Morning by Morning, September 8 - Only the Legacy of Love Will Last

 

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

 

"According to the grace of God given me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw -- the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day to disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

 

Lord Jesus, You are my foundation. And I want whatever I build by Your grace with my life on this foundation of my relationship with You to be a lasting legacy, worthy of Your sacrifice and the mercy of Your love. On the Day to come, I want to "receive a reward" of Your words when I stand in Your Presence, "Well done, good and faithful servant.... Enter into the joy of your Lord" (Matthew 25:21 NKJV).

 

Is there anything I should be doing now to help prepare for the Day to come?  ...

 

It seems I hear You saying in my heart, "Learn to love.... Love Me; love others; love yourself, as you learn to see yourself as I see you and love you. Love is your foundation. Love is what you're building that will last, because I am Love and I am your Master Builder and I am building My love in you. So learn to love and become like Me."   ...

 

Yes, Lord. Your Word says, "We have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.... We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:16-19). And Your Word says if I "do not have love, I am nothing" and if I "do not have love, I gain nothing," no matter what else I may do or become with the time I have in this world before the Day to come (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

 

So by the power of the grace of God, help me learn to love. "Let love be (my) highest goal" (1 Corinthians 14:1 NLT). And as I learn to love through the challenges that each day holds, You'll be making me more like You each day, until the Day to come when I see You "face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12; Romans 8:29). "And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will learn to love, as you become more like Jesus every day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

       

Friends, please spread the word and come join us for our Level 1 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry teaching the Biblical Foundations and Spiritual Principles of Healing and Freedom through Prayer, beginning September 13th in San Antonio, being hosted at the Oak Hills Church North Central Campus by the Airport. Call us at 210-233-1072 or email us at info@RaphaGodMinsistries.com to register.  DVDs are Available from our past schools. God bless you!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, September 7 - "Draw Near to God"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- I seek You and I need You. Come fill my heart and my mind with Your nature and Your thoughts, as I begin my day grounded in Your truth and trusting in Your love.  ...

 

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:8-10 NKJV).

 

How do I draw near to You, God?  ...

 

It seems I hear You saying in my heart, "You draw near to Me by welcoming Me to draw near to you. I am with you always. And at the same time, I always want to be invited and welcomed to be with you. Be deliberately intentional in seeking Me, as you focus your thoughts upon Me and open your heart up to Me. My love and My presence comes pouring into your life in a way that you know that I am here with you."   ...

 

Yes, Lord. Your Word says, "You will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 29:12-14).  And your Word says, "Abide in Me, and I in you.... As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love" (John 15:4-9).

 

How do I humble myself in Your sight?  ...

 

It seems I hear You saying, "To humble yourself before Me is to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon Me alone."  ...

 

Yes, Lord. Your Word says, "'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6). And Your Word says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5). "(Your) grace is sufficient for (me), for (Your) strength is made perfect in (my) weakness;" and in this sense, "When I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

 

So by the power of the grace of God at work within me, I deliberately, intentionally seek You; and I willing choose to be desperately dependent upon You. I seek to welcome You and embrace You, here in my heart, in every moment of my day, and every area of my life. And I thank You that You are always drawing near to me, that You are always here with me, that You are always here within me, as I abide in You and You abide in me (Matthew 28:20). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will experience the abiding presence of the Lord, as you draw near to Him and He draws near to you, in Jesus' name. As you humble yourself in His sight, He promises to lift you up. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

      

Friends, please spread the word and come join us for our Level 1 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry teaching the Biblical Foundations and Spiritual Principles of Healing and Freedom through Prayer, beginning September 13th in San Antonio, being hosted at the Oak Hills Church North Central Campus by the Airport. Call us at 210-233-1072 or email us at info@RaphaGodMinsistries.com to register.  DVDs are Available from our past schools. God bless you!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, September 6 - "The Word of Faith"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be welcome here in my heart and every moment of my day.  ...

