Friday, May 15, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 15 - Storms and Rain Can't Beat Down Our Hope

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Good Shepherd and I want to listen for Your voice and wait for the leading of Your Spirit.  ...

It seems I hear You say in my heart, "Come, follow Me through the storms, trust in Me through the rains. You can rest in Me, as I join in this adventure with you."

Yes, Lord. As You said long ago:  "Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock" (Matthew 7:24-25).

For several days the storms have come, the rains have fallen, and the wind has blown. And today all our prayer ministers be travelling out to our ministry retreat for two days of bonding together, getting to know one another, and growing spiritually together. We've made plans for lots of fun together too, with water games and barbeque at the river, kingdom treasure hunts, mission possible, horseshoe throwing, campfire talks, s'mores, outdoor worship, and the pajama party with a bedtime story. Much of that is supposed to be outside in the beautiful spring sunrises, sunsets, and sunny days of the sunny Texas hill country at Mo Ranch. But I guess now we'll be having our little adventure without the sun part.

It's a good thing that we'll still have "the sun of righteousness" (Malachi 4:2). Fun in the sun is nice but not required. "Our hope is built on nothing less that Jesus Christ and righteousness." The storms and the rains will come and go, but our faith will remain. I'll be resting in You, as You come and join in this adventure with us. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May you rest in Jesus, steadfast in your faith in Him, as He comes alongside you in every adventure through whatever storms and rain may ever come. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!


 

Friends, please keep us in prayer this weekend for our Rapha God Ministries retreat with all our teams of about forty-five prayer minsters getting together at Mo Ranch. May the joy of the Lord be our strength and yours too. 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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Thursday, May 14, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 14 - Embrace the Spirit of Truth

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Lead me in Your way, teach me Your truth, fill me with Your life today.  ...

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him because He abides with you, and He will be in you" (John 14:15-17).

Spirit of Truth, Spirit of the One who is the Truth, set me free from deception and confusion, from complacency and compromise. Re-sensitize my spirit and my discernment of conscience to Your conviction of what is true and what is false, what is right and what is wrong, what is holy and what is profane, what is good and what is evil.

Your Word says "the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). Your Word warns us of times of deception and confusion, in our hearts and in our land:  "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight... Because they rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 5:20-24 NKJV).

And at the same time, Your Word also always calls us and empowers us to repent, in our hearts and in our land (Isaiah 1:27). "For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:  I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.... I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will lead them and repay them with comfort ... Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord; and I will heal them. But the wicked are like the tossing sea that cannot keep still; its waters toss up mire and mud. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked" (Isaiah 57:15-21).

Come, Holy Spirit. Come fulfill the promise of Jesus from the heart of the Father:  "When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but will speak whatever He hears, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, because He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine. For this reason I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you... I have said this to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!" (John 16:13-33)  

Father God, You know what is best for us. You have created us and Your world based upon Your truth. Help us humble ourselves to hear and trust and obey. Empower us to desire Your ways and Your will revealed by Your truth (John 8:38). Help us embrace Your Spirit of Truth.

Lord Jesus, with Your Spirit of our Father abiding in us, "(we) will know the truth, and the truth will make (us) free" (John 8:3). "So if the Son makes (us) free, (we) will be free indeed" (John 8:36). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May you embrace the Spirit of Truth, hearing and trusting and obeying the Lord our God by His Holy Spirit abiding always in your heart and in the heart of our land. 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, May 13, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 13 - I Am your All in All

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All I am and all I have all belongs to You, my All in All.  ...

"Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I Am'" (John 8:58).

You are everlasting. You are eternal. You are "the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 22:13). And at the same time, You are always here, always near, always with me (Matthew 28:20). You are I Am (Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 43:13; John 17:5, 24; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 1:8).

And You are all I need. Though You are near to me and provide for me through Your people and through Your creation and through so many ways that I don't even know, You are the Source of every good thing I've ever needed. And down deep in my soul, beneath the realm of my own understanding, You're also the Source of every good thing I've ever desired, whether I know it or not. Every good and perfect gift is from You (James 1:17).

