Morning by Morning, January 9, 2026 — “One Spirit with Him”

 

Morning by Morning, January 9, 2026 — “One Spirit with Him” Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my heart and speak out Your name to wait for the leading of Your Spirit to begin my day in deliberate, conscious communion with You. ... “He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). What does it mean to be “joined” to You? What does it mean to become “one” with You? I ask for wisdom, understanding, and practical application, Lord. ... As I wait and listen, seeking to be grounded in Your Word and led by Your Spirit, it seems this is what I hear in my heart: “To be joined with Me, to become one with Me, is to be fully surrendered to Me. As best as you can. All by My grace. Your part is to let that be the expression and attitude and perspective of your heart. My part is to move in your willing heart to form My nature in your nature, as you willingly surrender Your heart to Mine, Your nature to Mine, more and more.” ... Thank You, Lord. I seek to discern what I believe I’m hearing in my heart, by Your still small voice speaking in my heart, these Scriptures comes to mind to test what I believe I’m hearing as Your spoken word against the certainty of Your written Word: “Abide in Me, and I in you... I am the Vine, you are the branches” (John 15:4-5). “We know that we live in Him, and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit” (1 John 4:13). “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones” (Ephesians 5:30). “As He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). “Now the Lord is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, seeing the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, as in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Yes, Lord. “From glory to glory,” make me more and more like You—now in these deliberate, conscious moments in Your Presence, as I intentionally seek to see Your glory with an unveiled face in the communion of prayer and also throughout the moments of my day, the steps of my spiritual journey, in You. As I surrender more and more of me to more and more of You, may I be “transformed into (Your) image,” may I be “conformed to the image of (the Son of God)” (Romans 8:29). May I be joined with You and become one with You. These are more than poetic phrases or hopeful and polite meditations. These the Promises of the Word of God. And as best as I can and all by Your grace, I embrace Your Promises with faith and the joyful expectation of all You will do in me and in every heart that will intentionally embrace this expression, attitude, and perspective You allow us and expect us to have. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, may you be joined with the Lord and become one with Him, from glory to glory, more and more every day, in Jesus' name. God bless you, my friend! And you have a great day! Click Here to Listen to Today's Prayer: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375760 Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries 502 North Milam Street Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org My Books on Inner Healing, Spiritual Freedom and Spiritual Intimacy with God are Available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays “Setting hearts free to be all you were created to be —Free to Be Like Jesus— secure in your identity, growing in maturity, fulfilling your destiny" https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Please Keep us in Prayer for These Messiah Ministries Events Every Tuesday Night: (Starting up our 2nd Semester on Tuesday January 13 at 6pm) Teaching my annual 9 Month Discipleship and Equipping Course Free to Be Like Jesus! at Bridge Church Fredericksburg, Texas. 6:00PM Central Time Based on My Books Free to Be Like Jesus —Transforming Power of Inner Healing & Deliverance and First the Spirit—Right Alignment of Spirit, Soul and Body https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays January 22-23 Equipping Retreat with Wallshakers Intercessory Prayer Teaching Team for Mid-Texas Conference of the Global Methodist Church at Bracken Church, San Antonio, Texas January 29-31, 2026. Setting Hearts Free Revival Meeting at Goshen First Church, Global Methodist Church, in Goshen, Indiana February 17-18. Healing From the Inside Out Seminar at Hondo Methodist Church, Global Methodist Church, in Hondo, Texas February 2025 Return Ministry in Cartagena, Colombia March Return Ministry to Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan June 14 Preaching both Services at Bridge Church Fredericksburg, Texas. My past sermons available in the Sermon Archives: https://www.bridgefbg.com/messages Personal Ministry Appointments Spiritual Direction Sessions and Personal Prayer Ministry Sessions of Inner Healing & Spiritual Freedom by Appointment in Person and Online through Zoom. tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org  Sessions are without set cost and all contributions help support the calling and vision of Messiah Ministries. https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Free On-line Video Series: Setting Hearts Free!  My Core Teaching and Ministry https://messiah-ministries.org/resources

https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays Some of My Books are Now in Other Languages (Spanish, French, Urdu) For Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/tommyhaysenespanol

Morning by Morning, January 8, 2026 — “Seek the Lord and Live. Hate Evil and Love Good.”

