"The Spirit of Glory" - June 23, 2020

Morning by Morning, June 23 - "The Spirit of Glory"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me, as I seek You and embrace Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Uproot and remove all that's in me that's not yet like You. ....

 

"Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God.... The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.... Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when His glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of Glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.... Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God's will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good" (1 Peter 4:1-19).

 

I'm hearing much these days about "the glory" -- about "the glory realm" and entering into a deeper place of Your Presence and experiencing a greater measure of Your power in our lives and in our world. And I praise You for awakening revelation and insight to take hold of all You've planned and purposed for us as the Body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, to continue the ministry of Christ in our generation in increasing measures of Your Glory and Your Presence.

 

And at the same time, there is "a Spirit of Glory" -- "which is the Spirit of God" that is "resting on (us)" that comes when we are "blessed" and "reviled for the name of Christ" (v. 14).

 

When's the last time I was "blessed" by "the glory" in that way? (v. 14) When's the last time I took such a stand for my faith in my Lord that it could be said of me that I was "sharing Christ's sufferings, so that (I) may also be glad and shout for joy when His glory is revealed" through "the fiery ordeal" I'm enduring for the sake of the name of Jesus? (v. 13)

 

Many have -- in generations past and even in our day in many parts of our world. And it would seem there's increasing opportunity to embrace and experience "the Spirit of Glory" right here at home and right here in our hearts.

 

Lord, prepare my heart for "the Spirit of Glory." You will have a people on this earth who have the authority of the name of Jesus in the power of our words and prayers and proclamations, but also have the nature and character of Jesus in our hearts. "Christ in (us), the hope of glory" has as much to do with my willingness to share in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of Your name as it does with the glorious power for miracles and manifestations of Your glory in us and through us on earth as it is in heaven (Colossians 1:27).

 

It's not "either/or" -- it's "both/and." It's not either the glory of demonstrating Your power in Your name or the glory of sharing the sufferings of Christ; it's both the glory of demonstrating Your power in Your name and the glory of sharing in Your sufferings. Help us, help me, be prepared for both, as we seek to embrace "the Spirit of Glory."

 

"Fiery ordeals" will come (v. 12). "Tests" of our faith will come (v. 12). Opportunities to learn to "love" in the way that "covers a multitude of sins" will come (v. 8). And in the power of Your grace at work within us to make us more like You each day, we will "be glad" and even "shout for joy" through it all, as "(Your) glory is revealed" (v. 13), and as Your "Spirit of Glory" arises and shines through us (v. 14).

 

"For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon (us), and His glory will appear over (us)... Then (we) shall see and be radiant; (our) heart shall thrill and rejoice" (Isaiah 60:2-5). So in the power of Your grace, in the Spirit of Your Glory, may we "Arise, shine; for (our) Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon (us)!" (Isaiah 60:1) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, may you be filled with the Spirit of Glory, prepared by the glory and grace of God at work within you to have the character of Jesus in your heart and the authority of His name in your words, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

      

  

Listen and join me in today's Morning by Morning

Prayer Devotional Podcast

https://anchor.fm/morningbymorningtommyhays

New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway

Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Setting Twisted Things Straight - June 22, 2020

Morning by Morning, June 22 - Setting Twisted Things Straight

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I look to You and listen for Your leading, help me begin this day grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. ...

 

"On that day the Lord with His cruel and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and He will kill the dragon that is in the sea" (Isaiah 27:1).

 

On a day when it seems our world is swimming in a sea of confusion, struggling for stability, crying out for security against wave after wave of anarchy, we find ourselves finally turning to You. You alone are our Strength and Strong Tower, our Wisdom and the One who leads us in the ways of life, grounded in Your truth and guarded in Your love.

 

While it may look like cultural wars and political battles and social turmoil, the deeper truth is that we're in the midst of an epic spiritual battle. We're in the midst of days where good is called evil and evil is called good, where what is true is called a lie and what is a lie is called the truth. And without the grounding of Your Word and the guidance of Your Spirit, we are doomed to lose our discernment to know the difference.

