Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 6 - "Nothing but Joy"
 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day and every day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  ... "My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). There's not anointing for maturity. Spiritual maturity is not a spiritual gift. Emotional maturity is not a feeling we can muster up. Just as physical maturity comes with time, we must grow up into maturity -- time-tested and trial-tested. So as the trials come, teach me, as You empower me, to face them with joy and to endure them with grace. Let me "not be surprised" through the testing and trials "as though something strange were happening to (me)" (1 Peter 4:12). But let me embrace You through every one of them and even thank You through every one of them -- thanking You that You're with me and thanking You that You're using every moment to make me more like You.  "In this (I) rejoice, even if now for a little while (I) have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of (my) 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). As I endure and mature through every trial, may more of Christ be revealed in me, while You continue to conform me into the image of the Son of God and You continue to confirm to me my identity as the son of God that I am in You (Romans 8:29). My heart and my inheritance may be tested by fire today or any day. But because I know my heart is in Your hands, my life is in good hands, as You cause every trial to work together for my good (Romans 8:28). The will of Your heart is to make me "mature and complete, lacking in nothing." That's what gives me the faith and hope, the courage and conviction, to endure as I mature. That's how, in Your power and love, as best as I can and all by Your grace, I can consider it all "nothing but joy." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you will be empowered by the love and grace of God to mature as you endure any trial you may face, counting it all nothing but joy, in Jesus' name. Through every moment, may you always know that He is with you and you are in good hands and God's heart. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

 



Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Monday, October 05, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 5 - We Will Not Shrink Back
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You meet me in the first moments of my morning and take me on the adventure of prayer You've prepared for me each day. Here I am, Lord, ready for my adventure today. ...
 
"For yet 'in a very little while, the One who is coming will come and will not delay; but My righteous one will live by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.' But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved" (Hebrews 10:37-39).
 
"Are you a Christian?" was the question put to the students by the killer of the latest school massacre in America at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon just a few days ago. If they said "Yes" they were immediately executed with a bullet to the head. As I heard this news, sickened in my heart from the cruelty and evil, I couldn't help but remember the courage of Cassie Bernall at Columbine High School, martyred for her faith when she said "Yes" to that same question just a few years ago.
 
These are heroes of our faith, no less than those who faced the lions of the Romans or those who will face the inquisitors of the beast to come -- "beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the Word of God" (Revelation 20:4). Whether from sickness of mind or cruelty of heart, there will always be those who hate God and those who love Him. But give us Your grace to never shrink back from speaking the truth and holding firm to our faith, as we trust You to hold firm to us. "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).
 
In the moment of our need, whenever our faith is tested, give us the courage to overcome -- even forgiving our accusers, but never succumbing to the threat of their accusations. May our faith in You be so deeply grounded in Your love for us that we would not waver and never shrink back, holding fast the confession of our hope. We can't do that in human strength or self-will, but we can trust that "He who has promised is faithful."
 
You are faithful to me. I pray the courage and grace to be found faithful to You. You are the God who always reminds us, "I will never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). "So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my Helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6)
 
"What then shall be we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!" (Romans 8:31-39 NKJV) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be so grounded in grace and love of God for you that you will never shrink back and always hold fast to the confession of your hope, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Friday, October 02, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 2 - The Kingdom of Love
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I open my heart to hear Your heart and lift up my spirit to be guided by Your Spirit.  ...
 
"Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, 'The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21 NKJV).
 
King of kings and Lord of lords, rule and reign in the kingdom of God within me today. You are the King of the kingdom of God. You are the King of my heart and every day of my life and every moment of this day.
 
Establish Your order and put down any rebellion. Raise up the banner of Your kingdom, the banner of love, over me (Song of Solomon 2:4). Let there be peace and joy in the righteousness of Your reign within my thoughts and my desires. "For the kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). And all of Your righteousness and peace and joy is an expression of Your love -- Your love for me and Your love expressed through me. 
 
You are love (1 John 4:8). And love is the law of Your kingdom (Matthew 22:37-40). You are the King of love, and where Your love abides, Your kingdom comes (1 John 4:16). Yours is the kingdom of love. Let Your kingdom come; let Your will be done -- here in my heart and here through my life today.
 
