Friday, April 17, 2020

Signs of Hope and Recovery through Repentance and Prayer - Morning by Morning, April 17, 2020

Morning by Morning, April 17 - Signs of Hope and Recovery through Repentance and Prayer
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...
 
"Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in" (Isaiah 58:12).
 
These are ancient Words of hope for the nation who turns to You and chooses to walk in Your ways once again. These are prophetic Promises of God for the land who's healed by the hand of God when her people seek Your face and listen for Your voice and obey Your will.
 
For a time, the streets of our land have been empty. There have been breaches in the walls of our sense of security and peace. In many ways, we've been shaken to our foundations and much of what we depended upon seem like they've been left in ruins.
 
Yet, there are signs of hope and words of encouragement. There's been a National Day of Prayer and endless days of prayer, as Your people who are called by Your name have humbled themselves to seek Your face and pray in repentance as we cry out to You for help (2 Chronicles 7:14).
 
Lord, let us learn the lessons You're teaching. After the shaking, let what remains be of You (Hebrews 12:27). After the sifting, let what is left be of You (Luke 22:31). You are our Foundation, not our personal finances. You are the Repairer of the Breach, not our health care system. You are the Highest Authority in our Land, not our politicians. And You alone are the One who can hear us and heal us and restore us to our calling and destiny in our hearts and in our land.
 
Let us turn to the One who is our Wisdom, our Strength, our Healer, our Deliverer, our Savior. Let Your ways become our ways and Your will become our will, as You hear our prayer and heal our land. As we hear Your Words of hope, as we embrace Your prophetic Promises, let our generation be a generation who learns and returns to the One who is sovereign over all -- the "King of Kings and Lord of Lord" (Revelation 17:14 and 19:16). May we be a nation who seeks You and turns to You in trust and obedience "without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about a the right time -- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.... To Him be honor and eternal dominion!" (1 Timothy 6:13-16) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, may you be encouraged and filled with faith as you continue to pray for our land, our hearts, and our world to be healed by the hand of God, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



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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Thursday, April 16, 2020

Wisdom and Provision - Morning by Morning, April 16, 2020

Morning by Morning, April 16 - Wisdom and Provision
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day here in the deep communion of prayer -- embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...
 
I hear in my heart, "Look to Me for your wisdom and provision." ...
 
Yes, Lord. You are the Source of all I need -- wisdom and provision, to discern what I'm to do and how I'm to rest in what You will do, trusting in You to be working in many ways, whether through me or apart from me or both. Whichever way You work it out, You will be the Way it all gets worked out. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5). "My God shall supply all (I) need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
 
You're bringing to mind the story of Your wisdom and provision for the widow women who lost her husband and then her family faced all the grief of the loss of life and also the fear of economic collapse.
 
"Now the wife of a member of the company of prophets cried to Elisha, 'Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves.' Elisha said to her, 'What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?' She answered, 'Your servant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.' He said, 'Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not just a few. Then go in, and shut the door behind you and your children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each is full, set it aside.' So she left him and shut the door behind her and her children; they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, 'Bring me another vessel.' But he said to her, 'There are no more.' Then the oil stopped flowing She came and told the man of God, and he said, 'Go sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your children can live on the rest'" (2 Kings 4:1-7).
 
So many messages of hope leap out at me from Your Word: being honest with our questions about our grief and loss and disappointment, the unfairness of seeming lack of protection for the people of God and servants of God and their families, how the thief comes like a creditor to steal and kill and destroy as he tries to take us into the bondage of slavery to him, the offering our hearts like empty vessels to be filled with the oil of Your Holy Spirit, to go out and engage our neighbors so their empty vessels can be filled with the oil of Your Holy Spirit as well, and of course, Your miraculous provision of all she and her family needed, as they heard and obeyed the word of the Lord.
 
But what strikes me the most this morning is that You gave both Your wisdom and provision as she actively participated in Your plans with what she they had. All of it from You. There was her part and Your part, but You were the Source; and there was nothing she could do apart from You.
 
Also, I see that the miracle began when she and her family were "sheltered-in-place." She was first to "go in, and shut the door behind (her) and (her) children" (v. 4). She was first to offer up own empty vessel and the empty vessels of her family. That's when the oil started to flow. That's when the miracle of provision started to happen. 
 
And then came the next stage of divine strategy for her provision -- to out to the neighbors and bring their empty vessels. All of that took time, all of that unfolded in stages and steps of obedience and trust, with You doing Your part and her family doing their part. But You provided all the wisdom and provision they needed to get them through their crisis.
 
