Monday, March 11, 2013


Morning by Morning, March 11 - "Encouraged and United in Love"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I bow my knees and open my heart to begin my day in the communion of prayer with You - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  ...

"I want (your) hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that (you) may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2-4).
Father God, the faithfulness of Your love encourages us. The bond of Your love unites us. And You have revealed the mystery of Your love for us in the perfect expression of Your true nature in Jesus Christ. "He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being" (Hebrews 1:3).

Now You given each of us the very "Spirit of God" to abide in our hearts as "the Spirit of Christ," uniting us together as the Body of Christ to make us one with You, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world (Romans 8:9-11). Coming to understand the mystery and the riches of this truth is our greatest treasure.

By Your Holy Spirit of our Living God abiding within us, Christ is in us and we are in Christ (Colossians 1:27). Our eternal identity and our eternal destiny are magnificently and mysteriously intertwined. "It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heir with Christ-if, in fact, we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:16-17).

Lord, encourage me and unite me with Your identity and Your destiny, in Your sufferings and in Your glory, in this age and in the age to come. Let Your love and Your nature mature in me and in each one of us who are part of Your Body "until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend,  I pray you would encouraged and united in the power of God's love in your life and through your life. May you grow in the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of the truth that Christ dwells in you and you are an eternal heir of God in Christ. 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
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Friday, March 08, 2013


Morning by Morning, March 8 - Flourish!

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with me and within me in spirit, soul, and body. I want all of You filling all of me, now and throughout all the moments of my day.  ...

As I woke this morning, I heard You say in my heart, "Flourish!" And as I pondered what this might mean, this phrase from Scripture came to mind:  "For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come ..." (Song of Solomon 2:11-12).

Yes, Lord. I'm ready to sing and rejoice. I'm ready to laugh and dance. I'm ready to arise and shine. Like the flowers in the earth that burst forth in the field after the winter has past, I'm ready to flourish!

I thank You for the winter seasons and the fallow seasons. Because even then, when all may seem dead and still on the surface, You are at work in the seed, even as the soil is at rest, for all to flourish and arise in its time. All in Your time.

I don't know what it will be like or even what I will be like when I am fully flourishing and fully alive to all the fullness of my identity in You and Your purposes for my life. But I do take confidence in this Word:  "Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this:  when He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. And all who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


Friends,  I pray you would flourish! I pray you would arise from every winter season to blossom and bloom in the radiance and freshness of God's glory in your spirit and upon your life. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

We just finished our Level 1 School of Ministry last night, with an amazing eighty students! Thank you for your prayers for our ministry! Please keep us in prayer for our Level 2 School of Ministry for Sozo Prayer Ministry Training that will begin in 2 weeks on Thursday Nights. If you've had our Level 1 Training or can watch the dvd's of Level 1 in advance, you're welcome to join us for the Level 2 School of Ministry on Thursday nights being hosted at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. Send me a note if you'd be interested and I'll get you details.
  
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Morning by Morning, March 8 - Flourish!

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with me and within me in spirit, soul, and body. I want all of You filling all of me, now and throughout all the moments of my day.  ...

As I woke this morning, I heard You say in my heart, "Flourish!" And as I pondered what this might mean, this phrase from Scripture came to mind:  "For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come ..." (Song of Solomon 2:11-12).

Yes, Lord. I'm ready to sing and rejoice. I'm ready to laugh and dance. I'm ready to arise and shine. Like the flowers in the earth that burst forth in the field after the winter has past, I'm ready to flourish!

I thank You for the winter seasons and the fallow seasons. Because even then, when all may seem dead and still on the surface, You are at work in the seed, even as the soil is at rest, for all to flourish and arise in its time. All in Your time.

I don't know what it will be like or even what I will be like when I am fully flourishing and fully alive to all the fullness of my identity in You and Your purposes for my life. But I do take confidence in this Word:  "Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this:  when He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. And all who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


Friends,  I pray you would flourish! I pray you would arise from every winter season to blossom and bloom in the radiance and freshness of God's glory in your spirit and upon your life. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

We just finished our Level 1 School of Ministry last night, with an amazing eighty students! Thank you for your prayers for our ministry! Please keep us in prayer for our Level 2 School of Ministry for Sozo Prayer Ministry Training that will begin in 2 weeks on Thursday Nights. If you've had our Level 1 Training or can watch the dvd's of Level 1 in advance, you're welcome to join us for the Level 2 School of Ministry on Thursday nights being hosted at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. Send me a note if you'd be interested and I'll get you details.
  
