Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Morning by Morning, November 16 - Spirit of God's Spirit of Love
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today (1 John 4:17). ...
 
"No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.... God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them" (1 John 4:12-16).
 
If I sincerely want to know if God is living in me, if the Spirit of God abides in me, my question is not "Am I a good person?" or "Am I a powerful person?" It's not even "Am I an obedient person?" or "Am I a faithful person?"  The question Your Word sets before me to ask of myself is "Am I a loving person?"  Everything else follows and flows out of that. "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit" -- His Spirit of Love (v. 4:13).
 
You drove home Your point through the Apostle Paul. Despite all the power and authority, the wisdom and maturity, the affirmation and confirmation of his calling and anointing, he had the honesty and humility to acknowledge his need of Your Spirit of Love, saying:  "If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all mu possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
 
Your first disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). And rightly so. But maybe the more urgent request to meet our deepest need is, "Lord, teach us to love." In fact, You're the One who said, "all the law and the prophets" hand on this (Matthew 22:40). 
 
So come, Holy Spirit -- Spirit of the Living God who lives in me, who abides in me, who makes me more like You each day. "Spirit of Christ," let the nature of Christ be formed in me, as You teach me how to love, as You increase my capacity to give love and receive love, as I'm learning to love You, love others, and even love myself in the ways You've called me to (Romans 8:9). Because as You are, so am I to be in this world (1 John 4:17; Romans 8:29). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you will grow every day in your capacity to love and be loved, learning to love by the power and the grace of the Spirit of God in 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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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Morning by Morning, November 15 - "Be Radiant" 
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- I worship You and welcome You into my heart and into my day.  ...
 
"Look to Him, and be radiant" (Psalm 34:5).
 
As I look to You, Your Spirit shines on me. As I worship You, Your Spirit awakens me. As I seek You first and Your kingdom and Your righteousness, Your Spirit changes me, aligning my thoughts with Your thoughts and my desires with Your desires, causing my nature to be more like Your nature. You make me radiant with the glory of Your manifest Presence -- here in me and here upon me.
 
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled face, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
 
Come, Holy Spirit. Lift up my eyes to my Maker, open up my spirit to my Savior. Let me "arise, shine; for (my) Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon (me).... Then (I) shall see and be radiant; (my) heart shall thrill and rejoice!" (Isaiah 60:1-5). 
 
By Your grace I embrace the blessing of Your radiance:  "The Lord bless (me) and keep (me); the Lord make His face to shine upon (me), and be gracious to (me); the Lord lift up His countenance upon (me), and give (me) peace" (Numbers 6:22). Then let me arise and shine to carry the radiance of Your glory everywhere You send me today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you will arise and shine everywhere the Lord sends you today, in the radiance of His glory upon 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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Monday, November 14, 2016

Morning by Morning, November 14 - "So Great a Salvation"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear what's on Your heart, as You align Your thoughts and Your desires with mine, here in these first moments of my morning.  ...
 
"Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, He himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear He did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore He had to become like His brothers and sisters in every respect, so that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because He himself was tested by what He suffered, He is able to help those who are being tested" (Hebrews 2:14-18).
 
You became like me so that I could become like You. You died for my sins so that I could live by the power of Your grace. You were tested by Your sufferings so that I could come through every test in the power of the One who overcame every test for me. You destroyed the one who has the power of death so that I can have abundant life in You.
 
You've come to help us, as the descendants of Abraham. And every day we put our faith in You, You are "bringing many children to glory" Hebrews 2:10). You are the Son of God; and now, by the grace of God through all You've done for me in Your sacrifice of love, I am a son of God. "The One who sanctifies and those being sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call (us) brothers and sisters" (v. 2:11).
 
 Let me never "neglect so great a salvation" (v. 2:3). Every day, by the power of Your grace, "I will put my trust in (You)" (v. 2:13).  I will choose to "see Jesus" (v. 2:9). And I will choose to live each day of my life for the One who gave His life for me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will live in the fullness and abundance of life you have in Christ through so great a salvation you have in Him, 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, November 11, 2016

Morning by Morning, November 11 - Veteran's Day -- Sacrifice of Love for Us
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I seek to humble myself to hear Your voice and pray by the leading of Your Spirit.  ...
 
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13 NKJV).
 
On this Veteran's Day, we honor the men and women who have loved and served our nation with their lives for our freedom. All have sacrificed, many with the ultimate sacrifice, that we might be secure at home and source of strength for good in our world. Their great love deserves our great respect and honor -- this day and every day.
 
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your sacrifice of love for us. You endured the cross to lay down Your life for each one of us. "We do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9). There is no greater love.
 