So I open up the gates of the kingdom of my heart that the King of glory, the King of love, my come in (Psalm 24:7). Let the kingdom of Your righteousness and peace and joy -- all these expressions of Your love -- fill my heart today. And everywhere You send me, may the kingdom of God be at hand, may the kingdom of God draw near, for the King of the kingdom of God, the King of the kingdom of love, lives in me (Matthew 10:7). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray the King of love will fill your heart with the fullness of His kingdom today, as you carry the love of His righteousness and peace and joy everywhere you go, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 


Friends, we had an awesome start to our Level 2 School of Ministry at Rapha God Ministries last night!  Please keep us in prayer for this seven week series on Thursday nights. May the Lord bless you and empower you in every way He has gifted you and called you to love Him and serve His people!

DVDs of our School of Ministry are available on-line through our web site. God bless you!


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Thursday, October 01, 2015

Morning by Morning, October 1 - Good Stewards of God's Gifts
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You said when You are lifted up You draw us all to You. Be lifted up in my heart and my prayers and my praise. Draw me near to You now and throughout the moments of my day.  ...
 
"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you as received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:10-11).
 
Give me Your heart to love You and serve Your people today. You're my model and You're my hero; and You said "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve" (Matthew 20:28).
 
By the manifold grace of God, the multifaceted and unlimited, unique ways You've gifted each one of us and express Yourself through us, You invite us to be an extension of Your heart and Your hands through our lives. "There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone" (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). By the manifold, multifaceted grace of God, we are Your body -- "the body of Christ" -- here in this world, loving You and serving others (1 Corinthians 12:27). By Your grace expressed through us as the body of Christ, this is one way "that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:11).
 
So be lifted up and draw me near in the communion of my human spirit with Your Holy Spirit, centered in Christ, and embraced by my Father in the unfailing love and unending grace of my faithful God (2 Corinthians 13:13). Let me see what You're doing and hear what You're saying; let me sense how You're moving and follow where You're leading. Lord Jesus, You're my model and You're my hero; and You said "the Son can do nothing on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise" (John 5:19). In Your ministry in this world as the Son of Man, You said You only spoke the words the Father said (John 12:49). Let me do the same, by the leading of Your Spirit, living in me (1 Corinthians 3:16).
 
Now by the grace of God, as I live out this day taking my part in Your body -- the body of Christ filled with the Spirit of Christ -- let me be both obedient and bold, both humble and confident, faithful to You as "a good steward" of all You've entrusted to me (1 Peter 4:10). Let me speak Your words and serve Your people with the strength and grace that You supply (1 Peter 4:11). And may You be gloried in all things through Jesus Christ, living in me (Colossians 1:27). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be filled afresh with the Spirit of Christ, as you love our God and serve His people with all the gifts He has entrusted to you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 


Friends, please keep us in prayer tonight these Thurday nights as we begin our seven week series of our Level 2 School of Ministry at Rapha God Ministries. May the Lord bless you and empower you in every way He has gifted you and called you to love Him and serve His people!

DVDs of our School of Ministry are available on-line through our web site. God bless you!


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Morning by Morning, September 30 - Fullness of Joy in the Presence of God
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for leading -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...
 
"I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body rests secure.... You show me the path of life. In Your presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:7-11).
 
When I lie down and when I rise up, You are there. At my right hand and my left, You are there. You're with me when I'm sad and with me when I'm glad. You're with me when I need counsel and You're with me when someone seeks mine. I can rest secure in the confidence and assurance that You never leave me and never forsake me, that You're always with me. And in Your presence, there is fullness of joy.
 
Fill me with Your joy this morning, as You set me feet on the path of life. As I head out the door and into my day, let my heart be glad and my soul rejoice that You've gone before me, You're watching out behind me, and You'll be right here with me at every step. Just like You always said, just like You always are (Matthew 18:20). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will experience the fullness of joy in the presence of God throughout every moment of your day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Morning by Morning, September 29 - Overcomers in Christ
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be the Center of my day and the Center of my life.  ...
 
"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:7 NKJV).
 
We're not overcomers unless we've had something to overcome.
 
So help me see every challenge as a catalyst for my success. Help me see every problem as an opportunity to learn to persist and prevail in the power of Your grace. And help me even see every failure as a reminder that You are faithful to be with me forever through everything I face in this broken, fallen world, while You never miss an opportunity to make me more like You each day (Romans 8:29). "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5)
 
So set me free from the spirit of whining. Deliver me from the demons of murmuring and complaining. Crush the spirits of criticism and comparison, passivity and complacency, bad attitude and bad breath under my feet. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.... And my God shall supply all (my) need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:12-29). "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).
 
By the power of the grace of God, I will overcome today. I choose to believe I am more than a conqueror in Christ today. In You, I will overcome "by the blood of the Lamb and the word of (my) testimony" (Revelation 12:11).
 
