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Tuesday, April 02, 2013
Monday, April 01, 2013
Morning by Morning, April 1 - Believe in the One with the Power of Love
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Good morning, Lord Jesus. My heart overflows with love for You - my Savior, my King, my Best Friend. ...
"Now after He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. But when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this He appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Later He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and He upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw Him after He had risen" (Mark 16:9-14).
Mary Magdalene believed. She knew You and she knew the power of Your love - the power that cleansed her from sin and shame, the power that healed her heart and set her free. The others knew You, had deep relationship with You, saw what You did for others and even what You did through them for others. But Mary knew You and what You'd done personally for her. You had healed her from the inside out. You had freed her from all that would hold her back from loving You and following You in reckless abandon and passionate faith for the rest her life.
In a heart like Mary's, there was no room for stubbornness, pride, or lack of faith. There was no room to be like those "holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). There was only room in her heart to forever trust and serve and love the One who knew everything about her and loved her anyway, the One who forgave her and freed her to be all she was created to be, filled with the peace and joy known only by those who truly believe.
Thank You for my forgiveness, for my healing and freedom, for my fresh filling of peace and joy through intimate trust and faith in You. Thank You for freeing me from stubbornness, pride, and lack of faith. And thank for still loving me during the times when I'm still tempted to go there, even after all You've done and all I've seen, instead of simply holding on tighter to You when those challenges come. It's all by Your grace and all in the power of Your love - the power of love that endured the cross and defeated the grave "for the sake of the joy" of forever embracing those who would truly believe in You (Hebrews 12:2). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Sunday, March 31, 2013
He is Risen! Happy Easter from Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries
"You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is risen!"
Mark 16:6
My Friend,
May you be filled with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ in every area of your life. Our Savior lives! Happy Easter and God bless you!
In the Love of Jesus,
Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries
Friday, March 29, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 25 - Forsaken for Us
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Good morning, Lord Jesus. In my silence, I listen for Your voice. In my watching, I wait for Your leading, as I begin my day wholly surrendered to You, as best as I can and all by Your grace. ...
"Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of the skull)... And they crucified Him.... When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' ... Then Jesus gave out a loud cry and breathed His last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (Mark 15:22-38).
It was the greatest moment in all history. And at the same time, it was the most horrible. It was the greatest triumph of sacrifice and love, yet it was the most horrendous travesty of justice. All our sin and shame, all our darkness and evil, all our curses and diseases, all that was less than God's will for us was laid upon You in that moment that changed our eternity.
Though it broke His heart, the Father had to look away. Though it ripped open Your heart, like the ripping of the veil of the temple, You felt utterly forsaken, despised and guilty, rejected and abandoned, to die in sin and go to hell. "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). "Surely He has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed... The Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:4-8).
We truly have no idea of the suffering You endured that day, and perhaps even for all eternity in at least one dimension, when You willingly chose to take our sin and all that would ever separate us from God in Your unspeakable, unimaginable sacrifice of love for us. You were forsaken, so we could be forgiven. You were rejected, so we could be accepted. You were cast alone into outer darkness, so that we could spend eternity in the intimacy of Your Presence - all through the suffering and sacrifice of Your cross.
As the astounding reality of Your sacrifice settles into my spirit, to the measure that I can even begin to comprehend what You've done for me as my Savior, I just want to be silent awhile and ponder these things in my heart. ... I am astonished at Your love for me. I am overwhelmed You chose to be forsaken for me. ... In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 25 - Hypocrites and Whitewashed Tombs
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'll arise and burst forth. I'll not hold back from pursuing You and all You have for me this day. ...
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kind of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matthew 23:27-28).
You had no tolerance for hypocrisy, no patience for self-righteousness. Pretentiousness turned Your stomach. Arrogance and elitism were a stench in Your nostrils like the decay of dead men's bones.
You chided the priests and practitioners of the religious cult of self-glorification. They judged others while hiding the secrets of their own dark souls. They acted high and holy on the outside, but their love of God and people was withered away in self-preservation and grasping for control. To You, such a one was "a child of hell." (v. 15). "You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?" (v. 33)
No wonder they looked for a way to kill You. Their pride and position was challenged. Their kingdom was threatened. Their egos were bruised.
