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Monday, June 10, 2013
Friday, June 07, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 7 - Golden Rules of Kindness and Mercy
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the heart and lead me in the way that leads to life in You today. ...
"Do to others as you would have them do to you.... Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:31-36).
Your rules are golden and Your ways are true
Your heart is merciful and kind
And Your desire is that Your disciples would be more like You
Make me more like You today, Lord Jesus. When You say, "Follow Me," it's not just a destination, but also a transformation. That's the very purpose of our journey of life through this broken, fallen world full of broken, fallen people - to be conformed to the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29).
So write Your law on my heart; form Your nature in my spirit. Show me when to hold firm and when to yield. Show me when to stand tall and when to bow low. Let my 'yes' be 'yes' and my 'no' be 'no.' Let my boundaries be clear and my conscience be clean.
I won't always be understood; I won't always be liked. But by the Spirit of God at work within me, I can always choose to follow You as best as I can and all by Your grace. May Your Spirit be at work within me to will and to do what is right and true. "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). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may the Spirit of God at work within you make you more like Jesus every day. May you embrace your transformation on the way to your destination, as you follow Jesus in your heart. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Please keep us in prayer the rest of this week in Corpus Christi, Texas, as I join the other Methodist Ministers from my region for our Southwest Texas Annual Conference. Though our ministry is independent and non-denominational, I'm personally under appointment from my Bishop to lead Messiah Ministries, now in partnership with Rapha God Ministries in San Antonio. Like a missionary, I raise my own prayer covering and financial support. Thank you for all your support and encouragement that have made this ministry of prayer and healing beyond the walls of the church possible for over fifteen years!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 6 - Set Your Sights to "Seek Him"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart. ...
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Lord, I seek You with my eyes and with my heart. I seek You with passion and with faith. I seek You to find You and embrace You, to hold on to You and be held by You. I seek You first and throughout the moments of my day. And you reward me with a deep sense of Your Presence, with the confident assurance You'll never let go. As someone has said, "I'm safe and secure in Your no-slip grip."
Blessed are those who seek You with all their heart for they will be the ones who find You (Jeremiah 29:13). You said, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matthew 7:7-8, NKJ). You are the God who gives good things to those who ask and seek and knock (v. 7:11). You are the God who always gives Your very Spirit to all who will humbly and passionately pursue You in spirit and truth (Luke 11:13). And so I set my sights to seek You by faith more passionately each day than the day before - as best as I can and all by Your grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you set your sights to pursue our God with passion and faith, more every day. May you find Him and embrace Him and never let go of Him. 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 last night at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. I'm amazed at the Lord's favor to allow us to minister His healing love and power into the lives of His hurting people in such a significant way. I pray for God's healing grace in your life and community as well.
Please keep us in prayer the rest of this week as I go to Corpus Christi, Texas to join the other Methodist Ministers from my region for our Southwest Texas Annual Conference. Though our ministry is independent and non-denominational, I'm personally under appointment from my Bishop to lead Messiah Ministries, now in partnership with Rapha God Ministries in San Antonio. Thank you for all your support and encouragement that have made this ministry beyond the wall of the church possible for over fifteen years!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
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Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 4 - Smell Like Jesus
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the ways that lead to life in You today. ...
"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing Him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not peddlers of God's word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in His Presence" (2 Corinthians 2:14-17).
I want to be a person "sent from God" who's first taken time to be "standing in His Presence." I want to be a "person of sincerity" because I've first taken time to sincerely pursue the One who speaks to my heart and gives me His. That's the fragrance I want to "spread in every place" I go. And that fragrance only comes "from knowing Him."
Lord, I have choices to make and lives to touch today, like each one of Your disciples You send out into the world every day. I want to honor You in all things. Forgive me when I fail; correct me when I'm wrong; help me when I struggle. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Let the aroma of Your Presence saturate my soul until I smell like Jesus. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you smell like Jesus today. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, I'm excited to be preaching on healing again with Max Lucado Wednesday Night at 7PM CST at Oak Hills Church on the main campus at Crownridge in San Antonio, Texas. Please keep us in prayer and come join us if you can. Our Rapha God Ministries prayer team will be joining the OHC elders and prayer team to pray for all who seek the Lord's healing of spirit, soul, and body after the messages.
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Monday, June 03, 2013
Morning by Morning, June 3 - "Choose This Day"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my thoughts and at the heart my desires, now and throughout the moments of my day. ...
"Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, ... but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord"(Joshua 24:14-15).