As the people of a free nation, under God, may we honor our veterans and may we honor our Savior. May we live our lives today and every day in a way at honors Your sacrifice and theirs for us. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Tommy, I pray your life today will honor our Savior and those who have been willing to sacrifice their lives for us, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. And I join with you in prayer for America to be a nation under God, honoring the Lord our God with the gifts and calling He has entrusted to us as a nation in our world. 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, November 10, 2016

Morning by Morning, November 10 - Anointing for Leadership to Change a Nation
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father, One with the Holy Spirit. Come be One within me, as You abide in me and I abide in You (John 15:4).  ...
 
We're a people of strong opinions. And rightly so. You are a God of strong opinions. And rightly so. You've expressed them to us in the words we call The Bible and You impress them into our hearts by the moving of Your Holy Spirit. And when we wonder if our opinions line up with Your opinions, You remind us to read Your Word and listen for Your Spirit. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God as children of God" (Roman 8:14). "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
 
As our nation moves into its next season of leadership through "the peaceful transition of government," many question the character of our elected leader. And our leaders, like each of us, are responsible for our actions and words and choices. "God's righteous judgment will be revealed. For He will repay according to each one's deeds:  to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.... For God shows no impartiality.... God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all" (Romans 2:5-16).
 
So we all need Jesus (John 3:16). And we all need the mercy and grace of God who convicts us of our sins, who forgives us through repentance, and who changes our hearts, that we may grow in His character and live for His purposes (Colossians 1:19-20). It's true of our leaders and it's true of each one of us, "since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;" but through repentance and faith, "they are now justified by the His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by His blood, effective through faith" (Romans 3:23-25).
 
Many have taken note of Your power to change the heart of a leader to accomplish Your purposes for a nation by the anointing of Your Spirit even upon one who did not know You and Your nature before You chose to use him despite his character, as You did through King Cyrus, expressed in Isaiah 45:
"Thus says the Lord to His anointed,
To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-
To subdue nations before him
And loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
2    'I will go before you
And make the crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
3    I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.
4    For Jacob My servant's sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me.
5    I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me, That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
7    I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.'
8    "Rain down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9    "Woe to him who strives with his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!
Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?'
Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'?
10  Woe to him who says to his father, 'What are you begetting?'
Or to the woman, 'What have you brought forth?' "
11   Thus says the Lord,
The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
"Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons;
And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.
12   I have made the earth,
And created man on it.
I-My hands-stretched out the heavens,
And all their host I have commanded.
13   I have raised him up in righteousness,
And I will direct all his ways;
He shall build My city
And let My exiles go free,
Not for price nor reward,"
Says the Lord of hosts.
14 Thus says the Lord:
"The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush
And of the Sabeans, men of stature,
Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours;
They shall walk behind you,
They shall come over in chains;
And they shall bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying, 'Surely God is in you,
And there is no other;
There is no other God.' "
15   Truly You are God, who hide Yourself,
O God of Israel, the Savior!
16   They shall be ashamed
And also disgraced, all of them;
They shall go in confusion together,
Who are makers of idols.
17  But Israel shall be saved by the Lord
With an everlasting salvation;
You shall not be ashamed or disgraced
Forever and ever.
18   For thus says the Lord,
Who created the heavens,
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
Who did not create it in vain,
Who formed it to be inhabited:
"I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19   I have not spoken in secret,
In a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the seed of Jacob,
'Seek Me in vain';
I, the Lord, speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.
20  "Assemble yourselves and come;
Draw near together,
You who have escaped from the nations.
They have no knowledge,
Who carry the wood of their carved image,
And pray to a god that cannot save.
21   Tell and bring forth your case;
Yes, let them take counsel together.
Who has declared this from ancient time?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A just God and a Savior;
There is none besides Me.
22   "Look to Me, and be saved,
All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23   I have sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,
And shall not return,
That to Me every knee shall bow,
Every tongue shall take an oath.
24   He shall say,
'Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength.
To Him men shall come,
And all shall be ashamed
Who are incensed against Him.
25   In the Lord all the descendants of Israel
Shall be justified, and shall glory' " (Isaiah 45:1-28 NKJV).
 
 
Lord, let it be so in our time. You are alone are Lord. There is no God besides You. Move mightily in the heart of our elected leaders and in heart of our nation to turn to You in righteousness. Change our hearts and heal our land, that we may know our identity and fulfill our destiny as a people of God (2 Chronicles 7:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you will be free from fear, filled with faith, and moved to prayer, believing the Lord alone is God and is at work in our hearts and the hearts of our leaders to accomplish His purposes, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. And I join with you in prayer for America to be a nation under God, honoring the Lord our God with the gifts and calling He has entrusted to us as a nation in our world. 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, November 09, 2016

Morning by Morning, November 9 -  "New Wineskin"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I worship You and welcome You to rule and reign in my heart, in my land, and in all the earth.  ...
 