Come Holy Spirit of God, draw us into the deeper place of intimacy and prayer. Lead us in to the Holy of Holies of the Presence of God with the door shut behind us. As You taught, Lord Jesus, "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:6).
 
Father, reward us with Your wisdom and Your provision, as we seek You and listen for the leading of Your Spirit to hear Your wisdom and experience Your provision. Show us when to come in and when to go out. Let us not waste a moment of our time sheltered away from the world and hidden away in You. That's where our hope comes from; that's where our help comes from; that's where our wisdom and provision comes from. "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth!" (Psalm 121:2)
 
Lord Jesus, You said, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5). And we praise You that we never have to be apart from You! You are with us always (Matthew 28:20). But when we come apart from the world to seek Your face and listen for Your voice, You provide us with Your wisdom and Your provision for all we need -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.
 
As we seek You and receive Your wisdom and provision, let our debts be paid and our hearts be free. Let us come closer to You than ever before. And in its time, let even our neighbors experience that same great outpouring of Your Holy Spirit that Your doing in our hearts as well. Grief of loss and fear of economic collapse will not prevail. You will get us through this crisis. And You will turn it all around to display Your glory in Your unfailing love! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, may you draw nearer to God in deeper intimacy with Him during any crisis you face to receive His wisdom and provision for all you need, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!


Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



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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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

"Pure and Secure" through the "Sifting and Shaking" - Morning by Morning, April 15, 2020

Morning by Morning, April 15 - More "Pure and Secure" through the "Sifting and Shaking"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for the grace that I can be on this journey with You every day -- looking to You (Hebrews 12:2), hearing Your voice (John 10:27), following in Your steps (1 Peter 2:21), as You make me more like You each day and each step of the way (Romans 8:29). ...
 
As listen for Your leading this morning -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- I believe I hear in my heart "sifting and shaking." ...
 
As I ponder what You're saying in my spirit, Scripture comes to mind:
 
"Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31-22).
 
"See that you do not refuse the One who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the One who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the One who warns from heaven! At that time His voice shook the earth; but now He has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.' This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of what is shaken -- that is, created things -- so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:25-29).
 
Satan comes to "sift" and You come to "shake."
 
Right now, it seems like Satan is sifting the world and You are shaking the world. But whether it's Satan or whether it's You, let our faith in You be strengthened. Let all that's in us that's not yet like You be sifted out and shaken out so that what remains is pure and secure.
 
Yes, Lord. By the power of Your grace, make me more "pure and secure" through the "sifting and shaking." In all honesty and in seeking to come to a place of deeper humility, I have to admit there are some things in me that are not yet "pure" and some things in me that not yet "secure." But You're not judging me and condemning me; You're using all I'm going through to help me, to heal me, to free me, to mature me, to strengthen me and empower me to be all You've created me to be.
 
As I keep looking to You, listening for Your leading, seeking to follow in Your steps through all I go through, all this "sifting and shaking" -- no matter the source -- will make me more like You every day. You'll not waste a moment; You'll not miss an opportunity. You'll take it all and cause it all to work together for my good and for Your goal of conforming me into the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:28-29). As You are, so am I to be in my world (1 John 4:17). As I behold You, Your Spirit is changing me into Your image, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).
 
This is how I receive "a Kingdom that cannot be shaken" (Hebrews 12:28). This is how You're forming and shaping Your unshakeable Kingdom in me -- "For, in fact, the Kingdom of God is within me" (Luke 21:21). "For the Kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Lord, let it be so in me -- more pure, more secure, more and more like You every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you become more "pure and secure" through all the "sifting and shaking" going on in your world, as you are being set free to be more like Jesus each day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



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, April 14, 2020

Asking Our Questions Even After the Resurrection - Morning by Morning, April 14, 2020

Morning by Morning, April 14 - Asking Our Questions Even After the Resurrection
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord, and listen for Your leading -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, 'They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.' When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.' Jesus said her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, 'Rabbouni" (which means Teacher).  Jesus said to her, 'Do not hold on to Me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'' Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord!'; and she told them that He had said these things to her" (John 20:11-18).
 
Even after the resurrection, Mary Magdalene was still confused about all that was happening. Even after seeing with her eyes and knowing in her heart that the tomb was empty, she still had questions about what was taking place.
 
She wept and she wondered. She tried to fit the pieces together in a way that made sense in her mind, but she didn't yet see the bigger picture from heaven's perspective. She needed a personal encounter with the risen Lord. She needed to turn around and look to You. She needed to hear Your voice. She needed to hear You call her by name.
 
