Morning by Morning, April 15 - No Rest Until All Rest

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and listen for Your leading.  ...

"To the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 'Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, 'The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest, and will give you this land.' Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan. But all the warriors among you shall cross over armed before your kindred and shall help them, until the Lord gives rest to your kindred as well as to you, and they too take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land and take possession of it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan to the east' " (Joshua 1:12-15).

Some of the tribes of Israel had already received possession of their inheritance in the land on the east side of the Jordan River, while the rest of Israel had not yet crossed over the Jordan to take possession of the land on the west side. But You didn't want those who had already received their possession to stay back and just rest in the blessings of their own inheritance until all their kindred, their brothers and sisters of the family of God, received their inheritance as well. So You called the warriors to arise and cross over into battle to possess the land of inheritance so that all the people of God could enter into the rest of God. There was to be no rest until all were at rest.

Our faith is personal. But it is also a faith expressed in community. We're not only called to look out for ourselves and our own spiritual journey of faith, we're also called to look out for one another, to come alongside one another in our journey to be more like Jesus (Romans 8:29). We are called to be disciples, but we are also called to "make disciples" (Matthew 28:19).

So Lord, as Your Body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, moving forward and crossing over to enter into the fullness of all the inheritance we possess in Christ by the promises of God, continue to free us from selfishness, self-centeredness, and pride. Continue to deliver us from the mindset that "It's all about me," even in the journey of our own spiritual life.

As You said long ago, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13). Then we will find Your rest, as we see those You've entrusted to our care and aligned with us in our journey enter into their rest as well. This is how we fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples by first obeying the Great Commandment to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:28-31). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

  

  

Tommy,  may you enter into the fullness of your inheritance in Christ as you're also at work and at war in the Spirit on behalf of those entrusted to your care and aligned in in your journey to enter into theirs as well, all by the power of the grace of God. 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, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com  

Morning by Morning, April 12 - "Prepare Your Provisions" Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear You more clearly and follow You more closely.  ... "Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 'Pass through the camp, and command the people:  'Prepare your provisions; for in three days you are to cross over the Jordan, to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God give you to possess' " (Joshua 1:10-11). You are Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Who Provides (Genesis 22:14). You are the Lord who provides all we need, when we need it. "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father" (James 1:18, NLT). You are a good Father who loves to give good gifts to Your children (Matthew 7:11). But at the same time, You also call us to "prepare (our) provisions." To advance into our inheritance and see the Kingdom of God advance through our lives, we have to take time to prepare what You've provided. First, we have to take time to see what You already provided and take time to thank You for it - even thanking You for bringing us through the hard times and difficult challenges that You've used to make us who we are and to help prepare us for the times and challenges to come. Second, we have to take time to learn how to use and begin to grow into maturity with what You've provided. And third, we have to allow You to align us and our provisions with the provisions and people You've chosen to be a part of our next advance. Preparing our provisions is part of our "three days" of the life-long transformation cycle of the crucifixion of our flesh into the resurrection of life in You. That's how we begin to continually "cross over" from death to life, from where we've been to where You're taking us, from the wilderness of our past into the inheritance of our destiny. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays       My Friend,  I pray you would be prepared with every provision of God to keep crossing over and advancing into the fullness of Your inheritance. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! Our ministry team at Rapha God Ministries is getting away for a weekend retreat at the lake this weekend. Please keep us in prayer to grow together as a team and refreshed and renewed by the Spirit of God. I pray for times for renewal and refreshing for you and those the Lord is aligning with you to prepare to for the advance of His Kingdom through your life.   Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries Healing from the Inside Out www.messiah-ministries.org     Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries 4 Dominion Drive, Building 1 San Antonio, Texas 78257 www.RaphaGodMinistries.com