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Thursday, March 07, 2013


Morning by Morning, March 7 - "The Power of the Lord was Present to Heal"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I declare Your name over every moment of my day and welcome Your Spirit into every area of my life.  ...

"Now it happened on a certain day, as (Jesus) was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them" (Luke 5:17, NKJ).

Because the power of the Lord was present to heal, some friends were moved with compassion to carry their friend to Jesus who couldn't get there alone (v. 18). Because the power of the Lord was present to heal, they were stirred with tenacious faith to press through every hindrance and barrier to see their friend made whole and set free (v. 19). Because the power of the Lord was present to heal, that man was forgiven of his sins, healed of his hurts, freed from his bondage, and went away praising God (v. 25). And because the power of the Lord was present to heal, even the scoffers and doubters of Your goodness and power "were all amazed, and they (also) glorified God" (v. 26).

And today, by the Presence of Your Holy Spirit, always abiding in our hearts, always reaching out in compassion, always lifting high Your name and drawing all people to You, the power of the Lord is present to heal. "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 also through His Spirit that dwells in you" (Romans 8:11).

Lord, let my heart be a place that always welcome Your Spirit, that always welcomes Your Presence, that always welcomes Your power to heal. Your power to heal is an expression of the power of Your love for everyone of us. So heal me and heal through me. Love me and love through me. Bring me to life, fully alive to the purposes of God to be revealed and expressed through the Body of Christ in our generation. "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this:  that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the power of the Lord will be present to heal in your heart and through your life today and every day, by the continually abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit of the Living God. As Jesus was in this world, so will you be as part of His Body of Christ, all by His power and all by His grace. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you for praying for us at our Healing Service with Max Lucado at Oak Hill Church in San Antonio last night (www.oakhillschurch.com) Many said they were able to see it by Live-Stream. If you missed it, I just heard there are plans for us to minister atanother healing service next month on the First Wednesday of April at 7Pm CST. Our Rapha God Ministries Prayer Team joined the Oak Hill Prayer Team and Elders to pray personally for everyone at the altar. One exciting things is that there have been two different testimonies of healing from lupus since the healing service last month. I'm so honored and excited to be a part of what the Lord is doing here. And I pray for His mighty hand to be upon you to minister His healing love and power through your life in the unique ways He has called you and sent you as well. 
  
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Max Lucado & Tommy Hays - Live-Stream Healing Service Tonight at 7PM CST


Please join us tonight by Live-Stream on your computer or cell phone at 7PM CST for our Healing Service at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas.

I'm excited to be preaching again with Max Lucado at their Crown Ridge Campus of Oak Hills Church. Our Rapha God Ministries Prayer Team will be joining the Oak Hills Prayer Team and Elders to pray personally for everyone at the altar. With great joy, I'll be sharing one of the testimonies of healing from our healing service last month, where a local woman in tremendous pain with lupus was set free and has continued to improve, in the mighty name of Jesus. Praise God!

Come join us if you can and please pray for us if you can't. May the name of Jesusbe high and lifted up as we encounter the healing love of God in spirit, soul, and body. May you also experience the Lord's power and Presence as you join with us remotely, in person, or through prayer.

God bless you, my friend!
  
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Morning by Morning, March 6 - "Bless the Lord, O My Soul"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to be more like You in my heart.  ...

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits - who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:1-5).

It's in Your heart to forgive me and heal me, to redeem me and crown me, to satisfy me with Your good and renew me with Your Spirit. I'm amazed by Your goodness. And I'm overwhelmed when I understand that You personalize Your goodness toward me, as You do for each of Your children who humble themselves to open their hearts to You. These are the benefits and blessings of the children of God whose faithful, heavenly Father's heart continually overflows with steadfast love and tender mercies that are "new every morning" and never come to an end (Lamentations 3:21-24).

