Morning by Morning, April 24 - Beside Myself and Crazy for Jesus

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear Your voice, Good Shepherd. Let me sense Your leading, Holy Spirit. Let me know the embrace of Your everlasting arms, Heavenly Father.  ...

 

"For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 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 5:12-15).

 

No doubt when I start off my morning seeking to hear the voice of God in my heart and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit through whatever thought or image or Scripture You bring to mind to begin my day in the communion of prayer, some must think I'm beside myself, a little naïve, delusional, or even a little bit crazy. But like all the crazy followers of Jesus before me who believed that we could personally encounter the Presence of the Living God every day, "if it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God.... Christ's love controls us" (2 Corinthians 5:13 NLT). After all, my own Bible-believing Grandmother who taught me to pray and to memorize John 3:16 before she taught me to write my name on the chicken-house wall thought I had lost my mind when I told her I as laying down my career as a trial lawyer to answer the call to ministry twenty-five years ago. But "if it seems (I am) crazy, it is to bring glory to God.... Christ's love controls (me)" (2 Corinthians 5:13 NLT).

 

Lord, help me become even more beside myself. Help me become even more crazy for Jesus. You died for me that I might no longer live for myself. Like another crazy-for-Jesus fanatic who was beside himself, I want to be able to say, "I have been crucified with Christ; and 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). "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17-18 NLT).

 

More beside myself each day, more crazy-for-Jesus with every breath of Your Spirit I breathe each moment -- let me be unafraid of what anybody thinks and unrestrained in my relentless passion for You. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16 NKJV).

 

Like those outlandish lunatics who were filled up and overflowing with the Holy Spirit in the upper room on that day of Pentecost, I'm not crazy and "not drunk, as you suppose," but I'm in love with Jesus, filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit, and unashamed to let the love of my Father pour out of my heart to turn my world "upside down" no matter what anybody thinks or says (Acts 2:15 and 17:6). Even more, Lord! Like that crazy worshipper and prayer warrior King David shouted as he danced in the streets for joy in Your Presence like a man beside himself and out of his natural mind, "I will be even more undignified than this!" (2 Samuel 6:22 NKJV) Lord, let it be so in me too. And let it spread like wild fire everywhere You send me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be free and unrestrained in your relentless passion for the One who loves you so, beside yourself and crazy for Jesus, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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, April 23 - Destined to Be Like Jesus

 

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

 

"The Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.... For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (Romans 8:26-31 NLT)

 

No doubt I'll spend eternity growing in my understanding and awe of the mystery of Your Trinity -- that You are One God, yet expressing Your Being in perfect, relational love in three dimensions of Your Being as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And in the same way I'll spend eternity growing in my understanding and awe of the mystery of Your sovereignty and my free will -- that You know and have always known every choice I'll every freely make in my heart, even as Your Holy Spirit intercedes for my choices according to Your will. And no matter what choices I make or what choices are made by those who influence my life, whether now in my generation or in the generations before me, You are at work in it all, causing it all to work together for good. "We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" (Romans 8:28 NLT).

 

Even though I'm free to make wrong choices, Your Spirit is at work in prayer and at work in my heart to bring me back to right standing with You, as I choose to answer Your call to love You and allow You to be at work within me. "If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). That's how when sin abounds, grace abounds even more. "As people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:20-21 NLT).

 

By the power of Your grace at work within me, make me more like You each day. Keep changing my heart to align with Your heart, changing my nature to align with Your nature, and changing my ways to align with Your ways. It's who I was created to be. It's who You're conforming me to be -- step by step, choice by choice, just as You've planned all along -- even "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). And if this is Your plan for me, every other plan will surely fail. If You are for me, who could ever stand against me and Your sovereign plan for me? 

 

When I meditate on Your Word and embrace the work of Your Spirit in my heart, I get a feeling it's all going to work together for good, as I keep looking to You and loving You and allowing You to love me. I get a feeling You've destined me to be like Jesus -- as He is, so am I to be in this world. "So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.... because as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:16-17). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you live into your destiny to be like Jesus -- conformed into the image of the Son of God by the Spirit of the One who is at work in you to make you more like Jesus every day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

 Joy of the Lord by Greg Olsen

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, April 22 - Resurrection Life!

