Monday, January 18, 2021

From Intimidation and Timidity to Intimacy and Authority! - January 18, 2021

 Morning by Morning, January 18 - From Intimidation and Timidity to Intimacy and Authority!

 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...
 
"'And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to Your servants to speak Your word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.' When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness!" (Acts 4:29-31).
 
The rulers of their age tried to silence the voice of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. They called the followers of Jesus before their councils and demanded that they submit to their control (v. 5). The rulers challenged their authority and their right to speak and to pray in the name of Jesus (v. 7). They tried to silence their voice, shackle their freedom, and shut down their movement -- even forbidding them to speak in the name of Jesus (v. 17).
 
But the disciples of Jesus, the followers of Christ, would have none of it. In the face of all the intimidation and threats of the rulers and authorities -- who were actually the ones who were deeply afraid to the power of this mighty name of Jesus and the move of the mighty Spirit of God -- they would not relent in their passion for this movement the Lord Himself had seared into their hearts, as they responded in faith and stood their ground with courage of conviction, declaring for all to hear, no matter the cost:
 
"Whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard" (v. 19). "Filled with the Holy Spirit," they would not back down (v. 8). No surrender. No retreat. This mighty movement that was stirring in their hearts and stirring in the land was not coming to end, but just beginning! The stronger the opposition, the greater the intensity of their determination. 
 
Intimidation was only fueling the flames of deeper intimacy with their God and greater authority in His name in a great outpouring of His Spirit:
 
"They raised their voice to God with one accord and said: 'Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:
 
'Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.'
 
For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus!'
 
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness!" (v. 34-31)
 
Hallelujah! Lord, let it be so in our and our day! Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Turn intimidation into intimacy and timidity into authority in a great move of Your Spirit in our hearts, in our land, in our day! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend may you be filled afresh with Holy Spirit of God, letting Him turn intimidation into intimacy and timidity in into authority in your life and in your prayers for all the Lord has entrusted to you, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 


 Standing firm with you in faith,
in our hearts and in our land.


2021 Hope and Healing Conference and Ministry at Moore Than Enough Ministries Worship Center in Ohio This Past Weekend.
Friends, thank you so much for all your prayers for us during our ministry trip to Ohio this weekend at Grafton United Methodist Church outside St. Paris and with our good friends Pastors David and Linda Moore at More Than Enough Ministries' Worship Center in Sidney! Such hunger for God and passion for Jesus! We saw and heard many testimonies already of healing and deliverance, physical miracles and emotional breakthrough, all with a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit and the fanning of the flames of a holy Fire that will not be quenched! Much powerful prayer and intercession for our nation and for this movement! We're praising God for all He has done and all He is doing! Praying the same for you! Rocio and I are so grateful for your prayers for us!




Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257


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Friday, January 15, 2021

Standing Firm with Both Our Tools and Our Weapons - January 15, 2021

Morning by Morning, January 15 - Standing Firm with Both Our Tools and Our Weapons

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I seek Your face and listen for Your leading -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ... 

Like many in our nation, I've been wrestling lately with the focus of my attention. Daily, we're in a spiritual battle for the soul of our nation. And daily, we're sent forth to fulfill our calling in the spheres of influence You've entrusted to us. So do we fight the battle or do we do our job? Do we spend so much time in prayer to engage in a realm we do not see with our natural eyes or do we make ourselves productive in the everyday realm to address the everyday needs we see set before us? ...

This morning, this Word came to my spirit to guide my heart and my thoughts, from the effort and the battle to restore the nation and rebuild the wall in the days of Israel and Nehemiah: 

"Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews. He said in the presence of his associates and of the army of Samaria, 'What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore things? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish-and burned ones at that?' Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, 'That stone wall they are building-any fox going up on it would break it down!' Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their taunt back on their own heads, and give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover their guilt, and do not let their sin be blotted out from your sight; for they have hurled insults in the face of the builders. 

So we rebuilt the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height; for the people had a mind to work. 

But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the gaps were beginning to be closed, they were very angry, and all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. So we prayed to our God, and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.

But Judah said, 'The strength of the burden bearers is failing, and there is too much rubbish so that we are unable to work on the wall.' And our enemies said, 'They will not know or see anything before we come upon them and kill them and stop the work.' When the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times, 'From all the places where they live they will come up against us.' So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. After I looked these things over, I stood up and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people, 'Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your kin, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!' 

When our enemies heard that their plot was known to us, and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and body-armor; and the leaders posted themselves behind the whole house of Judah, who were building the wall. The burden bearers carried their loads in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and with the other held a weapon. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. And I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, 'The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. Rally to us wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet. Our God will fight for us!'" (Nehemiah 4:1-20)

 Yes, Lord! "Our God will fight for us!" You are the God who is building the wall and restoring our nation. And You are the God who is fighting for us. 

