Thursday, November 06, 2014

Morning by Morning, November 6 - "The Sound of Abundance of Rain"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes, open up my heart and call out Your name to come into every moment of my day.  ...

"There is the sound of abundance of rain" (1 Kings 18:41 NKJV).

Rain speaks of Your blessings. Drought speaks of Your judgments. Yesterday morning I woke to the sound of abundance of rain. And all day long it continued to pour. It felt to me like a shifting of the spiritual atmosphere and cleansing of the land.

Last night I shared that word with the First Wednesday worship and healing service at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, where one of the prophetic voices from our city came and confirmed You had given him the same word the same morning. In our worship and prayer and proclamation, You were shifting the spiritual atmosphere over our hearts and our city.

Lord, let the seasons of drought in our lives be broken by the sound of abundance of rain. Let Your healing rains fall! Let Your living waters flow! Let repentant hearts break the power of darkness and drought upon our land (v. 18:39). 

In the spirit of Elijah, let us persist in prayer at the word of the Lord spoken to our hearts until we see the abundance of Your blessings restored to our land and to our lives (v. 18:42). You are the God who loves to do exceedingly, abundantly more than all we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may the Lord's healing rains fall and living waters flow in your life to break every drought with abundance of God's blessings 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

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Wednesday, November 05, 2014

Morning by Morning, November 5 - Blessings of a Nation that Repents

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Come rule and reign as King and Lord of my life today.  ...

"When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he grew strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, he and all Israel with him. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishank of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.... A countless army came with him from Egypt.... Then the prophet Shemiah came to Rehoboam and to the officers of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, 'Thus says the Lord:  You abandoned Me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.' Then the officers of Israel and the king himself humbled themselves and said, 'The Lord is right.' When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemiah, saying:  'They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless they shall be his servants so that they may know the difference between serving Me and serving the kingdoms of other lands" (2 Chronicles 12:1-8).

When Israel's king and people abandoned Your laws and Your ways, they removed themselves from Your hand of protection and opened themselves up to the invading armies of their enemies. They suffered the consequences of their choices. But then they humbled themselves, the king and the people, in repentance. So You stretched out Your hand with deliverance and held back from stretching our Your hand in judgment. Then You opened their eyes through the circumstances they created through their past choices to begin to see the difference between living as a nation under God and a nation that abandoned their God.

Come, Holy Spirit. Open the eyes of my heart to see that You are right in the ways You convict me of turning away from the ways of the Lord. Open the eyes of the people of my nation and our leaders to see that You are right in the ways You convict us of turning away from the ways of the Lord. May we humble ourselves and pray. May we humble ourselves in repentance to call upon the name of the Lord that we may be delivered from our enemies and saved from the consequences that our choices of the past command.

Thank You for the gifts of humility and repentance. They are a means of Your grace for our deliverance and salvation through Christ our Lord and Savior and King. Thank You for the gift of opening our eyes to see the consequences of our choices so that we will continue to return to You in our own hearts and in the heart of our nation.

Thank You for the promise of deliverance and healing that comes to the people of a nation who will humble themselves to repent and pray as a nation returning to be a nation under God:  "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (v. 7:14). These are the blessings of repentance. 

Lord, let our repentance continue so Your blessings can continue. Let it be so in our hearts and in our land, all by the power of the grace of God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you receive all the blessings of God that come through repentance. 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, November 04, 2014

Morning by Morning, November 4 - Time to Choose and Vote our Hearts

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come live in my heart and live through my life.  ...

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance" (Psalm 33:12 NKJV).

As our nation votes today, may Your Holy Spirit move in our hearts to exalt You with our choices. In the freedom of choice that a relationship of love requires, You invite us and empower us to choose life rather than death, to choose blessings rather than curses so that You can bless us in the inheritance of our land (Deuteronomy 30:19). Then You honor our choices and give us over to the kind of nation we choose (Romans 1:24-25).