You are my "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). You are my "All in All" (1 Corinthians 15:28; Ephesians 1:23).

Lord Jesus, though You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit, in the mystery of Your grace and the intimacy of Your love, You also desire to be One within me (John 17:23). So with all I am and all I have, I commit my heart and my life all to You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May you know the Lord, your God, the One who is I Am--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--as your All in All. 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, May 12, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 12 - Abide and Abound, Come Alive and Thrive

Good morning, Lord Jesus.  Son of God, Son of Man, King of Kings, Lord of Lord, thank You for welcoming me -- just as You welcome every soul in this world -- into this deeply personal relationship with You.  ...

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in Me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples. As the Father loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love" (John 15:5-9).

I do want to abide in You, Lord Jesus. I want You to abide in me. Teach me how to abide and abound, how to come alive and thrive. Teach me and lead me and empower me to keep my branch connected to Your vine, so that the fruit of my life is an expression of the flow of Your love.

So I welcome Your Spirit and I welcome Your Word to abide in me. Spirit to spirit and Heart to heart, let me hear Your voice and follow Your leading. Let the things I ask be an expression of the desires of Your will through my life and through my prayers, so that what I ask will be done for me, as I ask according to Your words abiding in me.

There's still much pruning to be done in my heart, still much burning away of all that is not yet like You. But I believe as I seek You, I will find You. As I keep opening up my heart to You, You'll keep pouring Your heart into me. "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). And by the power of Your love and grace, by the Presence of Your Spirit abiding in me, I believe in faith You will have Your harvest of Your good fruit through my life each day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

May you abide and abound, come alive and thrive, bearing good fruit with the Spirit of Christ and the Word of God abiding in you each day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
 

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

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Monday, May 11, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 11 - "The Friendship of the Lord"

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 today.  ...

"Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep His covenant and His decrees. For Your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who are they that fear the Lord? He will teach them the way that they should choose. They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He makes His covenant known to them" (Psalm 25:8-14).

I want to be Your follower and Your friend. I want to humble myself in Your sight so You can lift me up into Your presence. I want to admit my sins and failures, my struggles and weaknesses, so You can forgive me and empower me to overcome them. I want You to lead me so I won't get lost or get left out of all You have in Your heart for my life.

You are loving and faithful; You are gracious and forgiving. And You want Your best for me. So I bow down before You and lift up my heart toward You. "My eyes are ever toward (You) ... Turn to me and be gracious to me" -- just as You always have and just as I know You always will (v. 15-16). In the fear of the Lord on my journey of faith, You're my Lord and Savior; but You're also my Father and Friend (John 15:15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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


May you know the friendship of the Lord on your journey of faith, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
  

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

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Friday, May 08, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 8 - Look Down from Heaven and Into My Heart

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to start my day looking to You and listening for Your leading.  ...

"The Lord looks down from heaven; He sees all humankind. From where He sits enthroned He watches all the inhabitants of the earth -- He who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds.... Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love..." (Psalm 33:13-18).

Lord, look down from heaven and into my heart. I hope You see one who hopes in You. Fill my heart with Your Spirit; shape my heart into Your image. Thank You for every time You've healed by heart when it was broken and filled by heart when it was empty. Thank You for every time You've lifted my heart when it was crushed and strengthened my heart when it was weary. Thank You for giving me a heart that seeks after You with all my heart, by the grace of God. And thank You for Your heart that lets me find You and take hold of You in Your steadfast love for me.

Look down from heaven
Look into my heart
Lift up my spirit
Into Your arms

You're always with me
So I'll never fear
My hope is in You, Lord
You're always so near

"We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in You alone" (v. 20-22 NLT). With all my heart, I put all my hope in You alone. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May the God of heaven look into your heart and see one who loves Him and trusts Him and hopes in Him with all your heart, in Jesus' name. May He fashion your heart into the image of His heart, more and more every day. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
  

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

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Thursday, May 07, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 7 - "Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart and every moment of my day.  ...

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

Today is the National Day of Prayer in America. A day set apart by federal law in the freedom of our religion to freely express our faith and prayers wherever we are across this land. Today across America, people will gather in the public square and in the marketplace, around water coolers and kitchen tables, in church chapels and city buses -- wherever two are more are gathered in the name of Jesus -- to call out to You in the humility of prayer on behalf of our nation.

