Friday, March 20, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 30 - Finding Grace in Our Time of Need
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the ways that lead to life in You today -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"Since, then, we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, 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).
 
In our weakness but also boldness, in our humility but also faith, we come to Your throne of grace in our time of need. You invite us to come boldly because You're able to sympathize with our weakness, because You have been tested in every respect as we are being tested now. Before You "passed through the heavens," You suffered through every testing of the trials and tribulations of our world we have ever faced and that we are facing now, "yet without sin."
 
You're a God who understands us. You're a God who is not distant or detached, not uncaring or unavailable. You're a God who is right here with us through it all and who has already been through it all -- through it all for us.
 
If we feel afraid of what might happen, You've been through it. If we are feel worried about what we're already experiencing, You've been through it. If we feel confused about what to do, You've been through it. Even if we feel frustrated or angry in a moment for what seems unfair or out of control or overwhelming, You've been through it. "Yet without sin" -- as You suffered well, persevered well, lived out Your identity and calling in the midst of all that was wrong in a broken, fallen world well, You went through it all in human flesh and blood to model well an example for us (Philippians 2:5-11).
 
Lord God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- this is our time of need. We come to You in our weakness and neediness; we come to You on behalf of our neighbors and their weakness and neediness. These problems we face are over our heads. So we come humbly and boldly to Your throne of grace in our time of need, just like You invited us to do. As You have promised:  "My grace is sufficient for you; for My strength is made perfect in (your) weakness.... For when (we) are weak, then (we) are strong" in You (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NKJV). "Therefore (we can be) content (through) weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ" for You are with us and You will get us through it all, as we call on Your name and trust in Your grace, no matter what we face (Corinthians 2:10).
 
You see us. You hear us. You understand us. And You are here with us to help us get us through this. You'll even turn it all around for good in ways we can't even see or imagine right how. Just like You always do. You always have and You always will. So we thank You now, even before we see it come to pass (Mark 11:22-24). "This is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of Him" (1 John 5:14-15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you come boldly before our God's throne of grace in your time of need for yourself and for your neighbors, trusting our God who has already suffered through whatever you face without sin so we could look Him and know He understands and know He will respond in His grace, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!



Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Thursday, March 19, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 19 - God's Vitamins for Our Immune System
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn to You -- "looking to Jesus" -- to run the race set before me today (Hebrews 12:1-2). ...
 
These thoughts come to mind, as I believe I hear You speaking to my spirit:  "Take your vitamins -- your Vitamin D3 and your Vitamin C, that your immune system will be strong to withstand these days." ...
 
What comes to me is this --
 
Vitamin D3. 
 
By the power of Your grace, I will:
 
1. Determine to stand firm in faith, grounded in Your Word, no matter what comes, trusting You to bring me through it all -- not only just surviving, but thriving, not stuck worrying about by myself, but being a witness to my world around me, not holed-up in fear, but speaking out in prayers and proclamations in the authority of Your name and agreement with Your will from my position of responsibility at the gate of my city and all You've entrusted to me.
 
2. Do all I can, by the power of Your grace, to reach out to my neighbors as I reach up to You, to be part of the solution and not part of the problem, to be a light of hope as a disciple of Christ in the midst of the darkness, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, with the heart of my Father, however You lead me by Your Holy Spirit.
 
3. Dare to believe You're at work in all that our world is going through, to turn it around and redeem it all into a great harvest of souls, as the world begins to see that there is no wisdom apart from Your wisdom, no protection apart from Your protection, and no answer apart from Your answer.
 
Vitamin C. 
 
Vitamin C is "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Christ in me, shining Your Light through me, letting Your Rivers of Living Water flow through me, allowing Your Power and Love to be manifest all around me, because Your abiding Presence dwells within me.  "(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 Christ from the dead will give life to (my) mortal body also through His Spirit that dwells in (me)" (Romans 8:9-11).
 
This morning, I'm taking my vitamins, Lord. And by the power of Your grace -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- my immune system will be strong and I will "be in good health." As the Apostle John prayed for those entrusted to his care, "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.... I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in truth.... that we may become co-workers with the truth.... Peace be to you" (3 John 2:15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you be in good health, may you prosper even as your soul prospers, and may you be the hands and feet of Jesus, revealing the love and heart of our Father, all in the power of the Holy Spirit as witness of our God in our world, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 18 - "Turn to Me"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Rock of my salvation, Shepherd of my soul -- I look to You and listen for Your voice, for Your sheep hear Your voice (John 10:4). ...
 
