Morning by Morning&#8212;Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays

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, June 19, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 19 - Living More Fully into the "Now" of My Salvation

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice, my Good Shepherd. ...

"As we work together with Him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For He says, 'At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.' See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!" (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

Teach me how to live more fully into the "now" of my salvation and inro the "now" of time. Help me "see" and believe and embrace that "now is the acceptable time" and "now is the day of salvation."

If I'm focusing too muchon my past -- whether my past failures or my past successes -- I'm not fully living into the "now" of my salvation. If I'm focusing too muchon my future -- whether the fears of what is to come or the anticipation of what I hope to come -- I'm not fully living into the "now" of my salvation.

Of course, there of things of my past that make me who I am and give me a testimony of Your grace in my life, but I'm not to undulydwell on my past. And of course, there are things yet to come where I do need to plan and anticipate and even dream about with expectant faith, but I'm not to undulydwell on my future either. If I do, I'm in danger of missing out on all that You have for me "now" and all that You have for those to be influenced by You through my life "now."

Fully living into the "now" of my salvation is fully embracing "today" -- each day as it comes, one day at a time. As Your Word says, "Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today' ... 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion" (Hebrews 3:13-15). Just as You sent the manna to Your people in the wilderness, so You send Your Word and Your Spirit and Your opportunities for us to learn to more fully love and more fully live into Your will for us each day. "Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed" (Exodus 16:21).

Yes, Your promises are Yes and Amen today and every day forever (2 Corinthians 1:20). And Yes, You provide all that I need by the power of Your grace for me to fully live into all You've ordained for me each day, while it is still called "Today" in the "now" of my salvation. "Today (I) have obtained the Lord's agreement: to be (my) God; and for (me) to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, and His ordinances, and to obey Him. Today the Lord has obtained (my) agreement: to be (part of) His treasured people, as He promised (me), and to keep His commandments: for Him to set (me) high above all nations that He has made in praise and in fame and in honor; and for (me) to be (part of) a people holy to the Lord (my) God, as He promised" (Deuteronomy 26:17-19).

Lord, I thank You for my past and for my future, for all You've done and all You're going to do. And at the same time, I thank You for the power of Your grace to more fully live into the "now" of my salvation today -- not missing out on anything You have for me by overlydwelling on the my past or my future, but living fully "alive in Christ" each day (1 Corinthians 15:22). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you live more fully into the "now" of your salvation each day in the power God's grace at work and alive in you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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, June 18, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 18 - Dedication, Dependence, and Discernment

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- I draw near to You in my prayers as You draw to me in Your presence. ...

"And the Lord took note of Hannah; she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.... Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.... Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant is listening'" (1 Samuel 2:21-3:10).

Samuel's mother dedicated him and all the days of his life to You. And dedication grew into dependence and discernment. As he grew in stature, he grew in favor. As he grew in favor, he grew in the intimacy of his relationship with You and his dependence upon You until he was able to discern Your voice beyond anyone else's. Then from that place of intimacy and discernment and dependence, You empowered him for ministry. "As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Fan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord" (1 Samuel 3:19-20).

Father God, I thank You for a mother who dedicated me to You and I thank You for all who have loved me and prayed for me to grow in spiritual stature from dedication to dependence and discernment and favor and intimacy and ministry. Help me keep growing. Help me "grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). Help me never stop growing in "the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).

As best as I can and all by Your grace, in humility and faith, I willingly choose to dedicate my life completely to You, in desperate dependence upon You alone. I surrender all. Apart from You, I can do nothing (John 15:5). But in the intimacy and favor of God growing in me -- as I daily abide in You and You abide in me -- I embrace the promise of Your Word that my life will "bear much fruit" (John 15:1-5). Thank You for the promise of Your Word: "I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you keep growing in spiritual stature by the grace of God at work in you in dedication, dependence, and discernment, that your life will bear much fruit to the glory of God so that your joy may be made complete, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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, June 15, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 15 - "Well Known to God"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my heart and every moment of my day. ...

"Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences.... For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And He died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for them" (2 Corinthians 5:11-15).

We are "well known to God." And You know well the plans You have for me and each one of Your children (Jeremiah 29:11). ...

My Father, You know all about me. You've created me and saved me. You've loved me and corrected me. You've called me and anointed me, encouraged me and inspired me, equipped me and empowered me. You always go before me and You're always with me. You know every hair on my head and every hurt in my heart. You know every step that I'll take and every misstep I've taken. And yet You love me with "an everlasting love" (Isaiah 54:8).

The Bible says there came a time when "the Lord was sorry that He had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart" (Genesis 6:6). I know I've grieved You to Your heart at times. I wonder if You were ever sorry You made me. ...

But even as I write those words here in my journal, I immediately hear You speaking to my heart. It seems I hear You saying: "No, My son. I chose to create you and never forsake you, even as I have chosen each one of My children. You are created in My image, but destined to struggle through your issues on your spiritual journey to maturity in Me. When you stumble and fall, when you falter or fail, I still love you and help you and even cause you to become more desperately dependent upon Me so that I can display My glory more completely through you. This is My way. This is My will -- that My children learn to trust Me and love Me and know My love for them on their journey to learn to love in the time they have on this earth."

Yes, Lord. "For this is the will of God, (my) sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). You desire that I would "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (my) mind, so that (I) may discern what is the will of God -- what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2).