So I will bless You, O my Lord, with all my soul. With all that is within me, I will bless Your holy name. I will not forget You, nor all Your benefits and blessings. I will remember that every good thing in my life comes from You (James 1:17). When I'm tempted to be anxious about tomorrow, I'll remember Your faithfulness in all the yesterdays of my past. When I'm tempted to look at what I feel I'm lacking, I'll remember all You've already poured into my life that I never deserved. When I remember You, all Your goodness grounds me, all Your faithfulness sustains me, and all Your grace overtakes me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
 
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit will remind you every day of all the goodness of God in your life. And I pray your soul would see all the ways the Lord has personalized His goodness for you, especially in the times when you may be tempted to forget. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'm excited to be preaching again with Max Lucado at another Healing Service at Oak Hill Church in San Antonio, at their Crown Ridge Campus this Wednesday Night, March 6 at 7PM(www.oakhillschurch.com) Our Rapha God Ministries Prayer Teamwill be joining the Oak Hill Prayer Team and Elders to pray personally for everyone at the altar. Come join us if you can and please pray for us if you can't.
  
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Tuesday, March 05, 2013


Morning by Morning, March 5 - Our Spiritual Enemies Swallowed Up in Victory

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart continually. Abide in my heart eternally.  ...

"The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.' You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them" (Exodus 15:9-12).

Like Pharaoh and his army of horses and chariots chasing down the people of God on their way to Your promises for their destiny, we have an enemy who pursues us to destroy us before we ever get there. In his pride and arrogance, he threatens us and taunts us with all he says he'll do to us when he catches us.

That's the nature of the thief of our peace, who "only comes to steal and kill and destroy." But we know the nature of our God, who comes to our defense and establishes us in victory, "that (we) may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). You are our mighty God - majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders for all to see in the very presence of our enemy.

You stretch out Your mighty right hand, You speak out Your mighty right word and the enemy of our souls is swallowed up in defeat by the mighty waters of Your salvation and deliverance. "Some take pride in chariots and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright" - all by the power of the grace of God who has defeated our enemy through the wondrous victory of the cross (Psalm 20:7-8). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Lord our God will swallow up your spiritual enemies in His mighty waters of salvation and deliverance for you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'm excited to be preaching again with Max Lucado at another Healing Service at Oak Hill Church in San Antonio, at their Crown Ridge Campus this Wednesday Night, March 6 at 7PM(www.oakhillschurch.com) Our Rapha God Ministries Prayer Teamwill be joining the Oak Hill Prayer Team and Elders to pray personally for everyone at the altar. Come join us if you can and please pray for us if you can't.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Monday, March 04, 2013


Morning by Morning, March 4 - Wide Open Hearts

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King and Lord of all that I am and all that I do this day and every day. ...

"Our heart is wide open to you... open wide your hearts also" (2 Corinthians 6:11-13).

Help us trust one another. Help us open wide our hearts to one another in the Body of Christ. We need right boundaries, the right measure of trust in every relationship, but help us learn to let You set those boundaries and let You set in place who to trust and how much to trust. Our judgments harden our hearts. Our self-righteousness clouds our perspective. Our self-preservation isolates us. Then our fears become self-fulfilling prophecies (Job 3:25).

Free us from the self-centered pride that says, "I will decide what's right for me" and awaken us to the self-surrendering humility that says, "You alone know what's right for us all." For "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

Where our hearts have been hurt, help us trust You to heal them. Where we're afraid to love and be loved within the bonds of the Body of Christ, let Your perfect love cast out our fear (1 John 4:18). And where we've put up the walls that we think protect us but only serve to isolate us, help us let You be the One who guards our hearts. "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard (our) hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


Tommy,  I pray the Lord himself will guard your heart and empower you to trust Him to set the boundaries of trust in all the relationships of your life. And with God as our Guard, may we as the Body of Christ learn to open wide our hearts to one another without judgment or fear. 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, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Friday, March 01, 2013


Morning by Morning, March 1 - "He Will Make Your Vindication Shine"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are mighty to save and mighty to be Everything I need. I entrust life and this day to You, my Lord - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices" (Psalm 37:5-7).