In Your wisdom and sovereignty, You choose to build and to fight through Your people who are called by Your name. So with the weapons of our warfare, let us pray in this spiritual battle of the unseen realm. And with the tools You've place in our hands to fulfill our calling to build up and retore what You've put in our hearts in the place You've positioned us on the "wall" of our community and our nation, for our families and for Your people, let us build. It's not either "fight" or "build;" it's both "fight" and "build" with both our tools and our weapons -- all by the power of Your grace and the Presence of Your Spirit at work within each one of us. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you be empowered by God's grace and God's Spirit to stand firm, to build and to fight, at your place on the "wall" as He rebuilds and restores in your life and your land, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 


 
Standing firm with you in faith,
in our hearts and in our land.


21 Hope and Healing Conference in Ohio This Weekend.
Friends, please keep us in prayer for a move of the Holy Spirit as Rocio and I minister in Ohio this weekend! 

We'll be at Grafton UMC in St. Paris, Ohio Friday Night through Sunday morning. 

We'll be at More Than Enough Ministries' Worship Center near Sidney Sunday Night. 


God bless you and thank you, as we pray for a move of His Holy Spirit in you and your community!
Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257


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Thursday, January 14, 2021

When Others Withdrew, "He Stood His Ground" - January 14, 2021

 Morning by Morning, January 14 - When Others Withdrew, "He Stood His Ground"

 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...
 
"(Eleazar) was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle. The Israelites withdrew, but he stood his ground. He stuck down the Philistines until his arm grew weary, though his hand clung to the sword. The Lord brought about great victory that day" (2 Samuel 23:9-10).
 
Like it or not, believe it or not, accept it or not, we are in a spiritual battle -- perhaps even the most significant spiritual battle of our times, so far. It's not a battle against human beings, but against spiritual beings seeking to manipulate and control, to intimidate and deceive, to silence and enslave us all as human beings. They seeking to shame us, condemn us, and forbid us from knowing our identity and securing our destiny as beloved children of God, living into the fullness of Your promises and our heritage of the kingdom of God (Ephesians 6:12). Like the one who sends them against us, they "come only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10).
 
Like the Philistines in the days of David, they come to plunder our inheritance and destroy our land. They come to keep us from being a light to the nations to extend the good news of the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth from the shores of this land from Your place in our hearts.
 
David would have none of it. And those who fought alongside him by the power and the grace of God would have not of it. Together, they "stood (their) ground." Even when others "withdrew," they "stood (their) ground." They "defied the Philistines" who had defied the name of the Most High God and sought to defile His people, His army, and the land He entrusted to them for His purposes and their destiny.
 
Just as Eleazar -- full of courage of conviction, steadfast in resolve, unflinching in faithfulness -- kept fighting to the end, so must we in this spiritual battle of our day. Yes, "his arm grew weary." No doubt there were times in the battle when his spirit and his faith grew weary as well -- especially in the face of being outnumbered by his enemies and abandoned by so many of his friends and fellow warriors. "But he stood his ground." No surrender. No retreat.
 
And just as Eleazar kept fighting until "his hand clung to the sword," so must we. Our "sword" is "the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). And we must believe It and wield It, in spirit and truth, in the power of the One who is our Spirit and our Truth, until It becomes as much a part of us as Eleazar's sword became a part of his hand -- as one with the Spirit, as one with the Word, as one with the identity and destiny for ourselves and for our land that our Lord has put in our hearts to defend until the end.
 
Come, Holy Spirit. Grounded in the Word of God, filled with the Spirit of God, may we be full of courage of conviction, steadfast in resolve, unflinching in faithfulness, fighting to the end. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you be filled with the Spirit of God, grounded in the Word of God, to stand your ground for all the Lord has put in your heart until the end, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. And I continue to join with you in prayer for our nation through these challenging times. God bless you, my friend! 


 
Standing firm with you in faith,
in our hearts and in our land.
Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257


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Wednesday, January 13, 2021

"Courage of Conviction" - January 13, 2021

 Morning by Morning, January 13 - "Courage of Conviction"

 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and listen for Your leading, as I begin my day centered in You -- grounded in Your Word and following Your Spirit. ...
 
As soon as I settle into my place of prayer this morning, I hear in my heart: "Courage of conviction." ...
 
Yes, Lord. Give me "courage of conviction." Show me what this means for me today. ...
 
As I wait, I sense this prayer rising up in my heart:
 
Let it be the "courage" You supply and the "conviction" You supply. Not a courage I try to muster up, but a courage You form in my spirit to stand firm in the conviction You've placed in my heart. Not a conviction to what I may think is right in my own eyes or anybody else's eyes, but the conviction of what You say is right and lived out in the way You say is right. 
 
