Thursday, March 12, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 12 - A "Distinction" in the Response of God's People to Panic
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father, One with the Holy Spirit; be One within me, as I abide in You and You abide in me (John 17:21). From this place of unity and surrender, I watch and wait for Your leading. ...
 
"On that day (of the plague) I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I the Lord am in this land. Thus I will make a distinction between My people and your people" (Exodus 8:22-23).
 
This Coronavirus pandemic is like a plague of panic in our day, now investing nearly nation on earth. But You call us to faith and not fear, to trust and not terror, to peace and not panic. For those who turn to You, who find their Refuge in You, under the shadow of the Almighty and in the secret place of the Most High, "where (Your) people live," there will always be calm in the midst of the storm and clarity in midst of the chaos (Psalm 91).
 
There should be "a distinction" in the response of Your people who are called by Your name and those who do not yet know You. We should be different. We should respond differently. Even as we acknowledge our struggles with anxieties or fears, worries or concerns, we can release them to You as they rise up in us. "Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). "In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comfort delights my soul" (Psalm 94:19 NKJV).
 
You are our "Land of Goshen." You are our Rock and Refuge, our Stronghold and our Shield of Protection. As we abide in You and You abide in us, we are safe in You (John 15:4). "The name of the Lord is a Strong Tower; the righteous run into it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).
 
Give us courage come into agreement with Your Word and declare Your Truth into our hearts and into the land You entrusted to us with both responsibility and authority. Let Your perfect love cast out fear (1 John 4:18) and let Your perfect peace steady our hearts. You will bring us through this plague of panic and whatever else we face, as we seek to "live and move and have our being" in You (Acts 17:28). "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you be kept in perfect peace as your heart and mind are stayed on the Lord through whatever you face, letting there be a great distinction and witness in your response to the response of the world around you, 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!

Posted by at

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 11 - The Glory of the Presence  of the Lord Fills the Temple of Our Hearts
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name (Philippians 2:9). I lift up Your name and bow my knees and confess You as Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). Now I look and listen for the leading of Your Spirit to begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  ...
 
"Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes ... in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.... Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.... And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Then Solomon said, 'The Lord has said that He would dwell in thick darkness. I have built You an exalted house, a place for You to dwell in forever!" (1 Kings 8:1-11)
 
In Christ, my heart is Your house. My body is Your temple. My spirit is Your inner sanctuary. "(We) are God's temple and God's Spirit dwells in (us)" (1 Corinthians 3:16).
 
Come, Holy Spirit of the Living God. Come fill Your temple afresh today. Just as the ark of the covenant of the Lord speaks of the Presence of the Spirit of the Lord in the most holy place of the temple, I welcome Your Presence here in me, here in my heart, made holy by the cleansing blood of Jesus and the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit to the glory of my Father. You be exalted in this house, You be lifted high in my heart. Through surrender and faith, I open wide to You a "place for You to dwell in forever!"
 
Just as the priests could not stand in Your Presence, neither can I. "You indeed are awesome! Who can stand before You!" (Psalm 76:7) "Who is able to stand in the Presence of the Lord, this holy God!" (1 Samuel 6:20 NLT)
 
So I bow down on my knees, I bow down in my heart, to cry out to You Holy! Holy! Holy is the Lord! Worthy! Worthy! Worthy of all praise! Blessed and mighty, holy and pure, faithful and true, is the One who was and who is and who is to come! You are worthy of all glory, majesty, honor, and praise, now and forever, here in my heart and here in my world! With all Your angels and all Your children and with all Your creation, I cry Holy! Holy! Holy is the Lord! And by the mercy of Your grace and the mystery of faith I cry Welcome! Welcome! Welcome is the Lord! Let the glory of Your Presence come fill this most holy place of my heart, prepared as a temple for You! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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


My friend, may the glory of the Presence of the Lord fill your heart, prepared as temple for 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Posted by at

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 10 - Freed from Fear in Our Father's Arms of Love
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and listen for Your leading -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust'" (Psalm 91:1-2).
 
When fear says to me, "You better worry; you don't know what going to happen; you'll probably get sick; your security will probably crumble; you'll probably lose your job or your house or your family or whatever you're the most afraid of losing," I will say to the Lord, "My Refuge and my Fortress; my God, in whom I trust!"
 
How does my faith overcome my fears? Because I "live in the shelter of the Most High," because I "abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Because I trust in the One who's greater than my fears, in the One who's with me through whatever I face, in the One who will never leave me nor forsake me. Because I trust in the One who fills me with the peace of His Presence, in the One who even prepares a table for me of all I need and anoints my head with the Oil of His Holy Spirit even in the presence of my enemies of fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, discouragement, depression, hopelessness, and despair.
 
As I live in You and abide in You, "(You) will deliver (me) from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; (You) will cover (me) with (Your) pinions, and under (Your) wings (I) will find refuge; (Your) faithfulness is a shield and buckler. (I) will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at (my) side, ten thousand at (my) right hand, but it will not come near (me)" (Psalm 91:3-7).
 
I don't have to give in to fear; I don't have to give in to panic; I don't have to allow those things to be Lord over any area of my life, because You are Lord over all of my life. "Because (I) have made the Lord (my) Refuge, the Most High (my) Dwelling Place, no evil shall befall (me), no scourge (shall) come near (my) tent. For (You) will command (Your) angels concerning (me) to guard (me) in all (my) ways. On their hands they will bear (me) up, so that (I) will not dash (my) foot against a stone. (I) will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent (I) will trample under foot" (Psalm 91:9-13).
 
There's no safer place than Your Presence. And there's no more dangerous place than out of Your Presence. And by the grace and mercy and love of God, I never have to spend a moment out of Your Presence. 
 