We're not to run from the world or hide our heads in the sand. We're to be salt and light in the midst of the world. So our voices must be heard and our votes must be counted, as we choose Godly leaders to lead our nation in Godly ways. And we will be blessed as the hearts of the people of our nation declare our God is Lord as we choose this day whom we will serve (Joshua 24:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you choose well and exalt our God as Lord of all with your choices today. Please pray the same for me. As a famous Texas politician used to say, "Vote early and vote often!" (just kidding :)  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, November 03, 2014


Morning by Morning, November 3 - "Doers of the Word"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the way that leads to life today.  ...

"But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act -- they will be blessed in their doing" (James 1:22-25).

Holy Spirit, empower me to put into practice the words You put into my spirit. What I hear from Your heart in the morning, empower me to live out from my heart throughout the moments of my day. 

As best as I can and all by Your grace, I want to be a doer of the word, not merely a hearer. So remind me all I've seen and heard and empower me to go and do what honors You and expresses Your nature through my life today. "For it is God who is at work in (me), enabling (me) both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


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


My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit will remind you and empower you of all He has shown you and called you to do today 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

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Friday, October 31, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 31 - Who's Afraid of the Holy Ghost

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.  ...

"The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5 KJV).

On this day each year many go out into the night to celebrate ghosts and goblins, black cats and witches, vampires and skeletons, and anything else that honors fear and death and darkness. There's always a counterfeit in the spirit for everything that's real in our hearts.

So as I begin this day, I want to celebrate Your Holy Ghost. I want the Spirit of Life to fill my heart with the Spirit of the One who is the Light of the glory of God that always overcomes the darkness, with the power of good that always overcomes the power of evil, and with the love of God that always overcomes the world, the flesh, and the devil. Let the only fear we embrace be the fear of the Lord.

Lord, let the rattling of skeletons we hear be the breath of Your Holy Ghost coming upon dry bones that arise into an army of love to advance the Kingdom of God! "And you shall know that I Am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O My people. And I will put My Spirit within you, and you shall live!" (Ezekiel 37:13-14)

Come, Holy Spirit -- Holy Ghost of the Living God -- and make these bones live. Let the light of the glory of God arise and shine as love of God is shed abroad in our hearts this day and through this night. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


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


My Friend,  may the love of God be shed abroad in your heart by His Holy Ghost today, as the people of God arise into a vast army of the Kingdom 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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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 30 - "Let Love be Genuine"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. At dawn's morning light, let Your Light shine in me.  ...

"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:9-10).

Lord, let my love be genuine. Let my love for You and my love for others be pure -- untainted and undefiled by self-seeking and self-serving. Let my love for You and for others be patient, kind, not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude, not insisting on its own way, not irritable or resentful, never rejoicing in wrongdoing but always rejoicing in truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things to never end (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

And as I love You and love others that way, help me love myself that way as well (Matthew 22:37-39). This is genuine, authentic love that shifts the spiritual atmosphere, that changes hearts and minds to change the world, beginning with our own. This is the Spirit and the Presence and the power of God living true through us (1 John 4:16). Lord, increase my capacity to love and be loved genuinely today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may the Lord increase your capacity to love and be loved genuinely today. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
Friends, please keep us in prayer as we continue our Level 2 School of Ministry, meeting on Thursday nights this fall in San Antonio to equip servants of God in inner healing prayer ministry to minister the healing love of God in Jesus' name.


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, October 29, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 29 - "Living Sacrifice"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of all I am and all I do throughout all the moments of my day. ...

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1).

As best as I can and all by Your grace, I present myself to You, O Lord, my God. ...

Forgive me of my sins, cleanse me by Your blood, fill me with Your Holy Spirit, grant me Your Father blessing, hold me in Your embrace, lead me into Your will, correct me with Your loving discipline, love me as Your very child, heal me in Your mighty power, conform me into Your image, make me more like You each day. 

This is my living sacrifice -- my will surrendered to Your will, my faith in You alone. Send down Your holy Fire. Consume me in Your holy Presence. Set me ablaze to live this day for You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
 
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My Friend,  may your life be a living sacrifice to our God and your heart be set ablaze to live for His glory. 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, October 28, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 28 - "Be Ready in the Morning" for the Glory of God

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I give all of me to all of You, as best as I can and all by Your grace.  ...