Through Joshua, You brought Israel into their promised land. You encouraged them to embrace their inheritance and rest in the peace of all You provided them. There would still be battles to fight and temptations to resist. But even those would all be used to teach them their identity and confirm their destiny as a people set apart to revere the Lord as a sign and a witness to all the world around them.
In response to all You'd done for them, all by the power of Your grace, every new day was still a new choice You set before them. Who would they honor? Who would they serve? Yes, the past generation made the choice to follow Moses out of Egypt. Yes, their generation made the choice to follow Joshua into their promised land. But each day was still a new choice to honor You or not, to serve You or not.
Joshua made his choice known-"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' And by the power of the grace of God, I make my choice known-as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Everyone in the world around me has the right to make their own choice. And their choice may influence me and my house and my life. But I am responsible for the choices I make, as I embrace the path for each new day.
I have a life-the promised land of my inheritance in Christ and the spheres of influence around me each new day. I have a spiritual foundation established in Christ, and it's my responsibility to choose how I will build upon that foundation every day (1 Corinthians 3:10). I have begun a spiritual journey, and it's my responsibility to choose what path I'll take every new day along this journey. As You said long ago: "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). By the grace and guidance of God, let me choose well this day and every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you choose well by the guidance and grace of God who you will serve in all the spheres of influence entrusted to you today. 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
Friday, May 31, 2013
Morning by Morning, May 31 - Defeating the Kings of Darkness
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Teach me Your ways and empower me to live them, step by step and morning by morning. ...
"Meanwhile, these five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.... And Joshua said, 'Roll larger stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them; but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies, and attack them from the rear. Do not let them enter their towns, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.' When Joshua and the Israelites had finished inflicting a very great slaughter on them, until they were wiped out, and when the survivors had entered the fortified towns, all the people returned safe to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah; no one dared to speak against any of the Israelites" (Joshua 10:16).
In our spiritual battles, pre-figured prophetically by Israel's battles for her promised land, there are kings of darkness that have to be captured and bound in order to plunder their kingdoms and possess the inheritance of freedom and peace You've promised for us in Christ (Colossians 1:13). In the context of deliverance from spiritual oppression, You said, 'But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how else can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered" (Matthew 12:28-29).
We battle kingdoms of deception, pride, fear, shame, rejection, bitterness, sickness, brokenness, and everything else that's anything less than Your perfect will in our lives. It's the battle for the abundance of life You've promised for our inheritance against the one who comes only to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10). So You call us to submit every area to You through confession and repentance, through embracing Your truth and rejecting our enemy's lies, through Your healing and our deliverance, to embrace all You've intended for us even as we daily engage the enemy of our souls (James 4:7).
The sins and wounds, the lies and curses, the false identities and the defiled destinies of our lives are our battlegrounds. But You lead us and empower us to pursues our spiritual enemies in the victory of the cross and the power of the blood of Jesus. You teach us to take authority over these kings and their kingdoms, these strong men and their strongholds, to silence the voice of our accuser and declare the praises of our Deliverer (Revelation 12:10-12).
You've won our victory and now we participate with You by faith to embrace the truth of what's been done and won for us in Christ so that Your victory becomes our victory (Colossians 2:15). Praise You, Jesus, for the victory of Your cross and the power of Your blood! You have crushed our enemy under our feet as we stand in Christ and Christ stands in us (Romans 16:20). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My Friend, I pray you will be empowered by God to embrace all that's been done and won for you in Christ. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
You or someone you know might be encouraged by my book Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance available through our ministry web site: www.messiah-ministries.org These are some of my stories and the lessons I've learned through my first fifteen years of full time ministry in healing and deliverance.
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Morning by Morning, May 30 - The Day the Sun Stood Still
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Make me more like You today. ...
"On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord; and he said in the sight of Israel, 'Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, n the valley of Aijalon.' And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.... There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded a human voice; for the Lord fought for Israel" (Joshua 10:12-14).
On the longest day of history, "Joshua spoke to the Lord" in prayer and then Joshua spoke to the sun with authority. As the Son of Man, You spoke to the Father in prayer and then spoke to the sea with authority (Mark 4:39). As the children of God, You invite us to seek Your face and Your will in prayer and then speak to the mountains with authority (Mathew 17:20). Your Word even declares to us, "Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).
In the communion of prayer, we hear what our Father is saying and see what our Father is doing (John 5:19). And from the place of prayer, we move into the place of authority by the power of Your Spirit and the authority of Your name (Luke 9:1-2). Apart from You we can do nothing, but never have to be apart from You. And with Your life abiding in us and our life abiding in Yours, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).