This Holy Week, as we follow You on Your journey to the cross, let this be part of our nature that dies as well. Let that part of us that wants to glorify ourselves, act holier-than-Thou, put other people down to build ourselves up-let that part die. Nail that to the cross. Let it have no more place in the heart of the Body of Christ. Deliver us from that evil of self-righteousness that we can be filled with Your true Spirit of Christ and arise in newness of Life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may the Holy Spirit lead you to a deep place of death to self than every before on your journey through Holy Week. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Please keep us in prayer at our Glory Conference at the Denver City, Texas United Methodist Church. We had an exciting time of activation in prophetic ministry at our noon gathering yesterday! Last night we hand deep, inner healing, a lady giving her heart to Jesus, and word of healing in speech miracle! Praise God! The Holy Spirit is preparing the way of the Lord in the hearts of God's people, making the Body and Bride of Christ ready for the coming of the King. I'll be preaching here every evening through Wednesday night. Please keep praying that my voice and spirit will stay strong. I'm so grateful for all your prayers and encouragement, my friends! Love you all!
Please keep us in prayer at our Glory Conference at the Denver City, Texas United Methodist Church. We had an exciting time of activation in prophetic ministry at our noon gathering yesterday! Last night we hand deep, inner healing, a lady giving her heart to Jesus, and word of healing in speech miracle! Praise God! The Holy Spirit is preparing the way of the Lord in the hearts of God's people, making the Body and Bride of Christ ready for the coming of the King. I'll be preaching here every evening through Wednesday night. Please keep praying that my voice and spirit will stay strong. I'm so grateful for all your prayers and encouragement, my friends! Love you all!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 26 - Jesus the Revolutionary
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear Your voice and follow the leading of Your Spirit into the embrace of my Father. ...
"Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, 'It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers.' The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that He did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, 'Hosanna to the Son of David,' they became angry ..." (Matthew 21:12-15).
You wouldn't settle for the praises and popularity of the crowds as You came into Jerusalem for that holy week on Your journey to the cross. The zeal of the Lord stirred in Your Spirit to set things right in the temple of God. The money changers were there, representing the ways of the world taking over the heart of Your people to steal away their passion for prayer and intimacy with God. The chief priests and the scribes were there, representing the religious traditions of men and legalistic rules of all the do's and don'ts, misrepresenting Your heart for a people experiencing their God in personal relationship rather than merely lifeless rituals and empty sacrifices.
And they were angry. You confronted their motives, challenged the power, and questioned their authority. You came to start a revolution in that generation. You came to declare war against everything that would exalt itself in the place of God, maligning and misrepresenting the nature of the One who loves us and created us for an abiding relationship of intimacy with us.
And You would be the first martyr of that revolution. They would mock You and reject You; they would beat You and humiliate You; and then they would nail You to a cross to suffer and die to put an end to Your rebellion and revolution against their power and authority.
But You began a revolution that will never end. You started a fire that cannot be quenched. For You have the Spirit of Life that can never die. And now all those who believe in You and embrace Your Life, even though they may die, yet shall they live forever in You (John 11:25-26). As we believe and follow You, throughout our generations, embracing Your revolution, we will see the day that all things are set right again when we hear "loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray you'd be stirred with the revolutionary Spirit of Jesus Christ, seeing His Kingdom established in your heart and in every sphere of influence in your life. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Please keep us in prayer at our Glory Conference at the Denver City, Texas United Methodist Church. The Holy Spirit is preparing the way of the Lord in the hearts of God's people, making the Body and Bride of Christ ready for the coming of the King. I'll be preaching here every evening through Wednesday night. Please keep praying that my voice and spirit will stay strong. I'm so grateful for all your prayers and encouragement, my friends! Love you all!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Monday, March 25, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 25 - Let the King of Glory Come In!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of Glory! I open up the gates of my heart to let the King of Glory come in. So it can't help but be a Glorious day! ...
"'Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' ... A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and that followed were shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!'" (Matthew 21:5-9)
At Your triumphant entry of Holy Week into Jerusalem the excited crowds shouted high hosannas. They lifted up their branches and laid them before You. They lifted up their praises and laid open their hearts before You.
