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

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Friday, October 04, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 4 - Knowing Jesus

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for coming into my heart and every moment of my day. ...

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.... I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead" (Philippians 3:8-10 NLT).

As the worship song proclaims -- "Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You. There is no greater thing...."

I want to know You more. I want to know Your heart, know Your mind, know Your nature, know Your ways. And not just know about You, even from the words and stories from the Bible -- I want to know You personally, experience You personally. I want to know You as deeply and as personally as I can. As Your Word encourages me, I want to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to Him, both now and forever" (2 Peter 3:18).

How do I grow in this grace of knowing You, Lord Jesus? ...

As I wait and listen for the leading of Your voice (John 10:3), it seems I hear You saying in my heart: "You come to know Me more deeply and intimately as you take time to be with Me, as actively pursue Me with your spirit, as You consciously and deliberately invite My Holy Spirit to infuse your human spirit with a love and passion for Me above all else. There is no greater thing." ...

Yes, Lord. Your Scripture comes to mind, "There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever He receives from Me. All that belongs to the Father is Mine; this is why I said, 'The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me" (John 16:12-15 NLT).

Come, Holy Spirit of God. You are "the Spirit of Jesus" (Philippians 1:19). You are "the Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9). And You live in me because Christ is in my heart. "(I am) not in the flesh; (I am) in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in (me). Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in (me), though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in (me), He who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to (my) mortal body also through His Spirit that dwells in (me)" (Romans 8:9-11).

Spirit of the Living God, turn my eyes upon Jesus. Glorify Him in my heart. Lead me into deeper intimacy with Jesus. My heavenly Father, just as You raised Jesus from the dead by Your Spirit, You raise me up by Your Spirit to live in the abiding communion of Christ -- "to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead!" (Philippians 3:10 NLT)

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You. There is no greater thing!

As a finish my time of prayer and go out into my day with You in my heart, I believe I hear Your Holy Spirit singing that song in my spirit right now:

All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres and wants to own
All I once thought gain, I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You're my all, You're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love You, Lord

Now my heart's desire is to know You more
To be found in You and known as Yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All-surpassing gift of righteousness

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You're my all, You're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love You, Lord!

(worship song by Graham Kendrick)

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you grow in grace and the deeply personal and intimate knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in Jesus' name. There is no great thing! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

My friend, Thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer, seeking to grow in intimacy with God and the character of Christ. Thank you to all those who join with me in support and prayer of this ministry of helping people experience and encounter the Living God through intimate prayer and transformational ministry of healing and freedom in Christ -- "healing from the inside out" of "spirit and soul and body." God bless you!

For Speaking Engagements, Spiritual Retreats, Seminars, and Conferences, please contact me at: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org

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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Thursday, October 03, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 3 - "Filled with Fresh Joy!"

"Soon -- and it will not be very long -- the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops. In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book, and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness. The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.... My People will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear. For when they see their many children and all the blessings I have given them, they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob. They will stand in awe of the God of Israel" (Isaiah 29:17-23 NLT).

You spoke these words of hope and healing to Israel through the prophet Isaiah at a time of deep darkness and gloom upon their land. There was much confusion, anger, and fear. They were suffering the consequences of their sins as a nation and experiencing the judgment of God. In the absence of repentance, more was to come. But even then, You were pointing them to Yourself and Your mercy and grace. Even then You were calling them to repentance and faith, to have eyes of hope for the time to come when they would humble themselves and "be filled with fresh joy from the Lord" (v. 19).

When we humble ourselves in Your sight, You always lift us up (James 4:10). You continually remind us of Your covenant of revival that begins with humility -- "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). "For You deliver a humble people" (Psalm 18:27). "For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with victory" (Psalm 149:4).