 

"Ah, you 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!

Ah, you who are wise in your own eyes,

    and shrewd in your own sight!" (Isaiah 5:20-21).

 

While the twisting serpent wants to twist our sense of what is true and what is false, what is good and what is evil, what's of the Spirit and what's of the flesh, what will stand the test of time and what will be consumed in the Fire of the Lord like wood and hay and stubble, we turn to the One who defeats the twisted lies with the truth. We cry out to the One who cuts off the head of the serpent with the Sword of the Lord, the very Word of God, wielded in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).

 

Come, Holy Spirit! Set the twisted things straight. Make our paths straight. Set us free from this twisting serpent of our times! Set our hearts right on the path that is straight and true, even though it's the way that's more difficult to walk against the headwinds of our world. "For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many go by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).

 

Lord, let us find it! Lord, let us live into it! Lord, let us see in our day Your mighty defeat and manifestation of Your eternal victory over this ancient and twisted serpent! As we stand firm in You and walk in Your ways, You will crush his head under our feet (Roman 16:20) and You will cut off his head with Your strong sword in Your mighty name! (Isaiah 27:1) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, may you be strengthened and encouraged, filled with the Holy Spirit to stand firm in the Lord and walk in His ways, as He sets twisted things straight and cuts off the head of the twisting serpent in your world, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

      

  

Listen and join me in today's Morning by Morning

Prayer Devotional Podcast

https://anchor.fm/morningbymorningtommyhays

New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway

Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

"He Who Sits in the Heavens Laughs" - June 19, 2020

Morning by Morning, June 19 - "He Who Sits in the Heavens Laughs"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord, and I listen for Your leading to begin my day seeking to follow You and even become more like You today -- all by Your grace at work within me and within all who open their hearts to trust in You. ...

 

What I hear in my heart this morning is this bold declaration -- "He who sits in the heavens laughs!" ...

 

Immediately Your Word comes to mind from Psalm 2:

 

"Why do the nations conspire,

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and His Anointed, saying,

'Let us burst their bonds asunder

And cast their cords from us.'

 

He who sits in the heavens laughs! 

The Lord has them in derision.

Then He will speak to them in His wrath,

and terrify them in His fury, saying,

'I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill'"

(Psalm 2:1-6).

 

The question comes to mind, "Lord, why are You laughing? Right now our world is full of poverty, injustice, sickness, fear, hatred, and greed. Right now there are millions of souls bound in spiritual darkness and given over to hopeless despair. I know You are good and the very essence of love. I know righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. I know You hate evil in every form and Your heart breaks at the brokenness of our broken and fallen world. So Lord, why are You laughing?" ...

 

And what comes immediately to mind is the rest of the Psalm....

 

"I will tell of the decree of the Lord:

He said to Me, 'You are My Son; 

Today I have begotten You.

Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your heritage,

and the ends of the earth Your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron,

and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'

 

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear,

with trembling kiss His feet,

or He will be angry, and you will perish in the way;

for His wrath is quickly kindled.

Happy are all who take refuge in Him!"

(Psalm 2:7-11).

 

Yes, Lord! You're not laughing at our misery; You're laughing at Your victory! You're not laughing at all we're going through; You're laughing at all You're bringing us through! You already see the day when Your Word will be fulfilled here on earth as it in heaven: "The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ!" (Revelation 11:15)

 

You're the God who sees the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. You're the God who already knows how it all turns out, how You turn it all around for our good and Your glory. You're the God of whom it is said "For the sake of the joy that was set before Him (He) endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

 

That's the joy that fills Your heart! That's the joy that flows out of Your belly laugh from the heavens like Rivers of Living Water washing over our world. Wicked people and evil kings of this world may laugh now. The wicked and evil "ruler of this world" and so-called "god of this age" who "knows his time is short" and goes about our world "like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" may think he's winning, as he's defying the will and breaking the heart of the Most High God. "But He who sits in the heavens laughs!" He who sits in the heavens already sees the day when all will be well and all will be right and all will be just and all will even say, "It was worth it all to receive what we have and become who we are, forever and ever and ever!"

