Friday, July 11, 2014

Morning by Morning, July 11 - Hannah's Prayer of Trust

Good morning Lord Jesus. Be lifted up in my heart as You draw me to Yourself in the communion of prayer.  ...

"Hannah prayed and said, 'My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God.... There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God.... He will guard the feet of His faithful ones.... The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; He will give strength to His king, and exalt the power of His anointed" (1 Samuel 2:2-10).

Lord, let me be one of Your faithful ones, one of Your anointed ones, knowing my identity and living out my destiny in Christ. You are my Rock and my Strength, my Guard and my Judge. So I lift up my heart to exult in Your name and rest the embrace of Your love and Your plan for me this day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will know the power and the Presence of the One who is your Rock and Strength, your Guard and Judge, in the fullness of His love for 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

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Morning by Morning, July 10 - Relentless Rest

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice, embracing Your promise, "My sheep hear My voice."  ...

It seems I hear You say, "Rest in Me."

Yes, Lord. Rest, how? ...

"The rest that is relentless in choosing to trust Me in all things."

How do I do that, Lord?

"This rest is an attitude you allow Me to develop in your heart. It is an attitude that actively entrusts every burden, every desire, every moment to Me. It is not passive, nor complacent. My rest is like My word -- alive and active, expecting My promises of My provision and power to be sufficient, even more than enough, for all you need and all you are. Rest in Me, My son."

Yes, Lord.  As I seek to discern if this is Your voice and if these are Your words to me, I believe these words line up with Your Scripture, bear witness to my spirit, display the fruit that draws my attention to You and brings the fruit of Your Spirit to me. May it also be confirmed in the council of others in their hearts as well. Teach me how to live into this kind of rest, this relentless rest.

"For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:  In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15).

Forgive me for the ways I've spurned or ignored Your invitation to enter into Your rest -- whether deliberately and defiantly in rebellion or more subtly but steadily taking on burdens that were never mine to bear with expectations You never imposed, trying to live my life in my own strength and my own way according to my own will. I receive Your forgiveness and embrace Your invitation to enter into Your rest. I thank You for beginning to develop and mature this attitude of heart in me by Your Spirit.

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to (me); therefore He will rise up to show mercy to (me). For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for Him" (v. 30:18). Lord, as best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to wait for You; I choose to trust in You; I choose to rest in You. Thank You for this gift and grace of relentless rest. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you experience God's gift and grace of relentless rest, as He develops and matures this attitude of heart in you by His Spirit. May this word of the Lord be alive and active, sharper than a two-edged sword in you (Hebrews 4:12). 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, July 09, 2014

Morning by Morning, July 9 - "Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above every name. So I speak out Your name and lift up my heart to You today in these first moments of my morning. As I seek Your face and listen for Your voice by the leading of Your Spirit, show me how to pray.  ...

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:  'May they prosper who love you. Peace within your walls, and security with your towers.' For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, 'Peace be with you.' For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good" (Psalm 122:6-9).

They say hundreds of rockets rained down on the cities of Israel last night. Lord, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I pray for the peace of Israel and Gaza. I pray for the peace of all who live under the daily threat of terror, racism, and hatred. And I pray in Your name, according to Your will, for You are the Messiah and Savior of all, the One "named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Yet, I don't pray for the world's form of peace. As You said to Your first disciples, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives" (John 14:27).

Your peace is not appeasement. Your peace is not complacency and tolerance of terror and evil. Your peace comes with the courage to stand in the strength of the Lord and the will of God for what is right and true. In this way You said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). Your sword is "the truth of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:7). And Your sword comes forth from Your mouth as You lead "the armies of heaven" as "King of kings and Lord of lords" in the triumph of Your victory "to strike down the nations" who practice the evil of wickedness and terror (Revelation 19:11-16).

So I pray for peace -- Your peace -- in the Middle East and in the middle of my heart. Let the sword of Your word pierce my heart and the hearts of all who are called by Your name to take our stand on our knees in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and all the people of this troubled land so near to Your heart (Psalm 135:21). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit will show you how to pray for the people of Israel and Gaza and all the earth in these troubling days. Through it all, may the peace of Christ rule in your heart through faith. 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, July 08, 2014

Morning by Morning, July 8 - My Heart is in Your Hands

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I put my heart in Your hands -- Your hands that are eternally scarred from the nails of Your eternal sacrifice of love for me.  ...

"My child, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways" (Proverbs 23:26).

My Father, I do give You my heart. I choose to turn my eyes upon You, to seek You and observe Your ways. Let Your Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father, be at work in my heart today, conforming me into the image of the Son of God. "(My) heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will" (v. 21:1).

As I listen for Your leading in silence before You, I hear Your Spirit writing a new song from deep in my heart ...

