Morning by Morning, February 24 - "A Seal Upon Your Heart"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open up my heart to welcome You into every moment of my day.  ...

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame" (Song of Solomon 8:6).

Seal me to Your heart, Lord. Awaken a fierce and passionate love in me that burns for You like an unquenchable fire (v. 8:7). Let there be nothing religious or routine in my relationship with You. Let there be nothing lukewarm or lackluster, nothing halfhearted or hollow.

Lord, let Your first commandment be my first love (Exodus 20:1). Don't ever let me be among those whose love grows cold (Matthew 24:12). By the power of the grace of God, let me never forget my First Love (Revelation 2:4).

Move in me to love You with all my heart and mind and soul and strength (Matthew 22:36).  You are a Consuming Fire for me; I want to be a consuming fire for You (Hebrews 12:29). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friends,  I pray you will burn with a fierce and passionate love for the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. May the Lord set you as a seal upon His heart. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, please keep us in prayer this week for our Level 1 School of Ministry this Thursday through Saturday. We're excited to have a full class again at Rapha God Ministries, being hosted at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio!

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 

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Morning by Morning, February 21 - Wheat and Weeds

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear Your voice and follow Your leading -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...

"(Jesus) put before them another parable:  'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.... Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn'" (Matthew 13:24-30).

Lord, as I grow up by Your grace into maturity, help me grow in discernment. Send in Your reapers to gather the weeds out of my own heart so that the grains of wheat that have grown from the seed of the words of Spirit and life You've planted in my heart may be gathered into Your great harvest. "As a plan for the fullness of time, (You) gather all things up in (Christ), things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of Him who accomplishes all things according to His counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:10-12).

I pray for increase in the "Spirit of wisdom and revelation as (I) come to know (You), so that, with the eyes of (my) heart enlightened, (I) may know what is the hope to which (You) have called (me) ..." (Ephesians 1:17-18). I pray for an increase in the spiritual gift of discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10).

You are "the One who sows the good seed" (Matthew 13:37). And by the grace of God, I am one of Your "children of the kingdom" (Matthew 13:38). Let there be a harvest of righteousness in my heart, as You bundle up and burn everything in me that's not like You (Matthew 13:43). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  may you grown in discernment as the wheat and weeds in this world grow up into maturity, and may your heart be a part of God's great harvest of righteousness in the earth. 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 

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Morning by Morning, February 20 - "In the Valley of Decision"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Rule and reign in my life; be Lord of every moment of my day.  ...

"Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision" (Joel 3:11)

In a sense, every day is the day of the Lord and every valley is the valley of decision. You set before us each day life or death, blessing or curse; and You invite us to choose whom we will trust, whom we will obey, whom we will serve.

All Your promises are before us. The abundance of life we can have in You is ready to be embraced every day if we will turn and look to the One who promises to bring us through every valley and into the fulfillment of our inheritance. As You said to Moses and Joshua and all the children of Israel, You say to us every day:  "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may life, loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and holding fast to Him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

As we choose You and keep choosing You, You bring us through every valley (Psalm 23:4). You bring us through the waters and rivers and fires, for You love us and You are with us (Isaiah 43:1-5).  So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose You. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). Let this day be a good day, a day of the Lord in my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  may you know the Presence and power and grace of God with you through every decision, as you keep choosing Him and trusting Him to faithful to you through whatever choices you face. 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 

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Morning by Morning, February 19 - "Continue in the Grace of God"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You're my Lord and Savior, my Father and Friend, Son of God and Son of Man. Make me more like You today.  ...

"By this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.... When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God" (Acts 13:39-43).

There is a law of sin and death:  when we sin, we die -- we die to the fullness of life we can have in You. But if we confess our sins and admit our need of a Savior who forgives us of our sins and delivers us from death, You forgive us and cleanse us and restore us into fullness of life through the repentance of our hearts (1 John 1:9). "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set (us) free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1-2).

As You forgive us and restore in righteousness -- in right relationship with God -- You urge us to continue in the grace of God. You urge us not to turn back to the law of sin and death, not to turn back to condemnation and regret, for ourselves of for others. You urge us to keep turning to You and the fullness of life we have in You, trusting in what You have done for us, not in what we have done or failed to do.