 

"Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that 'the person who does these things will live by them.' But the righteousness that comes from faith says, 'Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down)' or 'Who will descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).' But what does it say? 'The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart' (this, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confess with the mouth and so is saved.' The Scripture says, 'No one who believes in Him will be put to shame'" (Romans 10:5-11).

 

The word is near me, because You are the Word -- the Living Word of God made flesh and living in me (John 1:14). You are "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" because You are the Word of God in me (Colossians 1:27).

 

So let Your name be on my lips and Your nature be in my heart. This is "the word of faith that we proclaim" -- the faith to believe that the Word of God lives in us (Romans 10:8). And this is the salvation that we have -- not by the righteous things we've done but by our faith in the Righteous One who died for us and now lives in us (Romans 8:11). So let the words of my mouth be words of faith, as an expression of the One who lives in my heart today. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). 

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

I pray authority of the name of Jesus will be on your lips and the presence of the nature of Jesus will be in your heart this day, as you live and speak the word of faith everywhere you go, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

     

Friends, please spread the word and come join us for our Level 1 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry teaching the Biblical Foundations and Spiritual Principles of Healing and Freedom through Prayer, beginning September 13th in San Antonio, being hosted at the Oak Hills Church North Central Campus by the Airport. Call us at 210-233-1072 or email us at info@RaphaGodMinsistries.com to register.  DVDs are Available from our past schools. God bless you!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, September 2 - Follow the Rule of Peace

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As my day begins, I want to begin it with You -- embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, filled with Your Holy Spirit.  ...

 

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body" (Colossians 3:15).

 

We were taught in school to follow the rules. And in my relationship with You I want to follow the rule of peace -- I want to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart.

 

It's not the peace of the world or the peace of appeasement or the false peace of going along to get along. It's the peace of Christ that I want to rule in me (John 14:27).

 

And if it's Your peace that rules, then nothing else can. Worry can't rule. Fear can't rule. Confusion and uncertainty can't rule. Discouragement or depression can't rule. Insecurity or infirmity can't rule. False responsibilities, false pressures, and false gods can't rule. Only the peace of Christ can rule.

 

So teach me how to follow that rule. Teach me how to stop and take note and see if I'm allowing the peace of Christ to rule in my heart through the moments of my day. And if it's not, lead me to repentance. Help me acknowledge that as sin, so I can give it over to You and be set free from the bondage of whatever is trying to enslave me and rule over me in that moment. Then restore me to the rule of Your peace. 

 

"Prince of Peace," come rule and reign by Your rule of peace in my heart today (Isaiah 9:6). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray the peace of Christ will rule and reign in your heart today, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

    

Friends, please spread the word and come join us for our Level 1 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry teaching the Biblical Foundations and Spiritual Principles of Healing and Freedom through Prayer, beginning September 13th in San Antonio, being hosted at the Oak Hills Church North Central Campus by the Airport. Call us at 210-233-1072, or email us at info@RaphaGodMinsistries.com to register.  DVDs are Available from our past schools. God bless you!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, September 1 - "That My Joy May Be in You"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the front and center of my day and at the heart of my life.  ...

 

"I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11).

 

As I read Your Word, as I hear Your voice, Your joy fills me. And Your joy makes my joy complete. 

 

Some are unwilling to read Your Word; some are afraid to hear Your voice. They resist the things You want to say to us. They don't understand that You say these things to us so that Your joy may be in us. They don't understand that it's the will of God is that we would be filled with joy. They don't understand the true heart of the one true God -- the God who loves us and wants His best for us -- including, His joy for us.