As You make me stronger and You make me better and You make me more like You while You encourage me and empower me to overcome, I will give You thanks and praise for being with me through it all and being at work within me through it all.
 
I can overcome because You have overcome. As You said long ago, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33)  I can overcome, because the Overcomer lives in me! (Colossians 1:27) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will overcome in Christ today, as Your Father in Heaven continues to form Christ in you by the power of His Holy Spirit at work around you and within you through all you encounter, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Monday, September 28, 2015

Morning by Morning, September 28 - Feast of Tabernacles
 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my eyes and ears to see and hear all that You would show and speak as I begin my day focused on You.  ... "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying:  'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.... Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.... It shall be a statute forever in your generations.... You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in the booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt:  I am the Lord your God'" (Leviticus 23:33-43 NKJV). On the Biblical calendar of the cycle of seasons, we've entered into the Feast of Tabernacles, known as Sukkot, for the seven-day feast of rejoicing and remembering all our God has done for us. Every feast and festival, every law and prophecy, and every cycle and season of the Biblical calendar ultimately finds fulfillment in You, Lord Jesus (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:27). In tents or tabernacles or booths made of branches and boughs, the children of Israel would move out of their homes and into the fields. They would remember that the Lord brought them out of Egypt and led them through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. They were on a journey and they were desperately dependent upon You, learning to be both thankful for their deliverance and expectant for their inheritance. Through Christ, the Messiah of Israel and Savior of all, we have been "grafted in" to the olive tree of this faith that's fulfilled in Jesus to share in these roots of heritage (Romans 11:17). "In Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham (has) come upon (us), that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14).  Like Israel's celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, we're also learning to be both thankful for our deliverance and expectant for our inheritance. And we're also rejoicing that our God is with us through every wilderness and as we're resting in the faith the He will protect us and provide for us as He comes to "tabernacle" and dwell among us every day of our journey (John 1:14). May we and all our generations know that You are the Lord our God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will rejoice as you remember all God has done for you, thankful for your deliverance and expectant for your inheritance, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Friday, September 25, 2015

Morning by Morning, September 25 - "Increase and Abound"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You into the center of my life and these first moments of my day.  ...
 
"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may He also strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints" (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).
 
I hear in my heart the invitation of Your Spirit to "increase and abound." Not in my power or wisdom, not in my good deeds or any righteousness of my own, but by the power of the grace of God at work within me, may I increase and abound in this season ahead. 
 
May I increase and abound in love for You and for others, in humility and holiness of heart and life, in understanding my calling and place for such a time as this, in knowing my identity in You and fulfilling my destiny through You, in the assurance of Your promises and the abundance of Your provision, in aligning with those You've chosen for me in all the personal and strategic relationships of my life, in my freedom from all that would hold me back from being all You've created me to be and empowered me to do in the glory of Your name. In every way You will, may I increase and abound, according to the word You're speaking to me. And I pray the same for all who are stirred by Your Spirit to embrace this word with me in the agreement of prayer, in the name and the power and the Presence of Jesus (Matthew 18:19-20).
 
As You said through Isaiah:  "Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will settle the desolate towns" (Isaiah 54:2-3). As you said through Jabez:  "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!" (1 Chronicles 4:10) As You said through Jude:  "May mercy, peace, and love be (ours) in abundance" (Jude 2). So You've said through Paul:  "May the Lord make (us) increase and abound" in every way You desire (1 Thessalonians 3:12).
 
Lord, let it be so, as You will. As Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to Your word" (Luke 1:38). You said, "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63). Let these seeds of Your words of spirit and life You've spoken into my spirit keep "growing up and increasing and yielding" all that You've purposed in Your heart for my life (Mark 4:8). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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

I pray you will increase and abound in every way the Lord desires for you according to His great plan for the destiny of your life, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Thursday, September 24, 2015

Morning by Morning, September 24 - Every Written Word is Fulfilled in the Living Word
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up, here in my heart and throughout my day.  ...
 
"Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, (Jesus) interpreted to them the things about Himself in all the Scriptures" (Luke 24:22).
 
All the Scriptures speak of You, Lord Jesus -- all the law and the prophets, all the psalms and the proverbs, all the hopes and the prayers. Every jot and tittle, every stroke of every letter, begins and ends with You, for You fulfill it all (Matthew 5:17-18). "For in (Jesus Christ) every one of God's promises is a 'Yes.' For this reason it is through Him that we say the 'Amen,' to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 1:20). You are the Word of God; You are every Scripture fulfilled (John 1:14). Every written Word is fulfilled in the Living Word.
 