 

Yes, Lord! As You said long ago through Your prophet Nehemiah to Your people so troubled by all they were going through in their world, "Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!" (Nehemiah 8:10) And in the strength of Your joy we declare: "The Lord is my Strength and my Shield; in Him my heart trusts and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him!" (Psalm 28:7) And now "May the God of hope fill (us) with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit (we) may abound in hope!" (Romans 15:13) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, may you be comforted and filled with hope, strengthened in the joy of the Lord, as you believe and trust in the One who is at work in our world and in our hearts in the power of His love and joy even in the midst of all we're going through, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

     

  

Listen and join me in today's Morning by Morning

Prayer Devotional Podcast

https://anchor.fm/morningbymorningtommyhays

New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway

Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

"An Undivided Heart" - June 18, 2020

Morning by Morning, June 18 - "An Undivided Heart"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill my heart with Your words of spirit and life as I begin my day centered and grounded in You and Your Word. ...

 

"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. They will be My people, and I will be their God" (Ezekiel 11:19-20).

 

When our hearts are divided from one another, they are divided from You. And when our hearts are divided from You, they are divided from one another. 

 

How we need Your Spirit to fill our spirits! How we need Your Heart to change our hearts! The spirit of division would seek to harden our hearts like stone against one another and against You. But there is a Spirit who unites us and aligns us, that gives us grace for one another in our differences and that we may even see great value in our differences that strengthen us instead of separate us.

 

There's power in agreement. "How can two walk together unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3:3) "Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:19-20).

 

No wonder our enemy would seek to divide us! No wonder Your Holy Spirit is so determined to unite us! "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ... For there the Lord commanded the blessing -- Life forevermore!" (Psalm 133:1-3)

 

Give us Your Life, Lord. We're desperate for Your blessing, Lord. Soften our stony, hardened hearts and attitudes toward one another and give us a tender heart toward each other -- even if we disagree about direction or decisions, even if we hold firm opinions and stick up for our values, even if we will not compromise on truth or appease the ways of the world, the flesh, and the devil, give us Your Spirit and Your Heart for one another. For "whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar" (1 John 4:20). Instead, You said, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

 

Father, fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit. Unite us as one with Your heart and with the hearts of one another. "With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as (we) were called to one hope when (we) were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all!" (Ephesians 4:1-6) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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

My Friend, may you be filled with the Holy Spirit, undivided in your heart for God and for your brothers and sisters in Christ in the bond of peace and power of God's love as you are blessed with the commanded blessings of God -- Life forevermore, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

    

  

Listen and join me in today's Morning by Morning

Prayer Devotional Podcast

https://anchor.fm/morningbymorningtommyhays

Pakistan Preaching Praise Report from Tuesday Night!

Friends, I'm excited to share this praise report from Pastor Rizwan after out outdoor evangelistic meeting in a new village for our outreach in Pakistan Tuesday night:  Over 350 souls were saved! And there were testimonies of healing received already, as the Pastor reported this morning: "41 Persons are healed from different things. Last night one person had heavy teeth pain so pain gone after he went to his home. Two sisters came with heavy stomach pain so they told our team that today they are healed perfectly!"

 

My Friend, thank you so much for all your prayers, encouragement, and support for us to be able to hold these monthly evangelistic outreach meetings through our Internet Ministry into Pakistan. Each month, I am preaching in different villages around Lahore, Pakistan in the Punjab Region through Skype in these outdoor evangelistic meetings. Leading our local team, Pastor Rizwan Fazal sets up a big screen in an outdoor meeting usually and interprets my message of hope and healing live in Pakistan. Then we follow up with prayer and discipleship through our partnership of ministry with Pastor Fazal. We're excited to see what God is doing in these days!

