Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Morning by Morning, December 24 - Excited to See the King!
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. On this Christmas Eve, I'm excited to see my King. ...
 
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He was has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.... The star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matthew 2:1-11 NKJV).
 
The wise men were excited to see the King. They followed Your star, and when they found You they took You into their hearts. They "rejoiced with exceedingly great joy!" They "fell down and worshiped (You)" and "opened their treasures" before You to offer their gifts to You.
 
In a sense, the gift of gold speaks of the glory of Your manifest Presence. I offer You a heart that seeks to embrace the glory of Your Presence every day. In a sense, the gift of frankincense speaks of the incense of prayers and praises lifted up to You. I offer You a heart that seeks to lift up my prayers and praises throughout the moments of my day, looking to You as the Savior and Source of all I am and all I need. And in a sense, the gift of myrrh speaks of the anointment used for burial. I offer You a heart that seeks to lay down my life for You as a living sacrifice in honor and response to the One who laid down His life for me.
 
Lord Jesus, You are the King - "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!" (1 Timothy 6:15 NKJV) Give me the wisdom to pursue You every day. Give me the humility to open the treasures of my heart and offer the gift of my life completely to You. As I worship You and welcome You into my heart and the moments of my day, let Your Spirit will fill me with the peace of Christ and "with exceedingly great joy!" Let me be among those wise men and women who are excited to see the King and offer our gifts and treasures to You! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
 
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you grow in your excited to see the King of Kings and Lord of Lord to offer Him the gifts and treasures of your heart as You embrace the One who is the greatest Gift of all, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. Merry Christmas and God bless you, my friend!

               

Thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer.
Please keep our ministry in mind for your Year End Giving, to help provide hope and healing through Messiah Ministries, fulfilling our calling of preparing the way of the Lord in the hearts of God's people and in our world. All contributions are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated. God bless you!



I write these prayer devotionals from my morning prayer time most every day and send them out right away the same morning -- real prayers, expressed and shared in real time from my spiritual life. If you would like to have a collection of these as a 365 Day Prayer Devotional for you or a friend, please order a copy today. 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!


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Monday, December 23, 2019

Morning by Morning, December 23 - The Sign of a Humble Manger
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I begin my day with my thoughts on You. ...
 
"So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:6-7 KJV).
 
Not a mansion, but a manger. Not in the finest hospital, but in a feed trough. Not among the rich and powerful, but among the peasants and people. 
 
No wonder the angel of the Lord said to the shepherds, "This will be a sign to you:  You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12). This was an amazing sign -- that the King of Heaven and Earth, the Creator of All, would humble Himself in this way to enter our world in such a humble way and in such a humble place.
 
As I ponder this amazing sign in my heart, I believe I hear You saying, "The humble place is always where I'll be. I draw near to the humble, to those who humble themselves to seek Me, to need Me, to welcome Me, and to embrace Me. The well have no need of a Doctor. The so-called sinless and self-righteous have no need of a Savior. But I long and I love to come enter into the humble hearts of those acknowledge Me and their desperate need for Me."  ...
 
Yes, Lord. Your Word comes to mind to confirm these words I hear in my heart: "The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down.... The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth" (Psalm 145:14-18). "Though the Lord is great, He cares for the humble" (Psalm 138:6). "He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and the oppressed" (Proverbs 3:34). "He gives us more grace. This is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:6-10).
 
So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I humble my heart before You today. I need You. I'm desperately dependent upon You. And I make room for You, here in my heart and in every moment of my day.  I need You as my Doctor, my Savior, my All in All. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
 
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you seek and embrace, with humility of heart, the One who is your All in 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.
Please keep our ministry in mind for your Year End Giving, to help provide hope and healing through Messiah Ministries, fulfilling our calling of preparing the way of the Lord in the hearts of God's people and in our world. All contributions are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated. God bless you!



I write these prayer devotionals from my morning prayer time most every day and send them out right away the same morning -- real prayers, expressed and shared in real time from my spiritual life. If you would like to have a collection of these as a 365 Day Prayer Devotional for you or a friend, please order a copy today. 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!

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Thursday, December 19, 2019

Morning by Morning, December 19 - Messy Beginnings for Our Messiah
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...
 
"(Joseph) went to be registered with Mary (in Bethlehem), to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a Child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her Child" (Luke 2:5).
 
Mary was a single mom and a pregnant teen. Joseph was stepping in to be a stepfather for a Child he didn't conceive and for a mother he had doubted at first in her faithfulness but came to trust. This seems like a very messy beginning for the holy family of the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. And yet, You were in the midst of it all, causing all things to work together for good -- all at the right time, all in the right place, to set things right in their hearts and ours.
 