"Be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to Me, on top of the mountain" (Exodus 34:2).

Moses prayed, "Show me Your glory, Lord" so You invited him to be ready in the morning and come up the mountain (v. 33:18).

That's the cry of my heart. Show me Your glory, Lord. Show me who You are. Show me what You're like. I want to know You and encounter You. I want to feel Your Presence and hear Your voice. I want to experience in my heart what I know in my head.

So I embrace Your invitation to get ready every morning to come up into the heavens on this holy mountain of prayer. Let Your glory pass before me. You are the Lord, my God, "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in the steadfast love and faithfulness" (v. 34:6).

As I behold Your glory in the communion of worship and prayer, You are changing me. "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Thank You, Lord God, for showing me Your glory every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you'll encounter and experience the glory of God every day, as you seek Him in worship and prayer. 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, October 27, 2014


Morning by Morning, October 27 - In the Presence of God

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are One and You are holy. Be One in me as I give my life and this day wholly to You.  ...

"You show me the path of life. In Your Presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

When I wake up in the morning and a song of praise is already running through the thoughts of my mind, that's Your Presence. When a deep peace settles my soul like a warm blanket on a cold day, that's Your Presence. When joy bubbles up in my spirit despite all the pressures of the day and the troubles of the world, that's Your Presence. And when I feel the freedom from all the chains of my past to set off on a new adventure of faith down the path of life with You every day, that's Your Presence.

In Your Presence, there's fullness of joy. In Your Presence, there's peace for my soul, forgiveness for my sins, adventure for my spirit, and meaning for my life. In Your Presence, I'm free to be all You created me to be, fully secure in my identity and fully alive in my destiny.

Lord, I never want to leave Your Presence. And by the power of the grace of God, I never will. Just as You said, You will be with me always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you'll experience the Presence of God in every moment along the path of your life 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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Friday, October 24, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 24 - "Overcome Evil with Good"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Just as I am, I come to You and embrace Your grace for my life today.  ...

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:17-21).

Lord, keep me grounded in good. Though "the days are evil," let my days be filled with the goodness of God flowing out of my heart because Your Spirit abides in me (Ephesians 5:16-20).

Show me when to speak up and show me when to be silent. Show me when to stand boldly before man and when to bow low before God. Show me when to give generously and when to save wisely. Show me when to speak the truth in love and when to love without speaking at all.

O Lord, You know. And I don't. Apart from You I don't even know how to pray as I ought (Romans 8:26). But I praise You that I never have to be apart from You (Matthew 28:20). So keep abiding in me as I abide in You (John 15:5). Keep filling me with Your Spirit and leading me to choose good over evil, humility over pride, courage over fear, faith over doubt, truth over lies, life over death, blessings over curses, heaven over hell, and Jesus over all (Philippians 2:9-11). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may you be filled with the Spirit and may the goodness of God flow out of your heart today everywhere you go. 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, October 23, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 23 - The Desires of Your Heart

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take hold of my heart and my hand as You lead me through this day with You.  ...

"Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).

Give me a heart that delights in You. Give me a heart that wakes up with Your desires at the center of my will and goes to sleep in the quiet rest that I did my best, all by Your grace, to delight Your heart throughout my day.

Lord, create that kind of heart in me (Psalm 51:10). Cause my heart's desires to be Your heart's desires. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, so that I delight in You and You can take delight in giving me my heart's desires. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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


My Friend,  I pray the the Lord will give you the desires of your heart, as you allow Him to conform your desires to His. 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, October 22, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 22 - "Do Good"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes, open up my heart, and call out Your name as I start my day centered in You.  ...

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security" (Psalm 37:3).

Lord, I trust You to show me how to do good today. Let my good deeds and my good works flow out of the good heart You desire to form in me.