 

"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come!" (Matthew 24:14)

From Tuesday Night's Meeting. Praise the Lord!!!

New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway

Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

"The Threshing Floor" - June 17

Morning by Morning, June 17 - "The Threshing Floor"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your sheep hear Your voice and Your children are led by Your Spirit. Help me hear and follow You today, Lord God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... 

 

As I wait for Your leading this morning, I hear in my heart "the threshing floor." ...

 

Yes, Lord. What are You speaking to my spirit? ...

 

What comes to mind are the words of John the Baptist who had the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way of the Lord in the hearts of the people:

 

"In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near!' This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight! ... Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 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. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and will gather His wheat into the granary; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire'" (Matthew 3:1-12).

 

John spoke of the "threshing floor" as a place where the wheat is separated from the chaff, just as he spoke of the bad roots that produce bad fruit being uprooted and removed. The chaff and the roots were to be consumed in the fire -- the Fire of the Holy Spirit at the hand of Jesus. By the spirit of Elijah, John was preparing the way of the Lord before Your first coming (Matthew 11:4) just as the same spirit of Elijah -- the Holy Spirit in the consuming Fire of God -- is preparing the way of the Lord before Your second coming (Matthew 17:1-13). As was prophesied long ago: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their father, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:5-6).

 

We are in Your threshing floor. Our hearts are being threshed. Our bad roots that bear bad fruit are being uprooted. All is being consumed in the Fire of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, in our land, in our world. "For our God is a Consuming Fire" (Hebrews 12:29).

 

John referred to this "threshing floor" as Your threshing floor -- "He will clear His threshing floor and will gather His wheat into the granary" (Matthew 3:12). That's not talking about the world; that's talking about us! The threshing floor is Your threshing floor. It's Your threshing floor for those who are Yours so You can separate the wheat from the chaff in us. Just as You're the Lord of the harvest, You're also the Lord of the threshing (Matthew 9:38).

 

Come, Holy Spirit! Come, Holy Fire of God! Burn the chaff out of me. Burn the chaff out of Your Church. This is the time of "the threshing floor!" Give us grace to get through this "threshing," that the wheat of pure hearts, wholly devoted to God, can be gathered up into the granary of God. Prepare the way of the Lord in us before the "great and terrible" day of the Lord comes in our world. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, may the Holy Fire of God burn in you and give you His grace to come through the threshing floor of Jesus, as the Holy Spirit prepares the way of the Lord in your heart for the great and terrible day of the Lord to come, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

   

  

Listen and join me in today's Morning by Morning

Prayer Devotional Podcast

https://anchor.fm/morningbymorningtommyhays

Pakistan Preaching Praise Report from Last Night!

Friends, I'm excited to share this praise report I just received from Pastor Rizwan after out outdoor evangelistic meeting in a new village for our outreach in Pakistan last night:  Over 350 souls were saved! And there were testimonies of healing received already, as the Pastor reported this morning: "41 Persons are healed from different things. Last night one person had heavy teeth pain so pain gone after he went to his home. Two sisters came with heavy stomach pain so they told our team that today they are healed perfectly!"

 

Friends, thank you so much for all your prayers, encouragement, and support for us to be able to hold these monthly evangelistic outreach meetings through our Internet Ministry into Pakistan. Each month, I am preaching in different villages around Lahore, Pakistan in the Punjab Region through Skype in these outdoor evangelistic meetings. Leading our local team, Pastor Rizwan Fazal sets up a big screen in an outdoor meeting usually and interprets my message of hope and healing live in Pakistan. Then we follow up with prayer and discipleship through our partnership of ministry with Pastor Fazal. We're excited to see what God is doing in these days!

 

"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come!" (Matthew 24:14)

From Last Night's Meeting. Praise the Lord!!!

New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway

Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

My friend, we've updated our new ministry website. Take a look and tell us what you think!

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

Please share this word to encourage a friend!