 

Morning by Morning, January 8, 2026 — “Seek the Lord and Live. Hate Evil and Love Good.” Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. ... As I wait on You, the Words of the Prophet Amos, spoken during troubled times of great turmoil in Israel, come to mind: “Seek the Lord and live,    or He will break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it will devour Bethel,    with no one to quench it. You who turn justice into bitterness    and cast righteousness down to the ground! ... “They hate the one who prosecutes at the gate,    and abhor the one who speaks with integrity. ... “Seek good and not evil,    so that you may live; then the Lord, the God of Hosts, will truly be with you,    as you claim. Hate evil and love good,    and establish justice at the gate. It may then be that the Lord God of Hosts will be gracious    to the remnant of Joseph.” ... “But let justice roll down like water,    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:6-7, 10, 14-15, 24). Once again, tensions are high in our land. Even the very facts of what we see and hear are disputed and distorted, twisted to align with a pre-determined narrative. What comes out of our mouths reveals what’s in our hearts. Our state of mind is a reflection of the condition of our heart. So no matter what our perspective or our position or our politics, Your call is the same to every soul: “See Me and live!” (v. 4) As You affirmed these Words in Your own way, relentlessly calling us to follow Your way and not the way of the world, the flesh, and the devil: “The thief does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). You must be the Source of our sense of justice and righteousness. And let not our desire for justice turn to an ungodly bitterness or our passion for righteousness turn to unholy rage. May our hearts be turned to You. Seeking You and Your righteousness of Your kingdom—first in our hearts and then as we pray for the people of our land and the heart of our nation. Hating evil and loving good, seeking good and not evil, is what allows You to establish justice at our gates. Put Your thoughts in our minds, Your desires in our hearts, Your words in our mouths, as we seek You and Your good. Deliver us from the temptation of our times to turn away from You and make room for the enemy of our souls and the soul of our nation, who seeks only to steal and kill and destroy through deception and division, through hatred and strife, confusing us and desensitizing our discernment until we’re so far gone that we’ll even begin to call what is good evil and what is evil good. As a famous preacher often quoted from Your Word in an earlier time of turmoil in our land in his dream for our nation, we desperately need Your justice to roll down like waters and Your righteousness to flow like a mighty stream. That only happens as we seek You, as we seek You and live, as we choose life and not death, and let You establish Your justice and Your righteousness first in our hearts and then in our land. Lord, let it be so in me. Let it be so in our land. Before we destroy one another at the merciless hand of the evil one who comes only to kill and steal and destroy. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, may you seek the Lord and live, in your heart and for our nation, loving good and hating evil, that the Lord may establish His justice at our gates, in Jesus' name. God bless you, my friend! And you have a great day! Click Here to Listen to Today's Prayer: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375760 Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries 502 North Milam Street Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org My Books on Inner Healing, Spiritual Freedom and Spiritual Intimacy with God are Available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays “Setting hearts free to be all you were created to be —Free to Be Like Jesus— secure in your identity, growing in maturity, fulfilling your destiny" https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Please Keep us in Prayer for These Messiah Ministries Events Every Tuesday Night: (Starting up our 2nd Semester on Tuesday January 13 at 6pm) Teaching my annual 9 Month Discipleship and Equipping Course Free to Be Like Jesus! at Bridge Church Fredericksburg, Texas. 6:00PM Central Time Based on My Books Free to Be Like Jesus —Transforming Power of Inner Healing & Deliverance and First the Spirit—Right Alignment of Spirit, Soul and Body https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays January 22-23 Equipping Retreat with Wallshakers Intercessory Prayer Teaching Team for Mid-Texas Conference of the Global Methodist Church at Bracken Church, San Antonio, Texas January 29-31, 2026. Setting Hearts Free Revival Meeting at Goshen First Church, Global Methodist Church, in Goshen, Indiana February 17-18. Healing From the Inside Out Seminar at Hondo Methodist Church, Global Methodist Church, in Hondo, Texas February 2025 Return Ministry in Cartagena, Colombia March Return Ministry to Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan June 14 Preaching both Services at Bridge Church Fredericksburg, Texas. My past sermons available in the Sermon Archives: https://www.bridgefbg.com/messages Personal Ministry Appointments Spiritual Direction Sessions and Personal Prayer Ministry Sessions of Inner Healing & Spiritual Freedom by Appointment in Person and Online through Zoom. tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org  Sessions are without set cost and all contributions help support the calling and vision of Messiah Ministries. https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Free On-line Video Series: Setting Hearts Free!  My Core Teaching and Ministry https://messiah-ministries.org/resources

https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays Some of My Books are Now in Other Languages (Spanish, French, Urdu) For Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/tommyhaysenespanol