I believe I hear You speaking these words in my heart and bringing them up to my mind to ponder in the communion of prayer with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. And I have a sense these words not meant for me alone:
 
"Turn to Me.
Turn away from the TV.
Turn away from the computer screen.
Turn away from what you're worried will happen and
turn to the One who already sees all that will ever happen and
will turn it all to good.
Turn to Me.
Trust in Me.
In returning and rest, in quietness and trust, I will see you through." ...
 
Yes, Lord. Your written Word comes to mind to confirm these spoken words to my heart. "For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:  In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15). "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I Am God, and there is no other!" (Isaiah 45:22). "Return to Me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you" (Zechariah 1:3). "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).
 
Many are at home today -- here in my home and around the world, even to the ends of the earth. Someone even said it's like "a forced sabbatical" for the earth as we respond to the threat of contagion from this virus and its spread of sickness, disease, and death. But it's also an opportunity to turn to You, to trust in You, to put all our hope and faith in You. Even the wisdom we receive of how to respond and the courage we receive of how to act ultimately comes only from You. You said, "Ask for wisdom, and I will supply it" (from James 1:5).
 
But it's also an opportunity to invite the world to turn to You -- through our words, through our prayers, through our actions, through our example. Let those who don't yet know You hear Your call to turn to You, to find their peace in You, their security in You, their wisdom in You, and their hope in You.
 
Now is the time to pray for a great move of God across the earth! (Habakkuk 2:14) Now is the day of salvation! (Hebrews 3:13) Now is the season of great harvest! (Matthew 13:39)
 
Lord God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- I turn to You. And by the power of Your grace and the moving of Your Spirit, may I keep turning away from all that's less than You. May I make more time for You. May I be free from any temptation to squander these opportunities and be free from any distractions from Your great purposes, to be part of Your great harvest in our day and to the ends of the earth. "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Matthew 9:37-38). Lord, I'm asking, even as I'm turning to You -- now and moment by moment throughout my day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you turn to the Lord to trust in Him and be free from distractions and anything less than Him to take hold of the opportunities set before us for a great harvest in these days, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
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, March 17, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 17 - "Shelter in Place" -- in the Secret Place of the Most High
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Heart to Heart, spirit to Spirit, deep to Deep, I look to You and listen for Your leading to begin my day in communion with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
A phrase I've been hearing in the news, I'm hearing in my heart this morning:  "Shelter in Place." But what I sense is coming from Your Heart to mine is this:
 
"I Am your Shelter. I Am the Secret Place of the Most High. There's no safer place than in My Presence. There's no greater shelter than in My will. But it's not a place to hunker down and hide away in fear. It's a Place I've prepared for you, a Table I've prepared for you, even in the presence of your enemies of fear, worry, anxiety, chaos, confusion, and doubt. It's a Place where you can be still and know that I Am God and I will get you through this, no matter where you are, no matter how you feel, no matter what comes against you. Trust in Me. Rest in Me. Keep close to Me and I will lead you to be My light in the midst of the darkness and My hope in the midst of despair, as You seek Me in worship and join with Me in prayer and follow Me in obedience. My Light shines through you. My Hope exudes from you. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you, the Shelter of the Almighty and the Secret Place of the Most High."  ...
 
Yes, Lord. As Your Word invites us to believe in faith:  "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.' For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; He will cover you with His Pinions, and under His Wings you will find Refuge; His faithfulness is a Shield and Buckler. You 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.... 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 91:1-16).
 
Your Word reveals Your will -- Your written Word and Your spoken word. And You invite us to believe Your Word, to pray Your Word, to declare Your Word, to live out Your Word -- even in the midst, especially in the midst, of all we face and endure in this broken and fallen world where the battles and threats are real. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
 
So by the power of Your grace, no matter what I face, no matter where I am, I will be sheltering in Place. By the power of Your grace, I will be abiding in Your Presence, believing Your Word, praying Your Word, declaring Your Word, living out Your Word -- for me and my house, no matter where I am and whatever I'm doing, but also for my neighbors, my community, my nation, my world, and all that You've entrusted to me and under my care as a child of God and a disciple of Jesus Christ, embraced in Your Arms and filled with Your Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you abide in the One who abides in You, safe and secure, but also praying and proclaiming the Word of God, living and loving as a disciple of Christ, from your Secret Place in the Shelter 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 ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
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, March 16, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 16 - Declaring the Name of Jesus with the Authority and Mind of Christ
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek You first -- here in these first moments of my morning, and then throughout the moments of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV).
 