 

Your joy is at the heart of Your kingdom, right along with Your righteousness and Your peace -- "For the kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

 

So come, Holy Spirit. Fill me today with the righteousness and the peace and the joy of my God in my heart, as I open my spirit to hear these things You're saying to me. They are good things. Things intended to fill me with Your joy. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be filled the joy of Jesus today, as you read His Word and hear His voice, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

    

Friends, please spread the word and come join us for our Level 1 Rapha God Ministries School of Ministry beginning September 13th in San Antonio, being hosted at the Oak Hill Church North Central Campus by the Airport. Register on-line, call us at 210-233-1072, or email us at info@RaphaGodMinsistries.com  DVDs are Available from our past schools. God bless you!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, August 31 - Every Moment

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. 

 

Your blood has cleansed me from every sin,

And You open Your arms to welcome me in.

Not only with my heart in heaven when I die,

But with Your heaven in my heart every moment of my life.

 

You're my heavenly Father,

And I am Your son.

I'm a child of the King,

Through Your sacrifice of love.

 

So I welcome Your Holy Spirit here in my heart,

Christ within me, never being apart.

Come guide my steps, as I follow Your lead,

Taking each step as it comes 

-- always abiding in You and You always abiding in me.

 

"God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5).

 

Thank You for pouring Your love into my heart every day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I don't deserve it. I could never earn it. But by the grace of God, I choose to embrace it, as I receive Your invitation to forever abide in You and allow You to forever abide in me -- every moment, of every day (John 15:4). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will experience the abiding Presence of God and His love in your heart every moment of your day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

    

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, August 30 - Faith Grounded in God's Faithfulness

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your leading.  ...

 

"Saul said to David, 'You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.' But David said to Saul, 'Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of the them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.' David said, 'The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine'" (1 Samuel 17:33-37).

 

David's faith was grounded in Your faithfulness. He believed in his heart and confessed with his mouth that what You had done for him in the past, You would do for now because who You were for him in the past was who You would be for him now. You are "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

 

It may have been his own hands that took the lion and the bear by the jaw to strike them down and rescue his flock, but he understood that his courage and wisdom and power came from You. He didn't take the glory, but gave all glory to You (1 Samuel 17:37). He had his part, but You had Yours. When he faced the bear or the lion, he acted in faith because he knew in his heart You were faithful to come through. When he acted in faith, You would back him up. He knew You always had and he knew You always would.

 

Thank You, Lord, for every way You have shown Your faithfulness to me. Remind me often of those times when I was so desperately dependent upon You alone that if You didn't show up I was surely doomed -- over and over again. And as I remember, I will be encouraged. As I remember, I will be confident in You to faithfully give me all the courage and wisdom and power I need to prevail and overcome. In You and the power of Your grace and love for me, I am more than a conqueror, always victoriously overcoming through Christ (Romans 8:37). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be encouraged and empowered in your faith every time you remember every time our God has been faithful to you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

   

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, August 29 - Who Am I?

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. First things first -- as I begin my day, I want to begin with You in the communion of prayer -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...

 

"Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near Him, He asked them, 'Who do the crowds say that I am?' They answered, 'John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets has arisen.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered, 'The Messiah of God'" (Luke 9:18-20).

 

The crowds are rarely right. The masses often miss it. It's human nature to be led by human emotions and driven by human desires. So You're always inviting us to look to You instead of listen to them, to seek Your face instead of seek their fame, and let Your Word shape our will instead of their whims that can change with the wind.

 

What could be a more important question than this -- "Who do you say that I am?" If You are "the Messiah of God" -- God come in the flesh as God with us and Christ within us, to sacrifice Your life for us and show us how to live our lives in You, what could be more important? It defines everything and determines our destiny now in this age and the age to come (John 3:16).

 

Yet, perhaps almost as important in our spiritual journey is to ask You as well, "Who do You day that I am?" At the end of the day and at the end of my journey through this life, it doesn't really matter who the crowd says that I am or what the world thinks of me. The only thing that will matter is who You say that I am.

 

"We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.' So then, each of us will be accountable to God" (Romans 14:7-12).

 

By the grace of the faith You've given me, I believe You are the Son of God, the Messiah of God -- crucified, dead and buried and raised from the dead, sitting at the right hand of the Father, and You will come again to judge the living and the dead. You're One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit. So the question that's on my heart today is "Who do You say that I am?"  ...