As You said to Your first disciples, so You continue to say to Your disciples of every generation, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12). "For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

Pride opposes Your presence. Humility draws Your presence. And "in Your presence there is fullness of joy!" (Psalm 16:11)

So as we humble ourselves in Your sight -- in our hearts and on behalf of our nation -- we welcome Your grace and embrace Your presence. Then our blind eyes can see again and our deaf ears can hear again! Then our hearts will become fertile fields again to yield the bountiful crops of Your great harvest in our land and in our generation! (Matthew 13:39; Mark 4:29; Luke 10:2; John 4:35) "Will You not revive us again, so that Your people may rejoice in You?" (Psalm 85:6). I believe You will! And we will be "filled with fresh joy from the Lord!" (Isaiah 29:19) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be filled with fresh joy in the presence of the Lord, as you humble yourself in His sight in your heart and on behalf of our nation, to see another great revival, awakening, and harvest in our generation, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

School of Ministry - Level 2 - in San Antonio

Friends, please keep us in prayer tonight as we begin our Level 2 School of Ministry by Rapha God Ministries and continue for 6 weeks on Thursday nights. We will be learning and experiencing personal prayer ministry of inner healing and deliverance, hosted at Oak Hills Church - Alamo Ranch in San Antonio. DVDs are available for our Level 1 and Level 2 Training: RaphaGodMinistries.com/resources

Preaching Ministry to Pakistan Report.

Praising God for another mighty move of His Holy Spirit in Pakistan through our Skype Internet Ministry Monday night! Each month we set up a big screen for me to preach through our interpreter on site in a different village. We just received this report fro Pastor Fazal with these pictures and exciting testimonies coming in so far! "Dear Pastor Tommy, Thank you very much to share Powerful Blessed Sermon with people of Pakistan in Village. Thanks Lord 304 Souls are saved and 109 People are healed by prayers from different things. One Lady healed from Eyes Problem and 5 Persons are healed and they can walk now clearly."

Amen!! Praise God!!

Thank you to all my friends who pray for us and support us to make this ministry possible! Each month, I am preaching in different villages around Lahore, Pakistan in the Punjab Region through Skype in these outdoor evangelistic meetings. We set up a big screen with our interpreter, Brother Suleman, and follow up prayer team in our partnership of ministry with Pastor Fazal.

God bless you! And please keep us in prayer to make arrangements for our meeting next month in Pakistan!

"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come!" (Matthew 24:14)

Friends, Thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer, seeking to grow in intimacy with God and the character of Christ. Thank you to all those who join with me in support and prayer of this ministry of helping people experience and encounter the Living God through intimate prayer and transformational ministry of healing and freedom in Christ -- "healing from the inside out" of "spirit and soul and body." God bless you!

For Speaking Engagements, Spiritual Retreats, Seminars, and Conferences, please contact me at: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Wednesday, October 02, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 2 - "The Lord is On My Side!"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart to lead me in Your ways today -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against Him. But after that, He will take up my case and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies. The Lord will bring me into the light, and I will see His righteousness. Then my enemies will see that the Lord is on my side!" (Micah 7:7-10 NLT)

Even when I suffer the consequences of my sin, You're still with me, You're still for me, You're still on my side. A good father corrects his children in his love and for their good, that they may grow up into maturity (Hebrews 12:5-6). "God's discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening -- it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way (Hebrews 12:10-11 NLT).

So even if my sin brings me out from under Your covering of protection for a time and even if the enemy of my soul takes advantage of the opportunity to attack me and afflict me, he will not have the last word and his attacks will not stand. Instead, his attacks will only drive me to my knees in repentance and prayer, driving me even closer to my God to seek to walk more uprightly in Your ways. "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). "If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

There is no sin You will not forgive, no hurt You will not heal, no chain of bondage You will not break, and no attack from the enemy of my soul You will not turn around for my good and Your glory when I turn to You in repentance and cry out to You in faith. "Love covers a multitude of sins!" (1 Peter 4:8) "I am convinced that nothing can ever separate (me) from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither (my) fears for today nor (my) worries about tomorrow -- not even the powers of hell can separate (me) from God's love! No power in the sky above or in the earth below -- indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate (me) from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus (my) Lord!" (Romans 8:38-39 NLT)

