Thursday, September 25, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 25 - New Beginnings ofRosh Hashanah

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open up my heart to begin my day in worship and prayer with You, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...

"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:  Speak to the people of the Israel, saying:  In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall present the Lord's offering by fire" (Leviticus 23:21).

Around the world the Jewish people are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Head of the Year. Just as at creation, it's a time of joy for new beginnings. With shofars raised and trumpet blasts, the sound of thanksgiving and praise to God goes forth in the spiritual realm.

And as Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of all, every Jewish feast, along with all the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms is ultimately fulfilled in You (Luke 24:44-49). You are the Source of all creation, the Source of all new beginning, and the Source of all true celebration, thanksgiving, and praise (Colossians 1:16).

In this season of the ten days before the high holy day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the Jewish people also preparing their hearts to be cleansed by the blood of the lamb offered in sacrifice (Leviticus 23:26). And You, of course, are the ultimate fulfillment of that feast and Scripture as well (John 1:29).

Jesus Messiah, Lord of All, cleanse me by Your blood of all my sins of the past. Purify me in Your holy fire as I offer my life to you afresh today as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Let the shofars sound in the heavenly realms and my voice of thanksgiving and praise be lifted high to You for all Your steadfast love and tender mercies that are new to me every morning. You be the Head of my year and the Source of my celebration. I'm excited for new beginnings this year and every day in Christ. I pray the same for all You put their hope and trust in You alone. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray for new beginnings of great joy and blessing for you this year and every day through Jesus our Messiah and Lord of all. 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, helping equip the Body of Christ for the ministry of inner healing and deliverance -- "healing from the inside out." 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
  
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, September 24, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 24 - Set Your Mind on the Spirit

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Lord and Savior. Be Lord of ever decision and savior of every failure, as I seek to follow You throughout the moments of my day.  ...

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.... But (I am) not in the flesh; (I am) in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in (me)" (Romans 8:5-9).

Come, Holy Spirit. You are "the Spirit of God;" You are "the Spirit of Christ" (v. 8:9). Come abide in me. Come arise in me. Come make me more like You. Let me "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).

As best as I can and all by the power of Your grace, I choose this day to set my mind on You and things of the Spirit, so I can live this day according to the Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Lord will give you the power of His grace to set your mind on the Spirit throughout the moments of your day, with the Spirit of Christ abiding deeply within you and His Holy Spirit continually filling you. 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, helping equip the Body of Christ for the ministry of inner healing and deliverance -- "healing from the inside out." 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
  
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, September 23, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 23 - Welcome, Teach and Heal in the Name and Power of Jesus

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name as the first word from my mouth, as I intentionally begin this day centered in Christ. ...

"On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with Him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed Him; and He welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured" (Luke 9:10-11).

You modeled ministry for Your first disciples. When the lost, the hurting and the broken came to You for ministry, You welcomed them, You taught them about the kingdom of God, and You healed them.

Just as You modeled it, You sent forth the first twelve apostles to continue to Your ministry in the power of Your name (Luke 9:1-2). And after they returned, You sent forth seventy more to do the same ministry in the same of power (Luke 10:1). And after those seventy returned, You expressed Your heart for more and more of Your disciples to go forth and continue Your ministry, saying, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Luke 10:2).

Today, You're doing the same. Today as Your church, we are Your body on this earth -- the body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, continuing the ministry of Christ. The same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is now at work within and at work though us (Romans 8:11). You continue to send us forth into the harvest of the lost, the hurting, and the broken, saying to us what You said to Your first disciples, "As the Father sent Me, so I send you" (John 20:21).

As Your church, Your body, we are to continue to express Your heart through our lives. "So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). You continue to call us and commission us. You continue to equip us and anoint us to reach out to all who are suffering or sick, lost or afraid, wounded or bound and welcome them, teach them about the kingdom of God, and minister Your healing love in the power of Your name as they have need (James 5:13-18).

Just as You have done for us, so we are to do for others (Matthew 10:8). Just as You have comforted us, so we are to comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Lord, let us be faithful and obedient to Your heart and Your command. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friends,  may the Holy Spirit equip you and anoint you to welcome, teach and heal in the name and power of Jesus. 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, helping equip the Body of Christ for the ministry of inner healing and deliverance -- "healing from the inside out." 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
  
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, September 22, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 22 - He Wakens Morning by Morning

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You in my heart and every moment of my day.  ...

"The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning He wakens -- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught" (Isaiah 50:4).

Waken my ear to listen, open my eyes to see. I want to hear what You're saying and see what You're doing. I want to hear and speak Your words to sustain the weary, strengthen the discouraged, and inspire the faithful.