You were fulfilling many prophetic Scriptures that day as the Son of David, the Messiah of Israel, the coming of the King of Glory. "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of Glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.... Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory!" (Psalm 24:7-10)
That day You came as King of Glory, humble and gentle, riding on a donkey. One day soon You will come again as King of Glory, strong and mighty, riding on a white horse, with fire in Your eyes and many crowns on Your head, with the name "King of kings and Lord of lords" emblazoned on Your white robe, dipped in blood (Revelation 19:11-16).
On that great day of Your triumphant entry to come, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11). But between this day and that day, You long for every person in every nation to open wide the gates of their hearts and let the King of Glory come in.
So I lift up my gates; I open up my doors. I say, "Let the King of Glory come in! You are the Lord, strong and mighty. You are the Lord, faithful and true. Hosanna in the highest!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Friend, I pray the King of Glory will come into every area of your life every day, that every day would be a Glorious day for you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Thank you for all who were praying for me to be healed and healthy. The Lord miraculously freed me from sickness and I was able to come preach in west Texas this week. We had a beautiful moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts Sunday morning at the Brownfield United Methodist Church, with the best part being my Mom surprised me by coming in to be with us from New Mexico! Last night we began our Glory Conference at the Denver City United Methodist Church and many came for prayer for healing and freedom. One lady had tremendous relief from arthritis, saying she felt wonderful! Praise God! I'll be preaching here every evening through Wednesday night. Please keep praying that my voice and spirit will stay strong. I'm so grateful for all your prayers and encouragement, my friends! Love you all!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Morning by Morning, March 25 - Let the King of Glory Come In!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of Glory! I open up the gates of my heart to let the King of Glory come in. So it can't help but be a Glorious day! ...
"'Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' ... A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and that followed were shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!'" (Matthew 21:5-9)
At Your triumphant entry of Holy Week into Jerusalem the excited crowds shouted high hosannas. They lifted up their branches and laid them before You. They lifted up their praises and laid open their hearts before You.
You were fulfilling many prophetic Scriptures that day as the Son of David, the Messiah of Israel, the coming of the King of Glory. "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of Glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.... Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory!" (Psalm 24:7-10)
That day You came as King of Glory, humble and gentle, riding on a donkey. One day soon You will come again as King of Glory, strong and mighty, riding on a white horse, with fire in Your eyes and many crowns on Your head, with the name "King of kings and Lord of lords" emblazoned on Your white robe, dipped in blood (Revelation 19:11-16).
On that great day of Your triumphant entry to come, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11). But between this day and that day, You long for every person in every nation to open wide the gates of their hearts and let the King of Glory come in.
So I lift up my gates; I open up my doors. I say, "Let the King of Glory come in! You are the Lord, strong and mighty. You are the Lord, faithful and true. Hosanna in the highest!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My Friend, I pray the King of Glory will come into every area of your life every day, that every day would be a Glorious day for you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Thank you for all who were praying for me to be healed and healthy. The Lord miraculously freed me from sickness and I was able to come preach in west Texas this week. We had a beautiful moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts Sunday morning at the Brownfield United Methodist Church, with the best part being my Mom surprised me by coming in to be with us from New Mexico! Last night we began our Glory Conference at the Denver City United Methodist Church and many came for prayer for healing and freedom. One lady had tremendous relief from arthritis, saying she felt wonderful! Praise God! I'll be preaching here every evening through Wednesday night. Please keep praying that my voice and spirit will stay strong. I'm so grateful for all your prayers and encouragement, my friends! Love you all!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Morning by Morning, March 25 - Let the King of Glory Come In!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of Glory! I open up the gates of my heart to let the King of Glory come in. So it can't help but be a Glorious day! ...
"'Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' ... A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and that followed were shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!'" (Matthew 21:5-9)
At Your triumphant entry of Holy Week into Jerusalem the excited crowds shouted high hosannas. They lifted up their branches and laid them before You. They lifted up their praises and laid open their hearts before You.
You were fulfilling many prophetic Scriptures that day as the Son of David, the Messiah of Israel, the coming of the King of Glory. "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of Glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.... Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory!" (Psalm 24:7-10)
That day You came as King of Glory, humble and gentle, riding on a donkey. One day soon You will come again as King of Glory, strong and mighty, riding on a white horse, with fire in Your eyes and many crowns on Your head, with the name "King of kings and Lord of lords" emblazoned on Your white robe, dipped in blood (Revelation 19:11-16).