Though all will not pray and many may mock, no one can forbid us to pray; no one can forbid us to say the name of Jesus. It is our right. It is our heritage. It is at the heart of our identity and destiny as a nation:  from the prayers of the pilgrims on the beach at Plymouth Rock, to the prayers of the representatives of the Continental Congress led by General Washington just before declaring our independence, to the prayers of nation called to pray and fast by President Lincoln during the Civil War, to the prayers we pray today from our heart, on our knees, across our land. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

As Your people who are called by Your name, we acknowledge in humility and in repentance on behalf of ourselves and our nation our failures and sins to be faithful to You. But we also seek Your face and Your grace to forgive our sins and heal our land, to restore us in our identity and empower us in our destiny (2 Chronicles 7:14). We cry out to You for Your Presence and power, in Your mercy and grace, to come awaken us and revive us again as one nation under God (1 Kings 8:28). May we yet fulfill our appointed purpose as a people in our time (Esther 4:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May the Lord our God hear our prayer, forgive our sin, and heal our land as we cry out to Him in prayer on this National Day of Prayer across our nation today, May 7, 2015. And may you experience an awakening and revival in your heart and in the heart of our nation, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

 

 

 
Friends, thank you for your prayers for us last night as I shared a word of healing and hope with Max Lucado at the First Wednesday Service at Oak Hills Church, Crownridge Campus in San Antonio at 7 pm tonight. We also prayed for our nation to be guided by our God to fulfill our destiny. I join with you in those prayers today. 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, May 06, 2015

Please join us Tonight if you can in San Antonio or join us by prayer if you can't for the First Wednesday Healing & Worship Service at 7pm at Oak Hills Church, Crownridge Campus on I-10 in San Antonio, Texas:  www.oakhillschurch.com

I'm excited to be joining Max Lucado to share a message on hope and healing. Our Rapha God Ministries Prayer Team will be joining the Oak Hills Prayer Team to offer personal prayer ministry following the worship and message in English and Spanish.

 
We'll also be praying for our nation, as Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer for America.

May the name of Jesus be high and lifted up as we encounter the healing love of God in spirit, soul, and body. May you also experience the Lord's power and presence in your church and community. Thank you for your prayers!

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

 
Max Lucado and Tommy Hays
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Morning by Morning, May 6 - Hear our Prayer, Forgive our Sin, Heal our Land

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I open my heart call on Your name to start my day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  ...

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, much less this house that I have built! Regard Your servant's prayer and his plea, O Lord my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to You today; that Your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which You said, 'My name shall be there,' that You may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place; O hear in heaven Your dwelling place; heed and forgive" (1 Kings 8:27-30).

This Scripture was chosen as the theme for the National Day of Prayer in America this year. They're the words of Solomon, the son of David and King of Israel, crying out to You as he "spread out his hands to heaven" in the dedication of the first temple in Jerusalem (v. 8:22). And in the same spirit, may they be the words of our heart as a nation turning to You to humble our hearts and seek Your face to embrace Your forgiveness and welcome Your Presence in our land and in the temples of our hearts.

Your Word reminds of Your promises and Your principles for national awakening and spiritual revival:  "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. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house so that My name may be there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time" (2 Chronicles 7:14-16).

Across this land, I join with those who are called by Your name. We humble ourselves and pray; we seek Your face; we turn from our wicked ways in repentance on behalf of ourselves and on behalf of our nation. We ask You to hear. We ask You to forgive. We ask You to heal our land. Come dwell again and forever in the temple of our hearts and in the heart of our nation. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May the Lord our God hear our prayer, forgive our sin, and heal our land as we cry out to Him in prayer on the National Day of Prayer across our nation tomorrow, May 7, 2015. And may you experience an awakening and revival in your heart and in the hear of our nation, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

 

 
Friends, I'll be sharing a word on healing and hope with Max Lucado at the First Wednesday Service at Oak Hills Church, Crownridge Campus in San Antonio at 7 pm tonight. Please join us if you're near us in San Antonio, Texas. Our Rapha God Ministries Prayer Team will be joining the Oak Hills Church Prayer Team to offer personal prayer ministry after the worship and message in English and Spanish. All are welcome!