"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, (we are to) serve one another with whatever gift each of (us) has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Teach me Your ways and give me Your grace to teach the principles of the kingdom of God as You give me the grace to live them. Morning by morning, let Your words and Your will come alive in my spirit. Morning by morning, make me more like You (2 Peter 1:4). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may the Lord God waken you morning by morning with the grace to live and share His words and will through your life. 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, helping equip the Body of Christ for the ministry of inner healing and deliverance -- "healing from the inside out." 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
  
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, September 19, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 19 - Humility to Hear God

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be Thou my Vision and I with Thee one. ...

"Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth. Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.' So the three of them came out. Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. And He said, 'Hear My words:  When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make Myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams. Not so with My servant Moses; He is entrusted with all My house. With him I speak face to face -- clearly, not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the Lord' " (Numbers 12:3-8).

Moses heard what You were saying and saw what You were doing; he spoke with You face to face. Moses had the humility to hear God. By the power of the grace of God, he learned the practice of humility -- to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone.

Lord, help me grow in humility. To grow in spiritual maturity is to seek a heart of humility. And the heart of humility is to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. It's Your grace that invites me to desire this and it's Your grace that empowers me to live this.

Humility frees us from the hindrances that keep us from hearing Your voice and knowing Your heart. Humility opens the eyes of our heart so we can see You face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). And humility is the character of Christ:  "Let the same mind be in (us) that was in Christ Jesus, who ... humbled Himself ... Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name..." (Philippians 2:5-9).

As we humble ourselves in Your sight, You lift us up into the intimacy of Your Presence (James 4:10). So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I seek to humble my heart before You today.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit will stir up in you the desire the the power to live a life of humility before God -- to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon God alone. 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, September 18, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 18 - One

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look at Your hands and Your feet and give You my heart. ...

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as (we) were called to the one hope of (our) calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:4-6).

O Lord, my God, You are One and You are holy. And as the One who created us, You are always calling us to acknowledge You as the One Thing explains our lives and unites our hearts with Yours.

"Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is One! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

From the beginning, You've always invited us honor You as the only One at the center of our lives, with on one before You and no one in Your place (Exodus 20:3). And at the same time, You invite each of us into oneness with You: 

"I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me though their word, that they may all be one. As You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. The glory that You have given Me I have given them, so that they may be one, as We are One, I in them and You in Me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me" (John 17:20-23).

Lord, You are the One I worship and the One at the center of my life. Thank You for Your desire and Your gift to make me one with You and one with Your body this day and every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you experience the gift and grace of the One who longs to be at the center of Your life and make you one with Him, this day and every day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!


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

Share this word to encourage a friend!  Blue 

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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 17 - Unity of the Spirit, Bond of Peace

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day and every day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  ...

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).

There's a bond of peace when we are united in the Spirit. But this bond of peace is not the false peace of passivity, complacency, or compromise.  And this unity of the Spirit is not the false unity of superficial conformity or forced uniformity. It's a peace and a unity that's alive and active, blending together wildly unique and vibrant hearts and souls of infinite variety in the unrestrained creativity of our God, yet with a common heart to live our lives worthy of the calling to which we have been called.

So we desperately need humility and gentleness and patience. We have to continually choose to willingly bear with one another in love. We have to intentionally, deliberately make every effort to persistently maintain this unity in the bond of peace. And none of us are remotely capable of doing any of that apart from the power of the grace of God. Thank You that we never have to.

It's by grace we are saved (Ephesians 2:5). And it's only by the power of that same grace that we live into our calling and fulfill our destiny, together with one another in the unity of the Spirit and peace of Christ to the glory of God.

Lord, give me Your grace to do my part to live this day worthy of Your calling. And if You would, Lord, please give that same grace to everyone around me to be joined with me in this unity of the Spirit and bond of peace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you live into the spirit of unity and bond of peace in beautiful, powerful alignment with the body of Christ around today, all by the power of the grace of God. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
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, September 16, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 16 - Dead to Self, Alive in Christ

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want Your name to be my first word, Your praise to be my first thought, Your glory to be my first desire, as I begin my day centered in You.  ...

"By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and 'he was not found, because God had taken him.' For it was attested before he was taken away that 'he had pleased God' " (Hebrews 11:5).

Like Elijah, Enoch never died. He was taken up to heaven without ever tasting death. And one day there will be a generation on this earth that will never taste of death; they'll be taken up into Your Presence without ever dying:  "For the Lord Himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and the so will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

But I also believe You are speaking a message to us through the life and faith of Enoch beyond looking forward to being part of the last generation who will never die. "We will not all die, but we will all be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51). I believe You are encouraging us to life our lives in this world, being changed into the image of Christ, dying daily to self so we can truly live in Christ (Romans 8:29).

"Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Perhaps Enoch experienced the fullness of life because he was truly dead to himself and to this world, as he learned to walked with You in the intimacy of Your Presence and the full surrender of his life to You in trusting faith. Perhaps the message to us is that Enoch was no more a part of this world because he was fully dead to this world and fully alive in You.

With the heart of Enoch, fulfilled through faith in Christ, Paul said many centuries later, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I know live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Enoch walked with God; Paul lived in Christ. And so can I.

Lord, teach me and empower me to walk with You in my journey of faith, dead to myself and alive in Christ. Let the grip of the world, the flesh and the devil have no hold on me. But fill me with Your Spirit every day until I walk so closely with You that I, in my flesh, am no more. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will walk with God, dying to self and living in Christ, more and more every day by the grace of God. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you so much for all your prayers for us last week when  I was speaking at the Men's Retreat at Living Waters in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Brevard, North Carolina. On the first night, two of the young men received Jesus in their hearts for the first time! All of us were greatly encouraged by the moving of the Holy Spirit to restore us, encourage us and strengthen us for battle in the intimacy of God. I've had the honor and joy of ministering to the men there for several years now, where I'm always deeply moved by this powerful ministry that makes all their retreats and youth camps available to all free of charge. Then we experienced great joy together at Joy Outreach Fellowship in Brevard where I was preaching on Sunday morning. I pray the same for you! And I'm so grateful for all you prayers and encouragement that allow the Lord's ministry to flow in this way. God bless you!

 

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, September 10, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 10 - The Pursuit of Kindness

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above every name. So I speak out Your name as I bow my knees and confess these words that Jesus Christ is Lord. Be Lord of my heart and every moment of my day.  ...

"Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say, 'We know that God's judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.' Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:1-4).

Lord, it's Your kindness that leads to repentance -- not judgment, not argument, not threats of wrath, not manipulation, control, shame or fear. Kindness leads to repentance. "Love is patient; love is kind..." (1 Corinthians 13:4). And You are the greatest expression of love; You are the greatest expression of kindness (1 John 4:8).

So when I'm tempted to judge, let me look at my own heart first. When I'm tempted to condemn, let me turn to the One who does not condemn (John 3:17).

We are to pursue righteousness, but at the same time, we are to be just as passionate in our pursuit of kindness. "Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life and honor" (Proverbs 21:21).

Holy Spirit of the Living God, would You come develop a passion in me for the pursuit of righteousness and the pursuit of kindness (Galatians 5:22). It's the experience of the kindness of God that leads me to repentance; let it be Your kindness in me that leads those around me, especially those I'm tempted to judge, in repentance to You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit will continue to awaken a passion for the pursuit of kindness in you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'll be in the mountains for the rest of this week and unable to send out my daily prayers. I'm excited to be speaking at the Men's Retreat at Living Waters in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Brevard, North Carolina. I've had the honor and joy of ministering to the men there for several years now, where I'm always deeply moved by this powerful ministry that makes all their retreats and youth camps available to all free of charge. Then I'll be preaching at Joy Outreach Fellowship in Brevard on Sunday morning. Please keep us in prayer for another outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I pray the same for you!

 

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, September 09, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 9 - "Humble Yourself before Your God"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I humble myself to willingly choose to be desperately dependent on You alone.   ...

"He said to me, 'Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words' " (Daniel 10:12).

Lord, I want to set my mind toward You to gain right understanding. I want to set my heart toward You to gain a right spirit. Remind me to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Awaken me when I start to slip back into the slumber of leaning on my own understanding instead of first trusting in You and acknowledging You in all my ways so You can direct my paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Help me learn to more deeply humble myself in Your sight in the first moments of my morning and throughout the moments of my day. Then You can lift my spirit up and guide my steps in the ways that honor You and fulfill me (James 4:10). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may the Lord give you the grace and desire to humble yourself in His sight in the first moments of your morning and throughout the moments of your day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'm excited to be speaking at the Men's Retreat at Living Waters later this week in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Brevard, North Carolina. I've had the honor and joy of ministering to the men there for several years now, where I'm always deeply moved by this powerful ministry that makes all their retreats and youth camps available to all free of charge. Then I'll be preaching atJoy Outreach Fellowship in Brevard on Sunday morning. Please keep us in prayer for another outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I pray the same for you!


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, September 08, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 8 - "Much More than Enough"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear what You're saying, see what You're doing, sense Your Presence and follow Your leading.  ...