As I live in the land of my inheritance, being salt and light in the spheres of my influence, fulfilling my destiny in Christ, I can rest secure in my true identity as a child of God. My security doesn't depend on my good works, but on my relationship with You. And at the same time, You're a good God and You want to do good through my life each day (Galatians 5:22-23).

Come have Your way in me and through me today. Give me Your good heart to do all the good You put in my heart to do today by the grace of God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray our good God will do good things in your heart and through your life 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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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 21 - Commit and Trust

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I entrust myself and my day into Your hands.  ...

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act" (Psalm 37:5).

I know You're a good Father, my good God. I know You want Your best for my life. You see the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. And You see everything in between. So You know -- in ways I could never know -- what's best for me.

So in the freedom You give me, in the freedom a relationship of love requires, I choose to trust You and entrust myself to You. I choose to commit my way to Your will.

Lord, let Your Word be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:104). Let Your Spirit be the voice I hear in my heart saying, "This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21). And empower me by Your grace to follow You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


Tommy,  I pray you live into God's best for your life today and every day in the power of His grace that flows form His love for you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
Friends, I've just returned from an wonderful weekend of ministry at the Rekindle the Flame Revival at Metropolis United Methodist Church in Metropolis, Illinois, pastored by my good friend Pastor Jeff Bealmear. We deeply encountered the Holy Spirit of God and He touched us with healing in spirit, soul, and body. It was great to join in ministry again with my good friend and brother from Kenya, Rev. Harrison N'dungu, a mighty man of God!

As you know, Metropolis is the home of Superman. And I've got the pictures next to the statue in his honor in front of the Courthouse to prove it! It was so good to be among such mild-mannered people with such super hearts for Jesus, who still stand for Truth, Justice and the American Way.



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, October 15, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 15 - Father's Good Pleasure

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father, One with the Holy Spirit. Be One within me today.  ...

"And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:29-32).

Daddy Abba, Father God, it's Your good pleasure to give me Your kingdom. It's Your good pleasure to free me to trust You to rule and reign and Lord and King in my heart and my mind, taking good care of all I need.

So Lord, let Your kingdom come; let Your will be done -- here in my heart and my mind, here in all my desires and all my thoughts, here on earth as it is in heaven (v. 11:2). For Your kingdom is within me (v. 17:21). As best as I can and all by Your grace, I open the gates of my heart and my mind to let the King of glory come in! (Psalm 24:7) This is Your good pleasure; let this be my great desire. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the King of glory will rule and reign in your heart and mind, providing all you need in the good pleasure of our great 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, October 14, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 14 - "Do Not Neglect the Gift"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me by the heart into Your will for my life today.  ...

"Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress" (1 Timothy 4:14-15).

Father, You've given me the gift of Your Holy Spirit. And at the same time, along with each of Your children, You've given me spiritual gifts to express Your heart and dimensions of Your nature through my life as Your son (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Stir up Your gifts within me; fan them into flame, as You "rekindle the gift of God that is within (me)" (2 Timothy 1:6). Let them flow out of a secure and confident identity in You as a child of God, called by God and gifted by God, with Your good gifts bearing Your good fruit through my life for the glory of Your good name (John 15:5). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  may our great God stir up and fan into flame His good gifts to display the glory of His name through your life 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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Friday, October 10, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 10 - Living Hope

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

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for (us), who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this (we) rejoice, even if now for a little while (we) have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of (our) faith -- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire -- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:3-7).

Our hope is alive. It's a living hope, tested by fire, battered by trials, but also "protected by God through faith." And though it is perishable, even extinguishable, it is grounded in truth and undergirded in the experiences that confirm our God is good and our God is for us and our God is with us though whatever we endure in the challenges of this world.

Our hope is not set on circumstances; our hope is set on You. "For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe" (1 Timothy 4:10). You are a living God who empowers us and encourages us every day, through every challenge, with a living hope. And this living hope is built on nothing less than You alone. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you are empowered and encouraged in your hope in Christ today as you overcome every challenge through your faith in our good God who is always with you and always 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

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Thursday, October 09, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 9 - True Heart, Forgiven and Free

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak to my heart Your words of spirit and life.  ...

