Morning by Morning—Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays

Friday, July 03, 2020

Even Warnings of Judgment become Messengers of Mercy when We Repent and Pray - July 3, 2020

Morning by Morning, July 3 - Even Warnings of Judgment become Messengers of Mercy when We Repent and Pray

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your face do I seek; Your voice do I seek to hear, as I listen and wait for the leading of Your Spirit to deliberately and intentionally begin my day centered in You. ...

Many have been stirred up, even into fear and panic, over some recent prophetic words speaking of the destruction of America and her cities soon to come. But even if they were true of what could come, prophetic words of destruction are our invitation to go to our knees in repentance and prayer -- praying for life instead of death, redemption instead of destruction, hope instead of despair. As You said when You walked this earth and continue to say as You fill our hearts, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that (you) may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

You're our Redeemer, not our destroyer. You're our Savior, not our accuser. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17).

So where we've sinned and fallen short -- both personally and as a nation, in our times and throughout our generations -- convict us and lead us to repentance and forgiveness, that Your mercy may triumph over judgment and that Your redemptive purposes for Your people may be fulfilled.

Even as Your beloved children of Israel, the sons and daughters of Your eternal covenant, turned from You and Your ways so that destruction was to come upon their land, You stirred up Your intercessors, Your watchmen on the walls of the cities, Your people who were called by Your name, to humble themselves and pray. And just as all the blessings of Abraham are ours in Christ, so are all the responsibilities to watch and pray, to intercede and repent, to call upon Your name, that our identity may be secure and our destiny may be fulfilled in every tongue and tribe and nation where You have called us and positioned us for Your purposes in our days.

As we do, You stir our hearts with faith instead of fear. You call us to action instead passivity. You call us to our place of victory instead of defeat:

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;

They shall never hold their peace day or night.

You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,

And give Him no rest till He establishes

And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

The Lord has sworn by His right hand

And by the arm of His strength:

‘Surely I will no longer give your grain

As food for your enemies;

And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine,

For which you have labored.

But those who have gathered it shall eat it,

And praise the Lord;

Those who have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts’” (Isaiah 62:6-9).

As Your watchmen on the walls of our cities and nations, of our families and communities and all You've entrusted to us on our watch, we humble ourselves to seek Your face and pray. We turn from our wicked ways in the humility of repentance for ourselves and our land. And we turn to You in trusting faith for all that You've purposed to still be accomplished in us and through us in our days(2 Chronicles 7:14).

As we do, even warnings of judgment become messengers of mercy to revive us and awaken us to the fullness of our destiny in You. Just as You promised in Your Word to Your watchmen all will hear what Your Spirit is saying to Your people who are called by Your name: "For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns!" (Isaiah 62:1) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be free from fear and full of faith, as you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in any way you're being called to humble yourself and pray for yourself and for your land, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Prayer for Revival in San Antonio!

Friends, I'm excited to be part of a group of prayer warriors in our community planning times of prayer for awakening and revival in our community and beyond, being led by Max Lucado in San Antonio. Please keep us in prayer to follow the Holy Spirit's leading. If you would like to be involved and help spread the word when the time comes, please send me a note: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org

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!

Thursday, July 02, 2020

"Sharing in the Spirit" to Regard, Honor, and Esteem Each Other - July 2, 2020

Morning by Morning, July 2 - “Sharing in the Spirit” to Regard, Honor, and Esteem Each Other

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am to listen as You lead -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:1-5)

Forgive us, Lord, for the ways we sin in our hearts, in our land, in our culture, by failing to “regard others as better than ourselves.” Instead, we tend to do just the opposite.

Rather than “sharing in the Spirit,” we’re stingy in our flesh. Rather than building up one another, we suppress one another. Rather that desiring the best for each other, we compete against each other. Jealousy and pride rise up to puff us up, while we pull one another down and put one another down.

Then we reap what we have sow -- prejudice, pride, racism, judgment, self-righteousness, division, violence, and ultimately utter destruction. We gather in the harvest of division instead of unity, pride instead of humility, judgment instead of mercy, self-centeredness and selfishness instead Christ-centeredness and Christlikeness. We suffer the loss of our inheritance of peace and joy and love; and so does the world around us.

Forgive us, Lord. Through repentance and prayer, through surrender of our flesh to Your Spirit, our desires to Your Heart, and our thoughts to Your Mind, “let the same mind be in (us) that was in Christ Jesus.” Restore us and revive us to “be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” In that kind of unity of Spirit and honor and love, the world will know the Father has sent His Son as Savior of all (John 17:20-23).

As that change begins in us, that change will begin to happen in our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). As we allow You to change our hearts, our minds, our attitudes, our perspectives to turn our selfish and self-centered ways upside down, Your Holy Spirit will be at work within us to turn the world around us upside down (Acts 17:6) and to exalt the name of Jesus above every name, including our own -- here in our hearts, here in our land, and to the ends of the earth (Philippians 2:5-11). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be strengthened in the Spirit with the same mind in you that was in Christ Jesus to regard, honor, and esteem those around you in the love and Spirit of Christ that the world around you may be turned upside down for God's glory and His name, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

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!

Wednesday, July 01, 2020

Desperately Seeking God’s “Wisdom and Power” - July 1, 2020

Morning by Morning, July 1 - Desperately Seeking God’s “Wisdom and Power”

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my eyes upon You, as I begin this day seeking to be embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...

At a time of national turmoil, with the leadership seeking guidance and even supernatural direction, the prophet Daniel “went to his home and informed his companions ... and told them to seek mercy from the God of Heaven” (Daniel 2:17-18).

We need Your guidance today, Lord. Our leadership and all of Your people need to hear Your voice to lead us through these times.