Lord, let me have the mind of Christ today. Take from my mind everything less than the mind of Christ. Take any thoughts of worry, fear, and anxiety. Take any thoughts of confusion, chaos, and conflicting advice. Take any thoughts of doubt, unbelief, and hopeless despair. Reveal them, remove them, and replace them with Your truth in my mind until I have the mind of Christ.
 
Your Word reveals Your will. And Your Word says, "We have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16). Through these troubling times of temptation and pressure to give in and take on a different mind than the mind of Christ, I pray this for myself and I magnify this prayer out over the Body of Christ, as far as Your grace will go.  I pray it and I proclaim it, declare it and decree it, according to Your Word revealing Your will:  "We have the mind of Christ!"
 
And with the mind of Christ, I declare the name of Jesus Christ above every other name that we would face. I declare the name of Jesus Christ above viruses, sicknesses, and disease! I declare the name of Jesus Christ above worry, fear, and anxiety! I declare the name of Jesus above doubt, unbelief, and hopeless despair! All of that and everything less than the mind of Christ must bow its knee to the name of Jesus Christ! All of that and everything less than the mind of Christ must confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!"
 
By Your Spirit, I pray it and proclaim it, I declare it and decree it, according to the will of God revealed in the Word of God in the authority of the name above every name -- both in my human language and in Your heavenly language (Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 14:15). "You shall declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways" (Job 22:28 NKJV). "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the children of men" (Psalm 115:16 NKJV). "Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:22-24).
 
So in the name of Jesus Christ, bow! In the name of Jesus Christ -- as far as God's grace will go, to the full measure of my responsibility and authority as a child of God and disciple of Jesus Christ, I speak to everything less than the mind of Christ and the will of God in the spheres of influence entrusted to me -- and I say, bow! Bow, now! For Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father and we have the mind of Christ! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you have the mind of Christ and declare the name of Jesus Christ with the authority of Christ over everything less than the mind of Christ and will of God in your spheres of influence, 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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Friday, March 13, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 13 - "A Different Spirit"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. I'm listening now for Your leading -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God ...
 
"My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it" (Numbers 14:24).
 
Caleb, along with his companion Joshua, had "a different spirit" than the others who went into the land to see what You had set before them. The others saw the land, but what they saw above all else were the giant enemies that seemed too big and too powerful to overcome (Numbers 14:28-33). 
 
Caleb and Joshua were full of faith, ready for the adventure, and excited for the opportunity to trust in You, to take the land and take hold of the promises of God. They had a spirit of faith, while the others gave in to "a different spirit," to a spirit of fear and all that it brings -- faithlessness, discouragement, hopelessness, and despair. Soon their fears fed their mistrust and rebellion, until they found themselves on the opposite side of the favor of God for not trusting You and Your word. "And the Lord said to Moses, 'How long will this people despise Me? And how long will they refuse to believe in Me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they" (Numbers 14:11-12). None of those who gave in to fear instead of trusting in faith would ever be able to enter into the Promised Land (14:22-23).
 
Whatever giant enemies we face in our day -- coronavirus, concern of economic collapse, challenges in the midst of chaos and panic, and all that comes with it -- let us be a people of "a different spirit." Let us be a people filled with the Holy Spirit -- full of faith and not fear, trust and not terror, peace and not panic.
 
Instead of fixing our eyes on the giants, let us turn our eyes to the potential fruit of a great harvest. Yes, this is a crisis and a challenge, but it's also an opportunity and an invitation to arise and shine in the midst of the darkness, to stand firm in the faith in the midst of the fear. Let a world overwhelmed with fear see faith in us and turn to the One in us who gives us "a different Spirit."
 
This is our time to shine! This is our time to lead the way to the One who's not afraid and who's always in control to bring us through whatever we face. "Arise, shine! For your Light has come, and the Glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your Light and kings to the Brightness of your dawn!" (Isaiah 60:1-3) 
 
That Light that shines before us, that Glory of the Lord that rises upon us, that Brightness of our dawn that draws others to You through us, is "a different Spirit" within us -- the Holy Spirit of the Living God, who gives us courage and faith to live into the fullness of our Promised Land. And who empowers us to see the potential of the harvest and gives us opportunities to lead all who will come into their Promised Land in You as well. There's no enemy we'll ever face between us and our Promised Land that's too big or too powerful for us to overcome when our eyes are fixed on You! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you be filled with "a different Spirit" -- with the Holy Spirit of the Living God, to overcome all you face and lead many into their Promised Land in the opportunities before us, 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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