Praise Through It All

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Make me more like You today.  ...

 

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

 

This morning when I looked to see what happened last night with Hurricane Irma, marching through the Caribbean on its way to Florida, the first thing I saw was the proclamation of prayer and praise from the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello. He was boldly declaring to the world for all to hear, "We would like to start out thanking the Almighty! Our prayers were answered!" The storms came but Your people were not overcome.

 

Yes, Lord! Praise You, Lord! In the midst of the storm, we join with all who are choosing to keep turning to You and calling on Your name to be our Hope and Help through whatever comes -- rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, giving thanks to the Almighty in all circumstances. This steadfast spirit of unquenchable hope and persevering faith is "the will of God in Christ Jesus" for all who trust You to be with us through it all (v. 18).

 

This is the buoyant hope, bound together with fearless faith, that inspires us and empowers us to overcome no matter what challenges we face in this broken, fallen world that's not yet redeemed and restored. As You said, "In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33 NKJV)  

 

Just as Your Word reminds us, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I Am the Lord your God.... You are precious in My sight, and honored, and I love you" (Isaiah 43:1-4). May Your Spirit keep filling our hearts with faith and our mouths with praise, thanking You for being with us through whatever comes and all You empower us to overcome. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray that by the power of God's grace your heart is filled with faith and your mouth is filled with praise through every storm you ever endure -- rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, giving thanks in every circumstance, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, I'm joining with you in the agreement of prayer for all who are recovering from Hurricane Harvey and facing Hurricane Irma for God's protection and provision, and that His love and grace may be evident to all through His people who are there to pray and to help as the heart and hands of Jesus Christ. God bless you!

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, September 6 - Praying in Faith Against "The Prince of the Power of the Air"

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice and wait for Your leading.  ... 

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among who also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:1-7 NKJV).

There is a so-called "prince of the power of the air" who is a "spirit" -- an evil and destructive spirit (Ephesians 2:2). It's the same spirit who is "the thief" who "comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). It's the same spirit You called "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31). And it's the spirit of destruction and death at work in our world, seeking to destroy and defile Your creation by every means possible and at every opportunity available. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now" longing to be "set free from its bondage to decay" (Romans 8:19-23). 

So when I see on the news there's another storm called Hurricane Irma churning across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Caribbean, on its with to the southeastern coast of America, with Your creation and Your children in the path of its destruction, I don't think of an angry God hurling another fireball from hell against His own creation. I think of "the prince of the power of the air." I think of "the thief who comes to steal and kill and to destroy." And I turn my heart and my prayers and my hope to the One who says "I came that (you) may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). I turn to the One who is "rich in mercy," who reaches out to us -- even in our sins, even in the places our destructive, accusing enemy of our souls and of Your creation claims we have opened the door to destruction in our hearts or in our land throughout our generations -- and invites us to call on Your name in our distress (Ephesians 2:4). 

O God, hear our prayer. Crush "the prince of the power of the air." Grant us mercy in the face of its destruction. Speak to the wind and the waves to be silent and still. Dissipate the detour this storm to empty it of its destructive force. Stir in the hearts and prayers and proclamations of Your people who are called by Your name to take a stand in faith to speak to this mountain of destruction, even as we humble ourselves to be desperately dependent upon You alone (Mark 11:23).  

And as You bring us through no matter what we may endure, as we groan with all Your creation for the redemption of our broken, fallen world, may we continue to turn to You to be our Hope and our Help. "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:7). May You continue to fulfill Your Word through these unprecedented days of what seems like unrelenting catastrophe:  "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with (us)" (Romans 16:20). In Jesus' name we pray.

 

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

I pray in faith in agreement with you that our God who is rich in mercy will give faith and grace to all who in the path of Hurricane Irma to endure and overcome this "prince of the power of the air" and its destructive forces, in Jesus' name. And I join with you in prayer that lives would be restored in the coastal region of Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, and that all who are suffering in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and these storms of this season would experience the protection and provision of our God, in Jesus' name! May the presence of God in His mercy and love and through His people be evident in the midst of it all. 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, September 5 - Turning Hurricane Harvey into a Harvest of the Kingdom

 

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

 

"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples" (John 13:35 NLT).

 

Several of us from our ministry went to the Red Cross disaster response training this weekend to help with the victims from Hurricane Harvey. Since the local Red Cross facility was being overwhelmed with what they called "the Texas-sized" response of people wanting to help, they held the training in the sanctuary of the one of the biggest churches in San Antonio. It was a beautiful sight to see thousands from across our city -- crossing all the cultural, racial, and denominational barriers -- come together as one to help.

 

All across Texas, we see hearts opening up and walls coming down. And the body of Christ is in the midst of it all to be the hands and heart of Jesus, right alongside our neighbors who may not yet share our faith but who share God's heart of compassion and mercy and love.  True unity comes from the Holy Spirit -- "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). 

 

In that unity of the Spirit -- with the walls that would divide us being swept away in a hurricane of love no less devastating to the kingdom of darkness than this hurricane that devastated the coastline of Texas -- all the world is watching us and our response. And may they see the heart of Jesus in the midst of it all. May they know we are Christians by our love. And as they see the unity of the Spirit rising up in our hearts silencing the storms of racism and hatred that were brewing in our land, may there be a great harvest of the kingdom that comes out of this hurricane of destruction. 

 

The witness of oneness is a witness to the world that the Father sent His Son to save us all. As You modeled the unity of the Spirit on the earth and prayed to Father for us all, "I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are One ... so that the world will believe You sent Me.... May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me" (John 17:21-23 NLT). In this way and in so many more, You are redeeming this storm and turning Hurricane Harvey into a great harvest of the kingdom  (Matthew 13:39). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray in agreement with you that the Holy Spirit will continue to unite us and love through us, as God redeems this storm to turn Hurricane Harvey into a great harvest of the kingdom, in Jesus' name. I join with you in prayer for that lives would be restored in this coastal region of Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, and that all who are suffering in the wake of this storm would experience the protection and provision of our God, in Jesus' name! May the presence of God in His mercy and love and through His people be evident in the midst of it all. God bless you, my friend!

Our Prayers are with all the people of this region of Texas, Louisiana, and all who are enduring this storm and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

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!