Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Morning by Morning, August 15 - "Prepare the Way of the Lord" in My Heart
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the way that leads to the fullness of life in You today -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.  ...
 
"As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, 'See, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.' ... (John, the messenger) proclaimed, 'The One who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I have baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:2-8).
 
Lord Jesus, baptize me with the Holy Spirit -- this day and every day. Fill me afresh, saturate and soak me anew, through and through, overflowing with "rivers of living water" (John 7:38).
 
Come, Holy Spirit. Prepare the way of the Lord in my heart. Make the crooked places of sin straight; bring down the high places of my pride; and lift up the low places of seeing myself as anything less than the child of God I am in Christ. Fulfill Your Word in my heart:  "Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed" (Isaiah 40:3; Luke 3:5).
 
Father God, what can I do to position myself to prepare the way of the Lord in my heart?  ...
 
It seems I hear You saying in my spirit:  "My son, I am the One who leads you to desire this and to pray this. Allow My Holy Spirit in your heart to move you to an ever-increasing hunger and thirst for Me and My Presence, so that you settle for nothing less than the fullness of My Presence in every area of your heart and life."
 
Yes, Lord. Let it be so. Let me abide in You, as You abide in me (John 15:4). Let me "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). Let me "be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Let me be "conformed to the image of (Your) Son" (Romans 8:29). Let me embrace Your will and yield to Your ways in trusting surrender to "become (one of Your) participants of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Let me "grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ," growing up "to maturity, the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-16). Let me "live to God" because "I have been crucified with Christ (so that) it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:19-20). Let Your Spirit "sanctify (me) entirely; and may (my) spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23). I choose to believe the promise of Your Word, "The One who calls (me) 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




My friend, I pray you are baptized in the Holy Spirit this day and every day, as You allow Him to prepare the way of the Lord in your heart, 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, August 14, 2018

Morning by Morning, August 14 - Despicable Me, Now Forgiven and Free!
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King of my heart and Lord of my life as You rule and reign in every moment of my day.  ...
 
"For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:3-7).
 
I was once "foolish, disobedient, led astray, a slave to various passions and pleasures...." And that was just yesterday! O God, how I need Your grace every moment of every day. I thank You for saving me and for keeping on saving me in Your goodness and loving kindness, O God, my Savior. I need You every hour.
 
There was once a despicable me. But now in You I'm forgiven and free! "Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more!" (Romans 5:20 NKJV) And I desperately need Your grace to abound in me -- not just one day on my spiritual calendar, but every day on my spiritual journey. I'm forever in need of Your grace to keep abounding in my life by the never-ending renewal of Your Spirit. And as You keep renewing me, I keep praising You for the promise of Your Word: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to and end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!" (Lamentations 3:22-23) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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




My friend, I pray you experience the renewal of the Holy Spirit, abounding in the grace of your Savior, forgiven and free every moment of 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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Monday, August 13, 2018

Morning by Morning, August 13 - I Have Been with Jesus!
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to begin my day looking to You and welcoming You into every moment of my day. ...
 
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13 NKJV).
 
When I begin my day with You, my day is better. As I keep giving my heart to You, You keep making me better. You keep making me more like You each day. As Your Word says, "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 3:18). 
 
As You are, so am I to be in my world (1 John 4:17). In humility and faith, in surrender and trust, morning by morning and day by day, I'm on the journey of a lifetime to become more like You -- conformed to the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29). Of course, I can't do that; I can't make that happen. And I don't have to; I was never meant to. But I am meant to entrust my heart and life completely to You -- as best as I can and all by Your grace -- so that You can do this in me; "for it is God who works in (me) both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). "He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17).
 
Now, I rise and go about my day -- having been embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit -- from here in the deep place of communion with You in prayer. And may every person I encounter today know from the countenance of my face and the boldness of my faith, flowing out of Your joy and passion in my spirit, that I have "been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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




My friend, I pray you grow in your hunger to spend some time every day in the deep communion of prayer with the Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- so that everyone you encounter knows you have been with Jesus, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   
Friends, thank you for your prayers for my time yesterday morning to speak on Personal Prayer Ministry at the Bible Study led by Jim Barker at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio (Sr. Pastor Max Lucado). I pray the Lord stirs up your passion for intercessory prayer with the heart of Jesus, the One who now "lives forever to intercede with God on (our) behalf" (Hebrews 7:25). 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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Friday, August 10, 2018

Morning by Morning, August 10 - "Extraordinary Miracles"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I wait in the silence of surrender before You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- I'm asking You to put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart to lead me in the way of life in You today.  ...
 
"God did extraordinary miracles through Paul.... and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised!  ... So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed!" (Acts 19:11-20)
 
Lord, release Your power through my life today. Every way You would display Your glory flowing through my words and actions, let the name of the Lord Jesus be praised. You said "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" -- so let Your kingdom go forth through my hands and my heart (Matthew 10:7). You said, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8 NKJV). Lord, let it be so in every way You would express "the word of the Lord" through me into my world to see Your word grow mightily and prevail today.
 