We are never to presume upon Your power. We never to foolishly squander the gift of faith. But You have created us and called us to take our place and position as children of God and disciples of Christ to actively participate with You in the advance of Your Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. In Your sovereignty You've chosen to even entrust the power of the life and death in our tongues (Proverbs 18:21). You invite us to speak to You in prayer and speak to the earth with authority (Matthew 16:18-19). "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the children of men" (Psalm 115:16, KJV).
With humility before You in prayer and boldness before You in faith, may the Body and Bride of Christ understand and employ the authority You've entrusted to us. "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.... We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves...." (Romans 8:19-23). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you know the heart of God expressed through your prayers and the authority of God expressed through your words, in submission to His perfect will and ways through your life. 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, May 29, 2013
Morning by Morning, May 29 - The Sword of the Spirit and Hail from Heaven
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Consume me with Your holy Fire. Set me ablaze with a passion for You-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...
"As (the armies of the five kings of the Amorites) fled before Israel, while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; where were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword" (Joshua 10:11).
Joshua's battle was a physical battle against flesh and blood, but our battle is a spiritual battle against all that would keep us from knowing our identity and our destiny in Christ as children of God, living into the fullness of the promises of God. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12, KJV).
In the battle against the Amorites, Joshua and the armies of Israel pursued their enemies with swords in their hands but also with prayers in their hearts. While they were warring on earth, You were warring from heaven. They slew their enemies with swords while You slew their enemies with hail.
In our spiritual battles against the kings and their kingdoms ruling the strongholds that hinder us from embracing the fullness of our inheritance, we make our choices and speak our words; we pray our prayers and assert our authority (Ephesians 6:18). We wield "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). First we submit ourselves to God in our heart and our heads, then we can resist our enemy, and then he must flee (James 4:7). We reject the lies of our enemy and embrace the truth of our God (John 8:32). "We take every thought captive to obey Christ" as we take up "the weapons of our warfare" to align ourselves with Your "divine power to destroy strongholds"(2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
We live out in our spiritual journey these prophetic pictures and spiritual lessons from the battles of Joshua as we follow Yeshua. As we pursue the enemy of our souls down the slope of our thoughts and out of our heads back to hell where he belongs with the word of God on our lips and the will of God in our hearts, You rain down hail from heaven on his head to crush him under our feet. This is part of the land of our inheritance as the children of God. As Your Word has promised: "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (Romans 16:20). Praise God! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My Friend, may you see the God of your salvation rain down hail from heaven on the head of the enemy of your soul and establish you in the land of your inheritance in Jesus' mighty name. 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, May 28, 2013
Morning by Morning, May 28 - No Treaties for False Peace
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, conform me to Your nature, and lead me in Your ways. ...
"But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done in Jericho and to Ai, they on their part acted with cunning.... So the leaders took their provisions, and did not ask direction for the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them..." (Joshua 9:3-15).
In a prophetic picture of our journey with God into the fullness of our inheritance in Christ, You told Joshua and Your people to take possession of the land and none of their enemies would be able to stand against them (v. 1:4-6). But You also cautioned them to continuously seek Your leading and honor Your laws as they advanced into their destiny by the favor and grace of God (v. 1:7-9).
When they sought You and obeyed You, things went well for them. And when they did not, things did not go so well. When they encountered the Gibeonites, they failed to seek Your face and listen for Your voice; and they were deceived by their enemies into making a false peace. They found themselves with their hands tied by their compromise and treaty with their enemies, unable to drive them out of that area of their inheritance (v. 9:18-19).
All that happened to them is intended to be an example to us in our spiritual journey and our spiritual battles against our spiritual enemies that would keep us from possessing the fullness of Your promises and living into the fullness of our inheritance (1 Corinthians 10:6). So forgive us when we fail to seek Your direction and follow Your leading. Forgive us when we compromise with our enemies and fail to drive them from our lives, making a false peace that only ensnares us and entraps us from fully obeying You and keeps us from fully possessing all the promises we have in Christ.
Instead, help us be found faithful to seek Your face and follow Your will. Whether our spiritual enemies are our own flesh in the areas of our own hearts not yet willing to fully yield to the will and ways of God or the spiritual forces of evil coming to steal, kill, and destroy, let us not compromise or make treaties that only leave a false peace for the moment, while cheating us out of our inheritance. "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may the Holy Spirit lead you always to seek the Lord's face and listen for the Lord's voice, protecting you from compromise with the enemies of our soul. May you live into the fullness of your inheritance 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
Friday, May 24, 2013
Morning by Morning, May 23 - Taking Time to Honor God at the Altar of Our Hearts
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my heart and my thoughts with Yours, O God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...
"Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel.... And there, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. All Israel, alien as well as citizen, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark in front of the levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord ...as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at first, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, blessings and curses, according to al that is written in the book of the law" (Joshua 8:30-34).
Joshua and Israel crossed over the Jordan into their promised land to begin the battles to take possession of their inheritance. They soon saw victory at Jericho and defeat at Ai. Then through confession, repentance, and forgiveness, they went up again into battle at Ai and saw victory. Now it was time to humble themselves before Your altar and gather around the ark of Your Presence to honor You as their God and the Source of their victories and their inheritance. Like Moses before him, Joshua was to "bless the people" by leading them to align their hearts and their minds with Your Word, as he spoke the Word of God into their spirits.
Lord God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You are the God of Israel and the God of all who willing choose to humble themselves before You to seek Your face and welcome Your Presence into our hearts to yield to Your Word and Your ways in our lives. You are the God who wants to bless our spirits and awaken our hearts to arise into newness of life every day and embrace the fullness of our inheritance in You as children of God.
Let us take time every day in the altar of our hearts to remember You are the Source of everything good in our lives and You are the Authority to guide every step along the way of our journey into spiritual maturity. As Your Word declared long ago and still blesses our spirits today: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJ). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, united in Christ as one in the Spirit and one in the Lord with those the Lord has called to be aligned with you for the battles of these last days, may you overcome every enemy of your inheritance that may unite against you, in Jesus' mighty name. 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, May 23, 2013
Morning by Morning, May 23 - Taking Time to Honor God at the Altar of Our Hearts
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my heart and my thoughts with Yours, O God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...
"Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel.... And there, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. All Israel, alien as well as citizen, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark in front of the levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord ...as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at first, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, blessings and curses, according to al that is written in the book of the law" (Joshua 8:30-34).
Joshua and Israel crossed over the Jordan into their promised land to begin the battles to take possession of their inheritance. They soon saw victory at Jericho and defeat at Ai. Then through confession, repentance, and forgiveness, they went up again into battle at Ai and saw victory. Now it was time to humble themselves before Your altar and gather around the ark of Your Presence to honor You as their God and the Source of their victories and their inheritance. Like Moses before him, Joshua was to "bless the people" by leading them to align their hearts and their minds with Your Word, as he spoke the Word of God into their spirits.
Lord God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You are the God of Israel and the God of all who willing choose to humble themselves before You to seek Your face and welcome Your Presence into our hearts to yield to Your Word and Your ways in our lives. You are the God who wants to bless our spirits and awaken our hearts to arise into newness of life every day and embrace the fullness of our inheritance in You as children of God.
Let us take time every day in the altar of our hearts to remember You are the Source of everything good in our lives and You are the Authority to guide every step along the way of our journey into spiritual maturity. As Your Word declared long ago and still blesses our spirits today: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJ). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may the Lord bless your spirit with His words of Spirit and Life stirring in your heart, as He directs your paths this day and 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, May 22, 2013
Morning by Morning, May 22 - Until Our Spiritual Enemies are Utterly Destroyed
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me listen for Your voice and follow the leading of Your Spirit. ...
"Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'Stretch out the sword that is in your hand toward Ai; for I will give it into your hand.... When Joshua and all Israel saw that that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city was rising, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.... For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the sword, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only the livestock and the spoil of the city Israel took as their booty, according to the word of the Lord that He had issued to Joshua" (Joshua 8:26).
Today our battle is not against human flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil of "this present darkness" coming against the identity and destiny we have in Christ (Ephesians 6:12). They come "only to kill and steal and destroy" in order to keep us from having the fullness of our inheritance You prepared for us that we "may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
So we are to listen for the strategies You give us. Just as you brought down the walls of Jericho with a shout, but set an ambush against Ai, we must learn to be sensitive to Your voice to hear Your strategy for the battle at hand. Our battles may be against fear or false identities, depression or disease, sin or shame, addictions or afflictions, or anything else that's anything less than all You've created us to be in the fullness of our inheritance. And our strategies may be to watch and wait, to shout and sing, to charge ahead or change our attitude, or anything else You speak to our spirit as we listen for the leading of Your voice in obedience to Your command (John 10:4).
Through every battle, we must always remember to keep our eyes fixed on the "Commander of the Army of the Lord" (Joshua 5:14). We are not to be passive in the battles, but have a vital part to actively participate in the advance of Your Kingdom - first within us and then through us - as we stretch out the sword of Your Spirit, which is the Word of God, until our spiritual enemies are utterly destroyed (Ephesians 6:17).