Thank You for Your grace, and thank You for empowering us to continue in Your grace. "For by grace (we) have been saved through faith, and this is not (our) own doing; is the gift of God -- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life" (Ephesians 2:8-10). So by the power of the grace of God, I will continue in the grace of God. By the life of Christ in me, I choose to live my life for You -- as best as I can and all by Your grace. In Jesus' name pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  I pray you would continue in the grace of God, with no condemnation and no regret, living into the fullness of life He has for you in Christ. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying with you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, February 18 - After God's Heart

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart throughout the moments of my day.  ...

"Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. When He had removed him, He made David their king. In His testimony about him He said, 'I found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after My heart, who will carry out all My wishes.' Of this man's posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as He promised" (Acts 13:21-23).

You honor our decisions and follow through on our choices. Yet You seek those who seek You, who seek after Your heart to carry out Your wishes. You fulfill Your promises and display Your glory through the lives of those who surrender their hearts to You.

Somehow, in Your mercy and the sovereignty of Your grace, You'll use sinful human beings like David to accomplish Your purposes -- never condoning our sins, but also never crushing our spirit; never turning a blind eye to our failures, but also never cancelling our destiny. Despite the sin in his heart, David was always a man after Your heart. And that's the kind of heart You'll use to do great things through the great grace of a personal, passionate relationship with our great God.

Lord, I want to be a man after Your heart. As a Father who loves His son, You'll correct me when I'm wrong and encourage me when I'm weak. And as a son who loves His Father, I ask You to keep putting Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Make me more like You each day. I want to be one who seeks You with all my heart and lives my life out of a personal, passionate relationship with You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  may you be a person after God's heart, in passionate pursuit for the One you seek with all your heart. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying with you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, February 14 - "Beloved by God" on Valentine's Day

Good morning, Lord Jesus. With all my heart, all my mind, all my soul, all my strength, I entrust my life to Your love -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.  ...

"For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that He has chosen you" (1 Thessalonians 1:2).

By the grace of God, I am chosen by God, a beloved child of God. "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and this what we are" (1 John 3:1).

On this day we call Valentine's Day, when all the world celebrates love with flowers and candy and cards, I want to first celebrate You and Your love for me. You are Love (1 John 4:8). And any expression of true love we experience in this world is intended to be only a measure or foretaste of the love You have for us and the love we can only fully experience in our relationship of love with You. "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

I love You, Lord -- my Beloved, my Best Friend (Song of Solomon 5:16). And I thank You for first loving me. I celebrate Your love for me today. As the worship song declares, "How deep the Father's love for us; how vast beyond all measure.... But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom" (by Stuart Townend). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  I pray you would know the deep love the Father has for you and that you would experience His love throughout the loving relationship He brings into your life. Happy Valentine's Day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying with you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, February 14 - "Beloved by God" on Valentine's Day

Good morning, Lord Jesus. With all my heart, all my mind, all my soul, all my strength, I entrust my life to Your love -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.  ...

"For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that He has chosen you" (1 Thessalonians 1:2).

By the grace of God, I am chosen by God, a beloved child of God. "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and this what we are" (1 John 3:1).

On this day we call Valentine's Day, when all the world celebrates love with flowers and candy and cards, I want to first celebrate You and Your love for me. You are Love (1 John 4:8). And any expression of true love we experience in this world is intended to be only a measure or foretaste of the love You have for us and the love we can only fully experience in our relationship of love with You. "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

I love You, Lord -- my Beloved, my Best Friend (Song of Solomon 5:16). And I thank You for first loving me. I celebrate Your love for me today. As the worship song declares, "How deep the Father's love for us; how vast beyond all measure.... But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom" (by Stuart Townend). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  I pray you would know the deep love the Father has for you and that you would experience His love throughout the loving relationship He brings into your life. Happy Valentine's Day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying with you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, February 13 - "There is a River"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear what Your Spirit is saying to my heart, here in the embrace of my Father, in the deep communion of my morning prayer.  ...

I hear a new song rising up in my spirit. ...

There is a river

Whose living waters cleanse my soul

There is a river

Whose living waters make me whole

Let Your waters flow

Cleanse my soul

Make me whole

I'll forever know

You love me so

There is a river

Flowing from the temple of God

There is a river

Flowing to the depths of my heart

Let Your waters flow

Cleanse my soul

Make me whole

I'll forever know

You love me so

There is a river

Bringing life wherever it goes

There is a river

Whose power and passion never slows

Let Your waters flow

Cleanse my soul

Make me whole

I'll forever know

You love me so

Thank You, Lord. "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High" (Psalm 46:4). You're showing me now what Ezekiel saw long ago:  "Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple.... Wherever the river goes ... it will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes" (Ezekiel 47:1-9).