A great friend of mine has been wrongly accused. His name is being slandered and his reputation besieged. But his spirit is strong and his heart is right. He's taking hold of Your Word and the hands of his friends to walk this out in the strength of the Lord. What an encouragement and inspiration to those who love him and his family.

When he's tempted to strike back, give him Your peace. When he's stirred to repay in vengeance what's being heaped upon him in viciousness, steady his spirit and fill his mouth with Your words when he's to speak and Your wisdom when he's to let You speak for him.

Though it may not be over in a moment and it may be hard for a season, You'll get him through this, as You always do. And in the end, You'll cause his vindication to shine forth like the sun. Your Light is in his heart and Your Light always overcomes the darkness (Colossians 1:13). When it's all been said and done, all that the enemy of his soul has intended for evil will only serve to drive Your son closer to You and give him another story to tell for the rest of his life of just how good our mighty God is. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend,  I praise God that He is your Advocate and Defender, that He will guard your heart and speak up for you and your friends to reveal His truth in every area of your lives. 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, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Thursday, February 28, 2013


Morning by Morning, February 28 - Heavenly Minded

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let my spirit come to attention, as I speak Your name and listen for Your voice.  ...

"So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are of the earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3).

To set my mind on things that are above is I deliberately choose to see my life from that perspective-the heavenly perspective. As things are in heaven, that's how things are to be on earth (Matthew 6:10). So I must choose to see earth from heaven's perspective.

Some would say, "You're so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good." But the truth is unless we choose to be heavenly minded, deliberately choosing to set our minds on things that are above, we'll be no heavenly good in the dominion of this earth You've entrusted to us. "The heaven's are the Lord's heavens, but the earth He has given to human beings" (Psalm 115:16).

To be heavenly minded is to embrace heaven's truth, heaven's ways, heaven's wisdom. "The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy" (James 3:17). So Lord of heaven and earth, help me choose heaven's perspective and live this day on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend,  may the Holy Spirit give you eyes to see and ears to hear from heaven's perspective, as you are an ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven today in all the spheres of influence the Lord has entrusted His dominion to you on earth. 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, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013


Morning by Morning, February 27 - "My Strength and My Shield"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I intentionally choose to position myself in the communion of prayer to start my day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Help me listen now, as I welcome Your Presence and wait for Your leading.  ....

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; In Him my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exults; and with my song I give thanks to Him" (Psalm 28:7).

I awoke with these words in my spirit and found them in Your Word-"my strength and my shield." You are my strength to stand firm in the faith, to persist in prayer for the promises of Your Word, to resist the temptations and snares of our broken and fallen world. You are my shield to defend me from the schemes of my spiritual enemy, to guard my heart from being led astray for a sincere and pure devotion to Christ, to filter out the accusations and condemnations that would ever want me to believe that I'm anything less than who You say I am.

In You, I trust and I am helped. In You, my heart exults and my spirit sings. And in You, I will arise from this place of prayer, strengthened and shielded in Your Word, anointed by Your Spirit to boldly go forth to meet the challenges of my day. "The Lord is the strength of His people; He is the saving refuge of His anointed" (v. 8). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My friend,  I pray the Lord Himself will be your strength and your shield today. Go forth bodily, knowing guards your heart and guides your spirit. He is your saving refuge and you are His anointed. 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, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Morning by Morning, February 26 - Reveal. Remove. Replace. The 3 R's of Inner Healing

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call on Your name and press in to Your Presence.  ...

"These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10).

Reveal. Remove. Replace. These are The Three R's of inner healing-healing from the inside out. If we're willing to trust You enough to search our hearts, You'll show us the things in us that are not yet like You. In Your mercy and love, You'll show us the sins that need to be forgiven, the hurts that need to be healed, the bondages that need to be broken, the lies that need to be exposed, and the truth that needs to be embraced.

So first You reveal what You want to heal. Then You remove what needs to go. And finally You replace what was never meant to be ours with everything You've always longed for us to have. You sanctify us in spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). You conform us into the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29). You heal us and free us, You make us whole and holy, from the inside out (Psalm 139:24).

As we allow You to connect the events from the pain or shame of our past with the memories and the emotions buried down inside, You free us from where we're stuck, empower us to let go, and release us to advance into the fullness of who we are in Christ and all You've already done for us at the Cross. "Not that I have already attained obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own; but this one thing I do:  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14).