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my heart and open up my spirit to worship You and wait for Your leading, here in the communion of prayer -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

 

"You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here" (Mark 16:6 NKJV).

 

You were risen from the grave in Your resurrection power. Come rise up in me in Your resurrection life. "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in (me), He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to (my) mortal body also through His Spirit who dwells in (me)" (Romans 8:11 NKJV).

 

You've given me resurrection grace and resurrection power to live a resurrection life. "Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.... When He died, He died once to break the power of sin. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. So (I) also should consider (myself) to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.... (I was) dead, but now (I) have new life.... (I) live under the freedom of God's grace!" (Romans 6:4-14 NLT)

 

So wherever I go, may I be confidently aware that I bring the power of Your resurrection life into that place because the power of Your resurrection life dwells in me. May I speak life and live life and lead others to the One who is life -- the way, the truth, and the life (Proverbs 18:21; John 14:6). May I live a resurrection life, secure in the truth that I "know Christ and the power of His resurrection!" (Philippians 3:10) And may I "know what is the hope to which He has called (me), what are the riches of (my) glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power for us who believe, according to the working of His great power! God put this power to work in Christ when He raised Him from the dead" (Ephesians 1:18-20). And now You've put this same power to work within me by the mighty power of Your grace! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you life in the fullness of resurrection life, confident in the truth that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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, April 12 - Jesus "Set His Face" to Jerusalem so We Can Set Our Face to Jesus

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart to see You and open the ears of my spirit to hear You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

 

"When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51).

 

We tend to shy away from confrontation, but You set Your face to face a world of pain we can't even comprehend. We tend to turn away from those who might reject us or betray us or intend to cause us harm, but You set about on a path You knew would lead to a post where You'd be whipped to edge of death and then left to die hanging on a cross, crying out to God from Your bleeding body and broken heart that it seemed even He had forsaken You (Matthew 27:46). But we can only set our faces toward Heaven now because You set Your face toward Jerusalem then.

 

Because You looked to Jerusalem, despite all You knew You would endure for our sakes, we can look to You, despite anything we might endure on our daily journey through this broken and fallen world. Because You walked Your journey to the cross, we can run our race of faith:  "Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endure such hostility against Himself from sinners, so that (we) may not grow weary or lose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3).

 

You were resolute and determined, unwavering and unrelenting, in the fulfillment of Your mission for us. May we be resolute and determined, unwavering and unrelenting, in the fulfillment of our mission for You. Because You took up Your cross that day, may we take up our cross every day. Just as You said to Your first disciples then, You continue to say all who would be Your disciples now, "If any want to become My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake will save it" (Luke 9:23).

 

We don't know what nature of cross we will be called to bear; and we don't know the full measure of all we will be required to endure (Luke 14:25-33 and 21:7-28). But we do know we have a Savior who was tested and tempted in every way we could ever face, yet overcome it all so that we could be overcomers in You. So "let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16). 

 

As You continue to encourage us through Your word and Your example, by Your Spirit in our hearts, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 NLT). You set Your face to Jerusalem. Now I set my face to Jesus. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you set your face to Jesus, knowing He has overcome all you may endure to make you an overcomer in Him, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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, April 11 - "Peace through the Blood of His Cross"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, thank You for taking away mine, that I can draw near to You with nothing between us, now and forever.  ...

 

"He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in Him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He Himself is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the Blood of His Cross" (Colossians 1:13).

 

"Peace through the Blood of His Cross" -- that's it. That's the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom of God -- in a nutshell. That's the nugget of gold that's worth selling all you have to go and buy that field to find and possess that treasure of matchless worth (Matthew 13:44). That's the pearl of great price that's worth more than all the world (Matthew 13:46). And that's the peace that surpasses all understanding, because we can't even begin to understand all that You've done for us through the eternal sacrifice of the Blood of Your Cross (Philippians 4:7).