So as I read the words of Your Scripture and hear the words of Your Spirit, let my heart burn within me. Like the two disciples who experienced the power of Your Presence on their journey to Emmaus, open my eyes to see You and awaken my spirit to experience You more deeply each day than the day before. "When He was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him.... They said to each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:30-32). 
 
Thank You for this indescribable, incomprehensible gift You so freely offer to me and every son and daughter of Yours to welcome You at our table and walk with You on our journey every day, as the Living Word of our Living God comes alive in us. Forgive me for every day I've taken that for granted. And thank You for always seeking to remind me of what a gift I have in You and every word of Your Scripture. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will see and experience the Living Word, our Living God, with you always throughout every moment of your days, as the Word of God burns within you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Morning by Morning, September 23 - Day of Atonement, Day of "At-one-ment"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit. Be One within me and make me more like You today (John 17:22-23).  ...
 
On the Biblical calendar of the cycles of seasons, today is the Day of Atonement. "It shall be a holy convocation for you:  you shall deny yourselves and present the Lord's offering by fire; and you shall do no work during that entire day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God.... It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements" (Leviticus 23:27-31). Even to this day, for the Jewish people, this is the most high and holy day of the year, called Yom Kippur. 
 
Every feast and festival, every law and prophecy, and every cycle and season of the Biblical calendar ultimately finds fulfillment in You, Lord Jesus (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:27). You are our Atonement. You are our Sacrifice. And we rest from our works and trust in Your grace that our salvation is in You alone.
 
Father God, as we offer our lives to You through Jesus Christ, believing in You and trusting in Your love and grace for us, we "present the Lord's offering by fire" and fire of Your Spirit consumes us (Leviticus 23:27). As we completely commit and fully surrender our lives to You, You "baptize (us) with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). In communion with You and embracing all You have done for us by Your sacrifice of love, we "present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is (our) spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1).
 
Lord Jesus, You are our Sacrifice and You are our High Priest. It's not our blood or the blood of any sacrifice by human hands that saves us and atones for our sins, but the blood of Christ alone. "But when Christ came as a High Priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), He entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!" (Hebrews 9:11-14)
 
So by the grace of God and all You've done for us, every day is our Day of Atonement. "For He says, 'At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.' See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!" (2 Corinthians 6:2)
 
Your eternal sacrifice for us is Your expression of Your eternal love for us.  And Your atonement is Your provision for our "at-one-ment" with You, as we abide in You and embrace Your Spirit and the power of Your love and Your grace to abide within us. "God's love was revealed among us in this way:  God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.... By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit.... God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them" (1 John 4:9-16).
 
My Father God, my Daddy Abba, in response to Your love and Your grace through the atoning sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ, I offer my life a living sacrifice to You. Continually come abide in me now and forever. Send the fire of Your Holy Spirit into my heart this day and every day. Let me be consumed with a passion for You, filled with thanksgiving and praise to You and all You have done for me, O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I celebrate this day and every day as my day of atonement, my day of "at-one-ment," and my day of salvation in You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be consumed in the love and grace and fire of God as a holy, living sacrifice in Christ through God's sacrifice of love for you, this day and every day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Morning by Morning, September 22 - "Prepare the Way of the Lord"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear Your voice and sense Your leading to walk in Your steps, now and throughout the moments of my day.  ...
 
"In the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, 'See, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight,' John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.... He proclaimed, 'The One who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I have baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit'" (Mark 1:1-8).
 
Come, Lord Jesus. Just as John was preparing the way of the Lord before Your first coming, Your Holy Spirit is preparing the way of the Lord for Your second coming. He's making Your paths straight into our hearts and into our homes and into our land. He's stirring us to repentance, cleansing us in forgiveness, and drawing us near in spiritual hunger, that we can fully embrace "the Lord God, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8).
 
Repentance is returning to You -- in humility and faith, seeking to trust You and entrust our lives to You as the only Source of our salvation. This is "the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ" (Mark 1:1). 
 
But there's so much more! The more we know You and trust You, the more we want to surrender and entrust our lives to You. As we decrease in our will, You increase in Your will. As we decrease in our control and our lordship of our lives, You increase in Your control and lordship of our lives (John 3:30).
 