As we allow Your Spirit to reveal, remove, and replace, Your Kingdom comes and Your will is done, within us and then through us, on earth as it is in heaven. "For, in fact, the Kingdom of God is within (us)" (Luke 17:21). "For the Kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

Thank You, Lord. Remove every veil that covers our eyes, our hearts, and our minds from seeing You as You truly are and from seeing ourselves as You see us. As You reveal Your truth, remove everything less, and replace our broken and fallen lives with the fullness of Your life fully expressed through our lives fully surrendered to You, You are making us more like You each day. "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into that same image from degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, from the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

As You heal the broken-hearted and set the captives free, You give us beauty for ashes, joy for sadness, and hope for despair, that our lives can then display Your glory (Isaiah 61:1-3). Then in the ways You've healed us and freed us, You send us to share and minister the healing love of God into the lives of others (Isaiah 61:4-6). Freed from our past, embracing our identity, You send us forth into our destiny, excited to give away all You've given freely to us (John 20:21; Matthew 10:8). And it all begins as we allow You to reveal, remove, and replace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit will give you courage to trust Him to reveal, remove, and replace everything in your life that would hold you back from being all the Lord created you to be. Then may you be filled with the Spirit and sent forth in the healing power of God's love to minister that freedom in Christ to others, in exactly the ways and places He's strategically positioned you in every season of your life. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
       www.messiah-ministries.org             
 
       Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Monday, February 25, 2013

Morning by Morning, February 25 - "The Friendship of the Lord"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I bow my heart and open my spirit to wait for Your leading as I begin my day focused on You.  ...

"The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, He makes His covenant known to them" (Psalm 25:14).

Lord, You're my heavenly Father and my faithful Friend. But Your friendship requires my faithfulness. Your friendship is reserved for those who fear Your name, who yield to Your Word, and humble themselves to honor Your ways. This level of intimacy is reserved for those who are willing to trust You with all their hearts to obey You with all their lives.

Some think grace does not expect obedience. Some think friendship does not require faithfulness. But Your Word teaches differently. As You said directly, "You are My friends if you do what I command you" (John 15:14).

Though You are always my Lord and Savior, I also want You to always be my best Friend. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Let my words and my actions be an expression of my honor of You and Your Word and Your ways in my heart. Help me want to hear and obey Your voice and Your will. "He who has the bride is the Bridegroom. The friend of the Bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly at the Bridegroom's voice. For this reason, my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:29-30). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


Tommy,  may you know the friendship of the Lord, hearing His voice and obeying His word, forgiven by His grace and filled with His Spirit. 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, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Morning by Morning, February 21 - Of A Different Spirit


Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I look to You and entrust myself to You, You are changing me into Your image (2 Corinthians 3:18). ...


"But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring into the land in which he went, and his descendants shall possess it" (Numbers 14:24).


Caleb dared to be different than the culture around him. Caleb dared to be different than the other leaders around him. He had a different spirit. Like Joshua, his brother in the Lord and faithful companion who had the same spirit, he was strong and courageous in the Spirit of the Lord.


They knew they could trust You to be with them and go before them to embrace the destiny and promises of God, with a heart to bring their people into that place You'd prepared for them as well. You told them: "Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them" (Joshua 1:6).


They weren't blind to the giants in the land, but they saw them as defeated foes, unable to withstand the will of the Lord being courageously pursued by those in obedience to the word of the Lord. They had eyes to see the strongholds and fortifications that were barriers and blockages to their advance into the fullness of the promises of God for them and their people, but they knew You had to the power to bring down every wall and break every stronghold (Numbers 13:30).


Lord, let me have that different spirit - the Spirit of the Lord that encourages me and empowers me, that goes before me and goes with me, that defeats every enemy and brings downs every stronghold, whether before me or within me. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). As You free me and lead me, let me also be strong and courageous in the Spirit of the Lord, wholehearted in my devotion to You and Your purpose for me, to lead others into their possession of Your promises for them as well. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


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



My friend, I pray you would be fille with the Spirit of the Lord, strong and courageous, to possess all the promises God has for you. 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, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Morning by Morning, February 20 - From the Inside Out


Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind; put Your desires in my heart. Align my will and my ways with Yours. Make me more like You each day. ...