 

As I wait in the silence and listen for the voice of my Good Shepherd, it seems I hear You saying in my heart:  "You are My son, My beloved son. Above all else, I want you to know this. And as you come to fully know this down in the depths of your soul, it will not longer matter to you who anyone else in all this world says that you are."  ...

 

Yes, Lord. Help me learn what this really means. Help me embrace who I really am, just as I embrace who You really are. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be confident in who you are as a son or daughter of God, confident in your faith in the One who loves you and calls you by name as His own, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

   

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, August 26 - Fire of God Fall!

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start today and everyday seeking Your face, listening for Your voice, resting in Your presence, and waiting for Your leading -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  ...

 

"I will call on the name of the Lord; the God who answers by fire is indeed God" (1 Kings 18:24).

 

You don't play with matches, unless you want to be burned. And you don't pray for the fire of God to fall unless you're ready to be consumed with a fiery passion and all-consuming desire to live for God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength. "For indeed our God is a consuming Fire" (Hebrews 12:19).

 

All are called to the baptism of repentance -- to turn away from the sin and self-centeredness of living our lives merely on our terms, for our own purposes, and turn to God in the surrender of our hearts and the salvation of our souls. But fewer are they who will embrace Your baptism of fire. As John the Baptist proclaimed, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but One who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).

 

Answer my prayers with Your fire today, O God. Baptize me in Your Holy Spirit. Baptize me in Your Holy Fire. Burn out of me everything that is not yet fully committed, fully surrendered to You (Matthew 3:12). Set me ablaze with a fresh passion to live my life for Your purpose -- confident in my identity as a chosen son of God and fulfilling my destiny as a carrier of Your flame and ambassador of Your name (Acts 1:5).  

 

"So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). And that appeal of God is not to spend our lives merely inviting people to turn from their sins and go to heaven instead of hell when they die, but so much more. It is the cry of the heart of our Father, "turning the world upside down" in the power of the Holy Spirit and the mighty name of Jesus to the glory of our Father, as we invite whosoever will to come and embrace that same all-consuming Fire (Acts 17:6). That's what it means to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). Let me settle for nothing less.

 

Come, Holy Spirit. Strike that match and set that fire down in my soul today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray the fire of God will fall on you today, setting you ablaze with a fresh passion of His Holy Fire to turn your world upside down to the glory of God, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, August 25 - "Renewed Day by Day"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Awaken my spirit in the communion of prayer with Your Spirit -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...

 

"So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

 

I need to be new -- "renewed day by day." Thank You that the moment You came into my heart and gave me Your Spirit to abide in my soul, I became new -- "a new creation" in Christ (v. 5:17). From that day forth, I can proclaim the truth that "everything has become new!" (v. 5:17)  But at the same time, I also need to know that You're still at work within me, that I need You to still be at work within me to be "renewed day by day" (v. 4:16).

 

How do You renew me day by day, Lord?  ...

 

It seems I hear You saying in my heart:  "My son, seek Me. Consciously, deliberately open your heart to My Presence, allow My Spirit to abide in your spirit. Let Me put My thoughts in your mind and My desires in your heart. Allow Me to change you into My image  -- day by day -- one day at a time, even one moment at a time."

 

Yes, Lord. Let it be so. I choose to acknowledge my need to be renewed in Your Spirit today. And I desire to pursue Your Presence. Come, Holy Spirit. Fill me afresh today (Ephesians 5:18). Renew me afresh today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be refreshed and renewed in the deeply abiding Spirit of God in the depths of your soul day by day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

      

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, August 24 - "For the Sake of the Joy"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- I welcome every dimension of Your Being into every dimension of my being -- spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  ...

 

As I wait for the leading of Your Spirit, beginning my day in the communion of prayer, I hear in my heart these words:  "for the sake of the joy."  ...

