Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 29 - Flourishing Faith through Fiery Trials
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my heart with Your desires and my will with Your ways, as I begin my day grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. ...
 
"Dear brothers and sisters, we can't help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. We proudly tell God's other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. And God will use this persecution to show His justice and to make you worthy of His Kingdom, for which you are suffering.... So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with Him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 NLT).
 
Where faith flourishes, love abounds. And where love abounds, faith flourishes. In the midst of persecutions and hardships, when we endure the sufferings and injustices of the kingdoms of this world and all the global and generational impacts of our fallenness and sin, You never waste a moment of our sufferings. You even take what was intended for evil and use it all for good, as we persevere in faith and live out love (Genesis 50:50; Romans 8:28).
 
You're making us "worthy of (Your) Kingdom, for which (we) are suffering." You're empowering us to "live a life worthy of (Your) call." And by the power of Your grace at work within us, we will "accomplish all the good things (our) faith prompts us to do" and "the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way (we) live."
 
Keep giving me that eternal perspective, Lord. "These trials will show that (our) faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold -- through (our) faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when (our) faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring (us) much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world" (1 Peter 1:7).
 
Keep my eyes on the prize, Lord -- "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 3:14). As Your Word encourages every one of Your persevering disciples throughout the ages, "Don't be surprised at the fiery trial (we) are going through, as if something strange were happening to (us). Instead, be very glad -- for these trials make (us) partners with Christ in His suffering, so that (we) will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world.... For God will never fail (us)" (1 Peter 4:12-19). 
 
Nobody has a testimony unless they've been tested. Nobody's an overcomer unless they've overcome something. Nobody's more than a conqueror unless they conquered what stood between them and their destiny in You -- all by the power of Your grace at work within us.
 
So keep using my trials to make me more like You, Lord. Your Word promises us that You will:  "Dear friends, we are already God's children but He has not yet show us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is" (1 John 3:2). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
 
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you flourish in faith through whatever fiery trials you're enduring, with your eyes on the prize of your heavenly calling, as the Holy Spirit makes you more like Jesus and reminds you our Father will never fail you through them all, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer, seeking to begin each day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. I hope these prayers are a blessing and encouragement to 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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Monday, October 28, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 28 - Walking with God
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I begin my day with You -- seeking Your face, listening for Your voice, waiting in Your presence -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.  ...
 
"They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees" (Genesis 3:8 NKJV).
 
Even after Adam and Eve sinned against You, You still came looking for them. In their guilt and shame and regret of their sin, they tried to hide from Your presence. But there You were -- still seeking them, still pursuing them, still calling out to them, "Where are you?" (v. 9)
 
In Your mercy and grace that we have in You, nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God we have in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). But like Adam and Eve, we have the freedom to seek to hide from Your presence. We can try to cover up our nakedness and withdraw from Your holiness when we feel unclean and unholy. But even then, Your heart and Your love is always for us. We may be able to try to separate ourselves from Your presence, but we can never separate ourselves from Your love. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).
 
So You provide the means our restoration. You are faithful and just, and if we confess our sins, You forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). You remove what separates us from Your presence and You remind us that nothing can ever separate us from Your love. You invite us to come up high into the embrace of Your presence by the power of Your grace. "Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts.... They will receive blessing from the Lord.... Such is the company of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob" (Psalm 24:3-6).
 
In Your mercy and love, give me clean hands and a pure heart. Give me a repentant spirit that's always turning to You and pursuing You. Forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness; and keep lifting me up into Your embrace of Your presence. Thank You for giving me the grace to walk with You in the cool of the day and throughout the moments of my day, with nothing between us in the depths of my heart. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you walk with God, embracing His love and His presence, in the cool of the day and throughout every moment of your day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 


Thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer, seeking to begin each day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. I hope these prayers are a blessing and encouragement to 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!

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Friday, October 25, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 25 - "Rest Secure" in God
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit. ...
 
"I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For You do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In Your presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:7-11).
 
You invite me to rest secure in You. You invite me to trust You -- to trust that You are with me, that You uphold me, that You instruct me and counsel me, that You protect and defend me, that You speak up and stand up for me, that You'll never leave me nor forsake me. And when I do, no matter what I go through, You make my heart glad, You make my soul rejoice, and You fill me with the fullness of joy.
 
So why would I ever want to lean on my own understanding? Why would I ever try to handle my struggles in my own wisdom or try to fight my battles in my own strength? (Proverbs 3:5-6) The truth is "Apart from (You), I can do nothing" (John 15:5). But "blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made their Lord their hope and confidence" (Jeremiah 17:7 NLT). "Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31 NLT).
 