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, May 05, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 5 - Deep Roots of Faith

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me by the heart into the ways that lead to life today.  ...

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Colossians 1:6-7).

Let the roots of my faith grow deep. Let the fruit of my life in You grow ripe. By the power of Your grace, "(I) shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:8).

Abounding in thanksgiving for who You are and all You've done to establish me securely in Your love and grace, I never have to be anxious or afraid, discouraged or dried up. You renew my faith and refresh my spirit -- morning by morning and year after year in my journey with You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May your roots of faith grow deep and your fruit of your life in Christ grow ripe, like a tree of life planted by the living waters of Jesus Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, I'll be sharing a word on healing and hope with Max Lucado at the First Wednesday Service at Oak Hills Church, Crownridge Campus in San Antonio at 7 pm tomorrow night. Please join us if you're in the area. All are welcome!

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

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Monday, May 04, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 4 - "Ride on Victoriously!"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call on Your name and listen for Your voice in these first moments of my morning with You, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...

"Gird your sword on Your thigh, O mighty One, in Your glory and majesty. In Your majesty, ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right.... Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity; You love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness beyond Your companions... In the place of ancestors You, O King, shall have sons; You will make them princes in all the earth. I will cause Your name to be celebrated in all generation; therefore the peoples will praise You forever and ever" (Psalm 45:3-17).

Lord Jesus, You are our Messiah; You are the Christ. You are the Anointed One who rides on victoriously. With Your sword of truth and Your scepter of majesty, You rule and reign in the hearts of the sons and daughters of God, who call on Your name as children of the King. May Your name be celebrated and Your praise be heard from our hearts as we lift up our voices in all the earth, now and forever.

And one day soon, we will see You ride on victoriously when the trumpet sounds and heavens open and You return to rule and reign in all the earth:  "Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its Rider is called Faithful and True, in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are any diadems; and He has a name inscribed that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, wearing fine line, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; He will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, "King of kings and Lord of lords!'" (Revelation 19:11-16)

Ride on victoriously in my heart today, Lord Jesus. As You fill me with Your Spirit, ride on victoriously in my world, everywhere You send me today, girded with the sword of Your truth and the authority of Your name. You are the One who is Faithful and True, The Word of God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And by the mystery of the grace of God, You're also in me -- "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May the King of kings and Lord of lords ride on victoriously through you today, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!


 
"The Coming King" 
Prophetic Sculpture by Max Greiner Jr. 
The Coming King Sculpture Prayer Garden
 Kerrville, Texas next to the Cross on the Hill 


Friends, Thank You so much for your prayers for us at the Fredericksburg, Texas campus of Oak Hills Church this past weekend, where we were teaching and equipping for healing prayer ministry in our strategic partnership between Rapha God Ministries and Oak Hills Church. We're excited to see what God will do! 

I was also thrilled to hear from my great friends at St. James United Methodist Church in Athens, Georgia that a class of 42 prayer warriors just completed a 9 week Bible Study from my book and Messiah Ministries dvd teaching on Free to Be Like Jesus! Praise God! 

God bless you! And may the Holy Spirit continue to teach you and empower you and your church in prayer ministry and every ministry to which you are called and anointed by God!

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

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Friday, May 01, 2015

Morning by Morning, May 1 - Grace to Withstand the "Scoffers" of God and Authority of His Word

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good Shepherd, let me hear Your voice and follow the leading of Your Holy Spirit, as I begin my morning in the communion of prayer embraced by my heavenly Father.  ...

"But you, beloved, must remember the predictions of the apostles and of our Lord Jesus Christ; for they said to you, 'In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.' It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on some who are wavering; save others by snatching them out of the fire; and have mercy on still others with fear, hating even the tunic defiled by their bodies. Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of His glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (Jude 17-25).

