Morning by Morning, December 18 - "Blessed" and "Highly Favored"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  ...

 

"Having come in, the angel said to (Mary), 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'" (Luke 1:26 NKJV)

 

Mary wasn't "blessed" and "highly favored" because she was better than anyone else. She was "blessed" and "highly favored" because You were with her. And that was even before the Holy Spirit came upon her and overshadowed her to conceive the Son of God in her womb (v. 1:35). She was already "blessed" and "highly favored" even before she believed in Your word to her in faith and made herself available to You in obedience for Your plans and purposes for her life and the lives You would touch through her. 

 

It wasn't what Mary believed or what she did that made her "blessed" and "highly favored." It was who she was -- a child of God, loved by God, created by God with purpose and calling and destiny that could only be fulfilled by God. And so are we. What we do flows out of who we are; and who we are was determined by God long before we ever said in faith, "Let it be to me according to your word" (v. 1:38).

 

We're "blessed" and "highly favored" because You created us, because You love us, and because You are with us. "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). And from the security and confidence of who we are in You and of who You are with us, You can do great things with our lives. "For with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:37). 

 

Thank You, Lord, that I'm "blessed" and "highly favored!" Thank You that You are with me, overshadowing me and empowering me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You that You can do great things through my life for Your glory because I am a child of God, created and called according to Your purpose. Let it be to me according to Your Word! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are secure and confident in who you are -- a "blessed" and "highly favored" child of God, created and called according to His purpose, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

    

Morning by Morning. Order my 365 Day Prayer Devotional for yourself or a friend to begin the New Year starting off each day embraced by the Father, centered in Jesus, and filled afresh with the Holy Spirit.

 

Order Morning by Morning through Amazon

Register for the Healing Academy.

Friends, I'll be teaching at the Healing Academy on Healing and Deliverance Prayer Ministry this coming February 5-8, 2019 in the Nashville area at the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Center. Please come join us if you're being called to healing prayer ministry! Sign up today:    Healing Academy

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, December 17 - "Name Him Jesus"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. O come let us adore, You -- Christ the Lord.  ...

 

"The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end'" (Luke 1:30-33).

 

The Son of the Most High, the One who would be great, the King on the throne of David who would rule and reign forever, would be named Jesus-- meaning the salvation of God. Though this Child, who would be our Savior and King, who would be born in Bethlehem and die on Calvary, who would descend into Hell and ascend into Heaven, who was and who is and who is to come, would be our salvation to restore our sin-broken relationship with our holy God. Through Jesus, "all flesh shall see the salvation of God" (Luke 3:6).

 

Lord Jesus, be my Salvation today and every day. Cleanse my sins, heal my hurts, break my chains. Remove every barrier from my intimate relationship with God and restore me to righteousness. You are the salvation of God. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). 

 

So come, let us adore You. Let us surrender and entrust our hearts to You -- this day and every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, I pray you surrender and entrust your heart to Jesus -- the Salvation of God -- this day and every day, as He cleanses your sins, heals your hurt, breaks your chains, and removes every barrier to restore you in righteousness to God, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   

Preaching in Pakistan. Friends, thank you so much for all your prayers and support for our evangelistic meetings in Pakistan through our Skype Internet Ministry. Each month, I am preaching in different villages around Lahore, Pakistan in the Punjab Region. We are Praising God for this report and photos from Pastor Fazal from the Saturday Night Meeting: "Dear Pastor Tommy, Thanks Lord 296 Souls are saved and 27 People are healed from back pains and 9 people are healed from arm pain and 6 people are healed from legs problems and many more. We give all glory to Jesus Christ and Thanks very much to do every month Skype." Amen! Thank you to all my friends who pray for us and support us to make this ministry possible! God bless you!

Morning by Morning. Order my 365 Day Prayer Devotional for yourself or a friend to begin the New Year starting off each day embraced by the Father, centered in Jesus, and filled afresh with the Holy Spirit.

 

Order Morning by Morning through Amazon

Register for the Healing Academy.

Friends, I'll be teaching at the Healing Academy on Healing and Deliverance Prayer Ministry this coming February 5-8, 2019 in the Nashville area at the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Center. Please come join us if you're being called to healing prayer ministry! Sign up today:    Healing Academy

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, December 13 - Soaking Up the Spirit

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm listening for Your leading -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.  ...

 

"When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God's blessing.... Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and endurance" (Hebrews 6:7-12 NLT).