Morning by Morning, January 7, 2025 — Hearing the God “Who Speaks from Heaven”

 

Morning by Morning, January 7, 2025 — Hearing the God “Who Speaks from Heaven” Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for Your promise that when I draw near to You, You draw near to me—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God (James 4:8). ... As I wait, the Word that comes to mind this morning is from Hebrews 12: “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven” (Hebrews 12:25). You’re the God “who speaks from heaven.” Lord, give me ears to hear. You speak in many ways. Through Scripture. Through nature. Through signs and wonders. Through the still small voice we hear in our hearts if we take time to wait and listen, learning to discern Your voice from any other. Through every story of Scripture, every example of every experience of faith—whether walking by faith or outside of faith—You are speaking and inviting us to see and hear, to learn to listen, to grow in our desire through Your power to trust You and obey You. To become not only hearers of Your word, but also doers of Your word (James 1:22). That’s the point of drawing near to God. To hear the God who speaks from heaven into our hearts. Then to trust the One we hear. To obey the One we hear. To believe by faith that what we hear, we can trust, that when we trust and obey, we will be fulfilled. Not only in this age but also in the age to come. Not only in the age to come, but in this age as well—right here, right now. Here in our hearts and in every moment of our lives and every step of faith on our spiritual journey with You. Beginning this new year, I’m sensing a deep desire to learn to hear You more clearly than ever before. I’m understanding it’s part of truly knowing You. As You said spoke long ago, You’re still speaking today to all who will hear the voice of the One who speaks from heaven, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, may you hear in your heart the voice of the One who speaks from heaven, in Jesus' name. Happy New Year and God bless you, my friend! And you have a great day! Click Here to Listen to Today's Prayer: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375760 Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries 502 North Milam Street Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org My Books on Inner Healing, Spiritual Freedom and Spiritual Intimacy with God are Available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays “Setting hearts free to be all you were created to be —Free to Be Like Jesus— secure in your identity, growing in maturity, fulfilling your destiny" https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Please Keep us in Prayer for These Messiah Ministries Events Every Tuesday Night: (Starting up our 2nd Semester on Tuesday January 13 at 6pm) Teaching my annual 9 Month Discipleship and Equipping Course Free to Be Like Jesus! at Bridge Church Fredericksburg, Texas. 6:00PM Central Time Based on My Books Free to Be Like Jesus —Transforming Power of Inner Healing & Deliverance and First the Spirit—Right Alignment of Spirit, Soul and Body https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays January 22-23 Equipping Retreat with Wallshakers Intercessory Prayer Teaching Team for Mid-Texas Conference of the Global Methodist Church at Bracken Church, San Antonio, Texas January 29-31, 2026. Setting Hearts Free Revival Meeting at Goshen First Church, Global Methodist Church, in Goshen, Indiana February 17-18. Healing From the Inside Out Seminar at Hondo Methodist Church, Global Methodist Church, in Hondo, Texas February 2025 Return Ministry in Cartagena, Colombia March Return Ministry to Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan June 14 Preaching both Services at Bridge Church Fredericksburg, Texas. My past sermons available in the Sermon Archives: https://www.bridgefbg.com/messages Personal Ministry Appointments Spiritual Direction Sessions and Personal Prayer Ministry Sessions of Inner Healing & Spiritual Freedom by Appointment in Person and Online through Zoom. tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org  Sessions are without set cost and all contributions help support the calling and vision of Messiah Ministries. https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Free On-line Video Series: Setting Hearts Free!  My Core Teaching and Ministry https://messiah-ministries.org/resources

https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays Some of My Books are Now in Other Languages (Spanish, French, Urdu) For Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/tommyhaysenespanol

Morning by Morning, January 6, 2026 — “Discern What Is The Will of God”

 