"Moses then called Bazalel and Oholiab and every skillful one to whom the Lord had given skill, everyone whose heart was stirred to come to do the work; and they received from Moses all the freewill offerings that the Israelites had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the artisans who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task being performed, and said to Moses, 'The people are bringing much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.' " (Exodus 35:2-5).

You've given each of us a skill to build up Your people and extend Your kingdom. With our freewill, we're invited to offer our gifts in service to You with "whatever gift each of (us) has received" (1 Peter 4:10). Together, we are the sanctuary You're building, the place of Your abiding Presence on this earth. And Your kingdom is within us (Luke 17:21).

As we seek You to show us our gifts and our place of service to You wherever we are, Your Spirit stirs in our hearts to come do the work of the kingdom of God. Wherever we are, we carry Your kingdom with us, for Your kingdom is within us -- at home, at work, in the market, in the church, down the street and across the oceans. And as we each do our part in this labor of love with the gifts of God, we find we are fulfilled. We find we have "much more than enough for doing the work that he Lord has commanded us to do." And we find Your heart for us is, "Well done" (Luke 19:17).

"Our God will make (us) worthy of His call and will fulfill by His power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in (us), and (we) in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit will reveal your skill and the gifts of God within you, stirring in your heart to fully offer yourself for the work and glory of the kingdom of God wherever you are. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
Friends, I'm excited to be speaking at the Men's Retreat at Living Waters this weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Brevard, North Carolina. I've had the honor and joy of ministering to the men there for several years now, where I'm always deeply moved by this powerful ministry that makes all their retreats and youth camps available to all free of charge. Please keep us in prayer for another outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I pray the same for you!


 
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, September 05, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 5 - "Before Abraham was, I AM"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I open up my heart and offer up my life to You today, as I spend these first moments of my morning with You alone.  ...

"Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do You claim to be?' Jesus answered, 'If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who glorifies Me, He of whom you say, 'He is out God,' though you do not know Him. But I know Him; if I would say that I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him and I keep His word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day; he saw it and was glad.' Then the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I AM.' So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple" (John 8:53-59, and see NJKV).

To those who doubted Your identity and Your deity, You said "I AM." And to every question and doubt we have today, to every burden and need, to every wound and bondage, to every trauma and fear, to every battle and injustice, to every sin and lie, You say "I AM."

You are our Lord and Savior, our Healer and Deliverer, our Rock and Refuge, our Comfort and Strength. You are our "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). You are One with the Father, One with the Holy Spirit, and by the grace of God and the mystery of faith, You also desire to be One with us (John 17:22-23).

So by the grace of God and the mystery of faith, I willingly choose to put all my hope and trust in You alone as Lord and Savior of all. "Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:  He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

Great "I AM" -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- You are "I AM" to me (Exodus 3:14). You were "I AM" before Abraham. And You are "I AM" before anything I'll ever encounter or ever need. Now by the grace of God and the mystery of faith, You are mine and I am Yours (Song of Solomon 2:16). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will know the love and power and grace of our Great I AM in every moment of your day, this day and every day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
Phillips, Craig, and Dean
Phillips, Craig, and Dean "Great I Am" Lyrics and Photos Video


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, September 04, 2014

Morning by Morning, September 4 - Cry Out to Jesus

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my heart and speak out Your name, as I begin my day in the communion of prayer with You.  ...

"When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 'Look,' he said, 'I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!' But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' When he had said this, he died" (Acts 7:54-60).

Sometimes the best prayer is simply to cry out to Jesus. While the stones crushed his body Your Holy Spirit filled his heart. Stephen cried out to You and "prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'" There were a lot of things he could have said, a lot of things he could of prayed at that moment between heaven and earth when Stephen let go of his life in this world and took hold of life in the world to come. But his cry of faith was a prayer to You. He cried out to Jesus.

And there You were, just as You said you'd always be.

You're here with us now in every moment when we need You the most. And You always will be, just as You said -- "Remember, I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).

Sometimes I hear people say you shouldn't pray to Jesus, only to the Father. But Stephen did. And so can we. You are One with the Father and One with Holy Spirit (John 10:30). You are One God in three Persons, three dimensions of the Your One Being, inviting us to know You in a personal way in every dimension of Your Being. It would be hard to know someone if you weren't ever supposed to talk to them.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the invitation to speak to You, to know You, to cry out to You. Thank You for always being there with me when I need You the most -- "always." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will know Jesus is always with you, ready to answer and open the eyes of your heart to see Him as you embrace Him whenever you cry out to Him. 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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