Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Morning by Morning, May 7 - Focus on Following Jesus

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

"Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them.... When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus said to him, 'If it is My will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow Me!' " (John 21:20-22)

You loved Peter and You loved John, just as You love every soul created in the image of God. Both would follow You, both would live the rest of their lives for You. According to the legends of their lives, Peter would die hanging upside-down on a cross and John would be exiled on an island alone, but both would hold fast to their faith to the end. Peter would share his with the first Gentiles who would receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44). And John would share his with the generations to come through writing of his encounter with You reveling the end times of the earth (Revelation 1:1).

Both Peter and John would love You and follow You in their own way by the leading of Your same Spirit. And You made it clear from the beginning that one was not to compare himself with the other. Each was to focus on following You.

Lord, free me to focus on following You. Free me from comparing myself to any of Your other disciples. Free me from jealousies, insecurities, and pride. Free me to be who You created me to be and to follow You wherever You are leading me. Give me a heart that celebrates all You're doing through Your other disciples, a heart that's inspired and encouraged by the journeys of others, but also a heart that is passionate to find my own path and content to follow You in the unique way You've called me.

Let me live out no one's destiny but my own. And when it's all been said and done, let me hear Your voice speaking to my spirit, "Well done, My good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21). As Your Word says, "Pay careful attention to your own work for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct" (Galatians 6:4-5, NLT). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit would lift your eyes fill your heart to follow Jesus in the unique way He has called you alone. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, our team is preparing to travel to Uganda on Saturday for a week of ministry, partnering with our friends at New Life Endowment Ministries. I'll be teaching on inner healing prayer ministry at the Pastors and Leaders Conference during the days with evangelistic meetings in the evenings. Our team will also be leading a Women's Conference in the evenings and we will also be sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ at an orphanage and schools. Please keep us in your prayers!

I'm excited to be preaching with Max Lucado again this month at the 1st Wednesday Healing & Prayer Service at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio on May 7th. Please join us in prayer and by Live-stream at 7pm Central Time
God bless you and thank you for joining with me in this journey of prayer!  

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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Monday, May 05, 2014

Morning by Morning, May 5 - Hear Him Call Your Name

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face and listen for Your voice....

"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these? ... Feed My lambs.... Tend My sheep.... Follow Me' " (John 21:15-19).

To follow You and fulfill our destiny is an expression of love for You. And You have a holy jealousy for our love. You want us to love You more than anything else. Just as You love us more than anything else. "There is no greater love" (v. 15:13).

I can hear You call my name
Calling me to follow You
I want to know my call in You
To follow You where You lead

Let me have Your heart in me
In Your heart I am complete
Let me fulfill Your heart's desire
I'm in You and You're in me

Jesus, You call my name
Jesus, I seek Your face
Jesus, You live in me
Jesus, I live in You

Thank You, Lord. Empower me to live into the words You've written on my heart today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you hear the Lord call your name and invite you to follow Him to fulfill your destiny as a child of God. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, our team is preparing to travel to Uganda on Saturday for a week of ministry, partnering with our friends at New Life Endowment Ministries. I'll be teaching on inner healing prayer ministry at the Pastors and Leaders Conference during the days with evangelistic meetings in the evenings. Our team will also be leading a Women's Conference in the evenings and we will also be sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ at an orphanage and schools. Please keep us in your prayers!

I'm excited to be preaching with Max Lucado again this month at the 1st Wednesday Healing & Prayer Service at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio on May 7th. Please join us in prayer and by Live-stream at 7pm Central Time
  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Friday, May 02, 2014

Morning by Morning, May 2 - Redeemed and Restored

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All that I have and all that I am, I entrust to You today.  ...

"Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.'... They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, 'Children, you have no fish, have you?' Then answered Him, 'No.' He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you fill find some... When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea" (John 21:3-7).