Let Your River of Life flow in me and flow through me today. Let me experience now a foretaste of what is to come in the fullness and fulfillment of Your Word:  "Then an angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:1-2). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  may the River of Life flow through you, bringing the life of God to everyone and everything it touches. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying with you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, February 12 - Looking for the City to Come

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be welcome into every thought and desire, every word and action, every moment of my day.  ...

"For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come" (Hebrews 13:14).

When all is going well and all seems to be in place, I can find myself tempted to rest in the security of the world around me. In a way, it's good; because every good thing I have is a gift of God and You invite me to "be content with what (I) have" (v. 13:5). But at the same time, I'm not home yet. Deep in my spirit, I'm still looking for the city that is to come.

Like those who have gone before me in the faith in every generation, I need to know this world is not my home. "They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.... But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, He has prepared a city for them" (v. 11:13-16).

You've put eternity in my heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). While You've given me grace to know Your peace and joy in the midst of my journey through the broken, fallen world, You also remind me every day that it is a journey; it's not a place to build a city and call it home. It's a journey with a destination. And my destination is not finding a place on this earth to call my home; it's more of finding the place where I've made a place for the heavenly, eternal One in my heart. That's when I'll know I'm home, no matter where I am. That's when I'll know I've found the city of my God.

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved" (Psalm 46:4). So I will rejoice and be glad. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  I pray you would find the city of our God, content in Him no matter where you are, yet always on the journey for more of Him in your heart. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying with you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, February 11 - "In Him We Live"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my heart and the center of my thoughts. Be at the center of all I do and say. Be at the center of every way I live and move and have my being today.  ...

"From one ancestor (God) made all nations to inhabit the earth, and He allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for Him and find Him -- though indeed He is not far from each of us. For 'In Him we live and move and have our being' ... (Acts 17:26-28).

You've strategically positioned me according to Your sovereign purposes. You've determined where I would be born and when I would live. And though You've foreseen every challenge I would face, every choice I would make, You've invited me to search for You and find You in the midst of every moment of the journey of my life. You've given me my identity as a son of God and called me into my destiny to be conformed into the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29).

So let my life be centered in You, committed to Your will, submitted to Your ways, surrounded by Your love. Let Your Holy Spirit fill my human spirit with the fullness of Your Presence and Your power to live and move and have my being in You. Let me know my identity and fulfill my destiny. Let me always know You're never far from me; You're always with me -- just like You said (Matthew 28:20). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  I pray you would sense the Presence and power of God with you and within you by His Holy Spirit every day, as you live and move and have your being in Him. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying with you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, February 10 - Chosen Child

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today. ...

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.... Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body rests secure.... You show me the path of life. In Your Presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:5-11).

I've chosen You and You've chosen me. You choose all to be Your children who choose to embrace You as their Father. "But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12). And because I am a child of God, I have the goodly heritage of forever abiding in the Presence of God, forever abiding in the peace and the joy of God. In Your Presence, there is fullness of joy.

So I entrust the lot of my life into Your hands. You set the boundaries. You guide my steps. You put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose You and Your life for me. By the power of the grace of God, I will "trust in the Lord with all (my) heart, and lean not on (my) own understanding; in all (my) ways (I will) acknowledge (You), and (You) shall direct (my) paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV). You are my Path of Life (Psalm 16:11, fulfilled in John 14:6). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  may you know and embrace Your goodly heritage as a child of God, living into the fullness of your inheritance in the peace and joy of His Presence every day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying with you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, January 31 - "I Am with You Always"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak to my spirit and guide my heart throughout the moments of my day.  ...

"And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

When I feel overwhelmed by the needs around me, let me remember You are with me. When I'm feeling overcome by grief, tempted by sin, shut down by fear, let me remember You are with me. When I'm saddened by what I see, angered by what I hear, shocked by what I know, let me remember You are with me. And when all is well, with peace like a river and fountains of  joy, let me remember You are with me.

I'm never alone. You never leave me, never forsake me, never make me learn to fend for myself.  You're always reaching out, calling me to look up, to put my heart in Your hands and my trust in Your plans. We're on a great adventure together, come what may.