My heart is in Your hands
Come guide and lead my ways
Make me more like You
Make me more like You

Change me from within my soul
Your Spirit at work in me
Make me more like You
Make me more like You

I am Your child
And You are my God
So I put my heart here in Your hands

Yes, Lord. "For it is God at work in (me), enabling (me) both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). As I put my heart in Your hands, Your Spirit is at work within me, changing me to be more like You, from the inside out. Then I can will what is right; and then I can do what is right -- all by the power of Your grace at work within me. In Jesus' name I pray.

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


My Friend,  may your heart be in the hands of God, making you more like Him every day, from the inside out by His Spirit at work within 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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Monday, July 07, 2014

Morning by Morning, July 7 - Good Fruit from a Good Heart

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my heart to hear Your voice.  ...

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you shall know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:15-20).

Sharpen my discernment, Lord. Let Your Holy Spirit guide my human spirit from the inside out to sort out what's true from what's false, what's of the Spirit from what's of the flesh. Help me see beneath the surface to the depths of the soul; help me hear beyond the words to the character of the heart. "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" (v. 7:34). "The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

And give me the humility to look honestly at my own heart first. Give me the courage to look at the fruit of my words and the integrity of my actions. Convict me of my sins; change me in my heart. Make me more like You each day. All the while, give me Your grace for those You are convicting and changing around me each day in Your passion to see Your children conformed into the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29). May we be good children who bear good fruit from good hearts, fully entrusted to You. In Jesus' name pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit increases your discernment, as you look to the heart to see the fruit in your life and those around 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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Wednesday, July 02, 2014

Morning by Morning, July 2 - Words of Spirit and Life

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I start my day, I start by seeking You first in the intimacy of prayer.  ...

" 'And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified on My behalf. You have never heard His voice or seen His form, and you do not have His word abiding in you, because you do not believe Him whom He has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on My behalf. Yet you refuse to come to Me to have life' " (John 5:37-39).

I thank You, Lord, for Your Scriptures, the Word of God for the people of God. Every word is true and can be trusted. "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Yet, even the Pharisees had the Scriptures. It seems they sought to honor them and maybe even worshipped them and idolized them. And even though they knew the Word of God very well, they didn't know You at all. So the Word of God was not abiding in them. "For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Lord, let Your Word come to life in me every day as I abide in You. Let Your written Word lead me to an intimate and personal relationship with the Living Word (John 1:14). All the law and the prophets, all of Scripture, points to You (Luke 24:27). Every Scripture is ultimately fulfilled in You, as all of the Word of God testifies of the One who is the Word of God (Matthew 5:17).

I thank You for the Scriptures; I love the Scriptures, but I don't worship the Scriptures. That would just be another form of religious idolatry. I worship You alone, O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And as I worship You with Your Spirit abiding in me, Your Scriptures come alive to me and lead me closer to You. Your words "are spirit and life" (John 6:63). And by Your grace, I'm "holding fast to the Word of Life" (Philippians 2:16). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may God's words of spirit and life come alive in you each day in your intimate and personal relationship with Jesus. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

To order my 365 Day Devotional Book, 
Morning by Morning, 
or my book on Healing Prayer Ministry, 
Free to Be Like Jesus,


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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Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Morning by Morning, July 1 - Peniel--Seeking the Face of God

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm seeking Your face and listening for Your voice, as I press in to the place of intimacy in prayer.  ...

"And He said, 'Let Me go, for the day breaks.' But (Jacob) said, 'I will not let You go, unless You bless me!' So He said to him, 'What is your name?' He said, 'Jacob.' And He said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.' Then Jacob asked, saying, 'Tell me Your name, I pray.' And He said, 'Why is it that you ask about My name?' And He blessed him there. So Jacob called that name of that place Peniel:  'For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved' " (Genesis 32:26-30, NKJ).

As the dawn of this new day breaks, I want to take hold of You with my heart in prayer. I want to press in and pray through. I want to position myself to trust in Your promises and embrace Your blessings. And from the depths of my spirit, I want to see Your face and hear Your voice.

I will not let You go, because You'll never let me go. Even as I ask for Your blessing, I know I already have it by the grace of God. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Give me grace to live into that truth today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray experience the intimacy of God as you seek His face and press into Him in prayer and never let Him go. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

To order my 365 Day Devotional Book, 
Morning by Morning, 
or my book on Healing Prayer Ministry, 
Free to Be Like Jesus,


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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Monday, June 30, 2014

Morning by Morning, June 30  - Bethel--Our Hearts are God's House

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I worship You, Lord God, in spirit and truth, as I start my day focused on You.  ...

"God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Padan-aram, and He blessed him. God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob; no longer shall you be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.' ... Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel" (Genesis 35:9-15).