In the face of persecution and out fear of crucifixion, Peter denied you after vowing he never would. Naked and ashamed, stripped of his pride and still hurting inside, he went back to fishing. Though he had now seen the risen Christ, along with Thomas and the other disciples, I'm sure he still wrestled with forgiving himself for failing You. And in the dark night of his soul, he caught nothing.

But "just after daybreak," he heard Your voice again. Like the dawn of a new day, Your voice broke into the darkness of his soul. He remembered You voice and remembered his past when he'd heard You call him to cast his nets on the other side of the boat before. He knew it was You. And though he had failed You, You had never forgotten him. So he jumped into sea and swam out of his self-pity to the shores of Your grace. And there by the warm fire of Your tender mercies and unfailing love, You restored his identity and released him into his destiny (v. 15-19).

Thank You, Jesus, for every time You've never given up on me. Thank You for the dawning of every new day, when You remind me of Your faithfulness in the past and encourage me with Your faithfulness forever. Your love never fails and Your mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. Great is Your love. Great is Your power to redeem and restore, to confirm my identity as a child of God and release me into my destiny as disciple of Christ. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you experience the dawn of a new day, remembering the faithfulness of Jesus whenever you may struggle with failure or lack of faith. May you hear the voice of Jesus calling you to the shore of His grace and the mercies of His embrace, redeemed and restored. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'll be representing Rapha God Ministries this weekend to share some of our insights on ministry of brokenness from trauma at the Advanced Training Inner Healing Ministry Conference, featuring speakers Andy Reese and Candyce Roberts. Come join us if you can at Crossbridge Church in San Antonio. Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement!
  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Thursday, May 01, 2014

Morning by Morning, May 1 - "Clothed with Power from on High"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit -- Lord God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, yet Lover of my soul -- I worship You and welcome every dimension of Your Being into every dimension of my being.  ...

After Your resurrection, in an expression of the Trinity, three Persons of one God, You spoke to Your first disciples as Jesus Christ, their Lord and Savior, calling them to wait for the promise of their heavenly Father, which was the outpouring of the power and presence of Your Holy Spirit into their hearts:  "Then He opened their minds to understand 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 24:45-49).

"While staying with them, He ordered them no to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. 'This,' He said, 'is what you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit no many days from now" (Acts 1:4-5).

Lord Jesus, baptize me with Your Holy Spirit. Saturate me, immerse me, fill me to overflowing with Your abiding Presence and power of Your love. Just as John the Baptist prophesied of You as he fulfilled his forerunner calling as a voice of one crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but One who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).

Come, Holy Spirit. Thank You, heavenly Father. Clothe me with power from on high. May "the Spirit of Christ," the Holy Spirit of the Living God fill me and consume me with a fiery passion, set ablaze with the power of the love of God to be a witness of Jesus Christ in my world today (Romans 8:9-11). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you be clothed with power from on High today, baptized afresh in the Holy Spirit of the Living God, embraced by your Father's love, and sent forth as a passionate witness of Jesus Christ. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'm excited that tonight we will celebrate the graduation of another class of about 60 students from our Level 2 School of Ministry from Rapha God Ministries. By the grace of God, we're seeing to do our part to help equip the army of the Lord in the prayer ministry of healing and deliverance. And I'm exciting to be going with a team to do the same in Uganda in a couple of weeks. Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement!
  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 30 - Burning Heart

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open up Your heavens and let Your glory come down. Open up my heart and let the King of Glory come in.  ...

"They said to each other, 'Were not our hearts burning with us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?' " (Luke 24:32)

Lord, let my love for Your Presence and passion for Your Word never grow cold and never burn out. Stoke the coals of my spirit and fan them into flame every day of my spiritual journey with You. I know if I keep close to You and Your Word, my love will never grow cold and my flame will never burn out (Matthew 24:12).

You are "a consuming Fire" (Hebrews 12:29). And I want to be consumed by the Fire of Your Spirit burning in my heart every day. Let the zeal of the Lord consume me (John 2:17). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may the zeal of the Lord consume you, may your heart burn within you with a passion for Jesus and the Word of God. 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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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 29 - Journey with Jesus

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse me in Your blood and fill me with Your Spirit, as I commit my day into Your hands.   ...

"Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus ... 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 ..." (Luke 24:13-31).

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Help me see You as You are -- You're always with me, walking alongside me on every journey. When I'm discouraged, when I'm confused, when I waiver in my faith, You are there to remind me of Your faithfulness and the security of Your Presence. When I'm overjoyed with Your goodness and celebrating Your abundance, You are there to enjoy the laughter and praise.

So whether I'm struggling or whether I'm singing, draw me to Your Scriptures that draw me to You. Let me see Your name on every page and hear Your voice in every word. Like those two disciples on their walk to Emmaus, let my heart burn within me, as You open Your Scriptures to me and manifest Your Presence with me (v. 32). Let me start every day declaring the truth, "The Lord has 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 with you on your journey with Jesus today 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

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Monday, April 28, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 28 - The Bread of the Presence of God

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I hunger and thirst for more of You. Make me hungrier still, thirstier still, with an insatiable desire for the Presence of God in every moment of my life.  ...

"And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me always" (Exodus 25:30).

Lord Jesus, You are the fulfillment of all the law, all the prophets, all the imagery and symbolism of the tabernacle and temple. You are the Bread of the Presence of God. You are "the Bread of Life" (John 6:35). You are "the Bread that came down from heaven" (v. 6:41). And You've created me to always hunger for the Bread of Your Presence.

Lord, let me be never be satisfied with anything less than the fullness of Your Presence in every moment of my life. Grant me this blessing of always hungering for more of You. And thank You for the promise that my spiritual hunger will be spiritually filled by the Presence of God (v. 6:35). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you be filled with the Bread of the Presence of God, even as you always hunger for more. 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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Thursday, April 24, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 24 - "Through Believing You May Have Life"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- because You first loved me. And I want to start my day seeking Your face and listening for Your voice, because You have first place in my life. ...

"Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30-31).

After Your resurrection, You came into the presence of Your disciples and the hungered and thirsted to come into Your Presence. And there with them, You did "many other signs" as You continued to reveal and express the heart and nature of God in the Flesh, Emmanuel, God is With Us.

Everything You said and did among them was not written down in the books of the Bible. "I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (v. 21:25). But everything was written on the hearts of everyone of them who experienced Your Presence. And "through believing" what You did in their lives and experiencing what You continue to do in our lives, as we embrace Your Presence among us, we "have life in (Your) name" now and forevermore (v. 20.31). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


Tommy,  may the Holy Spirit open the eyes of your heart with faith to believe all that Jesus Himself is doing in your presence every day, that through believing you may have life in His 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

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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 23 - A Week of Doubt, Turned to Faith

Good morning, Lord Jesus. O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- I worship You in spirit and truth and give to You my heart and soul.  ...

"But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, 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.'" (John 20:24-27).

You left Thomas in his doubts for seven days. He was free to vent his doubts and express his skepticism in the supernatural, which he, no doubt, called discernment and wisdom, careful to not be so heavenly minded that he would be no earthly good. He was free to trust only in what he could see and touch with his natural senses, rather than choose to walk by faith and not by sight grounded in the truth of Your words You had spoken to his heart before these supernatural things ever came to pass.

For seven days, You let him be lord of his thoughts and lord of his beliefs, in full control and fully in charge of what he chose to have the place of authority in his life. And he chose to let his natural senses and his self-made standards have final say about his faith. Maybe he even felt a sense of pride that he was the one among the disciples who wasn't so easily caught up in these spiritual things that seemed to defy his logic and reason, despite all You had said and done. All the while, he was surrounded by his friends who were now full of faith and joy, thrilled at the supernatural, resurrection power of God. That seven days must have seemed like one of Daniel's weeks of seven years for Thomas.