Some may trust in horses; some may trust in chariots -- trusting in the strength and wisdom of ourselves -- but I will trust in the name of my God (Psalm 20:7). I will trust in the One in whom I can "rest secure." By the power of Your grace, help me trust in You and rest secure in You today. As I do, no matter what I go through, I know You will keep me "in perfect peace," with my heart and mind fixed on You (Isaiah 26:3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you "rest secure" in God today and may your soul rejoice, no matter what you go through, letting Him keep you "in perfect peace" with your heart and mind fixed on Him, 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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Thursday, October 24, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 24 - "The Lord Bless You and Keep You"
 
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. ...
 
"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26).
 
I need Your blessing, Lord. 
 
Some might call me "needy." Some might say I just want to be a member of "the bless me club." But I believe You created me to need Your blessing, to long for Your blessing. It's not selfish and self-centered; it's the will of God. Just as You told Moses to instruct Aaron and his sons as the priests of God to speak this blessing over Your people, You said, "I will bless them" (Numbers 6:27).
 
So I do pray that You would bless me and keep me. I pray You would make Your face to shine upon me and gracious to me. I pray You would lift up Your countenance upon me and give me peace. I receive Your blessing, in the name of Jesus. "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, and have made the Lord their hope and confidence" (Jeremiah 17:7 NLT).
 
Through Christ, all the blessings of God for the people of God are upon us. "Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed (us) with the same blessing (You) promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14). Just as You blessed Abraham, You bless us; and just as You sent forth Abraham to be blessing, so You send us forth as Your people into our world, saying, "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2). In Your abundant grace, You bless us so that Your abundant grace may flow out of us to touch and change the world around us. "And God is able to provide (us) with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, (we) may share abundantly in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).
 
Now, in the blessing of the Lord, I pray You would send me out into my day to be a blessing -- blessed to be a blessing, full of hope to inspire hope, full of life to bring life to all You would touch through my life. You've filled me with grace to pour out Your grace through me. Freely I've received, now may I freely give (Matthew 10:8). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace, 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

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Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 23 - "This Place of Undeserved Privilege"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today. ...
 
"Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love" (Romans 5:1-5 NLT).
 
We now stand in "this place of undeserved privilege." We now "have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (v. 5:2 NKJV).
 
We didn't deserve it. We can't earn it. But we can stand in it because You stand in us. We can enter into it because You have entered into us. We can come boldly to Your throne of grace because You boldly set aside Your throne of glory to humble Yourself in the likeness of human flesh and blood to lay down Your sinless life for us in Christ at the cross (Philippians 2:5-8).
 
O, how You love us! And O, how You long to embrace us and allow us to embrace You! How You long to fill our hearts with Your Spirit and fill our lives with Your Presence!
 
Let me never take for granted this place of "access" to Your Presence, "this place of undeserved privilege." It's a privilege, not a right. But it's a privilege You offer to all who will humble themselves to seek You and allow You to awaken the hunger to pursue You. Your invitation stands and the gates of Your Presence are open wide, as You speak to our hearts, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you seek and find the One who loves you so in the privilege of access you have to His Presence, 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!
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Monday, October 21, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 21 - "Filled with All the Fullness of God"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come fill the tabernacle of my heart with the fullness of Your Spirit in a great feast of Your Presence this day and every day (Leviticus 23:33; Ephesians 5:18).  ...
 
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant that (I) be strengthened in (my) inner being with power through His Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in (my) heart through faith, as (I am) being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that (I) may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that (I) may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:14-19).
 
"Filled with all the fullness of God" -- Lord, is that a valid prayer to pray? I know it's from Your Spirit inspiring Your Word in this Scriptural prayer. But how can a human vessel be "filled with all the fullness of God?"  ...
 
As I wait for Your leading, I believe I hear You speaking to my heart:  "My son, I fill the hearts of those who hunger and thirst for Me. It is My joy to fill your heart with My Presence. I desire to display My glory through the hearts of My sons and daughters, to manifest the glory of My Presence in you and through you. This is what it means to be "the body of Christ," filled with "the Spirit of Christ." As I am, so are you to be in your world. Christ in you, the hope of glory -- My glory displayed through you, as you are filled with all the fullness of God. You, of course, will never be God, but you will become more like Me as you behold Me and trust Me and entrust yourself to Me in ever-increasing surrender to My will and My Presence in your life." ...
 
Yes, Lord. As I test and discern these words that come to my heart, many Scriptures immediately come to mind to confirm Your words:  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). "Be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). "You are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him" (Romans 8:9). "For in one Spirit we are all baptized into one body.... Now you are the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). "Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). "Thus He has given us, through these things, His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.... As He is, as are we in this world" (1 John 4:13-17). "They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display His glory!" (Isaiah 61:3).
 
So, Yes, Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit today. In this amazing mystery of faith and by the power of Your grace, may I "be filled with all the fullness of God!" May You display Your glory through my life today. May I be filled up and overflowing, letting Your Spirit bring life to all You would touch with Your life flowing through my life today -- for "out of the believer's heart (filled with all the fullness of God) shall flow rivers of living water! (John 7:38) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you be "filled with all the fullness of God" today, filled up and and overflowing with His ever-abiding Presence to display His glory 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

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