Thank You for the baptism of water that marks our repentance. Our lives will never be the same. And by the power of the grace of God through the good news of Jesus Christ, we'll live forever with You! (John 3:16) But at the same time, there's more. You don't only want us to go to heaven when we die, You want the fullness of heaven in us now. You not only want to baptize us with water, You want to "baptize (us) with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:8)!
 
Come, Holy Spirit! Prepare the way of the Lord! Let the "Spirit of Christ" rule and reign in my heart, taking more control and more lordship of more areas of my heart and my life than I've ever entrusted to You before. I want to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). I want to "be baptized with the Holy Spirit" in deeper measures of surrender and trust than every before (Acts 1:5). I want to come to the place in my heart where I can truly say, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). It to be God's honest truth that by the power of grace at work within me I passionately and persistently "love the Lord (my) God with all (my) heart, and with all (my) soul, and with all (my) mind, and with all (my) strength!" (Mark 12:30)
 
This day and every day, let me hear Your voice crying out to my heart, "Prepare the way of the Lord!" One day soon, You'll be coming again in the clouds of glory (1 Thessalonians 4:16). But every day between now and then, You want to come in Your glory into my heart (1 Peter 3:15). 
 
Come, Lord Jesus! "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let everyone who hears say, 'Come!' And let everyone who is thirsty come!" (Revelation 22:17). "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled!" (Matthew 5:6) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray the Lord will stir up a deeper hunger and thirst to be filled with the Spirit of Christ in deeper measures of your heart every day, that you may display His nature and move in His power, fully baptized in His Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Monday, September 21, 2015

Morning by Morning, September 21 - Sound the Trumpets!
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Give me eyes to see what You're doing and ears to hear what You're saying, as I wait and watch for Your leading, O Lord my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  ...
 
"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:  Make two silver trumpets; you shall make them of hammered work; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation, and for breaking camp.... When you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, you shall sound the alarm with the trumpets, so that you may be remembered before the Lord you God and be saved from your enemies. Also on your days of rejoicing, at your appointed festivals... you shall blow the trumpets.... they shall serve as reminder on your behalf before the Lord your God:  I am the Lord your God" (Numbers 10:1-10).
 
On the Biblical calendar of the cycles of seasons, we're in-between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:24). Every feast and festival, every law and prophecy, and every cycle and season of the Biblical calendar ultimately finds fulfillment in You (Matthew 5:17). And in the Spirit, Your trumpets are sounding.
 
Your trumpets are sounding the call to gather Your people -- to gather them to You and to one another. You've giving us the grace to search our hearts and allow You to remove every barrier that keep us from drawing near to You and drawing near to one another. It's in the unity of the Spirit that You command Your blessings (Psalm 133:1-3).
 
And as we are strengthened and empowered in the unity of the Spirit, You are strategically positioning us to hear Your trumpets sounding the call to go to war in our land against the adversary of our souls. Through the Atonement of the Blood of the Lamb of God who takes away our sins and heals our wounds and breaks our chains, You prepare us for battle and declare over us Your victory!
 
Let us hear Your call to come. And Let us hear Your charge to advance. Let us hear the sound of Your trumpets awaking our spirits to rejoice in the victories we will see before our eyes in the name of the Lord our God! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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

I pray you will hear the sound of the Lord's trumpets calling you to gather to Him and to His people, ready to advance the Kingdom of God, in your heart and in your land, through the victory of the Lord. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Friday, September 18, 2015

Morning by Morning, September 18 - More Joy!
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wait now in the silence of surrender for the leading of Your Spirit.  ...
 
"So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away!" (Isaiah 51:11).
 
You've ransomed me and redeemed me. You've forgiven me and freed me. And You invited me come up to the mountain of the Lord in prayer and praise every moment of my day. And as I remember what You've done and embrace what You're doing, my heart is filled with joy and gladness. Sorrow and sadness must flee away!
 
Lord, I pray for more joy today. Fill me with Your joy that draws people to You. Look the look on my face be a reflection of what You've done in my heart. Let my eyes sparkle and shine with the hope and happiness You stir up inside.
 
Some wear the mask of joy. Some hold on to a faint memory of joy. And some seem to live in a Spirit of Joy every day, no matter what's going on around them. Sorrow can't steel it; sadness can't defeat it. It seems to be as resilient and radiant as the kingdom of God itself. "For the kingdom of God is... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Come, Holy Spirit. May Your kingdom advance in me today with more righteousness, more peace, and more joy! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 

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

I pray you will be filled with more joy today! May sorrow and sadness flee away in the name of Jesus! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 




Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
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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