On that great day of Your triumphant entry to come, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11). But between this day and that day, You long for every person in every nation to open wide the gates of their hearts and let the King of Glory come in.
So I lift up my gates; I open up my doors. I say, "Let the King of Glory come in! You are the Lord, strong and mighty. You are the Lord, faithful and true. Hosanna in the highest!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My Friend, I pray the King of Glory will come into every area of your life every day, that every day would be a Glorious day for you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Thank you for all who were praying for me to be healed and healthy. The Lord miraculously freed me from sickness and I was able to come preach in west Texas this week. We had a beautiful moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts Sunday morning at the Brownfield United Methodist Church, with the best part being my Mom surprised me by coming in to be with us from New Mexico! Last night we began our Glory Conference at the Denver City United Methodist Church and many came for prayer for healing and freedom. One lady had tremendous relief from arthritis, saying she felt wonderful! Praise God! I'll be preaching here every evening through Wednesday night. Please keep praying that my voice and spirit will stay strong. I'm so grateful for all your prayers and encouragement, my friends! Love you all!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Morning by Morning, March 25 - Let the King of Glory Come In!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of Glory! I open up the gates of my heart to let the King of Glory come in. So it can't help but be a Glorious day! ...
"'Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' ... A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and that followed were shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!'" (Matthew 21:5-9)
At Your triumphant entry of Holy Week into Jerusalem the excited crowds shouted high hosannas. They lifted up their branches and laid them before You. They lifted up their praises and laid open their hearts before You.
You were fulfilling many prophetic Scriptures that day as the Son of David, the Messiah of Israel, the coming of the King of Glory. "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of Glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.... Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory!" (Psalm 24:7-10)
That day You came as King of Glory, humble and gentle, riding on a donkey. One day soon You will come again as King of Glory, strong and mighty, riding on a white horse, with fire in Your eyes and many crowns on Your head, with the name "King of kings and Lord of lords" emblazoned on Your white robe, dipped in blood (Revelation 19:11-16).
On that great day of Your triumphant entry to come, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11). But between this day and that day, You long for every person in every nation to open wide the gates of their hearts and let the King of Glory come in.
So I lift up my gates; I open up my doors. I say, "Let the King of Glory come in! You are the Lord, strong and mighty. You are the Lord, faithful and true. Hosanna in the highest!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My Friend, I pray the King of Glory will come into every area of your life every day, that every day would be a Glorious day for you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Thank you for all who were praying for me to be healed and healthy. The Lord miraculously freed me from sickness and I was able to come preach in west Texas this week. We had a beautiful moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts Sunday morning at the Brownfield United Methodist Church, with the best part being my Mom surprised me by coming in to be with us from New Mexico! Last night we began our Glory Conference at the Denver City United Methodist Church and many came for prayer for healing and freedom. One lady had tremendous relief from arthritis, saying she felt wonderful! Praise God! I'll be preaching here every evening through Wednesday night. Please keep praying that my voice and spirit will stay strong. I'm so grateful for all your prayers and encouragement, my friends! Love you all!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 23 - "You Have Healed Me!"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are One God and I worship You in every Dimension of Your Being and welcome You into every dimension of mine. ...
"O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.... Sing praises to the Lord, O you His faithful ones, and give thanks to His holy name.... You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever!" (Psalm 30:2-12)
I was overcome with a sickness for a few days, with congestion in chest and achiness in my muscles and fatigue in my bones. My friends sent me home from the office and cancelled my appointments, helping me set boundaries for my rest and accelerate my recovery. But even in my anguish, You gave me Your Spirit to call on Your name and trust in Your nature, no matter how long my healing might come. You rallied my friends in powerful intercession for me that You might answer their prayers and renew my health.
Even as my body began to pour out torrents of sweat all through the night, I believed it was Your mighty Holy Spirit driving the sickness out of my pores. And with each labored breath, I believed it was Your Spirit filling my body with Divine health. As this day goes on, I feel increasingly refreshed and renewed, stirred up in faith in my Jehovah Rapha, the Lord Who Heals (Exodus 15:26). Just as You've done so many times, by the power of the Blood of Jesus, You have healed me (1 Peter 2:24, fulfilling Isaiah 53:4-4 in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ). Praise Your Holy Name! I will give thanks to You forever! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray for God's healing power and love in your life and in the lives of those who are on your heart. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Thank You for praying for me. Please continue to pray as I fly to Lubbock, Texas to preach in the Methodist Churches in Brownfield and Denver City from Sunday morning in Brownfield with Pastor Ruby in Sunday through Wednesday Evenings in Denver City with Pastor Billy. Please come join us for this Glory Conference if you can. We're expecting great things from our Great God!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 21 - "Carry the Cross and Follow Me"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my heart and order my steps throughout the moments of my day. ...