Bethel means house of God. Now that You have poured out Your Holy Spirit upon all Your sons and daughters of God, we are Your Bethel -- the place You dwell with our hearts as Your house. We are "a holy temple in the Lord, in whom (we) also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God" (Ephesians 2:21-22). "Do you not know that (we) are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in (us)?" (1 Corinthians 3:16)

So wherever I am, I can hear Your voice speaking to me. Wherever I am, I can sense Your Presence abiding within me. And wherever I am, You invite me to pour out my praise as a offering of my life and trust in You only as my pillar of strength, remembering every place and every moment where You've met with me and assured me that I am Your child and You are my God. You are my God who knows my name.

Even now, it seems I hear You say, "Tommy, My son. I am in you and you are in Me. Trust in Me to lead you today by your heart that you've entrusted to Me."

Yes, Lord. Abide in me as I abide in You (John 15:4). Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Remind me that Your Spirit is within me, guiding my path and ordering my steps, changing my heart into Your nature. Dwell in Your house, here in my heart, throughout the moments of my day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will remember throughout the moments of your day that your heart is God's house. May you hear His voice and sense His Presence wherever you  are. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, please come join us if you can for the National Conference of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries held in Springfield, Illinois this summer, July 17-20. I'm excited to be teaching Equipping Sessions on How to Pray for Inner Healing and How to Pray for Physical Healing. (www.aldersgate2014.org)  I hope you can come, it's always a time of great spiritual refreshing and renewal for me!


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, June 26, 2014

Morning by Morning, June 26 -- I Will Arise into Life

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I will exalt You, Lord God Almighty -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Be high and lifted up in my heart and throughout the moments of my day.  ...

"God said to Jacob, 'Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Make and altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled form your brother Esau.' So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, 'Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your clothes; then come, let us go up to Bethel, that I may make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone' " (Genesis 35:1).

I will arise in worship. I let my spirit soar up Your heavens, the house of God, in praise. You're always with me. And I always want to be with You. As I draw near to You, You draw near to me. As I lift up my heart to You, You pour Your heart into me. And I'm filled with courage and confidence to trust You and obey You and live my life for You.

Now I hear Your Holy Spirit writing a new song in my spirit.  ...

I will arise ... into life ...
I will arise ... into life ...
I will arise ... into life today

Open my eyes to Your life ...
Open my eyes to Your life ...
Open my eyes to Your life today

For I know You love me
I know You're for me
I know You're with me today

I will not fear
I'll seek to hear
As You draw me near today

I will arise  ...

Yes, Lord. I will arise into life today -- unafraid and filled with faith to trust the God who has brought me out of every distress and continues to bring me forth into my destiny in Christ. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will know the peace of contemned and the thrill of fulfillment, as you commit yourself to the Lord and His plans for your life.  Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, please come join us if you can for the National Conference of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries held in Springfield, Illinois this summer, July 17-20. I'm excited to be teaching Equipping Sessions on How to Pray for Inner Healing and How to Pray for Physical Healing. (www.aldersgate2014.org)  I hope you can come, it's always a time of great spiritual refreshing and renewal for me!


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!  
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Morning by Morning, June 25 - Peace of Commitment, Thrill of Fulfillment

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I begin this new day, I begin by willingly choosing to put my heart and my life in Your hands.  ...

"We can make our own plans, but the Lord give the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit you actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed" (Proverbs 16:1-3).

Lord, I want my plans to be Your plans; I want my dreams to be from Your desires. And if my plans come to pass, if my dreams are fulfilled, I want to know they have honored You from a pure heart.

So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I commit myself to You. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Order my steps and direct my paths in the way that leads to life -- a life that honors You. Then I will know the peace of contentment and the thrill of fulfillment. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will know the peace of contemned and the thrill of fulfillment, as you commit yourself to the Lord and His plans for your life.  Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, please come join us if you can for the National Conference of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries held in Springfield, Illinois this summer, July 17-20. I'm excited to be teaching Equipping Sessions on How to Pray for Inner Healing and How to Pray for Physical Healing. (www.aldersgate2014.org)  I hope you can come, it's always a time of great spiritual refreshing and renewal for me!


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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Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Morning by Morning, June 24 - Possessing Our Inheritance

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As humbly as I can, I willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone today.  ...

"Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that He swore to their ancestors that He would give them; and having taken possession of it, they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as He had sworn to their ancestors; not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass" (Joshua 21:35).

Lord Jesus, You are my Joshua -- my Yeshua. You are the fulfillment of every promise of God. In You, every promise of God is Yes and Amen. "For in Him every one of God's promises is 'Yes.' For this reason it is through Him that we say the 'Amen,' to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 1:20).

By faith in You -- by entrusting all that I am and all that I have to You, as best as I can and all by Your grace -- I take possession of all You've already done for me and embrace all You've already entrusted to me. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3).