You're my Partner and Companion, my Best Friend and Heavenly Father, my Guiding Light and Holy Spirit, my Lord and Savior, my God and King. You are "I Am" (John 8:58). You're all I need. And the best of all -- You're with me always, to the end of the age. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  I pray you'd know the ever-abiding Presence of Jesus with you always on your great adventure with Him. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying for you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, January 30 - No Other Name

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the power of Your name be made manifest in my life today.  ...

"While (the healed man) clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's Portico, utterly astonished. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, 'You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified His servant Jesus.... And by faith in His name, His name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all" (Acts 3:11-16).

Lord Jesus, I declare the power of Your name over every person, every challenge, every question, every need, everything I'll encounter today. Let my faith in You, my trust in You and Your nature, rise up in my spirit to overcome whatever may stand in the way of Your will in my life and the lives of those around me.

Thank You, Father God, for the freedom to know it's not by my own power or piety that I serve You and follow the leading of Your Spirit to see Your power made manifest around me. It's by the power of the name of Jesus. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). In Jesus alone there is fullness of life, the abundance of life You desire for each one of us in the power of the name of Jesus (John 10:10). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend,  may you see the power of the name of Jesus made manifest in you life day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Praying for you,

Tommy

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 

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Morning by Morning, January 29 - Out of Babylon, the Ways of the World Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Good Shepherd; let me hear Your voice and follow the leading of Your Spirit in these first moments of my morning in prayer with You.  ... "After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with splendor. He called out with a mighty voice, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! ... Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, My people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities" (Revelation 18:1-5). "Babylon" seems to speak of the ways of the world, the flesh, and the devil. We are tempted to become a part of her, tempted to give in to her ways and compromise with our faith. Toleration can soon become participation. Then our participation requires our rationalization. And sooner or later, our rationalization will ultimately lead to feelings of condemnation. If it were possible, our regret and shame would finally leave us dejected and defeated in a pit of despair, believing we're only deserving of the sentence of our ultimate damnation. But Your heart says, "No!" And Your Spirit says, "Come out of her, My people! Before your conscience is too seared and your heart is too hardened, before you've given over too much of yourself to the ways of this world so that it's almost too hard to turn back, come out of her and come to Me!" There is no sin You will not forgive, no defilement of our spirit You will not cleanse (1 John 1:9). Like the loving father always longing for the return of his prodigal son, never giving up, never letting go, You're always reaching out to bring us back into Your embrace (Luke 15:11-24). Lord Jesus, in one of Your final prayers in this world as the Son of Man in the flesh, You said to the Father, "I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but I ask You to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in truth; Your word is truth. As You has sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world" (John 17:14-18). We live everyday in the midst of this broken, fallen world because that's where You've sent us. But You've never intended us to be overcome by the world. You warned of the challenges we'd face as we seek to stand firm in the faith and the truth of Your word, but also declared the power of Your grace to bring us through it all in final victory. You continue to declare, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NKJV). Because You have overcome, we can overcome because we are in Christ and Christ is in us (Colossians 1:27). So even as we live in the midst of the world, because that is our calling, bring us out of the ways of the world, cleansed from the defilement and free from the ultimate judgment of the world, because that is our destiny. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My Friend,  may you you be empowered to overcome and come out of the ways of the world, even as Christ in you shines His light to the world around you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! Praying for you, Tommy 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  Share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, January 28 - My Help from My God Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, make me one with You, one with Your body, and one in ministry to all the world until I feast with You at Your heavenly banquet in final victory.  ... "I lift up my eyes to the hills -- from where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.... The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore" (Psalm 121:1-8). My part is to lift up my eyes to You, while You promise Your part is to look out for me. Remind me to do my part; and remind me that You're always doing Your part. I know I live every day in the midst of a broken, fallen world, where evil is real. And evil is out to get me (1 Peter 5:8). But as I look to You for my help, trusting that Your light always overcomes the darkness and Your power is made perfect in my weakness, I will always overcome through whatever challenges or sufferings I may endure (2 Corinthians 12:9). You'll even cause those battles to work together for my good, redeeming every moment of my suffering and making me more like You though every challenge (James 1:2-4). "After I have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called (me) to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish (me). To Him be the power forever and ever" (1 Peter 5:10-11). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My Friend,  may you always know deep in your heart that Your God is Your help and He will bring you through every battle you face, making you more like Him as you keeping looking to Him. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! Praying for you, Tommy 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  Share this word to encourage a friend!