By the power of Your grace, let me be courageous in my convictions, bold in my faith, and fearless in the spiritual battles that are set before me. Let me be part of this generation of the Body and Bride of Christ You're raising up and sending forth -- even more bold, even more courageous than any of the faithful generations of the past -- that we may fully accomplish all that's set before us now.
 
I believe Your Spirit is now bringing to mind Your Word about this kind of "courage of conviction" and the Source of our courage and the Source of our conviction:
 
"When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them: 'I am now one hundred twenty years old. I am no longer able to get about, and the Lord has told me, 'You shall not cross over this Jordan.' The Lord your God Himself will cross over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua also will cross over before you, as the Lord promised. The Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. The Lord will give them over to you and you shall deal with them in full accord with the command that I have given to you. Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you.'
 
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: 'Be strong and bold, for you are the one who will go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their ancestors to give them; and you will put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed'" (Deuteronomy 31:1-6).
 
As we go forward at Your command, as You put us in possession of all You've set forth for Your people in this season, our battle is not against people, not against property, not against political parties or propaganda machines. At it's source, it's against the spiritual forces of this present darkness. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). 
 
All the battles in the physical realm in the Old Covenant back then speak to us of the spiritual principles of our spiritual battles in the spiritual realm we're fighting now under the New Covenant. "Now these things happened to them as examples, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). 
 
In our present battles against this present darkness, we fight in the spirit with the spiritual weapons You've placed in our hands and the "courage of conviction" You've placed in our hearts. "For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have Divine Power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
 
May we be found faithful in our generation that's been called up for duty at this hour to fight our battles against this present darkness. By the grace of God, may I have the honor and the "courage of conviction" to be one of those, one of Yours, who are found faithful to be obedient to advance and take possession of all You've set before us. No surrender. No retreat. "Strong and very courageous" (Joshua 1:7), with Your "courage of conviction" in my spirit and in the spirit of all You've called to stand firm in our faith. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you be stirred in your spirit with the "courage of conviction" the Lord Himself has place there -- His courage and His conviction -- and be faithful to live it out by His grace and in His way, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. And I continue to join with you in prayer for our nation through these challenging times. God bless you, my friend! 

 
Standing firm with you in faith,
in our hearts and in our land.
Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257


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Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Honor the One "Who Sits in the Heavens" - January 12, 2021

Morning by Morning, January 12 - Honor the One "Who Sits in the Heavens"

 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You rule and reign from Your throne in the heavens, and I welcome You to rule and reign form Your throne in my heart -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
'Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.'
 
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
'Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.'
 
I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
'You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You 
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'
 
Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him" (Psalm 2:1-12).
 
Lord, the nations are raging. The people are plotting. The kings of the earth are setting themselves in their positions of power and the rulers of our world a taking counsel together to accomplish their purposes and their plans.
 
But You still sit in the heavens. You still rule and reign in Your sovereignty. Though they seek to come against You and Your plans and purposes, seeking to "break" of all constraints of Your authority, seeking to "cast away" all limitations of the principles and precepts of Your Word as the foundational law of the land, You're not worried. You're not afraid. 
 
You're still full of Your peace and Your joy. You can even "laugh" from the heavens, even in the midst of all that breaks Your heart and kindles Your wrath, because You already see how You will redeem it all, even use it all, to fulfill Your Word and work out Your will in the fullness of time.
 
So by the power of Your grace, by an outpouring of Your Spirit, let us and our leaders "be wise" and "be instructed." Let us "serve the Lord" in the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord, honoring You alone as our King of kings and Lord of lords, honoring You as the Anointed One, the only-begotten One, the Son of God, set upon Your holy hill and set as King of All upon our hearts. Let us honor You. Let us draw near to You in both the fear of the Lord and deeper intimacy with the Lord to "kiss the Son."
 
By a move of Your Spirit, break down the strongholds over our land with Your "rod of iron." "Dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel" all that's been created and exalted in the minds of man and over our land, rather than molded by the hand and heart of God. Uproot and remove all that would resist Your will that we would honor the inalienable right of all to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. And establish Your prophetic decree that we would be "one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all." "Declare (Your) decree" of Your redemptive destiny over this land and over us all.

Even now, let this nation still be part of “Your inheritance” of the “sheep nations” rather than the “goat nations” to fulfill our calling and destiny in Your plans to send Your Word and the Gospel of Your Kingdom to “the ends of the earth for Your possession.” For “blessed are all those who put their trust in (You).” In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you draw near to the Lord in both the fear of the Lord and deeper intimacy with the Lord to kiss the Son and trust the Lord to be at work in all we're going through to still fulfill His plans and purposes in your life and our land and all the earth, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. And I continue to join with you in prayer for our nation through these challenging times. God bless you, my friend! 
 