I love You, Lord. I love Your Presence. And I love all the peace and protection You provide for me as I press in to You. "Those who love Me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know My name. When they call to Me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them My salvation" (Psalm 91:14-16).
 
Thank You, Lord, for Your Love and for Your Presence, with me through every trouble. "There is no fear in love, but Perfect Love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). In the embrace of Your love, I'm safe and secure in "the Shelter of the Most High" and in the "Shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). I'm freed from fear in Your arms of love. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
 

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


My friend, may you be free from fear in our Father's arms of love -- safe and secure in the Shelter of the Most High, in the Shadow of the Almighty, 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!
Posted by at

Monday, March 09, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 9 - Prophetic Insight and Apostolic Execution
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart to make me more like You today. ...
 
"Elisha said to (King Joash), 'Take a bow and arrows;' so he took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, 'Draw the bow;' and he drew it. Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. Then he said, 'Open the window eastward;' and he opened it. Elisha said, 'Shoot;' and he shot. Then he said, 'The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram! For you shall fight the Arameans in Aphek until you have made an end of them'" (2 Kings 13:15-17).
 
The prophet, Elisha, speaks to us today of prophetic ministry. The king, Joash, speaks to us today of apostolic ministry. "Together, we are (Your) house, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord" (Ephesians 2:20-21).
 
We need both prophetic insight and apostolic execution to be the house of God, the temple of the Lord, as the body and bride of Christ on this earth in our day. Elisha heard the word of the Lord and spoke it to Joash. Joash acted in response to the prophetic word with apostolic execution. At the battle of Aphek, there would be victory over the Arameans -- the Lord's victory, through the Lord's people, established ahead of time through prophetic insight and apostolic execution.
 
Lord, teach us how to recognize and operate in the gifts and calling You've given us for the building of Your church and the advancing of Your kingdom. Teach us how to trust one another and join with one another in the unity of Your Holy Spirit, as we grow up in the maturity of Christ. Deliver us from our insecurities, jealousies, fears, and mistrust, as You develop within us Your character, confidence, humility, and love. Then we will rightly display Your nature with Your authority to rightly represent Your heart and make Your name known to our world.
 
"Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church:  the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love" (Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT).
 
With prophetic insight and apostolic execution, along with evangelistic zeal, pastoral care, and authoritative teaching -- all grounded in Your Word and infused with Your Spirit -- we will be the body and bride of Christ You'll called us to be. You're making us one with You and one with each other, "so that the world will believe" (John 17:21 NLT). "Christ in (us), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Then "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea!" (Habakkuk 2:14) Then "this Good News of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come!" (Matthew 24:14) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you recognize and grow in your gifts and calling, growing in unity and maturity to the full measure of the stature of Christ, 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!

Posted by at

Friday, March 06, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 6 - Accelerated Restoration!
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me see and speak, let me hear and say what Your Spirit is showing me and stirring up within me, as I wait and listen for Your leading today. You said, "He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15; Revelation 2:29). Give me ears to hear and words to speak -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"The time will come,' says the Lord, 'when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested. Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel will drip with sweet wine! I will bring My exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine. I will firmly plant them there in their own land. They will never be uprooted from the land I have given them,' says the Lord your God" (Amos 9:13-15 NKJV).
 
At the end of the ancient prophecy of the prophet Amos stands this word of hope. It's a promise of restoration from all the years of destruction, a promise of healing from all the years of wounding, a promise of freedom from all the years of bondage, a promise of living under the blessings from all the years of living under the curses. It's a promise of You taking all the bad things and turning them into good things. It's a promise of You taking even the places of sin and suffering the consequences of rebellion and doubt and disobedience to turn them all into places of praise and joy, of security and peace, of testimony to Your glory and grace, to Your mercy and love.
 
And not only is it a promise of restoration, it's a promise of acceleration. It's a promise of accelerated restoration. "The grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested" (v. 13). "The one who plows shall overtake the one who reaps, and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed" (v. 13 NRSV). That's not natural; that's supernatural! That's not normal; that's some kind of new normal! That's not the way it's always been; that's a way we've never been before! That's not living in the land of our past; that's crossing over into the Promised Land of our eternal destiny and the fullness of our inheritance as the sons and daughter of God in You!
 
Lord, let this be that day! We all sense it -- all who have ears to hear and eyes to see what You're doing in our day, in this new day! We see breakthroughs coming more suddenly, healings manifesting more quickly, salvation of souls in increasing harvests happening more dramatically. You are at work in ways that we've not seen before -- not since the days of the first outpouring of Your Spirit in power and love, in mercy and grace! (Acts 2:1-47)
 
These are days of acceleration. These are days of accelerated restoration. And even these great and awesome days are but a foretaste of greater days yet to come! For You have declared, You have promised "the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former" (Haggai 2:9 KJV), You've saved the best wine for last (John 2:10), for the time of the end is a time of great harvest (Matthew 13:29), and there is coming "the time for the final restoration of all things, as (You) promised long ago through (Your) holy prophets" (Acts 3:21 NLT).
 
Yes, Lord! The best is yet to come! We are living in the days of the beginning of Your best! We are living in the days of accelerated restoration of all things! As You spoke to Your first disciples of the first fruits and foretaste of what we are beginning to see coming into its fullness, "Jesus said to them privately, 'Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it" (Luke 10:23-24). 
 
This is the time that You're opening our eyes to see it and our ears to hear it, as never before! Give us Your grace to open our imagination to wrap our minds around it, to open our hopes to dare to embrace it, to open our mouths to boldly proclaim it! These are the days, now is the time of accelerated restoration! "As it is written:  'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him!" (1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us in these exciting, expectant days of accelerated restoration, in Jesus' name. May you experience it in every area of your life! 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!

Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)