Some say that the ones "who are causing divisions" are those who believe the Word of God as the authority for our lives, who trust in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior, who seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, who willingly submit to the loving correction and godly discipline of our heavenly Father to grow up into maturity as sons and daughters of God. But Your Word says "the ones causing divisions" are the "scoffers," the ones who insist on "indulging their own ungodly lusts"  (v. 18).

They may be "worldly people," fitting well into the culture and ways of this world that seems "hell-bent" on rejecting God and God's authority from every corner of their lives and imposing their will on everyone else in the name of their own personal liberty. But according to Your Word, they are "devoid of the Spirit" (v. 19).

So what are we to do? We are to pray (v. 20). And we are also to act in each situation according to leading the Holy Spirit, whether to have mercy in silence or have mercy by "snatching them out of the fire" or have mercy by keeping our distance (v. 22-23).

"The proud, haughty person, named 'Scoffer,' acts with arrogant pride (Proverbs 21:24). And the heart of pride is the arrogant insistence on our own will and our own way instead of Yours. "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). The heart of humility is to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone.

Lord, give me the grace to humble myself before You, to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. Give me the grace to trust You and Your Word and Your wisdom to know what's best for me and my life and my world. Show me how to have mercy and walk in love toward those who would scoff at me and scoff at You. Empower me with the courage and the grace to "build (myself) up on (my) most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep (myself) in the love of God, and look forward to the mercy of (my) Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life" (Jude 21). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May you be empowered with the courage and grace to withstand the scoffers of God and the authority of His Word, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!


Friends, please join with me in prayer for our nation and every soul in our world to turn to God, trusting in the mercy of His love and grace through Jesus Christ and trusting in His wisdom to know what's best for each of us.

I'm excited to be traveling to teach at the Fredericksburg, Texas campus of Oak Hills Church this weekend in our strategic partnership between Rapha God Ministries and Oak Hills Church to provide equipping and training for healing prayer ministry. Please keep us in your prayers and I pray for the Lord to equip you and your church for His vision and purposes through you life. 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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Thursday, April 30, 2015

Morning by Morning, April 30 - "We Proclaim Jesus"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of Kings and Lord of Lord. Be King and Lord of my life today.  ...

"For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:5-6).

 Throughout the moments of my day, let me proclaim Jesus. With the countenance of my face and the attitude of my heart, let me proclaim Jesus. With the choices I make and the temptations I face, let me proclaim Jesus. With the challenging conversations I'll have and the opportunities to proclaim myself instead of You, let me proclaim Jesus.

Let it not be "another Jesus" -- a false Jesus, a self-righteous or selfish Jesus, a condemning or shaming Jesus, a complacent or appeasing Jesus, a compromising with the truth Jesus, a judgmental or unjust Jesus -- but only the true Jesus that they see in me (2 Corinthians 11:4).

Let all who see me see Jesus in me; let all who hear me hear Jesus in me -- Christ in me (Colossians 1:27). So I desperately need Your Spirit to fill me and make me like You. I desperately need You to fill me with "the Spirit of Jesus" (Acts 16:17), "the Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9), "the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4), that "the Spirit of God" may dwell in me (Roman 8:9).

Let the love of God shine through my heart and upon my face everywhere You send me throughout my day with "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:4). "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). So let Your light shine on me and shine through me to proclaim Jesus today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May you be filled with Spirit of Christ as you proclaim Jesus through your life today, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
  

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

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Morning by Morning, April 29 - "With Unveiled Faces"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me near; draw me deep, deep to deep, into the communion of prayer as I begin my day looking to You.  ...

"But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 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 3:16-18).

Come, Holy Spirit of the living God. Come remove the veil. Remove everything that distort my vision or distract my prayers from seeing You as You are. Let me seek You with an unveiled face. Let me see You "face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

As I see You as You are, Your Spirit is changing me into Your image. I'm being changed, "transformed into the same image" from glory to glory. It's not by anything I've done or deserved; it's all by Your grace, all from Your love. You love me and want me to become more like You. So as I pray, as I worship, as I let You remove every barrier and filter and veil between us, I become like the One I worship. 

Lord Jesus, make me more like You today. In Jesus' name I pray Amen.