 

Standing firm with you in faith,
in our hearts and in our land.
Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257


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Monday, January 11, 2021

Our "Strong Tower" where We Are Safe - January 11, 2021

 Morning by Morning, January 11 - Our "Strong Tower" where We Are Safe

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Rock and my Refuge, my Savior and Strong Tower. ...

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
    the righteous run into it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).
 
In both humility and faith, in both the deepest intimacy I have with You as a child of God and in the fear of the Lord as a bond-servant of the Most High God, I draw near to You in worship and prayer, in confidence and trust -- as best as I can and all by Your grace. Your name is my strong tower. Your embrace is what keeps me safe.
 
A strong tower withstands the onslaught. A strong tower perseveres and prevails through every battle. A strong tower does not crumble and fall, but endures to the end. And You are my Strong Tower.
 
At the same time, it's the "righteous" who run into it and are safe. ...
 
I thank You that by the blood of Jesus, by the grace of God, You have made me righteous, forgiven and free, to draw near to You. "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
 
Come, Holy Spirit. Keep setting things right in me -- right with God, right with others, right within myself. Give me Your right thoughts, right desires, right words, right actions, that I "might become the righteousness of God."
 
"The name of the Lord is (my) strong tower" as the nature of the Lord is formed in my heart.
 
So I "run into it" -- not holding back, not holding out. No surrender and no retreat. Pressing in and praying through, as You make me more like You.
 
From this Strong Tower of Your name, Your nature, Your righteousness being formed in my spirit and soul and body, in all my mind and heart and soul and strength, in every dimension of my being, seeking to be fully surrendered to You and every Dimension of Your Being, I am safe. I am secure. I will stand firm and overcome and endure to the end, no matter what comes, by the power of Your grace at work within me.
 
And now is the time to stand firm. Now is the time to keep the faith. Now is the time to hold fast to our trust in You and Your word and Your will in all that affects our lives. No shrinking back. No surrender. No retreat. We don't run away from the fight, but run into the Strong Tower who sets things right. 
 
Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be those who call upon His name and allow Him to form His righteous nature in their hearts. And blessed be the nation whose God is the Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you be safe and secure in the Strong Tower of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ -- pressing in and praying through, enduring to the end in His righteousness formed in you, with no surrender and no retreat, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. And I continue to join with you in prayer for our nation through these challenging times. God bless you, my friend! 

  
Standing with you and keeping the faith,
in our hearts and in our land.
Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257


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Friday, January 08, 2021

"Who is the God Who will Deliver Us?" - January 8, 2021

Morning by Morning, January 8 - "Who is the God Who will Deliver Us?"

 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and You alone as the Rock of my Salvation -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said to them, 'Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?'
 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let Him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up'" (Daniel 3:13-18).
 
Their faith was tested, but they did not falter. They were sentenced to death and then sought to be put to death, along with their faith and their voice against the will and ways of the ruler of the age -- painfully and publicly. But they would not surrender nor retreat from the passion You placed in their hearts to stand firm for Your Word and Your ways in the midst of a world out of their control. 
 
These faithful sons of Israel were faithful to the God of Israel and would bow down to no other -- not even in the face of "a furnace of blazing fire" and the "furious rage" of the ruler of the land that sought to constrain them and consume them, to silence them and destroy them. Their faith was not in a person or an institution; their faith was in You.
 
The ruler of their age asked, "Who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?" They responded to his fury with their faith. They endured the fiery furnace with their eyes on the One who is "a Consuming Fire" (Hebrews 12:29). And they overcame the fiery furnace in the embrace of the One who was with them always, even in the midst of the fire and the fury of the ruler of their age. Even he had to look and see the salvation of their God: "'Look!' he answered, 'I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God!" (Daniel 3:25 NKJV)
 
You are the God who delivers us. You are the God who is always with us. And You are the God who continues to empower us to stand firm in our faith with You, no matter what we go through.
 
We may have to go through the fire. But it's often in the midst of the fire that our faith is truly tested and purely refined. "The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times" (Psalm 12:6).
 
Let us not bow down to any god but You. Let us stand firm in the faith You've put in our hearts -- not faith in any person or any institution, but a faith in You.
 
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for (us), who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this (we) rejoice, even if now for a little while (we) have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of (our) faith --being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed!" (1 Peter 1:3-7) 
 
Yes, Lord. Let it be so. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend, may you keep looking to the God who will deliver you through every fiery trial you face, faithfully trusting in Him alone, with no surrender and no retreat, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. And I continue to join with you in prayer for our nation through these challenging times. God bless you, my friend! 

  
Standing with you and keeping the faith,
in our hearts and in our land.
Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257


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