Heaven had spoken to their hearts, and they believed. Faith prevailed and love won. All that messiness prepared the way for the Messiah.
 
You're the God who speaks clarity into our chaos, truth into our confusion, and hope into our despair. You take our broken and messy lives to make something so much better, so much more beautiful than we could ever hope or image if we trust in You. 
 
Heaven still speaks into the hearts of those who are listening. And our Messiah, our Savior, is still making beautiful things out of the messy lives of all who need the hope and healing, the freedom and peace, the fullness of complete salvation, that only You can bring. 
 
Mary and Joseph came to the place where they were "expecting a Child" to come and change their lives, to make things whole and set things right (Luke 2:5). And so are we! To that I say, "Amen!" To that, I say, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward men!" (Luke 2:14) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you find healing and hope, freedman peace, and the fullness of complete salvation that only comes through our Messiah and Savior, 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. I write these from my morning prayer time most every day and send them out right away the same morning -- real prayers, expressed and shared in real time from my spiritual life. If you would like to have a collection of these as a 365 Day Prayer Devotional for you or a friend, please order a copy today. 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!

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Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Morning by Morning, December 18 - At Just the Right Time in Just the Right Place
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. With all ye faithful, I come and adore You, Christ the Lord. ...
 
"In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.... All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, the city of David called Bethlehem, because he descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a Child" (Luke 2:1-5)
 
Jesus of Nazareth would be born in Bethlehem. On the one hand, we might say it was because of the Roman Emperor Augustus. And on the other hand, we know it was because of the Your words and Your will, prophesied long before Augustus was even born, that the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world would come from Nazareth (Matthew 2:23) and be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). 
 
Men make their choices in their free will; and at the same time, in the mystery of Your sovereignty and our will, Your sovereignty sees every choice before it's ever made and unfolds our choices into a supernatural display of Your will. "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps" (Proverbs 16:9). "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives" (Psalm 37:23). What a mystery and a marriage of our will and Your sovereignty! "O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways!" (Romans 11:33)
 
So Lord, line up my thoughts with Your mind, my desires with Your heart, my ways with Your will. Guide my steps and direct my paths. Get me to the right place at the right time for the right purposes, that all righteousness might be fulfilled according to Your will and plan for my life. Correct me when I'm wrong. Redirect me when I'm lost. Clarify me when I'm confused. Reposition me when I'm out of place. I yield my will to Your will.
 
As the old worship song proclaims, "Take my heart and form it; take my mind, transform it; take my will, conform it -- to Yours, to Yours, O Lord." You're worthy of my trust, my faith, my surrender, and my adoration. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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


My friend, may you be aligned and empowered by God at just the right time in just the right place to fulfill every part of His plan for your life, 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. I write these from my morning prayer time most every day and send them out right away the same morning -- real prayers, expressed and shared in real time from my spiritual life. If you would like to have a collection of these as a 365 Day Prayer Devotional for you or a friend, please order a copy today. 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!
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Morning by Morning, December 17 - Prophetic Message of the Messiah and the Virgin Mary
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of all I am and all I do this day. ...
 
"The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.' Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.' Then Mary said, 'Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.' Then the angel departed from her" (Luke 1:30-38).
 
Most people don't know many Bible stories. But if they know any at all, they probably know this one -- the virgin would conceive and bear a Son and call Him Jesus. What happened in Mary's life was foretold in the Scriptures by the prophet Isaiah nearly eight hundred years before -- "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14 NKJV). 
 
Mary's Son would be the Messiah -- the Anointed One of God, the Son of God who would set aside the glory of heaven to humble Himself in the likeness of human flesh and blood to reveal the heart of God the Father to us as God the Son among us (Philippians 2:5-11). As Isaiah prophesied, "For a Child has been born for us, a Son given to us; authority rests upon His shoulders; and He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
 
Lord, let the stories of Your Word come alive in me today. Let Your prophetic Scriptures remind me of Your sovereignty. Just as God the Holy Spirit conceived and birthed what was Holy in Mary, would You conceive and birth what is Holy in me. Fill me with Your Spirit and lead me in Your will, as You unfold Your sovereign plans for my life each day. Give me the grace to see and respond, with humility and faith, filled with Your Spirit, just as Mary did -- "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). In Jesus' name pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you be filled with the Holy Spirit, as He conceives and births what is Holy in you to live out the sovereign plans of God for your life, 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. I write these from my morning prayer time most every day and send them out right away the same morning -- real prayers, expressed and shared in real time from my spiritual life. If you would like to have a collection of these as a 365 Day Prayer Devotional for you or a friend, please order a copy today. 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!

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