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


May you be changed into the image of Christ, from glory to glory, as you seek the Lord in worship and prayer with an unveiled face, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
 

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

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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Morning by Morning, April 28 - One Pearl of Great Price

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

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45 NKJV).

Thank You for all the fine pearls in my life, all that You've provided for me and lavished up me -- forgiveness and mercy, eternal life, healing and deliverance, provision and protection, redemption of all my sins and failures into places of compassion and authority for others, a confident sense of identity and hopeful sense of destiny. But what is worth all I have? What is the one pearl of great price to me?

I think it has to be Your loving presence. Not just Your love, but also Your presence. Not just Your presence, but also Your love. 

After all, that's how You created me. You created me to desire You and Your loving presence: Like every baby desperately desires the loving presence of their mother and father. Like every teenager, no matter where they are on their emotional journey to independence, deep down inside, no matter how much they may hate to admit it at times, longs for the loving presence of their parents. Like every man and woman, no matter what they've been through or how rocky their relationship may have been, misses the loving presence of the ones who gave them life when they pass on or are no longer around. All of these are measures and expressions of our deepest desire for intimate relationship with You, for the loving presence of God.

David discovered this pearl of great price when he cried out, "One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple... 'Come,' my heart says, 'seek His face!' Your face, Lord, do I seek" (Psalm 27:4-8). With words and songs, he tried to express this insatiable need:  "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? ... Deep calls to deep" (Psalm 42:2-7). And You responded to this deep longing of all who believe in You and recognized our God-created need for You and loving presence in our lives when You said, "I Am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).

Lord, let seeking Your face be my passion. Let knowing You and loving You and experiencing Your love for me in the depths of my heart every moment of my life be my deepest desire. Let Your loving presence be worth selling all I have and being at the heart of all I am. Let Your loving presence be my pearl of great price. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May you know what is the one pearl of great price in your life; and may you give all you have and all you are to have it, that you may live forever in the loving presence of our God, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
 

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

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Monday, April 27, 2015

Morning by Morning, April 27 - Hidden Treasures of God's Wisdom

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and listen for Your leading, O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...

"My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures -- then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:1-5).

Father God, I do need Your wisdom, Your understanding, and the insights of the hidden treasures of Your words. Speak to me by Your Word; speak to me in my heart. "Then (I) will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into (my) heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to (my) soul; prudence will watch over (me); and understanding will guard (me)" (v. 2:9-11).

The wisdom and the ways of this world are confusing and inconsistent. They're often self-centered and self-destructive. They seem to change with the tide, bowing to the pressures of culture, rising and falling with the discourse of public opinion or political popularity. But Your Word withstands the tests of time. Your wisdom endures forever. "I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before Him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

So I lean in to hear and set my heart to listen. I seek after Your hidden treasures and search for Your wisdom like silver. This is the wisdom that will last; these are the ways that are eternal. Let me settle for nothing less. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May the Holy Spirit of the living God stir in your heart to seek out the hidden treasures of God's wisdom every day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
 

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

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Friday, April 24, 2015

Morning by Morning, April 24 - "Abound in Hope"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the heart and lead me on the path that leads to life in You today.  ...

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

You are the God of hope. And it's in believing -- in trusting and committing and totally surrendering myself to You as best as I can and all by Your grace -- that I position myself to be filled by You with all joy and peace. That's the hope that I have because that's the promised You've made.

According to Your Word, it's "the power of the Holy Spirit" that causes me to "abound in hope." My part is not to make myself hope or make myself joyful or make myself peaceful. My part is to choose to believe, as best as I can and all by Your grace. And when my faith to believe is weak or growing weary, my part is to cry out to You in prayer with as much sincerity of heart as I have in that moment, "I believe, help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). You meet me where I am; You love me where I am; and You help me where I am. In fulfilling Your part according to Your promises, You move in Your power of the Holy Spirit in my mind and my heart to empower me to believe so that I can abound in hope.

Come, Holy Spirit. Move in me to abound in hope today. Fill me with all joy and peace in believing. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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


May the God of hope cause hope to abound in you today by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within you, empowering you to believe and filling you with all joy and peace, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!
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