 

Lord, let my heart be good ground, thirsty ground, soaking up the rain of Your Spirit. Let there be a good crop, a good harvest of Your love and life growing up in me with Your blessing. As I'm living and loving in the power and grace of Your Spirit, You're continually confirming my hope in all that's true.

 

Let me not become spiritually dull or spiritually indifferent. Let me not become asleep or aloof, satisfied to settle for something less than the fullness of my inheritance in You and Your promises for me. But let Your rain fall. Soak me in Your Spirit! Let there be no dry spots or dusty roads in the harvest field of my soul "as long as life lasts." Let Your Spirit soak me and saturate me 'til I'm knee deep in the deep things of God, magnificently muddy with Your Presence, and "filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are soaking up the Spirit as the holy rain of the Presence of the Lord saturates your soul and fills you with all the fullness of God, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   

Morning by Morning. Order my 365 Day Prayer Devotional for yourself or a friend to begin the New Year starting off each day embraced by the Father, centered in Jesus, and filled afresh with the Holy Spirit.

 

Order Morning by Morning through Amazon

Register for the Healing Academy.

Friends, I'll be teaching at the Healing Academy on Healing and Deliverance Prayer Ministry this coming February 5-8, 2019 in the Nashville area at the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Center. Please come join us if you're being called to healing prayer ministry! Sign up today:    Healing Academy

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, December 12 - "Lord of All"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up Your name and speak out Your authority over every area of my life and every moment of my day.  ...

 

"Jesus Christ -- He is Lord of all" (Acts 10:36).

 

Lordship is relational. You're Lord and I'm not. You're in charge and I'm not. You're in control and I'm not. Any area of my life where I'm still in charge or in control, I'm still being lord of that area instead of yielding to Your Lordship of that area. 

 

Insisting on my lordship instead of yielding to Your Lordship is just another form of pride -- where I'm going to do what I want to do in the power of my strength and in accordance with my will. It's like in the days of the judges where "there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25). That's the opposite of humility. That's an attitude of rebellion, resisting Your will and authority in our lives, rooted in pride, and refusing to acknowledge You as our King, Your Word as our Law, Your Character as our Example, Your Truth as our Standard, and Your Spirit as our Guide.

 

Your Word says "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:6-10). So our pride resists You in the very places where we need Your grace the most. And when things don't go well, when that's not working out so well for us, it feels like You're opposing us but we're really just opposing You and living out the consequence of our rebellion and resistance against You.

 

In the folly and foolishness of our pride that insists on our will and our way, asserting our own lordship, we're basically saying, "No thanks, God. I've got this." Which is just another way of saying, "I don't need You. I can handle things just fine on my own. So just take Your grace and go give it to somebody who really needs it -- somebody who's weak enough to need You and 'humble' enough to admit it."

 

Wow, forgive me, Lord. Uproot that attitude from my heart and my mind, and all the subtle ways it sneaks in under the guide of self-confidence or healthy independence, when it's really just plain ol' pride. It's a modern version of that ancient declaration, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14). It's like saying, "I am Lord of all."

 

Wow, that's ugly. But when You show it to me like that, I want no part of it. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). And I sure don't need more chances to fall, but the power of Your grace to lift me up. And the way up is down -- down on my knees, surrendered in my heart, yielded to Your Lordship in every area of my life -- not doing what's right in my own eyes, but doing what's right in Yours.

 

So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth "that Jesus is Lord" (Romans 10:6). I want to come to place where I can proclaim in both faith and in truth that "Jesus Christ -- He is Lord of all" -- Lord of all that I am and all that I have, Lord all I ever will have and ever will be, Lord of my spirit and soul and body, Lord of identity and destiny, Lord of my family and all my relationships, Lord my work and ministry, Lord of my gifts and calling, Lord of my finances and hopes, Lord of my past and present and future, Lord of my eternity, Lord of all. Lord, let it be so. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are lifted up in the arms of the Lord, full of His grace and love, and living into the fullness of His favor, as you humble yourself in His sight to yield to His Lordship in every area of your life as Lord of all, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   

Morning by Morning. Order my 365 Day Prayer Devotional for yourself or a friend to begin the New Year starting off each day embraced by the Father, centered in Jesus, and filled afresh with the Holy Spirit.

 

Order Morning by Morning through Amazon

Register for the Healing Academy.