Morning by Morning, April 10 - "Taking Possession of the Land" Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy One, Faithful One, Loving One, Merciful One, make me more like You today.  ... "There remained among the Israelites seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. So Joshua said to the Israelites, 'How long will you be slack about going in and taking possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?" (Joshua 18:3) Father God, You sent Your people into their promised land to possess it and take dominion over it as their inheritance. You spoke to Joshua to lead Your people into the land You were entrusting to them, saying, "My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your feet will tread upon I have given you, as I promised to Moses" (Joshua 1:2-3). The journey of Israel speaks to us of our journey. Their sins and failures, their victories and conquests, speak to us as a witness and testimony to assist us in our spiritual journey into our inheritance in You. "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). So today it seems You are speaking to us, as You spoke to them:  "How long will you be slack in going in and taking possession of all I have entrusted to you?" Lord, show each one of us, both personally and in the communities of relationship You have established in our lives, what is our inheritance in heaven and on earth. Show us where You have strategically positioned us in this season of our lives, with both responsibility and authority, to participate with You in trust and submission to Your will and Your ways to see the fullness of our inheritance established in our lives. Show us who You have called to come alongside us to take the land of our inheritance. Show us the gifts and calling You've given each of us, to fit together in unity among all of us, to grow up "to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). Let us not hold back in fear or confusion. Let us not be deceived by false humility or self-centered pride. Let us not passively wait for You to do something You've already commanded us to do by the leading and power of Your Spirit abiding within us as the Body of Christ in obedience to our Father. Let us not hesitate too long, even as we patiently wait for Your word to move ahead. Let us be humble to seek You and faithful to follow You. And let us take comfort in our hearts from the words You spoke to Joshua, our example, as You sent him and Your people to take possession of their inheritance:  "No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them.... I hereby command you:  Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:5-9). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays       My Friend,  I pray you would know the territory the Lord has set apart for you as your inheritance, to be blessed by God and be a blessing to others, that you would be strong and courageous as you hear and follow the Lord. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! We'll be continuing our six week Level 2 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry for Sozo Inner Healing Prayer Ministry being hosted at Oak Hills Church on Thursday Nights. We have over 65 students and 15 of our leaders to equip and train more teams for prayer ministry! Please keep us in prayer and make plans to come on join us in the future as you are able. DVD's and CD's are available from past Messiah Ministries Schools of Ministry Level 1 Level 2 along with other resources for balanced, Biblical teaching and equipping on Healing, Deliverance, and Prayer along with my book, Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance (www.messiah-ministries.org/resources).   Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries Healing from the Inside Out www.messiah-ministries.org     Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries 4 Dominion Drive, Building 1 San Antonio, Texas 78257 www.RaphaGodMinistries.com

Morning by Morning, April 9 - "Kings and Priests" Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Be King and Lord of my life today.  ... "And they sang a new song, saying:  'You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your Blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth' " (Revelation 5:9-10, NKJ). By the Blood of the Lamb, You have forgiven us and saved us and redeemed us. By the Blood of the Lamb, You have also called us and established us to be Your "kings and priests" on the earth - in submission to Your will, in the abiding communion of Your Presence, and in the power of Your Holy Spirit. Help us know our identity and fulfill our destiny, as the Body of Christ on this earth, more and more every day. We need to grow in our understanding of our identity as Your kings. In every area of our own lives and in every domain of authority You've entrusted to us, we have both authority and responsibility to see the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of our God and Christ, as Your will and Your word is released through our lives, changing the spiritual atmosphere around us. "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the children of men" (Psalm 115:16). We need to grow in our understanding of our identity as Your priests. We minister to You, we worship and honor You, we offer ourselves to You as "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God" (Romans 12:1). We are "a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). And at the same time, we also minister to Your people in the specific spheres of influence where You've strategically positioned us through the unique diversity of gifts You've given each of us. "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God ... that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and dominion forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:10-11). Together as one in the Father, one in Christ, one in the Holy Spirit, we are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own special people, that (we) may proclaim the praises of Him who called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). As best as we can and all by Your grace, let us understand and fulfill all You've created and called us to be in this intimate bond of love in You. "To Him who loves us and washed us from our sins in His own Blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever" (Revelation 1:5-6). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.  Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays       My Friend,  may you grow in your understanding and walk in your identity authority as a king and priest of our God more and more every day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! I heard a powerful prophetic word on this topic of being God's kings and priests last night from Cheryl Ann Needham at a home gathering. The Lord is still stirring the importance of this message in my heart this morning and I pray He will stir it up in your heart as well. We'll be continuing our six week Level 2 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry for Sozo Inner Healing Prayer Ministry being hosted at Oak Hills Church on Thursday Nights. We have over 65 students and 15 of our leaders to equip and train more teams for prayer ministry! Please keep us in prayer and make plans to come on join us in the future as you are able. DVD's and CD's are available from past Messiah Ministries Schools of Ministry Level 1 Level 2 along with other resources for balanced, Biblical teaching and equipping on Healing, Deliverance, and Prayer along with my book, Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance (www.messiah-ministries.org/resources).   Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries Healing from the Inside Out www.messiah-ministries.org     Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries 4 Dominion Drive, Building 1 San Antonio, Texas 78257 www.RaphaGodMinistries.com