Thank You for the extraordinary miracles of Your power and love. Thank You for the extraordinary miracles that move mountains in the authority of Your name (Mark 11:22-24). Thank You for the extraordinary miracles when we pray for those who persecute us, bless those who curse us, and love those who hate us (Matthew 5:44). Thank You for the extraordinary miracles that changes us and changes our world when we speak and act with "love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22). And thank You for the joy of allowing us to be a part of all Your doing in our world every day. "We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). 
 
As we make ourselves available to You -- called and anointed according to Your purpose, which flows out of the intimacy of Your abiding Presence -- not only is the kingdom of heaven at hand, "the kingdom of God is within (us)" (Luke 17:21). So we carry Your kingdom everywhere we go! That's how Your word continues to grow mightily and prevail, through every generation and to every nation until "the earth (is) filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea!" (Habakkuk 2:14) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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




My friend, I pray you see the extraordinary miracles of God released in the power of His love through your life today, as His word grows mightily and prevails in every way He expresses His heart though you as His ambassador for Christ, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   
Friends, I'm exciting to be speaking at a morning Bible Study on Personal Prayer Ministry at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio (Sr. Pastor Max Lucado) this coming Sunday morning. I'll be sharing about our inner healing prayer ministry at Rapha God Ministries. Please keep us in prayer. 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, August 09, 2018

Morning by Morning, August 9 - Hearing and Discerning the Voice of God
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice.  ...
 
"The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.... I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father" (John 10:2-15).
 
I open the gate of my heart to You today. You know me and I know You. I want to hear Your voice and sense Your leading, as You go ahead of me into every moment of my day. And at the same time, You not only go ahead of me, You also go with me because You're abiding in me and I in You. "Christ in (me)" (Colossians 1:27). By "the Spirit of Christ" abiding in me, You're "with (me) always" (Romans 8:9; Matthew 28:20).
 
Help me test and discern every word I believe I hear in my heart. I want to follow the voice of my Savior, not the voice of the stranger. Sharpen my discernment. Sensitize my spirit. Anoint me and empower me to "test everything" and "hold fast to what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Your Word invites me to listen attentively for Your words and also commands me to test carefully the words I believe I hear. "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.... By this you know the Spirit of God:  every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God" (1 John 4:1-3). ...
 
As I wait on You to listen for Your voice this morning, it seems I hear You saying:  "My son, know My voice that always aligns with My Word, that reflects My nature, that bears good fruit, that leads you to Me. As you listen and hear, as you test and see, you grow in discernment and trust so that I can lead your heart by My Spirit."
 
Yes, Lord. The stranger doesn't lead me to Your Word, doesn't reflect Your nature, doesn't bear good fruit, and doesn't lead me to You. Let this test of discernment of the thoughts that come to my mind and the impulses that come to my heart be a plumb line of truth, so I can hold fast to what is true and reject what is not. Following You as we hear Your voice is one of the great blessings of the children of God. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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




My friend, I pray the Holy Spirit anoints you and empowers you to hear and discern the voice of God, holding fast to what is true in your journey with Him 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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Wednesday, August 08, 2018

Morning by Morning, August 8 - Carrying the Ark of God's Presence
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are welcome in every area of my heart and every moment of my day.  ...
 
"It was told King David, 'The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.' So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet!" (2 Samuel 6:12-15)
 
The ark of God speaks of the Presence of God. And now in Christ my heart is Your ark, and I am a carrier of the Presence of God. "(My) body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within (me), which (I) have from God" (1 Corinthians 6:19). "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
 
I abide in You and You abide in me by Your Holy Spirit, who fills my heart and guides my steps to live my life to display Your glory (John 15:4). With every step I take, may I remember that my life is Your "living" sacrifice and that I carry the glory of Your manifest Presence within me (Romans 12:1). 
 
I am Your ox and fatling of sacrifice; I am a priest and a king in Christ; I am clothed in nothing but Christ; and I am free to dance and shout and know for all the world to see that the King of Glory lives in me! You are "the King of Glory!" (Psalm 24:7-10) 
 
Make way for the King! I'm carrying the ark of God, the King of Glory, everywhere I go today! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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




My friend, I pray you live out this day secure and confident in your knowledge of the truth that the King of Glory lives in you and you carry the ark of His Presence everywhere you go, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   

Friends, thank you for all your prayers for us at the Aldersgate West Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma last weekend, the National Conference on Spirit Filled Living! We had a great outpouring of the Presence of the Lord and I'm hungering and thrusting for more! Thank you for your prayers for me as I had a chance to teach and minister inner healing and deliverance during my sessions on Setting Hearts Free and join in deep prayer ministry every night.  

CDs and DVDS from the Conference will be available soon:  info@aldersgaterenewal.org

I pray for a refreshing and awakening in your heart as well!

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, August 07, 2018

Morning by Morning, August 7 - Let it Rain!
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day focused on You -- embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit.  ...
 
"Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field of everyone" (Zechariah 10:1 NKJV).
 
Yes, Lord. Let it rain! Let showers of rain come down -- everywhere we are weary and dry, thirsting for more, yearning for You. Let there be an outpouring of Your Presence -- here in my heart and here in our land! 
 