Friends, I'll be teaching at the Healing Academy on Healing and Deliverance Prayer Ministry this coming February 5-8, 2019 in the Nashville area at the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Center. Please come join us if you're being called to healing prayer ministry! Sign up today:    Healing Academy

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, December 11 - Hope, Patience, and Prayer

 

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

 

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer" (Romans 12:12).

 

You Word invites me to "rejoice in hope." My joy is grounded in hope. And my hope is grounded in the unwavering truth of Your Word and the unfailing work of Your Spirit, confirming my faith and trust in You. Knowing what You've done gives me hope to look and see what You will do. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

 

Your Word invites me to "be patient in suffering." You may not directly will everything I suffer, for You never will what is evil or what is sinful. But we all suffer the consequences of the evil and sinful choices made throughout the generations that set up the circumstances of our afflictions and sufferings on our journey through this broken and fallen world as You carry on Your plan of redemption of all things (Acts 3:19-21). And You don't waste a moment of our sufferings. You use them all, no matter the source, to make us more like You, to teach us to learn to love, to help us understand who we are and who You are in us. That's how You cause "all things (to) work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

 

And Your Word invites me to "persevere in prayer." In that sense, prayer is a choice. Prayer is an act of my will, empowered by Your Spirit, to persist, to press in, to press through, to "p-u-s-h" -- "pray-until-something-happens." Too many times, we give up too soon. We lose heart, we lose hope, we lose patience, and we don't "persevere in prayer" to press through our challenges and prevail over our circumstances and pass our test to be promoted in the Spirit. "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 1:6-7).

 

Joy, suffering, perseverance, along with faith, hope, and prayer -- I wish it all wasn't so intertwined. But then, my thoughts are not yet like Your thoughts and my ways are not yet like Your ways -- Yours are higher and Yours are better (Isaiah 55:8-9). So my part is to keep learning to trust You, as You keep showing Yourself faithful -- to keep rejoicing in hope, being patient in suffering, and persevering in prayer -- as best as I can and all by Your grace. That's all part of how You are making me more like You each day (Romans 8:29; 1 John 4:7). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are empowered by the Spirit and encouraged on your journey today -- rejoicing in hope, being patient in suffering, and persevering in prayer, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

  

Morning by Morning. Order my 365 Day Prayer Devotional for yourself or a friend to begin the New Year starting off each day embraced by the Father, centered in Jesus, and filled afresh with the Holy Spirit.

 

Order Morning by Morning through Amazon

Register for the Healing Academy.

Friends, I'll be teaching at the Healing Academy on Healing and Deliverance Prayer Ministry this coming February 5-8, 2019 in the Nashville area at the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Center. Please come join us if you're being called to healing prayer ministry! Sign up today:    Healing Academy

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, December 10 - "Meditate on Your Word" to Lead from Your Truth

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of who I am and all I do this day.  ...

 

"I cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord.... I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your Word. My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may mediate on Your Word.... You are near, O Lord, and all Your commandments are Truth" (Psalm 119:145-151 NKJV).

 

I hope in Your Word; I meditate on Your Word. I welcome Your Word to become a part of who I am -- informing my thoughts, clarifying my choices, and guiding my steps.

 

Let Your Word be my Plumb Line. Straighten out what's crooked and align what's out of place. Make me sensitive to Your conviction and discerning of Your correction. Let me not be deceived or confused, but clear and direct in what is right according to You and Your Word and Your ways.

 

Then "the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart" will "be acceptable in Your sight" because they are grounded in Your Word as my Standard and my Definition of Truth, "O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14 NKJV). When I mediate on Your Word, I can live and love and lead from Your Truth. Lord, let it be so -- in my heart and in the heart of all who would seek to share Your Word and shepherd Your people, in the power and love of Your grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are filled with a fresh hunger to meditate on God's Word that you may live and love and lead from His truth in every place He has strategically positioned you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

  

Morning by Morning. Order my 365 Day Prayer Devotional for yourself or a friend to begin the New Year starting off each day embraced by the Father, centered in Jesus, and filled afresh with the Holy Spirit.

 

Order Morning by Morning through Amazon

Register for the Healing Academy.

Friends, I'll be teaching at the Healing Academy on Healing and Deliverance Prayer Ministry this coming February 5-8, 2019 in the Nashville area at the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Center. Please come join us if you're being called to healing prayer ministry! Sign up today:    Healing Academy

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!