Morning by Morning, April 8 - "Clothed with Power from on High"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I You, Lord - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and I thank You for first loving me.  ...

"The He opened their minds to understanding the Scriptures, and He said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what My Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:50).

In these first moments of my morning, I wait for You - for You to open my mind to Your Scriptures, for You to fill my heart with Your Spirit, for You to clothe me with Your power from on high. I want to be Your witness wherever I am and wherever You send me.

Thank You for Your kindness that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4). Thank You for Your grace and mercy that covers me with forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who continues to proclaim this Good News of the Kingdom of God to my human spirit so I can live out the peace and joy of this Good News every day, carry it everywhere I go, and share it with everyone You bring across my path in every way You lead. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

  

  

My Friend,  may you be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father, and clothed with God's power from on high to be His witness through your life today. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

We've had an incredible weekend, hungering and thirsting for God in prayer and being filled afresh with His Holy Spirit at our weekend Prayer Retreat on Healing at Kingswood United Methodist Church in Amarillo, Texas. Pastor Brad and his leaders are already making plans for next time to keep pressing in to know and experience intimacy with God and the power of His Holy Spirit. I pray the same for your church community. Please pray the same for me.
  
We'll be continuing our six week Level 2 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry for Sozo Inner Healing Prayer Ministry being hosted at Oak Hills Church on Thursday Nights. We have over 65 students and 15 of our leaders to equip and train more teams for prayer ministry! Please keep us in prayer and make plans to come on join us in the future as you are able. DVD's and CD's are available from past Messiah Ministries Schools of Ministry Level 1 Level 2 along with other resources for balanced, Biblical teaching and equipping on Healing, Deliverance, and Prayer along with my book, Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance (www.messiah-ministries.org/resources).

 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.messiah-ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com  

Morning by Morning, April 5 - Abiding in Grace, Obeying in Love

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father, One with the Holy Spirit; be One within me, as I abide in You and You abide in me (John 15:4). ...

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love ..." (John 15:7-10).

It's by Your grace that we can abide in Your love. And at the same time, Your grace does not replace Your call to obey You in love in order to abide in Your love.

Lord, how does that relationship of grace and obedience come together, so we can abide in Your love? ...

It seems I hear You say, "My grace is My freedom and My favor. It's my freedom that you may freely, willingly choose to follow Me as My disciple. It's my favor that you may know that I Am the One who is at work within you, empowering you to will what is right and to do what is right, in obedience to Me and My words of Spirit and Life abiding in you."

Yes, Lord. "For it is God who is at work in (me), enabling (me) both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). That's the difference between law and grace. That's the difference between trying to be good and doing good in my own power verses being good and doing good by embracing Your power at work within me. That's the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). "For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set (me) free from the law of sin and of death" (Romans 8:2). Thank You for Your promise that "whoever finds Me finds Life and obtains favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 8:35).