As Daniel and his companions prayed, You answered. “The mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision in the night, and Daniel blessed the God of Heaven” (Daniel 2:19).

“Daniel said:

‘Blessed be the name of God from age to age,

for wisdom and power are His!

He changes times and seasons,

deposes kings and sets up kings;

He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have understanding.

He reveals deep and hidden things;

He knows what is in the darkness,

and light dwells with Him.

To you, O God of my ancestors,

I give thanks and praise,

for You have given me wisdom and power,

and have now revealed to me what we asked of You,

for You have revealed to us what the king ordered.”

(Daniel 2:20-23).

O God of Daniel, God of Heaven -- God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; God of Peter, James, and John; God of our present, our past, and our future; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- how we need Your “wisdom and power” today! How we need to understand “the times and seasons” that are in Your hands and in the midst of our days. How we need You to reveal to us the “deep and hidden things” that are only revealed by Your light shining into our darkness, as we seek Your face and listen for Your voice in the humility of prayer and humble acknowledgement of our desperate dependence upon You alone. For apart from You, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Speak to our leaders. Speak to us all. In humility and faith, we seek Your guidance and supernatural direction. As we humble ourselves in Your sight, You will lift us up (James 4:10). As we seek You as our Father, You will lead us as Your sons and daughters by Your Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). Your sheep will hear Your voice (John 10:4). And with the faith of Daniel, we believe You will answer, You will lead, and You will provide all the “wisdom and power” we need to survive and even thrive through these days if we humble ourselves to seek You and obey You (2 Chronicles 7:14). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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!

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Rise and Roar with the Voice of the Lord! - June 30, 2020

Morning by Morning, June 30 - Rise and Roar with the Voice of the Lord!

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of Kings and Lord of Lords, rise and rule in my heart and my world today. ...

"Woe to those who devise iniquity, and work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields and take them by violence, also houses, and seize them. So they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.... (But the Lord says), "I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture; they shall make a loud noise because of so many people. The One who breaks open will come up before them; they will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it; their King will pass before them, with the Lord at their head" (Micah 2:1-13).

In these days of demands for equality and justice, we desperately need the One who determines what is just and what is true to form our thoughts and direct our steps. In these days of lawlessness, we desperately need the One who writes Your Law on our hearts to conform our desires to Your desires so our ways will follow Your ways. In these days of confusion, intimidation, violence, and destruction, we desperately need to know the voice of the One who speaks to our spirits, saying, "This is the way, walk in it ... not by your own power, not by your own might, not by your own ways apart from My ways, but by My Spirit."

With the confidence that comes to a people who humble their hearts before You to seek Your face and hear Your voice to obey Your will and walk in Your ways, let the "remnant" of Your people arise and give voice to the words You're putting in our hearts, You're releasing through our prayers, and You're speaking forth through our mouths. Let "the One who breaks open" come break our hearts open with Your love that we can "make a loud noise" with Your truth that breaks the threats of intimidation and cancels the curse demanding our silence. Speaking the truth in love, may our voices be heard and Your Light in our hearts be seen.

As You "break open," we will "break out." As You "pass before (us)," we will "pass through the gate." As we yield to Your will and follow Your ways as our King, Your Kingdom will come and Your will will be done -- here in our hearts and here in our world. This is not time to sit back in silence, but to rise and roar!

So purify our hearts that we rise in Your strength, not our own. Purify our thoughts that we have the mind of Christ, not the mind of the world. As we humble ourselves in Your sight to seek Your face, Your voice, Your will, Your ways, You will lift us up to stand firm in our place and to give no place to the one who seeks to silence our voices, steal our hope, and shutter our world in darkness and gloom, confusion and despair.

Yes, Your ancient Words are true and unfolding before our very eyes in our days: "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 by the power of Your grace at work within us, we will "Arise (and) shine; for (our) Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon (us)!" (Isaiah 60:1) By the power of Your grace, we will rise and roar with the voice of the Lord! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be strengthened and encouraged to rise and roar as part of the remnant of the Lord who seek His face to hear His voice and speak His words in our 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!

Friday, June 26, 2020

Riots and Mobs just Make More Room for the Message of Jesus - June 26, 2020

Morning by Morning, June 26 - Riots and Mobs just Make More Room for the Message of Jesus

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Make me more like You today. ...

"As was Paul's custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, 'This Jesus I'm telling you about is the Messiah.' Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women. But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot" (Acts 17:2-5).

Mobs and riots didn't keep Paul and Silas from preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and spreading the Message of hope and healing, freedom and grace in Jesus Christ everywhere they went! While all the country was in an uproar, they just keep using every opportunity to point people to Jesus.

The crowds accused Paul and Silas of "causing trouble all over the world" and feared that "now they are here disturbing our city, too" (v. 6). The mobs demanded them to be silent and tried to intimidate them into sitting back and shutting up about their Message and their Messiah and this talk about God's mercy and grace through Jesus Christ. They screamed and shouted that these followers of Jesus were "guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another King, named Jesus" (v. 7).

But all the while, the Message went forth. Hearts and minds were changed. And this Good News of the Gospel of the Kingdom kept going forth to the ends of the earth. One day, It got to me. And since that day, It's been changing my heart and my mind every day.

While the mobs and riots of my day seem to want to turn my world upside down, there's a Spirit who's moving in me with increasing desire to see my world turned upside down for Jesus. Just as in the days of Paul and Silas, riots and mobs just make more room for the Message of Jesus. So Lord, help me not waste my moments of spreading your Message of hope and healing, freedom and grace in Jesus Christ everywhere I am and everywhere You send me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, may you be empowered with the Spirit of Christ to spread the Message of healing and hope, freedom and grace in the mighty name of Jesus everywhere you are and everywhere He sends you, 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!