Help me learn to rest in the finished work of the cross, in the infinite power of the blood of Jesus, in the steadfast love of God. Help me rest by embracing all You've done, coming into agreement with the fullness of the truth of all You've given to me by Your grace as my eternal inheritance in You. "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 1:11-12). You are my Father and this is Your will. This is my inheritance in You (Joshua 1:6). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you take possession by faith of all your inheritance in Christ, resting in Him all all He has done for 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 

Posted by at
Morning by Morning, June 24 - Possessing Our Inheritance

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As humbly as I can, I willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone today.  ...

"Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that He swore to their ancestors that He would give them; and having taken possession of it, they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as He had sworn to their ancestors; not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass" (Joshua 21:35).

Lord Jesus, You are my Joshua -- my Yeshua. You are the fulfillment of every promise of God. In You, every promise of God is Yes and Amen. "For in Him every one of God's promises is 'Yes.' For this reason it is through Him that we say the 'Amen,' to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 1:20).

By faith in You -- by entrusting all that I am and all that I have to You, as best as I can and all by Your grace -- I take possession of all You've already done for me and embrace all You've already entrusted to me. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3).

Help me learn to rest in the finished work of the cross, in the infinite power of the blood of Jesus, in the steadfast love of God. Help me rest by embracing all You've done, coming into agreement with the fullness of the truth of all You've given to me by Your grace as my eternal inheritance in You. "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 1:11-12). You are my Father and this is Your will. This is my inheritance in You (Joshua 1:6). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you take possession by faith of all your inheritance in Christ, resting in Him all all He has done for 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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Monday, June 23, 2014

Morning by Morning, June 23 - Honoring William Walusimbi in the Victory of Life over Death

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

"For Christ must reign until He humbles all His enemies beneath His feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:24-25).

My heart is sad this morning as they lay to rest my friend, Pastor William Walusimbi in Kampala, Uganda. My heart breaks for his devoted wife and best friend, Jane, and their children and all who love this Godly family who have given their lives to serve the Lord. His death was too sudden and he was too young, with so much more to do and so much to enjoy with his easy smile, tender heart, and passionate spirit. He was a gifted teacher and apostolic leader, overseeing such powerful ministry throughout a nation and inside his home. I pray for Your strong arms of comfort around the hearts of all who know him and love him.

But though our enemy of death, "the last enemy to be destroyed," would boast to have won this battle, coming to steal and kill and destroy with as much damage as possible, death will have no victory here. The Author of Life has snatched our brother William out of the grip of death and delivered him in the hands of our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. "For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:  'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (v. 15:53-55) With all of heaven, I look forward to that day to come with "Death and Hades (are) thrown into the lake of fire" forever (Revelation 20:14).

So as my heart celebrates my friend William's victory of life over death and the victory of the One who has conquered the grave, my heart also grieves the anguish of those who'll always love him but never hold him again on this side of heaven. But even in our grief, we do "not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have died.... Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

Our brother William has left a legacy of hope, an eternal blessing for his wife and family, a harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God, and a name that will never be forgotten, as he lived a life to glorify Your name. His passion will live on forever as he now joins the One who ever lives to intercede for the saints and takes his place in the great cloud of witnesses with the heroes of faith who have gone before us (Hebrews 12:1). Death has no victory here. For it's in this way, and only in this way, that we can say with Your Word at a time like this, "Precious is the sigh of the Lord is the death of His faithful ones" (Psalm 116:15). And truly William Walusimbi was and always will be one of Your faithful ones. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


Pastor William & Jane Walusimbi in Uganda


My Friend,  please join with me in praying for Jane and her family and all who have loved and been touched by Pastor William Walusimbi. I'm so glad my friend Mike Scalf, out team leader from our recent Uganda ministry trip, is able to go and share our love and comfort with Jane and her family. 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, June 20, 2014

Morning by Morning, June 20 -- "Like His Son"

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

"For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him. And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory" (Romans 8:29-30, NLT).

Before I was, You were. And You've always known You would create me and call me and cleanse me and crown me with the glory of a son of God. You've always known every choice I'd ever make, every struggle I'd ever have, every sin I'd ever commit, and every cry of repentance I'd ever lift up to You from the depth of my heart to give my heart completely to You.

By the power and the mystery of the grace of God, I'm forgiven and I'm loved and I'm in right standing with You -- standing with You because You've lifted me up from my knees and lifted me out of my pits and embraced me firmly and forever in Your arms. How could I help but embrace such a gift of Your grace? How could I dare begrudge that same gift of grace to the many brothers and sisters You love and forgive and embrace just as much as me. I love You, Lord. And I thank You for first loving me and desiring to me make more like You every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you know in the depths of your heart you are a child of God, crowned in His glory and deeply loved by the One who conforms you into the image of the Son 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

Share this word to encourage a friend!  Blue 

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