"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources that He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grown down deep into God's love and keep you strong" (Ephesians 3:14-17, NLT).


O my Father, Creator of heaven and earth, I fall to my knees in prayer and I lift up my heart in worship. I want my life to be grounded in Your Word and empowered by Your Spirit. I want Christ to be at home in my heart. I want to be deeply rooted in Your love, firmly established in Your faith, and unapologetically strong in Your truth.


I can't accomplish any of that or even fully desire any of that on my own. Apart from You, I can do nothing. "(I) put no confidence in human effort" (Philippians 3:3). But I'm so thankful that by the power of the grace of God, I'm never apart from You and don't have to depend upon my own effort. You're always with me. You're Spirit is always within me.


It's from the inside out You keep changing me into Your image, You keep aligning me with Your Word and Your ways, and You keep empowering me with Your Spirit. "For God is working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13). This is the power of "inner strength through Your Spirit" that alone can change my heart and conform my life to make me more like You each day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


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



My friend, may the Holy Spirit of the Living God keep changing you into the image of the Son of God from the inside out, giving you the desire and the power to be more like Jesus each day. 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, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Morning by Morning, February 19 - "Experience the Love of Christ"


Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my thoughts here at the beginning of my day. ...


"May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God" (Ephesians 3:19, NLT).


We are only made complete when we experience the love of Christ. We'll only have all the fullness of life, we'll only encounter the fullness of the power that comes from God when we experience the love of Christ.


Lord, how do we experience Your love?


It seems I hear You say: "You experience my love by simply allowing Me to love you. Don't hold back; don't pull away; don't push Me away. Trust Me to embrace you with the fullness of My Presence, to fill you with the fullness of My Spirit. Allow Yourself to be overwhelmed with Me. The more you passionately pursue this deeper place of complete surrender and trusting faith, the more you will experience My overwhelming love for you."


Yes, Lord. I want to be made complete with all the fullness of life. I want to know and experience "how wide, how long, how high, and how deep (Your) love is" for me (v. 18). Help me not hold back, not pull away, not push You away, but fully embrace You with all I am and all I have, this day and every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


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



My friend, I thank and praise our God for all His heal and mercy in your life -- all that you've received and all that you will receive, here on earth or there in heaven. May you be one who always remembers to give God all the glory and praise. 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, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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Monday, February 18, 2013

Morning by Morning, February 18 - Healing Step by Step


Good morning, Lord Jesus. You're my Savior and my Healer, my Lord and my Friend. So I speak out Your name and begin my day in the journey of prayer with You. ...


"On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten lepers approached Him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!' When He saw them, He said to them, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.' As they went, they were made clean" (Luke 17:11-14).


Lord, You're wonderful and merciful to heal us in many ways. Sometimes You heal us instantly in a miraculous moment. Sometimes You heal us step by step, as we walk out our faith in obedience to Your word. Sometimes You heal us when You free us forever from the brokenness of this fallen world where the fullness of Your Kingdom is not yet fully manifest on earth as it is in heaven.


For the ten lepers, Your healing was literally step by step. And while all ten were healed, only one came running back to You, "praising God with a loud voice" (v. 15). Maybe the other nine thought it their own act of obedience or their own self-righteousness that healed them. Maybe they thought it was just a coincidence that they were healed after an encounter with You. Maybe they thought their medicine was finally balanced or their exercise plan was finally working its natural course. But You asked, "Where are they?" You expected them to "return and give praise to God" (v. 17-18).


Your healing is an expression of Your love for us. It's not Your only expression of love, but it is an expression of love. And our thanksgiving and praise is an expression of our love for You. So whether my healing comes by Your mercy in all the ways I need it -either instantly in a miracle, gradually in a process, or ultimately in heaven - I thank You and praise You for all Your love and mercy for me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


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



My Friend, I thank and praise our God for all His heal and mercy in your life -- all that you've received and all that you will receive, here on earth or there in heaven. May you be one who always remembers to give God all the glory and praise. 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, Bldg 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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