"And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord:  I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,' He also adds, 'I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.' Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin" (Hebrews 10:15-18).

Thank You, Lord, that these are the days You have forgiven me of my sins "by the blood of Jesus" (v. 10:19). These are the days You've put Your ways in my heart and You've written Your will on my mind. This is "the new and living way" You set before me each day to embrace by the power of Your grace and live in newness of life (v. 10:20).

Because of all You've done for me, all out of Your love for me, I can live this day "with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (v. 10:22). And I can "hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful" (v. 10:23).

To reject all You've done for me and continue to do for me, to choose to live under the shadow of my past failures and regrets instead of the freedom of Your forgiveness would be the worst sin of all and an arrogant affront to the power of the cross. Breaking Your heart, I would be one of "those who have spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant by which (we) were sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace" (v. 10:29).

So I will not reject Your gift of grace. I will not condemn myself as if the blood of Jesus were not powerful enough to cleanse every one of my sins and regrets. Instead I will hold fast to the confession of my hope in the power of Your grace:  "If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). By the power of Your grace, I will live this day in the freedom of Your forgiveness, cleansed by the blood of Jesus from all unrighteousness, secure in my identity as the child of God that I am. This is a true heart, living in full assurance of faith. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray you will live this day in the fullness and freedom of God's forgiveness, with a true heart wholly given to Him, cleansed by His blood and filled with His Spirit. 
Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
Friends, please keep us in prayer for another powerful night of teaching and equipping tonight at our Level 2 School of Ministry at Rapha God Ministries being hosted at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. 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

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Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 8 - The Fast the Lord Chooses

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I entrust my life and this day into Your hands, O Lord my God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  ...

"Is not this the fast that I choose:  to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and He will say, Here I am" (Isaiah 58:6-9).

This fast that You choose is a fast from my flesh, a fast from selfishness and self-centeredness. It's a fast that frees me from the tyranny of my self and turns my heart to the things on Your heart.

Give me Your heart, Lord. Open my eyes to see the needs of those around me and fill my spirit with the power to do something about it. Give me time and passion for people in the ways that I can make a difference. Let me be part of the move of Your Spirit in my city and spheres of influence to rebuild the "ancient ruins," to "raise up the foundations of many generations" and "be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets" (v. 58:12).

This fast is not about ancient rituals or even faithfully executing spiritual disciplines. This fast is about putting You first, as Your Spirit overcomes my flesh so You can change the world around me through my life. This is the fast You choose. So by the power of the grace of God at work within me, let this be the fast I choose. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


My Friend,  I pray the Holy Spirit gives you eyes to see the needs of the world around you and the power to do something about it in your spheres of influence to 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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Tuesday, October 07, 2014

Morning by Morning, October 7 - "Boldly Belonging"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I come to the Father through Jesus the Son and give You the glory, great things You have done. Holy Spirit of God, come do great things in my heart and through my life in the power of Your love today. ...
As I wait for Your leading, I hear in my heart, "Boldly belonging."  ...
What are You speaking to me this morning, Lord?  ...

As I watch and wait, it seems I hear You say, "My son, you belong with Me. You are forgiven for your sins and loved as you are. Don't hold back from coming to Me, don't push back from Me coming to you. Boldly embrace Me, because I boldly embrace you."

Yes, Lord. Thank You, Lord! Free me to live more boldly in the embrace of Your love, all by the power of Your grace. Though in my heart, I think I feel pretty free, help me be freer still. Though in my heart, I think I feel pretty bold, help me be bolder still -- boldly belonging to You.

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16 NKJV).

It's through the power of the blood of Jesus, that You're always inviting me and always welcoming me to come boldly before Your throne of grace. That's where I belong, because You're the One to whom I belong -- boldly belonging to You. "We have boldness and access with confidence through faith in (You)" (Ephesians 3:12 NKJV). Thank You, Jesus! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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


My Friend,  I pray you will know in your heart how loved you are and how welcome you are in the arms of our God, boldly belonging 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
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