My holy and heavenly Father, I can abide in that truth and obey that commandment, all by the power of Your grace at work within me through the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I seek to embrace Your freedom and Your favor to will and to do what is right, according to Your words abiding in me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

  

  

My Friend,  may you abide in the love and power and grace of God to will and to do what is right, bearing much fruit through your life to the glory of God. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

We had an awesome start last night for our six week Level 2 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry for Sozo Inner Healing Prayer Ministry being hosted at Oak Hills Church. We have over 65 students and 15 of our leaders to equip and train more teams for prayer ministry! Please keep us in prayer and make plans to come on join us in the future as you are able.DVD's and CD's are available from past Messiah Ministries Schools of Ministry Level 1 Level 2 along with other resources for balanced, Biblical teaching and equipping on Healing, Deliverance, and Prayer along with my book Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance (www.messiah-ministries.org/resources).

I'm excited to be speaking this weekend at our Conference on Healing atKingswood United Methodist Church in Amarillo, Texas. Please come join us if you can and keep us in prayer if you can't. We're excited to see what God will do.
 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.messiah-ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com  

Morning by Morning, April 4 - "My Times are in Your Hands" Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wait in silence before You, waiting on the leading of Your Holy Spirit, here in the embrace of My Father, here in the communion of intimate prayer.  .... With a hungry heart And a thirsting soul I seek Your will I want to know With a deep desire And a humble prayer I seek Your face I know Your there My times Are in Your hands My days Are in Your plans I belong to You Thank You, Holy Spirit, for stirring in my human spirit with these words of trust and surrender You're writing in my heart this morning... By the power of the grace of God, let me live out this song in my life today. "I trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hand ..." (Psalm 31:14-15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays       My Friend,  I pray you'd know with all your heart that your times are in the hands of our God -- and that's a really good thing because He really loves you a lot. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! Thank you for your prayers and for those who joined in by live-streaming for our Evening of Healing with Max Lucado Last Night at Oak Hills.Everyone was speaking about the deep sense of the Presence of God and many, many people came for prayer. We've already been hearing wonderful reports of God's healing love. I love hearing today that several churches and home gatherings got together to watch and then had personal healing prayer ministry afterwards. I heard an awesome testimony today of how a marriage was saved last night through deep forgiveness between a couple and also deep inner healing of a child-hood abuse that had never been discussed with anyone before Jesus healed the husband and then the marriage. Praise God! Please keep us in prayer was we begin our six week Level 2 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry for Sozo Inner Healing Prayer Ministry on Thursday Nights being hosted at Oak Hills Church. I'm excited to be speaking this weekend at our Conference on Healing atKingswood United Methodist Church in Amarillo, Texas. Please come join us if you can and keep us in prayer if you can't. We're excited to see what God will do.   Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries Healing from the Inside Out www.messiah-ministries.org     Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries 4 Dominion Drive, Building 1 San Antonio, Texas 78257 www.RaphaGodMinistries.com

Live-Stream Evening of Healing w Max Lucado & Tommy Hays Tonight 7PM CST

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

http://oakhillschurch.com/live-stream/  Please forward this link on to anyone who may be interested and keep us in prayer.

I'm excited to be preaching again with Max Lucado at their main Crownridge 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. We'll also have a bilingual message in Spanish and Spanish-speaking prayer teams.

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

www.messiah-ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Morning by Morning, April 3 - "My Lord and My God!"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the One "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). One day You will come in Your glory in the clouds, and this morning I ask You to come in Your glory in my heart (1 Thessalonians 5:16).  ...

"But Thomas ... was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord.' But he said to them, 'Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe.' A week later His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.' Then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it in My side. Do not doubt but believe.' Thomas answered Him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe'" (John 20:24-28).

Thomas was honest about his doubts. And You were not quick to immediately answer all his questions. You waited a week to let him wrestle with his doubts. You let him have his time to wait out the consequences of his choice and the vow he made in the pride of his heart - "I will not believe unless ..." (v. 25).