You know all about me -- every sin, every failure, every struggle -- and yet You'll always love me. You'll always be for me. And if God be for me, who can stand against me! (Romans 8:31) By the power of God's grace, I will overcome and persevere, I will continue to press in and grow up in Christlikeness. Secure in Your mercy and love, it's not even a fair fight for my enemy -- for "the Lord is on my side!" (Micah 7:10) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be confident and secure in the love and mercy of our God who is always on your side, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Preaching Ministry to Pakistan Report.

Praising God for another mighty move of His Holy Spirit in Pakistan through our Skype Internet Ministry last night! Each month we set up a big screen for me to preach through our interpreter on site in a different village. We just received this report fro Pastor Fazal with these pictures and exciting testimonies coming in so far! "Dear Pastor Tommy, Thank you very much to share Powerful Blessed Sermon with people of Pakistan in Village. Thanks Lord 304 Souls are saved and 109 People are healed by prayers from different things. One Lady healed from Eyes Problem and 5 Persons are healed and they can walk now clearly."

Amen!! Praise God!!

God bless you! And please keep us in prayer to make arrangements for our meeting next month in Pakistan!

"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come!" (Matthew 24:14)

For Speaking Engagements, Spiritual Retreats, Seminars, and Conferences, please contact me at: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Tuesday, October 01, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 1 - Bitter Waters Made Sweet!

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name -- the name above every other name -- and I listen for Your voice -- for Your sheep hear Your voice. ...

"Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?' He cried out to the Lord; and the Lord showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet" (Exodus 15:22-25).

You're the God who makes our bitter waters sweet. In the days of Moses, You led Israel through their wilderness by the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night of Your Spirit (Exodus 13:21-22). And You still lead us through our wilderness on the journey into the fullness of Your promises by Your Spirit (Romans 8:14).

You led them to a place of bitter waters to "put them to the test" and see if they would trust You even in the bitter places of the wilderness (Exodus 15:25b). And You still lead us to show us any place of bitterness in our hearts that would poison our peace and hinder our journey into the fullness of our inheritance in You, for when a "root of bitterness springs up ... many become defiled" (Hebrews 12:15).

When the people tasted of the bitter waters, they complained (Exodus 15:24), but Moses cried out to You in prayer and faith (v. 15:25). And You turned his eyes to see "a piece of wood" that would make the bitter waters sweet (v. 15:25). And there You revealed to them another dimension of Your nature, expressed in another of Your names, saying "I Am Jehovah Rapha-- I Am the Lord who heals you" (Exodus 15:26).

That "piece of wood" speaks of the cross of Christ. "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). When we cast our burdens, our anxieties, and all our cares upon You (1 Peter 5:7), when we let You search our hearts to uproot any bitterness or other "wicked way" that would hinder our journey to "live for righteousness" and live into the fullness of Your promises (Psalm 139:23-24), we are casting the cross into the waters of our struggles and sins.

Then and there, You make our bitter waters sweet! You remind us that You are our Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals us! You remind us to praise You and turn to You in prayer instead of complaining and turning away from You in despair. And You remind us to keep trusting You and keep following You by the pillar and presence of Your ever-abiding Spirit who will keep leading us through the wilderness and into our promised land! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you look to the cross of Christ and cast it into your struggles and sins, that the Lord may make your bitter waters sweet, as He leads you by His Spirit on your journey into the fullness of all your inheritance in Him, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you so much for all your prayers and support for our successful Golf Tournament and Silent Auction Fundraiserlast Saturday! We were blessed to hear from Max Lucado and Jim Barker gives us some words of encouragement and have a great time together on a beautiful day! God bless you and every way He ministers through you to fulfill your gifting and calling in Christ!

For Speaking Engagements, Spiritual Retreats, Seminars, and Conferences, please contact me at: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org 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