Friday, May 01, 2020

Learning and Growing through All We Endure and Overcome - Morning by Morning, May 1, 2020

Morning by Morning, May 1 - Learning and Growing through All We Endure and Overcome
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm looking to You, to walk in Your steps by the leading of Your Holy Spirit, secure in the embrace and love of my Father. ...
 
"In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered; and having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, having been designated by God a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:7-10).
 
Lord Jesus, it's hard for us to fully grasp "the days of (Your) flesh." You set aside the glory of heaven as the Son of God -- in the nature of God -- to humble Yourself in the likeness of human flesh and blood as the Son of Man -- in nature of man (Philippians 2:5-11). You were conceived by the Holy Spirit; and at the same time, You were also born from the womb of a human mother to walk this earth as a man for those thirty-three and a half years in the days of Your flesh when "the Word became flesh and lived among us" (Luke 1:35; John 1:14).
 
During those days of Your flesh, You "grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). During those days of Your flesh, You were "One who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 5:15) -- "for (You) faced all the same testings we do, yet (You) did not sin" (Hebrews 5:15 NLT). 
 
According to the Word of God, You "grew" in wisdom and You "learned" obedience. And the growing and learning happened through the times of testing and the suffering. As Your disciples, we are no different. "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40).
 
So, like it or not -- and mostly, honestly, the truth is we don't like it at all -- we also must learn obedience through suffering, that we may also grow in wisdom. That's all part of how we are to follow You as Your disciples. "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). That's all part of how we are to be like You in our world (1 John 4:17), on our daily journey -- morning by morning, day by day, step by step -- being conformed into the image of Christ, image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29). "Christ in (us), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
 
Father, these are the days of our flesh. These are the days we to be growing and learning and becoming more like Jesus every day. We can't do any of that on our own. We can't even desire that on our own. In all humility, apart from all our pride, we must willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. We desperately need Your Holy Spirit to give us the desire and the power to follow in the steps of Jesus -- learning obedience through whatever we're suffering and growing in wisdom through all You're teaching us. "For God is working in (us), giving (us) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13).
 
Teach me, Lord. You never waste a moment of our sufferings. Grow me up, Lord. You never miss an opportunity to make us more like Jesus. I pray this for myself and for all the body and the bride of Christ, the many sons and daughters being brought to glory, through all we endure and overcome, to become like Jesus in these days of our flesh (Hebrews 2:10). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you endure and overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit, learning and growing through all you may be suffering and facing to become more like Jesus every day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

   

Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
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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Thursday, April 30, 2020

"For a Little While" - Morning by Morning, April 30, 2020

Morning by Morning, April 30 - "For a Little While"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of my morning, I offer You the first thoughts in my mind, the first desires of my heart, and the first words from my mouth -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ... 

"After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the power forever and ever!" (1 Peter 4:10-11) 

It seems all the world is suffering at some level right now. Some more than others. Some differently than others. But all suffering at some level. Even for those who seem to be somewhat unscathed at the moment, they also are moved by the sufferings of their neighbors and our world, for when one suffers, all suffer (1 Corinthians 12:26). 

But You are "the God of all grace." And as we invite You into our sufferings, as we offer up our sufferings to You. For You come to "restore, support, strengthen, and establish (us)." What might seem like is lasting forever, or at least lasting a lot longer than any of us desire, is only "for a little while." 

What we are suffering right now is not permanent. It's not forever. Shifting and changing and transformation and redemption is on the way. In fact, it's already at work in our world and in us. For You are already at work in our world and in us, causing it all to work together for good for all who are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). And You have a purpose for us all (Jeremiah 29:11).  

That's because You are "the God of all grace." You're "the God" -- the One who is sovereign over all, who sees the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end, who has the last word over our world and whatever sufferings we go through in our world. And Your heart is full "of all grace" -- full of mercy and love, full of the desire for our good and all that means for every one of us, both eternally and the moment we're going through right now. 

So even as our minds think "how long, O Lord! (Psalm 13:1), our hearts hear You say, only "for a little while" (1 Peter 5:10). 

Come, Holy Spirit of God. I open my heart to "the God of all grace." In prayer, as one in the Spirit and one in the Lord, with all my brothers and sisters around the world, I invite You into our sufferings and offer them up to You. And I thank You, Father, for the promise of Your Word and the power of Your Spirit that no matter who long it takes or what we go through in the present sufferings of this broken and fallen world in such desperate need of Your salvation and redemption, You are at work in it all. And through it all, You will "restore" and "support" and "strengthen" and "establish" us to be all You've created us to be. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be restored, supported, strengthened, and established as the God of all grace empowers you to get through these sufferings and make you more like Him in the process, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
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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Wednesday, April 29, 2020

"I Know My Redeemer Lives!" - Morning by Morning, April 29, 2020

Morning by Morning, April 29 - "I Know My Redeemer Lives!"

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

"For I know my Redeemer lives, and at last He will stand upon the earth" (Job 19:25). 

You don't just restore, You redeem. You don't just give back what was taken away, You multiply it and magnify it into something that's even more than it was before. You don't just repair was broken, You take those very places of our deepest brokenness and turn them into the places of Your greatest breakthroughs! 

You are our Redeemer. And You come to stand in the middle of whatever we're facing. By the same faith You give us to know that You live, You give us the faith to know You will redeem all we're living through. You'll turn it all to good, as You turn our brokenness into Your breakthroughs. 

You did it for Job. You'll do it for us. His challenges were real. His pain was real. His losses and brokenness after wave after wave of spiritual attack was real. But there came a day when You redeemed it all -- not just restoring what was lost, but redeeming it all into much more than he ever had (Job 42:10). 