But then "a week later," You finally, mercifully came walking through the wall and right into his doubt. You poked Your finger into his faith and invited him to poke his finger into Your hands. And finally, mercifully he humbled his pride to cry out in faith the highest declaration recorded in Scripture affirming the truth that Jesus is God when he worshipped and honored You as "My Lord and my God!" (v. 28)

Thomas was blessed that he was able to believe when He saw You in the flesh of Your resurrected Body. And now we are blessed because Your Holy Spirit empowers us to believe, though we've not yet seen You in the flesh, but can encounter Your Presence every day, face to Face and heart to Heart in the Spirit (v. 29).

Thank You Jesus for Your mercy and love that meets us where we are, even in our pride and doubt, and helps us humble ourselves before You as Lord and God. Fill me with Your Spirit and fill me faith to trust You and believe You, remembering all I seen and all You've done. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray your doubts will be turned to faith, as you encounter the Presence of Jesus every day, face to Face and heart to Heart in the Spirit. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 22 - "So I Send You"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit of Life in Christ today.  ...

"When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.' After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.' When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained' (John 20:19-23).

There's true peace in Your Presence. There's true joy in seeing You -- seeing You with love in Your eyes, mercy in Your heart, and scars on Your hands. And there's true life in the breath of Your Spirit.

Breathe on me today, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I receive Your Holy Spirit. Just as the Father sent You, so You send me. As I go out into my day to carry the peace and joy and life of Jesus everywhere I go, empower me to know I go embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will carry the peace and joy and life of Jesus wherever you go today, embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

Share this word to encourage a friend!  Blue 

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Sunday, April 20, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 20 - "He is Risen!"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come live in me today! ...

"Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they say him, and they fell into a death faint. Then the angel spoke to the woman. 'Don't be afraid!' he said. 'I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen.... The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were frightened but filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to Him, grasped His feet, and worshipped Him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Don't be afraid! Go tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there' " (Matthew 28:1-10, NLT).

Mary was filled with joy and fear all that same time on that Resurrection Sunday. Her human mind could hardly grasp this holy moment. You were risen from the dead, just as You said. You were crucified, dead, and buried, but now alive!

Lord Jesus, come live in me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

 

My Friend,  I pray you will be filled with joy today in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ on this Resurrection Sunday. Happy Easter! 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

Share this word to encourage a friend!  Blue 

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Friday, April 18, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 18 - "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. On this Good Friday, we remember our Good Shepherd, when You laid down Your life for Your sheep.  ...

"Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a 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 a loud cry and breathed His last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:22-39)

We truly have no idea of the suffering You endured for each one of us. For as much as we can take at a time, we begin to imagine the physical suffering and the emotional suffering, as You hung naked and rejected by the nails driven into Your hands and feet, gasping for breath and dripping with blood from Your shredded skin and nerves. But we can't even begin to comprehend the spiritual suffering You endured as the One who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, when You willingly took upon Yourself all the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In that moment, bearing the full weight of our sins, the full weight of my sins, You were forsaken by the Father and separated from the holiness of God, so that we would never have to be forsaken. In unimaginable anguish of spirit, You cried out to the Father in the most heart-wrenching cry of all eternity, as the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world by taking them on to Yourself in the passion of the cross, determined before the foundation of the world and prophesied long before the coming of that day (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53).

Carrying our sins, You descended into hell on our behalf to break the power of hell over our lives (Acts 2:31; 1 Peter 3:18-22 and 4:6). But hell couldn't hold You because Satan had nothing in You and no power over You (John 14:30). "Through death, (You defeated) the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and freed those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14).

What an incomprehensible price You paid for each one of us. We may never fully comprehend for all eternity the depth of Your suffering for our sins so that we could dwell forever in the depths of Your love in the intimate Presence of our holy God. But on this holy day, we stand amazed at the foot of the cross and in the Presence of God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you take time on the journey to the joy of celebrating the resurrection of Christ to think on the suffering of Jesus and be filled with knowledge of the truth of how much God loves you and suffered for you to always be with you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

Share this word to encourage a friend!  Blue 

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 17 - Humility and Love

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Through Your Body and Your Blood, make me one with You, one with Your Body of Christ, and one in ministry to all the world until I feast with You at Your heavenly banquet in final victory.  ...

"Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.... Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off His outer robe, and tied a towel around Himself. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around Him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, 'Lord, are You going to wash my feet?' Jesus answered, 'You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.' Peter said to Him, 'You will never wash my feet.' Jesus answered, 'Unless I wash you, you have no share with Me.' Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 'One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.' For He knew who was to betray Him; for this reason He said, 'Not all of you are clean' " (John 13:1-11).

Lord Jesus, though You are One with Father and One with the Holy Spirit, You set aside the glory of Heaven to humble Yourself in the likeness of human flesh and blood, as both Son of God and Son of Man. And before You humbled Yourself to be betrayed and rejected and crucified by the human flesh and blood You created, You humbled Yourself to wash the dirty, smelly, unclean feet of Your disciples. No wonder Peter could hardly bear the thought of His Messiah, the Son of God come in the flesh, down on His knees washing his feet.

Lord Jesus, help me grasp the humility of Your nature. Though You are the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the exact image and very Word of God, with all power and authority in Your hands, You would humble Yourself with Your holy hands to wash the dirty feet of human flesh.

Your disciples couldn't fully understand what we still have trouble fully understanding as Your disciples today that You are our example in every way. Just as You laid down Your life for Your friends as an example of Your love, we are to lay down our lives in sacrificial love for one another. Just as You washed their feet as an example of Your humility, we "ought to wash one another's feet" (v. 14). "Servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If (we) know these things, (we) are blessed if (we) do them" (v. 16).

Lord, help me learn embrace Your example. You are my "Teacher and Lord" (v. 13). Help me learn to follow in Your steps as Your disciple. Though You've made me clean though Your sacrifice on the cross, my hands are not too clean to get them dirty, as I continue Your ministry of humility and love. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will be filled with the humility and love of Jesus today, as you follow Him as your example. 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

Share this word to encourage a friend!  Blue 

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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Morning by Morning, April 16 - So They Said, But Then They Fled

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome Your Holy Spirit to stir in my heart to rise and follow You today -- as best as I can and all by Your grace. ...

"Then Jesus said to them, 'You will all become deserters because of Me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.' Peter said to Him, 'Though all become deserters because of You, I will never desert You.' Jesus said to him, 'Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times.' Peter said to Him, 'Even though I must die with You, I will not deny You.' And so said all the disciples" (Matthew 26:31-35).

So they said. ... Yet Your Word records that very night "all the disciples deserted Him and fled" (v. 56).

They said they'd never leave You
They said they'd never forsake You
But where were they?

They said where You'd go, they'd go
They said where You'd lead, they'd follow
But where were they?

And who am I?
Where will I be?
Will I stand with You in faith or flee away in fear?
Will I boldly proclaim Your name or hide away in shame?

I need Your grace to have courage and faith
I need Your power to follow You through the darkest hours
My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak
And apart from You I can't do anything

But because You went to the cross
Your resurrection redeems our loss
Because You were raised from the dead
We can have courage and faithfulness instead
Because You poured out Your Holy Spirit
We can make it with You to the finish
Though we've left and forsaken You through so many generations
You'll never leave or forsake us through all the ages

Thank You, Jesus. When Peter and the disciples denied You and deserted You, they were not yet filled with Your Holy Spirit, because You had not yet returned to the Father. But just as Your Spirit came and changed their hearts to empower them to be Your true disciples, "filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking the word of God with boldness," empower us in our generation to be Your true disciples, found faithful to the end (Acts 4:31). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Father would fill you with the Holy Spirit to empower you to be found faithful to the end as a true disciple of Jesus 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

Share this word to encourage a friend!  Blue 

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