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins" (Mark 2:22 NKJV).
 
Whether we love him or hate him, we have elected a new President of the United States. By the act of our votes, we made choices with our hearts for each individual person and also made choices together as a nation. Our choices matter; our choices determine our identity; and our choices determine our destiny in the mystery and the grace of both Your sovereignty and our freedom (Deuteronomy 30:9; Joshua 24:15; John 15:10).
 
The days and years to come will reveal the consequences of our choices, both personally and as a people. And so we are forever in need of Your mercy and grace, Your presence and power, Your correction and discipline, Your redemption and love.
 
But as the dust settles this morning, the words and the image that comes to my heart in prayer for Your will and our nation is "New Wineskin."  ...
 
At the very least, there will be a "new wineskin" in Washington for sure. And we have yet to see or imagine all that may imply or entail. But as the people of God turn to You in prayer from across our land, we pray You would pour the "New Wine" of Your Holy Spirit into the "new wineskin" of governmental authority in our land. Whether it was our personal choice or not, You call us to pray for those in authority:  "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
 
Come, Holy Spirit. We turn to You in prayer and ask that You would heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Pour Your New Wine into the new wineskins You are preparing in us, that we might know our identity and fulfill our destiny, as a people of God in our generation. Your grace is sufficient for us -- it always has been and it always will be (2 Corinthians 12:9).
 
As some celebrate today, as some commiserate today, let us all begin today the journey to arise and embrace the new day, the new wineskin, and the New Wine that is set before us. None of us knows what all that may mean, but I do know this by the certainty of Your Word:  "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you we will all be filled with the New Wine of the Holy Spirit of God, in our hearts and in our land, as we pray for those in authority and for one another to know our identity and fulfill our destiny as a person and as a nation, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. And I join with you in prayer for America to be a nation under God, honor the Lord our God with the gifts and calling He has entrusted to us as a nation in our world. 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, November 08, 2016

Morning by Morning, November 8 - Voting "The Straight Ticket" of the Lord
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You're the Lord and Savior of my life. And I welcome You here in the center of my heart and the beginning of my day.  ...
 
"Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness; ... make Your way straight before me" (Psalm 5:8). 
 
It's Election Day in America. My wife and I got up early to go vote early before the lines got too long. Now, we've done our civic duty and participated in the process of governing our nation and determining the course of our land. As President Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address, we have the freedom to be a "nation, under God" which is a "government of the people, by the people, for the people, (that) shall not perish from the earth." May our votes count as an expression of our heart that we desire the direction of our nation to honor You. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12 NKJV).
 
Like so many, I wrestled with my choices. And in the end, I decided to vote "the straight ticket" -- not voting a "straight ticket" for democrats, republicans, libertarians, green, blue or anything else, but seeking the leading of Your Holy Spirit, as best as I could and all by Your grace. I prayed Psalm 5:8 that You would lead me in Your righteousness and make Your way "straight" before me.
 
Your Word says we don't even know how to pray as we ought, so we need to ask Your guidance even in our prayers. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26).  So just like my prayers, I want my votes to be led by Your Spirit so that I can say from my heart, "not my will buy Yours be done" (Luke 22:42).
 
In the midst of all the issues of character, personalities, policies and platforms, I ultimately want to exercise my freedom of choice by freely choosing to follow You -- as best as I can and all by Your grace. I know none of us hear Your voice perfectly and that on this side of heaven we only "know in part" (1 Corinthians 13:9). "For now we see in a mirror, dimly" (1 Corinthians 13:12). But as the children of God, we are called to seek the leading of God in all things, even in our votes as a free people of a free nation. ""For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14).
 
So when I wake up in the morning and find out who won, I can have the peace of knowing I made my choices as best as I could seeking the leading of Your Spirit. And I can also rest in the truth of Your promise that whether good or bad, You are the God who is sovereign of all, at work in all things for our good and Your glory, according to Your purpose that is far beyond anything I could choose or plan or control. "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). And at same time, You invite us to take our place and play our part in Your process "like good stewards of the manifold grace of God" with all the freedom and gifts You've entrusted to us as the people of God in the midst of our world (1 Peter 4:10).
 
Seeking to vote "the straight ticket" of the Lord, I'm trusting You to cause it all to work together for good, far beyond my understanding of Your will and Your ways. But I know this, by the truth and promise of Your Word:  "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 40:4-5 NKJV, confirmed in Luke 3:5-6). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

I pray you will be led by the Spirit of God as a child of God in all your choices each day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. And I join with you in prayer for America to be a nation under God, honor the Lord our God with gift and calling He has given us as a nation in our world. 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!