Morning by Morning, January 6, 2026 — “Discern What Is The Will of God” Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I begin my day looking to You and centered in You. ... This morning, Your Word comes to mind from Romans 12: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Sharpen my discernment of Your will. Help me discern what’s true and what’s false. What’s of Your Spirit and what’s my flesh. What’s of Your thoughts, Your desires or just my own. What’s Your plan, not my plan. What’s Your guidance, not my good ideas. So that I can say in my heart and know in my mind, “Not my will but Thy will be done.” We are to “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Especially, we need to test what we believe we’re hearing from You or from someone else who believes they’re hearing from You to help guide us in discerning Your will. Along the way of life and ministry, I believe You’ve given me a simple way that I use and that I teach to help discern Your voice and Your will. I’ve come to call them my Five Steps of Discernment in what I try to live and teach: 1. Does it conform to the written Word of God? “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the person of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God will never speak anything that contradicts His written Word. Not everything we face in life is specifically addressed by chapter and verse, but nothing truly from Him will violate the principles and truth of Scripture. 2. Does it bear witness with our spirit? “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (Romans 8:14). Do we have a sense in our spirit that this “rings true”? Or do we have a check in our spirit that this may not be fully from the Lord? Does what we believe we have heard lead us toward God with conviction and hope, or away from God with confusion, condemnation, and despair? Does it bring clarity or chaos, peace or torment? 3. Does it conform to the character of God? “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). Does it sound like something Jesus would say or do? Does it seem to carry the Father-heart of God, the mind of Christ, and the holy nature of the Holy Spirit? God is love—His voice will always be consistent with His nature. 4. Does it bear good fruit? Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits… every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:16-18). Does the word or act seem to display the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-26)? Over time, does it lead to greater Christlikeness, freedom, and love—or the opposite? Does the life of the person sharing the word or doing the act seem to display the character of Christ, seeking to “follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). At the same time, we must humbly remember that “there is none righteous, no, not one” and that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23). There is always some mixture of flesh and spirit, wheat and tares, within us all, so no one always says and does everything perfectly in line with the perfect will of God. 5. Does it bear witness with the counsel of others we trust? “In the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). When trusted, mature believers pray and weigh it with us, is there a shared sense of peace and agreement, or a check and lack of clarity? As others we trust and respect seek to discern it, what do they see that we may not yet see? “We know in part and we prophesy in part,” but when we bring our parts together and seek to discern the truth in humble submission to God, do we come to a place of consensus and peace within our own hearts? Lord, help me apply these discernment principles, asking these discernment questions. And show me if they need to be corrected in any way to help me hear Your heart and follow Your ways, as closely as I can and as best as I can—all by Your grace. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, may you be empowered by the Holy Spirit to test and discern and know what is the will of God for you today and every day, in Jesus' name. Happy New Year and God bless you, my friend! And you have a great day! Click Here to Listen to Today's Prayer: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375760 Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries 502 North Milam Street Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org My Books on Inner Healing, Spiritual Freedom and Spiritual Intimacy with God are Available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays “Setting hearts free to be all you were created to be —Free to Be Like Jesus— secure in your identity, growing in maturity, fulfilling your destiny" https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Please Keep us in Prayer for These Messiah Ministries Events Every Tuesday Night: (Starting up our 2nd Semester on Tuesday January 13 at 6pm) Teaching my annual 9 Month Discipleship and Equipping Course Free to Be Like Jesus! at Bridge Church Fredericksburg, Texas. 6:00PM Central Time Based on My Books Free to Be Like Jesus —Transforming Power of Inner Healing & Deliverance and First the Spirit—Right Alignment of Spirit, Soul and Body https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays January 22-23 Equipping Retreat with Wallshakers Intercessory Prayer Teaching Team for Mid-Texas Conference of the Global Methodist Church at Bracken Church, San Antonio, Texas January 29-31, 2026. Setting Hearts Free Revival Meeting at Goshen First Church, Global Methodist Church, in Goshen, Indiana February 17-18. Healing From the Inside Out Seminar at Hondo Methodist Church, Global Methodist Church, in Hondo, Texas February 2025 Return Ministry in Cartagena, Colombia March Return Ministry to Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan June 14 Preaching both Services at Bridge Church Fredericksburg, Texas. My past sermons available in the Sermon Archives: https://www.bridgefbg.com/messages Personal Ministry Appointments Spiritual Direction Sessions and Personal Prayer Ministry Sessions of Inner Healing & Spiritual Freedom by Appointment in Person and Online through Zoom. tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org  Sessions are without set cost and all contributions help support the calling and vision of Messiah Ministries. https://messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Free On-line Video Series: Setting Hearts Free!  My Core Teaching and Ministry https://messiah-ministries.org/resources

https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays Some of My Books are Now in Other Languages (Spanish, French, Urdu) For Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/tommyhaysenespanol