"Whoever does not carry the cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:25).
You spoke about "the cross" before there was "The Cross." But the cross You mentioned first was not Your own. It was ours.
Lord, help me understand more deeply what that means. ...
It seems I hear You say, "Your cross is the place of death to your will, apart from the Father's will. Die to self, in this sense, and come alive in Me. You come alive in Me as you allow Me to come alive in you. Follow Me and you will know the Father's will; I and the Father are One. It is Our Holy Spirit drawing you to Us and then abiding in you that empowers you to will this and to do this - to take us your cross and follow Me. There is no resurrection life apart from taking up your cross. But fear not, I have overcome The Cross. And by the power of God's grace, you have too, in Me"
Yes, Lord. In following You to "The Cross," I'm remembering Your words, choosing to take up Your Cross, in absolute trust and ultimate obedience to the Father's will, apart from anything less. "Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42, NKJ).
Give me courage to embrace, rather than avoid, the cross You've chosen for me in the circumstances and challenges that I will encounter on the way to embrace Your life in me. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose this resurrection life, so I also choose this cross. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Tommy, may you be empowered by God to embrace both the cross and the resurrection life He has chosen for you 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
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 19 - Jesus His Face Like Flint Toward Obedience
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I yield my will to Your will, my thoughts to Your thoughts, and my desires to Your desires. ...
"While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, 'See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death; then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day He will be raised" (Matthew 20:17-19).
You counted the cost and were willing to pay it. You knew what would to come and went anyway. Though You were secure in Your identity as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of all, You were also certain of Your destiny - both in the hands of men and in the hands of God the Father: "I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; He who vindicates me is near" (Isaiah 50:6-8, prophesying of the suffering and vindication of the coming Messiah and also all who would become part of the Body of Messiah, the Body of Christ).
Sometimes we seek You for a word. Sometimes we beg and plead to know how it's all going to work out. But in Your mercy and grace, we rarely know the details or the fullness of what lies ahead. If we did, it's likely that few of us would stay the course and pursue the cause. No doubt, we'd rationalize our way out of our obedience. But not You. You "set Your face like flint" toward Jerusalem and all that that would imply.
Lord, give me patience to rest in Your plans and purposes for my journey ahead. Let me know what I need to know and let me let go of what I don't. You've promised us and prepared us that Your disciples are not above our teacher; and as You suffered and endured for Your faith and convictions, so will we in this world (Matthew 10:24). So help me set my face like flint toward You each day, taking one day at a time into my destiny, secure in my identity. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, may you be empowered by God to rest in His plans and purposes for your life, secure in You identity in Christ and confident in the fulfillment of the destiny He's planned for you. Know His grace will get you through. 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
Monday, March 18, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 18 - "Awaken, My Bride"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. In the quiet place of the communion of prayer, I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice. ...
I hear Your Spirit writing a new song in my spirit:
Awaken, My Bride
Adorned with My smile
Arise and shine!
Come to life!
No more, My child
Will you shudder and cry
Arise and shine!
Come to life!
That the world may see
All your life's in Me
And all My life is in you
That all heaven may hear
My voice in your ear
And My voice is in you
That all hell may know
Wherever you go
I go there within you
Arise and shine!
Come to life!
Arise and shine!
Come to life!
I Am awakening My Bride.
Yes, Lord. Let the Bride and Body of Christ awaken and arise. Let us shine with the light of Your glory, bursting forth in the darkness wherever You send us, knowing You're always with us. "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14).
In Your time and in Your people, fulfill Your Word: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.... You shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice.... I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age.... The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended ... so that I might be glorified.... I am the Lord; in its time I will accomplish it quickly" (Isaiah 60:1-22).