Just like Mary, we can all find ourselves in that place at times. We've been walking with You in a personal relationship with You as Your disciple. We believe the cross and the empty tomb are real and true. So it's not a matter of faith. But somehow in all the chaos and confusion of not understanding all that's going on and not knowing yet what it all means and worrying about all that will happen next, we can have questions.
 
Mary expressed her thoughts and asked her questions. The angels didn't rebuke her and You didn't rebuke her. Instead, You come near to her and spoke to her. At first, she didn't recognize Your voice. At first, she didn't even turn to You to acknowledge You -- still overwhelmed in her grief and consumed in her questions. 
 
But then she heard You speak her name! Then she turned to You and called out to You! Then everything in her wanted to take hold of You and never let You go!
 
When she heard Your voice, when she turned to You to speak to You face to face, everything became much more clear. There was still so much she didn't know, so much she didn't yet need to know, about all that would happen and all that was to come. She didn't yet fully grasp how things would never be the same -- or what a good thing that would be, even though there would be plenty of hard days ahead.  But one thing is clear -- she couldn't wait to go share the good news! She couldn't wait to go encourage Your other disciples with the great joy that filled her heart!
 
Father, send Your Holy Spirit to make us more sensitive to the voice of Jesus. Even in the midst of all our questions and concerns about what's going on in our world and what's to come, help us to see from heaven's perspective and listen for the voice of Jesus in the midst of all we're experiencing and all we're about to go through.
 
Lord Jesus, we believe in the victory of the cross and joy of the empty tomb. We praise You for all that You done and all You're going to do. And at the same time, we need a fresh and deep and intimately personal encounter with You. 
 
So Lord, let us hear Your voice. Let us hear You call us by name. And let us turn to You to encounter You face to face. Give us a deeper desire to take hold of You and never let You go. And fill us with a joy to go share the good news with all who so desperately need to hear! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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

My friend, may you be free to ask your questions and express your concerns to God, along with a growing desire to turn to Jesus and hear His voice and be filled with His joy to go share His good news, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   

 
Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



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, April 13, 2020

"Fear and Great Joy" after the Resurrection - Morning by Morning, April 13, 2020

Morning by Morning, April 13 - Both "Fear and Great Joy" after the Resurrection
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I begin my day centered in You. ...
 
"So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word" (Matthew 28:8).
 
At the empty tomb, the angel spoke to the women seeking Jesus, "Do not be afraid" (v. 5). He declared those famous words to them, "He is not here; for He is risen!" (v. 5). And he invited them to come and see for themselves the empty tomb of Jesus (v. 6). Then he spoke to them the words You gave him to speak to their hearts about what was to come next (v. 7).
 
Surely they were so excited and so expectant of all that God had done and all that God was about to do. Surely they were filled with great joy! And they were. But at the same time, Your Word says they left the empty tomb that day "with fear and great joy" even as they "ran to bring (Your) disciples word" of this great news (v. 8).
 
What about us? In these days of great joy in celebrating Your resurrection, great joy in knowing Your Word will not fail and You're at work in whatever we face, can we also struggle with fear at the same time? Even as Your disciples who have witnessed the victory of the cross and the celebration of the empty tomb? Even as those who are hearing Your words, even experiencing angelic encounters, full of joy for what God has done and expectantly excited about what God is about to do? Even as we "run" with the words You've given us to encourage Your disciples with the good news that fills our hearts?
 
The joy is from You, but the fear is not. "My heart is glad and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.... You show me the path of life. In Your Presence there is fullness of joy!" (Psalm 16:0-11) "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (1 Timothy 1:7). But even if we feel afraid in the face of all the shock and awe of what's going on around us, even in the face of the unknown of what will come next, the fear doesn't have to steal our joy. We can fully acknowledge both our struggles with fear and our exuberance of joy, for You are with us through it all, for Your resurrection power is real!
 
The promises and the power of the Word of God never grow old:  "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11). "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, 'Abba, Father! The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together!" (Romans 8:15-17).
 
As we "run" with the word of Your good news in the joy of the resurrection of Jesus, we cry out "Abba, Father!" as we remember we are children of God. By the power of Your grace, fear will not steel our joy and not knowing all the details about what lies ahead and what You're about to do will not keep us from trusting in the One who already sees every day to come. As children of God, filled with the Spirt of God, we're excited and expectant to look and see what You will do! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be filled with great joy, even as you face any struggles with feelings of fear in all the uncertainty that surrounds us because the One who surrounds you with His Presence holds your days in His hands and holds you in His heart, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   
Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



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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