 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat as the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

 

You endured Your cross and all that went with it "for the sake of the joy." And as You call us to "take up (our) cross daily, and follow (You)," You give us the power of Your grace to press on and press through every cross we bear and all that goes with it "for the sake of the joy" as well (Luke 9:23).

 

And when we've made it through another painful, bloody mess of our last ordeal, Your joy fills our hearts and Your praise fills our mouths. It's by the power of the victory of Your cross that we have the power to endure and overcome whatever cross is set before us. And whatever it was and whatever may yet come, in Your eternal perspective it's only a "slight momentary affliction" that is "preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure" (2 Corinthians 4:17). 

 

That's how we can "consider it nothing but joy" when we "face trials of any kind," knowing that "the testing of (our) faith produces endurance; and (we can) let endurance have its full effect, so that (we) may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). "Looking to Jesus," I pray I will keep growing in maturity, persevering in faith, overcoming every trial "for the sake of the joy" You've set before me (Hebrews 12:2). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray your heart will be filled with joy and your mouth be filled with praise, as you keep looking to Jesus through every trial, being made mature and complete in Him, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

     

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, August 23 - "I Commit My Spirit"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear Your voice and follow Your lead, Good Shepherd of my soul (John 10:4).  ...

 

"For You indeed are my rock and and my fortress; for Your name's sake lead me and guide me.... Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God" (Psalm 31:3-5).

 

I commit my spirit into Your hand and welcome Your Spirit into my heart. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as You lead me and guide throughout the moments of my day. Let it be a natural part of my nature, now redeemed in You as a child of God, being daily conformed into the nature of the Son of God (Romans 8:29). "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14).

 

It seems I hear You say in my heart:  "More of Me; less of you. More of My Spiritual nature; less of your fleshly nature. More of My will; less of your will. I will increase; and you will decrease, as you humble yourself to allow Me to change you into My image, more every day, to the degree you willingly choose to seek Me and follow Me."

 

Yes, Lord. Give me that desire. And give me that power -- to will what is right, then to do what is right, because You are the One at work within me, making things right within me. "For it is God working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases (You)" (Philippians 2:13 NLT). 

 

My flesh doesn't will this, but my spirit does. "(My) spirit indeed is willing, but (my) flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I commit my spirit into Your hand today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will conformed into the image of the Son of God, more every day, as you commit your spirit into His hand, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, August 22 - "His Favor is for a Lifetime"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day and every day committed to You in the communion of prayer -- embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit.  ...

 

"I will extol You, O Lord, for You have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You have healed me. O Lord, You brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life that I should not go down to the Pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you His faithful ones, and give thanks to His holy name! His anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.... You have turned my morning into dancing; You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever!" (Psalm 30:1-12)

 

In our daily journey through this broken and fallen world, many are our foes, but forever is Your favor. Many are our opportunities to give in and give up, but these are also our opportunities to give it all over to You, as we look up and call on the One who is "mighty to save" (Isaiah 63:1).

 

You said, "In Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). And because You've overcome, we can overcome. Because You've won, we can win. Because You are our Peace, we can have peace, even in the midst of the tribulation of this world. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels no rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:37-39).

 

Though sorrow may last for the night, Your joy comes with the morning. Though the waves of the sea trying to batter us into submission may roar and the mountains of our security under our feet may tremble and quake, though it may seem like our soul has gone down to Sheol to be buried in the Pit of our destruction, You reach out in the power of Your grace, You lift us up in the embrace of Your love, and You speak "Peace! Be still!" in the midst of our hearts (Mark 4:39). 

 

You let us know that it was You alone who was mighty to save. And You remind us that forever is Your favor and covers every moment of our lifetime in Your steadfast love and unfailing grace. So my soul will praise You and not be silent, for You have turned my mourning into dancing and clothed me with joy! O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will experience the favor of our God through any tribulation you face, knowing His mighty power of save in His steadfast love and unfailing grace, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!