Sing Your song in our spirits. Stir our hearts to awaken and arise to embrace who You are in us and who we are in You (Song of Solomon 8:4). "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.'.... Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:17-20) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Tommy, I pray the Holy Spirit would stir your sprit to awaken and arise, to shine with the light of the glory of God, everywhere you go, knowing your place and fulfilling your part in the Body and Bride of 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
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 14 - "Get Nearer to My Heart"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening. ...
It seems I hear You say, "Near to My heart. Get nearer to My heart."
Yes, Lord. I want to. I will. How? ...
It seems I hear You say, "Your part, My son, is to keep surrendering all of your heart to Me. Keep choosing to let Me change your heart into Mine."
Yes, Lord. I want to. Yes, Lord. I will - as best as I can and all by Your grace.
Thank You for the promise of Your Word: "When you search for Me, you will find Me; if you seek Me with all your heart, I will let you find Me, says the Lord..." (Jeremiah 29:13-14).
It seems I hear You say, "This is what it means to passionately pursue Me. This is what it means to worship Me in spirit and truth. This is what it means to become a man after God's own heart. Let My Spirit stir in your heart to pursue Me with all you have and all you are. Your part is to pursue. My part is to make sure You find Me. Your deepest pursuit of Me is your deepest surrender to Me."
Yes, Lord. Help me grow in my understanding of what You're speaking to me and teaching me. Help me live it out every day, in the power of Your grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray the Holy Spirit would stir your heart in passionate pursuit of the heart of God, holding nothing back and surrendering all to Him, more and more every 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, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 13 - A Man After God's Own Heart
Good morning, Lord Jesus. In the silence of surrender before You, I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ...
"The Lord has sought out a man after His own heart ..." (1 Samuel 13:14).
Lord, I want to have a heart like Yours. I want to be moved by what moves You, to be thrilled by what thrills You. Let the things that break Your heart break my heart and the things that bring You joy bring me joy. I understand the theology of the truth that it's already done for me in Christ, but I also want to live into the reality of that truth in my everyday life because it's real within my heart every day (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
And the truth is I am not yet fully living into the heart of God with all my life. All my thoughts are not yet fully Your thoughts, all my desires are not yet fully Your desires. All my choices are not yet fully all Your choices and all my ways are not yet fully all Your ways. But I want them to be. I want to be a man after Your own heart.
So I need You to keep changing me from the inside out. I need You to put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. A little more each day, I need You to make me more like You (Romans 8:29). As You are, that's how I want to be (1 John 4:17). "With my whole heart I seek You" (Psalm 119:9). So now by faith and through Christ I declare I am a man after God's own heart. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray you would be one who is after God's own heart, passionately pursuing the heart of the One who is in passionate pursuit of yours. 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
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Morning by Morning, March 12 - Pursing the Cause of the Kingdom
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day and every day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit. ...
"And David said, ' ... Is there not a cause?" (1 Samuel 17:29, NKJ).
David heard Goliath's threats against Israel and blasphemies against God, as did all the army of Israel. They were men and he was just a boy; they were warriors and he was just a shepherd. They were cowering in their hearts but he was stirred in his spirit-"For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, the he should defy the armies of the living God?" (v. 26) "Who will confront this enemy of the Lord and 'take away the reproach from Israel?' (v. 26)
David was of a different spirit. "Is there not a cause? Are we not called to stand and be counted? Has our God not said He would defeat our enemies if we would trust and obey Him? And not that His name is slandered and His people defiled, will we not answer the call and respond to the cause?"
David's passion was mocked by his enemy (v. 43). His courage was misunderstood by his family (v. 28). And his confidence was questioned by his leader (v. 33). But he was committed to the cause, courageous in his faith, and confident in his God (v. 45-47).
That day a shepherd boy became a warrior against the army of the enemies of the Lord. That day his enemy "fell on his face to the earth" (v. 49). And that day the enemies of the Lord turned and fled as fast as they could from before the army of the Lord, encouraged and inspired by the passion and faith of this young man who would become a great leader "after (God's) own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14).
Lord, is there not a cause in our day? Is Your name not slandered? Are Your people not defiled? Let Your armies arise to pursue the cause of Your Kingdom in our day. Let us be of a different spirit, stirring others to courage and faith, as men and women after Your heart. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My Friend, I pray you would be stirred in your spirit with passion and courage and confidence in our God to pursue the cause of the Kingdom. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered from before 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, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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