Though humankind grieved You, at the same time "Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8). And by the power of Your grace through sacrifice of Christ, we are Your children who find favor in Your sight, despite all our sins and failures and all that grieves Your heart with us. "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given us this ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us" (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). In Christ, we are the message -- through our changes hearts and changed lives by the power of the grace of God at work within us! "So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making Hi appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20).

You want to bring me to the place here in my heart and soul where I am free to no longer live for myself, but live for You (2 Corinthians 5:15). And in living for You and allowing You to live in me, I am becoming more like You. "Anyone united to the Lord becomes one Spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17). This is the way of life and the will of God You've chosen for me and every one of us. "God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9). "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). Lord, in desperate dependence upon You alone -- upon the One who knows me well -- make me more like You today, as I learn to love more like You today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you know how much God loves you and longs to live through you, making you more like Jesus as you learn to love more like Him each day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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!

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 14 - Loyalty and Love - "The Bride has Made Herself Ready!"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit. Be One within me and make me more like You today. ...

"I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go" (Song of Songs 3:4). "Let us rejoice and be glad ... His bride has made herself ready! (Revelation 10:7)

We just returned from my oldest daughter's wedding. I had the great joy of walking her down the aisle and the great honor of leading her and her beloved in their wedding vows. I believe You led me to share and pray from this passionate, romantic love story in the heart of the Bible from the Song of Songs. Truly Elizabeth and Sergey found the one their soul loves. They found love and Love found them. And from the first flicker of a flame in their high school romance a dozen years ago, "with one glance of (her) eyes" she had "ravished (his) heart!" and his heart never stopped burning for her (v. 4:9).

They wanted a simple but spiritual wedding at her aunt and uncle's mountain home in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, with mostly family and a few of their closest friends to mark and seal this sacred moment. And at times the emotions of their hearts almost overwhelmed the capacity of their voices to speak the solemn words of loyalty and love. But with pure hearts, surrendered to God and one another, they entrusted themselves to the sacred journey of learning to "love one another deeply from the heart" all the days of their lives (1 Peter 1:22).

Their covenant of love is to be a picture of Your covenant of love with us and ours with You (Ephesians 5:32). It's to be an "everlasting covenant" sealed by the promises and empowered by the grace of our "everlasting God" (Genesis 9:16; Isaiah 40:28). You are our Bridegroom and we are Your bride (Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 22:17). And just as we celebrated the joy of this beautiful bride and her bridegroom, we long for the day all heaven and earth will proclaim, "Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb has come, His bride has made herself ready!" (Revelation 19:7 NAB) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you know in your heart that with one glance of your eyes you ravish the heart of your Beloved and He loves you with an everlasting love, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, please join with us in your prayers for Elizabeth and Sergey Shutt as they begin their journey of loyalty and love together as husband and wife!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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, June 05, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 5 - The Treasure of "Infinite Value"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of all I am and all I do. ...

"I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with Himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead.... Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things" (Philippians 3:7-15 NLT).

Come, Holy Spirit. Bring me to the place in my heart where knowing Christ is the most important thing in my life. Bring me to the place in my heart where I see every struggle of suffering, every disappointment or delay, every failure when I stumble or fall, everything I experience during this small sliver of time of my journey while I'm on this earth in the flesh, as a opportunity to grow in spiritual maturity to become "one with (Christ)."

Let this be the treasure I seek above all else. This is the treasure of "infinite value" - "the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." I admit, I'm not there yet. Like the apostle Paul, "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things... but I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.... I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling (me)" (Philippians 3:12-14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray the Holy Spirit stirs in your spirit to pursue the treasure of infinity -- knowing Jesus and experiencing His Presence and power in your life as you are becoming one with Him, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

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, June 01, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 1 - My Lamp Full of Oil with a Burning Flame

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good Shepherd, I'm listening. ...

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps" (Matthew 25:1-4).

My Father God, I thank You for Your Word. "Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). And I thank You for the oil of Your Spirit, the Anointing of the Presence of God. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1-2). With Your Word and Your Spirit in our hearts, we are the body of Christ here in our world. "It is God who establishes with (one another) in Christ and has anointed us, by putting His seal on us and giving us His Spirit in our hearts as a first installment" (2 Corinthians 1:21).

And at the same time, I want to be wise with all You've entrusted to me. I don't want to settle for the level oil of Your Holy Spirit I began with in my lamp of Your Word in my heart. I want more -- more of You, more of Your Spirit, more of Your Presence, more of Your heart, more of Your nature, more of Your anointing of Your power and Your love flowing more freely through my life. I want to be being filled with Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). I want "a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over!" (Luke 6:38)

So keep making me hungry and thirsty for more. Thank You for the promise of Your Word: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). I want to be one who is filled -- filled up and ready for Your coming, ready to embrace You with my lamp full and my flame burning (Matthew 25:10). May You "fan into flame" the Gift of God within me (2 Timothy 1:6).

One day You'll come again in Your glory in the clouds (1Thessalonians 4:16; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16). And at the same time, I hunger and thirst for You to come in Your glory here in my heart right now and every moment between this day and that day to come. "Christ in (me), the hope of glory!" (Colossians 1:27) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray your lamp is full with a burning flame, with God's Word and God's Spirit, flowing freeing in you and through you, always hungering and thirsting for more, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257