 

As I begin my day in prayer, as I enter into these days when people of faith throughout the earth are remembering the Passover and the Resurrection -- I thank You for the Blood of Lamb that delivered Israel out of the bondage of Egypt and delivers us all out of the bondage of sin and death (Exodus 12:11; John 1:29). I thank You for the Blood of Your Cross. "Without the shedding of Blood there is no remission of sins" (Hebrews 9:22). And I thank You for the "Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28).

 

This morning, my thoughts and prayers are not focused upon love and truth, worship and praise, healing and freedom, identity and destiny, the promises and powers of the age to come, or all the other wonderful themes of our life in You and the Kingdom of God -- as awesome and exciting as they are. No, this morning my thoughts and prayers are focused upon the Blood of Your Cross. If it weren't for that, none of the rest would be possible, none of the rest would matter. 

 

"To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His Blood and make us a Kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever!" (Revelation 1:5) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be filled with the peace that surpasses all understanding as you take time to think upon the Blood of the Cross of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away your sins and gives you peace in Him, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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, April 10 - Stand Firm in Faith and Walk in Love

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...

 

"If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:1).

 

"Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8 NAB).

 

Lord, teach me how to stand firm in faith and walk in love. Teach me how to speak the truth in love and live the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Because even "if I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.... And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).

 

Love is not negotiable. Neither is faith. Neither is truth. "Without love" I do not know God (1 John 4:8). And, at the same time, "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). "Whoever say, 'I have come to know Him,' but does not obey His commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys His word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in Him:  whoever says, 'I abide in Him,' ought to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:4-6).

 

So to live out my faith with integrity from my heart, I must learn how live in both truth and in love, knowing that those who do not stand firm in faith will not stand at all and those who do not love do not know God at all. Which is why I desperately need Your Holy Spirit to fill me and lead me, "for the Spirit is the truth" (1 John 5:6). "When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide (me) in to all the truth" (John 16:13).

 

Come, Holy Spirit. Lead me and guide me; teach me how to stand firm in faith and walk in love -- not shrinking back from my faith and not holding back from my love. "(Love) does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth" (1 Corinthians 13:6). "Love never gives up, never loses faith" (1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT). By the power of Your grace, neither will I. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you stand firm in faith and walk in love, all by the power of the Holy Spirit who leads you and guides in both love and truth, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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, April 9 - Redeeming the Wasted Time

 

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

 

"Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT).

 

"Godless ideas" and "old wives' tales" -- how much time have I wasted getting caught up in discussions that don't matter and in debates that distract me from the things that really do. Instead, set me free to grow up in spiritual maturity, to "be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12 NLT).

 

There's a daily assault against my faith and against my time. But I have just a sliver of time as I live out this one opportunity You've given me to learn to love, to grow in faith, to be conformed into the image of the Son of God in these moments I have on this side of heaven. "And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our ins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him" (Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT). By the power of Your grace, may I be "found faithful" when You come again (1 Corinthians 4:2 NKJV).

 

Set me free from "wrangling over words" (2 Timothy 2:14) and getting stuck in "stupid and senseless controversies ... that breed quarrels" (2 Timothy 2:23), but instead set my focus to "pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22). As I overcome, You make me an overcome; as I conquer, You make me more than a conqueror; and as I pass the tests, You make my life a testimony. And all along the way, "This slight momentary affliction is preparing (me) for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure!" (2 Corinthians 4:17)

 

Redeem the time I've wasted (Ephesians 5:15). And by the power of grace at work within me (Philippians 2:13), may I "work hard and continue the struggle, for (my) hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people" (1 Timothy 4:10 NLT). I have "tasted the heavenly gift, and have share in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come" so there's no turning back for me (Hebrews 6:4-5). So may I spend the rest of my time well, in passionate pursuit of the living words from my living God I long to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant.... Enter into the joy of your Lord!" (Matthew 25:21 NKJV) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be found faithful, passionately pursuing the fulfillment of your calling and destiny, redeeming the time and living every moment for the One who calls you and empowers you to be faithful to Him, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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!