"O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory! Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You! Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips!" (Psalm 63:1-5 NKJV)
 
You're awakening a fresh hunger in my soul, a fresh thirst in my spirit.  It's a fresh hunger and thirst that won't be contained or restrained, that won't be silenced or shut away or hidden out of sight. And it won't ever be fully satisfied because You are making me hungrier and thirstier still. In the mystery of my passionate pursuit for Your Presence, the more You let it rain, the dryer I become. And the dryer I become, the more my heart cries out, "Let it rain!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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




My friend, I pray you keep growing hungrier and thirstier in your passionate pursuit for the Presence of the Lord, crying out to Him in your heart, "Let it rain!", in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

  

Friends, thank you for all your prayers for us at the Aldersgate West Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma last weekend, the National Conference on Spirit Filled Living! We had a great outpouring of the Presence of the Lord and I'm hungering and thrusting for more! Thank you for your prayers for me as I had a chance to teach the minister inner healing and deliverance during my sessions on Setting Hearts Free and join in deep prayer ministry every night.  

CDs and DVDS from the Conference will be available soon:  info@aldersgaterenewal.org

I pray for a refreshing and awakening in your heart as well!

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, August 01, 2018

Morning by Morning, August 1 - Pray and Say in Faith
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"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 11:22-23).
 
You invite me to pray and say in faith. And the main focus of my faith is to be in You. You said "Have faith in God." So the main focus of my faith, my prayers, and my words is to be in You and who You are.
 
Yes, I am to have faith in what I asking for and speaking to, because You said "believe that what you say will come to pass," but the main focus of my faith is not to be in what I'm seeking to come to pass but in the One I'm seeking. I'm to seek You first, and then these things I'm praying for and speaking to (Matthew 6:33). Relationship first.
 
It's like when You sent out Your disciples to proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God in Your name, praying for people and speaking to whatever held them bound and held them back from the fullness of Your mercy and love (Luke 10:1-12). When they returned, they were excited that even the demons submitted to their words spoken in faith and the authority of Your name (Luke 10:17). But even as You rejoiced with them and thanked our Father for them, You reminded them that the main focus of their faith was to be in God and their personal relationship with You (Luke 10:21). You said, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:18-20).
 
Lord, increase my faith in You. Help me grow in my focus on You first -- on who You are, on Your nature and on the nature of Your relationship with me. It's out of this intimacy and communion of our relationship that I can pray and say in faith what's on Your heart and what's in line with Your will, because You're aligning my heart and my will with Yours. "Anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17). 
 
This is how I keep growing to the place in my relationship with You where I pray and say and "do not doubt in (my) heart, but believe that what (I) say will come to pass;" and this is how I keep growing to the the place in my relationship with You where I can "believe that (I) have received it, and it will be (mine)" (Mark 11:22-24). It's not by what I have done or will do, but all by You and what You have done -- the One who's written my name in heaven and on the palms of Your hands (Luke 10:20; Ephesians 2:8; Isaiah 49:16). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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




My friend, I pray you are growing in your faith in God and your intimacy with Him that you can pray and say in faith what on His heart through your life, 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, July 31, 2018

Morning by Morning, July 31 - "Through the Fire"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit. Be One within me, as I keep entrusting my heart and my life to You -- morning by morning and moment by moment each day.  ...
 
"But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel:  'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.... Since you are precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you.... Fear not, for I Am with you'" (Isaiah 43:1-5 NKJV).
 
Our hearts and prayers join with all those crying out to You for all those facing the fury of these wildfires burning across California. Lord, send Your rain, send Your wind, send Your angels, send Your word! And in the midst of it all -- the shock, the trauma, the fear, and the devastating loss of life and nature and belongings, send Your mercy and grace, send Your people to help and warriors to pray, send Your hope to persevere through the fire! Let every fearful heart know that You are with them through all they're enduring!
 
In time, we know You'll redeem it all and even cause it all to work together for good. No doubt, new life will spring up what's been burned out by the fire. But right now, we pray for Your intervention to build a hedge of protection around Your people -- and they are all Your people You have loved and have laid down Your life to save (2 Peter 3:9).
 
Thank You for the spirit of generosity and the spirit of courage You are releasing into Your sons and daughters to be Your hands and feet with Your heart to all who are suffering. And thank You for those who will come alongside the broken and weary when the fires are ceased and for those who are already the messengers and the means of Your healing comfort and love as the fires still rage. But O Lord, hear our cry! O Lord, hear our prayers! 
 
You said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Your Word says, "The last enemy to be destroyed is death" and that "Death has been swallowed up in victory.... Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15:26-56)

So we pray and we stand against the thief and all his destruction and theft and death. And we agree with the Word and the will of our Savior, the Author of life. In agreement with all You have called to pray and to stand in the authority of the mighty name of Jesus, we command these fires to burn out and cease! (Mark 11:22-24) Full of faith and without fear, may Your people persevere and prevail "though the fire!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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




My friend, I pray you are stirred in faith to pray and to stand for every burden the Lord places on your heart, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. And please join with me in prayer for all those going through the fire in California. 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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