In humble surrender and trusting faith, Job turned his heart, his eyes, and his ears to You (Job 42:4-6). And Job turned his future over to You, even after all he'd been through, declaring with the heart of one who knows his Redeemer lives, "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2). 

Lord Jesus, You are my Redeemer. And with Job and all who are trusting You to come through, to turn our brokenness into Your breakthroughs in our hearts and in our world, I declare -- "I know my Redeemer lives! And at last He will stand upon the earth!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you know with humble heart and trusting faith that Your Redeemer lives and He stands with you in the midst of all your facing to turn your brokenness into His breakthroughs, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
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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Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Things to Know at "The Time of the End" - Morning by Morning, April 28, 2020

Morning by Morning, April 28 - Things to Know at "The Time of the End"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Looking to You, I listen for Your leading to begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit. ...
 
"At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first come into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contemp. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase" (Daniel 12:1-4).
 
Lord, we don't know just how close we are to "the time of the end." But we do know we see "a time of anguish" and a time where it seems like "evil shall increase." We do know it's a time when we need our Great Protector, our Great Savior, the only One who can "deliver (our) people" to arise in our hearts and in the earth as the King of King and Lord of Lords, sending Your Word and Your Spirit, Your angels and archangels and the hosts of heaven to join with us in the epic spiritual battles of these days.
 
We do know we want our names to be "written in the book" -- written on the palms of Your hands and sealed in center of Your heart. We do know we want to be among those who are "wise," who "shine like the brightness of the sky," who shine "like the stars forever and ever."  And we do know we want to be found faithful through these times to be among those "who lead many to righteousness" -- for You are our Righteousness and You are the only One who can set things right in our hearts and in our world.
 
There's a lot we don't know in these days. That's why many are "running back and forth." But there are many things we do know. And these are the things that must be at the center of our lives to get us through these days. 
 
Show us these things. Strengthen these things. These are the things that cannot be shaken. These are the things that will remain when all else fails. These are things like our salvation by grace through faith in You, being grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit, humbling ourselves from all our pride to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone, drawing near to You in deeply abiding personal intimacy with You in every dimension of Your Being as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God, trusting and obeying and becoming more like You every day as we learn to love and receive Your love and express Your love in our world.
 
Show us, strengthen us, awaken us and empower us, to stand firm in You through these days, to learn all Your teaching us in these days. These may be the days where You're beginning to reveal the secrets and open the seals of the book. These may be the days where we are honored to be called and chosen to be alive, to awaken and arise and shine for just such a time as this! Lord God, let us not miss our part in these days! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you be found faithful through these days, secure in the One you need to know to arise and shine as one of His wise and bright ones, leading many to righteousness, leading many to the Righteous One, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

  

Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
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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Monday, April 27, 2020

Freedom to be Real and Raw in our Prayers - Morning by Morning, April 27, 2020

Morning by Morning, April 27 - Freedom to be Real and Raw in our Prayers
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I humble my heart so I can hear Yours -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
In days that can feel a little bit like these days, the Psalmist cried out to You in frustration and hurt from his feelings of isolation and judgment: "You have taken from me my closest friends.... I am confined and cannot escape!" (Psalm 88:8 NLT)
 
Sounds like he was in a season of social-distancing, under quarantine, and sheltered-in-place. Sounds like he was feeling more like a victim than victorious, more like being overcome and being an overcomer, defeated and not determined, more like being beneath and not above, the tail and not the head. Sounds like it felt like his world was upside down, out of his hands and out of control. So in the honesty of prayer, he just needed some time to get these words out of his mouth so he could get them out of his spirit.
 
He speaks of feeling "helpless and desperate" (v. 15), "overwhelmed" (v. 16), "paralyzed" by "terrors" (v. 16), "engulfed" by "floodwaters" (v. 17) like "wave after wave" (v.7). He speaks of his questions that don't seem to be answered and his prayers that don't seem to be heard (v. 9). He questions Your wisdom and motives (v. 10). He even finishes his prayer with the mournful expression, "Darkness is my closest friend" (v. 18).
 
If there was ever a place in the Bible that gave us permission to be real and raw in our prayers, to be unflinchingly honest with all our our feelings and frustrations, all our hurts and disappointed hopes and dealings with despair, surely this is it! 
 
But what frees him to be so honest with You, so freely expressive in his prayers of lament and cries of injustice and railings against all that seems wrong in his world, is the simple truth sealed in his heart at the very beginning of his prayer:  "O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to You by day. I come to You at night" (v. 1).
 
You're not the God of our destruction. You're the God of our salvation. You're not a god who is distant, blind, and uncaring. You're the God who invites us to cry out to You by day and come to You by night. You're not a god who gets offended by our questions and retaliates against our honest expression of raw emotions and deep frustrations. You're the God helps us get it up and get it out and so we can give it over to You.
 
With all that's going on in our world and all that's going on in our hearts, You're the God who is with us and the God who will get us through this. Thank You for the freedom to express our frustrations along the way. And thank You for the grace we don't have to get stuck in that place, but we can openly and honestly give it all to You. We can get it up and get it out and give it all to You -- "O Lord, God of (our) salvation!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you be free to be real and raw in all your prayers and all you're feeling from all we're going through in our world right now -- getting it up and getting it out and giving it all to the God of our salvation, in Jesus' name. And my you let Him replace all that with His simple truth and assurance of His Presence sealed in your heart. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

  

Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays



Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
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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