But then in Your timing and in Your way, You met him where he was. You came to him and allowed him to encounter You in the way he must have needed in heart. You called him by name and confronted his doubts. And in that moment in Your Presence, doubting Thomas had a change of heart and a change of theology, as he worshipped You with one of the highest Biblical affirmations of Your Divine Nature in all of Scripture as Lord and God (v. 28).

Yet even then, You affirmed Your highest blessings for those would never have the chance to see You with their natural eyes and never have the chance to put their fingers in the nail marks of Your hands, but would choose by faith in their hearts to believe in spite of their doubts.

Thank You for coming to me in the ways I've needed. Thank You for meeting me where I am. By the grace of God, I choose to believe. And by the grace of God, I declare with Thomas and all Your disciples throughout all generations, "My Lord and my God!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

  

  

My Friend,  I pray for Divine Encounters with Jesus in every way you need Him to be Lord and God in your life. May your doubts be conquered through faith in Christ. May you be blessed as one who believes. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Please come join us by live-streaming or in person for an Evening of Healing with Max Lucado Tonight, April 3 at 7 PM at the Crown Ridge campus of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio (www.oakhillschurch.com/live-stream) I'll be sharing a short message on healing of spirit, soul, and body and then our Rapha God Ministries prayer team with be joining the Oak Hills Church prayer team for all who want to come for personal prayer ministry. The Spanish-speaking Prayer Team will be available too.

Please keep us in prayer was we begin our six week Level 2 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry for Sozo Inner Healing Prayer Ministryon Thursday Nights being hosted at Oak Hills Church.

I'm excited to be speaking this weekend at our Conference on Healing atKingwood United Methodist Church in Amarillo, Texas. Please come join us if you can and keep us in prayer if you can't. We're excited to see what God will do.
 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.messiah-ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com  

Morning by Morning, April 2 - Burning Hearts of Resurrection Life Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let my spirit come awake and arise into newness of life in You today.  ... "Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.... Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things about Himself in all the Scriptures.... When He was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?' " (Luke 24:13-32) You are the resurrected Christ. We may not always see You, but You are always with us on our journey. We may not always recognize You moving in the challenges and circumstances around us, but Your Spirit is always present, ready to burn in our hearts and quicken Your Word to our spirits. You are the personification of the law of Moses and the grace of our Father. You are the fulfillment of every prophetic Word of God. And as we embrace You in our hearts, leaning into the fullness of the resurrection life we can have in You, bursting forth with the Spirit of Christ arising from within us, we can declare with all Your disciples from all generations, "The Lord is risen indeed!" (v. 34) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays       My Friend,  may your heart burn within you as the Spirit of Christ fills you and opens the eyes of your heart to the Truth and Word of God fully revealed and fully alive in Christ. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! Please come join us for an Evening of Healing this Wednesday Night, April 3 at 7 PM at the Crown Ridge campus of Oak Hills Church in person in San Antonio or by live streaming (www.oakhillschurch.com/live-stream) I'll be sharing a short message on healing of spirit, soul, and body and then our Rapha God Ministries prayer team with be joining the Oak Hills Church prayer team for all who want to come for personal prayer ministry. Please keep us in prayer was we begin our six week Level 2 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry for Sozo Inner Healing Prayer Ministryon Thursday Nights being hosted at Oak Hills Church.   Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries Healing from the Inside Out www.messiah-ministries.org     Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries 4 Dominion Drive, Building 1 San Antonio, Texas 78257 www.RaphaGodMinistries.com

Morning by Morning, April 1 - Believe in the One with the Power of Love

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.

 

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

  

  

My Friend,  I pray you'd be filled afresh with the peace and joy of the One who loves you so, who heals you from the inside out and sets you free to be all He created you to be in the power of His love. May you be filled with resurrection power! 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, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com  

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

Morning by Morning, March 25 - Forsaken for Us

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.

 

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

  

  

My Friend,  I pray for the love of God and deeper understanding of His sacrifice of love for each of us at the cross would settle into your spirit today on this Good Friday. 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, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com  

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!
 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.messiah-ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com    

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

www.messiah-ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com    

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.

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

  

  

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

www.messiah-ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com