With the heart of David, we are to declare by the power of the grace of God, "I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back until they were consumed. I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. For You girded me with strength for the battle; You made my assailants sink under me" (Psalm 18:37-39).
No matter how impossible the odds may seem or how entrenched our spiritual enemies may be, we must always remember, "the weapons of our warfare" are spiritual and mighty (2 Corinthians 10:4). And we must never forget, "The Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's" (1 Samuel 17:47). The battle is already won through the victory of the cross (Colossians 2:15). Now we join in victory with God to agree with Your Word and Your Spirit to see that victory enforced through every battle we face along our journey into the fullness of our inheritance of spiritual maturity in Christ (Ephesians 4:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you hear the strategies of the Lord and obey His commands until you see every spiritual enemy utterly defeated through the victory of the cross in every area of your life. 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, May 21, 2013
Morning by Morning, May 21 - Devoted to Resurrection not Destruction
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and here in my day. ...
"So the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land. But the Israelites broke faith in regard to the devoted things. Achan ... took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites" (Joshua 6:27-7:1).
Israel won a great victory at Jericho. But she did not honor You in her victory. Rather than destroy everything in the city You told them were "devoted to destruction," they kept some for themselves and hid them away (v. 7:11). They thought they could continue to win their victories in the power of Your name without submitting in obedience to the character of Your nature. But they soon found out at their very next battle against the city of Ai that they were wrong, when they were easily defeated by their enemies and sent running away in shame (v. 7:4-5).
You explained to Joshua, "Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I imposed on them. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have acted deceitfully, and they have put them among their own belongings. Therefore the Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they turn their backs to their enemies, because they have become a thing devoted for destruction themselves. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you" (v. 7:11-12).
Like Israel, we have to learn we have no power over our spiritual enemies when we continue to harbor the sin of the things devoted to destruction in our hearts. Like it or not, there is a relationship between spiritual victory and spiritual purity. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:7-10). "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit" (Galatians 6:7-8).
Because they refused to put away the spoils of sin, the Israelites had "become a thing devoted to destruction themselves" (Joshua 7:12). But rather than reject them or leave them in the state of defeat they had chosen and caused to come upon themselves, You encouraged them through Joshua, saying, 'Sanctify yourselves ..." (Joshua 7:13). You exposed their sin and removed it from them (v. 7:22-26). Then they were able to defeat the very enemies they were previously powerless to overcome (Joshua 8:1-29).
Lord, as the Body and Bride of Christ, convict us of the sins we harbor in our hearts, cleanse us from the things devoted to destruction. Sanctify us and purify us, that we may have Your nature in our hearts and Your victory in our lives. Let us be a people devoted to resurrection rather than destruction. Let us be devoted to You in every dimension of our lives, to know Your peace in the fullness of our inheritance: "May the God of peace Himself sanctify (us) entirely; and may (our) spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonian 5:23). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray you will be set free and sanctified from everything that would bring you defeat in your spiritual journey to maturity 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
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Morning by Morning, May 15 - Shouts of Joy and Victory
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Perfect Peace, my Abundant Joy, and my Unfailing Love. I welcome You all that is less than perfect, lacking in abundance, and wavering in persistence. You are All I need, my All in All. ...
"To the people Joshua gave this command: 'You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.... On the seventh day they rose early, at dawn, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, 'Shout! For the Lord has given you the city..." (Joshua 6:10-16).
The people of Israel were obedient and patient at the Battle of Jericho, waiting until Your command to act according to Your Divine strategy, crafted for this particular battle. No matter what taunts or intimidation may have come from their enemy, Your people keep silent until Your command to shout. But through their obedience with their words and actions, they were able to declare: "(The Lord) Most High is wonderful... He defeated nations for us and put them under out control. He chose the land we would inherit... God has risen with a shout of joy; the Lord has risen as the trumpets sounded!" (Psalm 47:2-5, NCV)
As with Israel, in our own spiritual journey the battles we face are never exactly the same. So the strategies You give us and the lessons You teach us require our obedience and patience, to listen for Your voice and obey Your command. Then with "shouts of joy and victory" from hearts made right through the grace and goodness of our God, we can celebrate that "the power of the Lord has won the victory; with his power the Lord has done mighty things" for us (Psalm 118:15, NCV). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray you will shout with joy and victory when you see the mighty things the Lord does for you, as you wait patiently and advance obediently at His command into your inheritance 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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