Morning by Morning, June 19 - "By Every Word"

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me, as You live through me today. ... 

"It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:3). On their journey through the wilderness, You fed the Israelites with food that came by the power of Your grace alone, not the provision of their own hands (Deuteronomy 8:3). Moses told them, "(The Lord) humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you" (Deuteronomy 8:3-5). All the while, You were "bringing (them) into a good land ... where (they would) lack nothing," as they learned the humility of willingly choosing to be desperately dependent upon You alone (Deuteronomy 8:7). 

Lord, keep teaching me these same lessons. All that happened to Israel was to teach me. "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). I want to "lack nothing" and live in "the good land" You've prepared for me as my inheritance and destiny, secure in my identity as a child of God, loved and disciplined by my good Father, providing all I need and even extravagantly blessing me with "the desires of (my) heart" (Psalm 37:4). 

Keep leading me to learn more every day how to live in the humility of willingly choosing to be desperately dependent upon You alone. Help me learn to live by every word that comes from Your mouth into my heart, by all You've expressed by Your written Word, now alive in me by Your living Word, by Your Holy Spirit leading my human spirit. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). 

"Now to Him who by the power at work with us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generation forever and ever!" (Ephesians 3:20-21) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you are led by God's Spirit and blessed by God's Word on your journey with Him into the fullness of your inheritance and destiny in Christ, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 15 - Lose Your Life to Save It

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your leading.  ... 

"If any want to become My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:34-38). 

Lord, what does it mean to lose my life for Your sake and for the sake of the gospel?  ... 

I believe I'm hearing in my heart, "To lose your life for Me is to willingly choose in the freedom you have to fully entrust your life to Me. It's allowing My will to become your will, My thoughts to become your thoughts, My desires to become your desires, My ways to become your ways, so that My nature becomes your nature. It's your choice. And it's a daily choice. It's a journey. And it's a daily journey. But it's the choice that will make all the difference for the journey of your life. Come; follow Me. Come; and keep following Me. It has been and will forever be the best choice you could ever make." 

Yes, Lord. By the power of Your grace, give me the desire and the power to choose well this day and every day. "God is working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13 NLT). Choice by choice, day by day, on my journey of faith, You are conforming me into Your image (Romans 8:29). As You give me the desire and the power to keeping losing my life for You, to keep entrusting my life fully to You, offering my life as "a living sacrifice" to You alone, You are freeing me to be all You created me to be (Romans 12:1-2). 

It's only in Your will that I am free. It's only as I lose my life for Your sake that I can truly live into the fullness of all You long for me to be. Help me grow in my understanding of this truth. As best as I can and all by Your grace, help me grow in my complete trust and full surrender of my life to You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you live into the fullness of all you were were created to be -- willingly choosing to lose your life for the sake of Christ, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 13 - Centered in Christ

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of all I am and all I do this day.  ... "

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?' I said to him, 'Sir, you are the one that knows.' Then he said to me, 'These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship Him day and night within His temple, and the One who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:13-17). 

I don't know the depths of the ordeals I will endure or the trials of tribulation I will face, as I run my race and walk out my journey in faith through this broken and fallen world. But I know I want my robe to be washed in white by the blood of the Lamb. I know I want You to be at the center of the throne of my heart, with my heart full worship day and night in the temple of Your Presence. I know I want to trust You to be my Shelter and my Shepherd, to lead me and to guide me to Your living waters and flowing fountains. 

My time today on this earth is just the point where my present touches Your eternity. And my eternity is secure in You. Therefore, so is my present, my past, and my future. So give me the grace to embrace every day, every challenge, every encounter as it comes. With You at the center of my heart and my life, I cry out with all of heaven what I can experience here on earth every day, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!  ... Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever!" (Revelation 7:10-12) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you live out every day centered in Christ, filled with worship, knowing the fullness of your salvation and the joy of your eternity, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

      

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 12 - "My Own Know Me"

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- I welcome every dimension of Your Being into every dimension of my being. Help me seek You and follow You from an attitude of my heart entrusting all of me to all of You, seeking to live every moment in constant communion with You.  ... 

"I Am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me" (John 10:14). 

I am Your own, Good Shepherd of my soul. You know me; You've always known me. You know everything I've ever done and everything I'll ever do. You see the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. You are eternal. And You've invited me to live in Your eternity by coming to know You, to trust You, to believe in You, and to learn to follow You like a sheep learns to follow the voice of the good shepherd (John 3:16). 

Help me know You more. Let Your Word be a light for my feet and an anchor for my soul. Let Your Spirit be a constant Companion for my conscience and ever-abiding Reminder of Your Presence. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as You transform me by the renewing of my mind and revival of my soul (Romans 12:1-2). As I grow in knowing You and Your ways, knowing Your Word and Your Spirit, in my daily journey with You, I know I'll grow to "discern what is the will of God" -- for me and my life in You and for my witness of who You are in my world (Romans 12:2). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you continue to grow every day in knowing the Lord our God -- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit -- never doubting that He knows all about you and loves you more deeply than you can ever imagine, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

     

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 9 - In Honor of the Ministry of Rev. Eradio Valverde

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take my heart and guide my steps -- today and every day.  ... "

Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him" (Genesis 5:24). After forty-one years of ministry, my dear friend, Rev. Eradio Valverde, officially, technically "retired" from the ordained ministry of the United Methodist Church yesterday at our annual conference. Like Enoch, in that sense, in that way, he will be "no more." 

But also like Enoch, I'm very excited to see where You will take him!  Enoch never stopped walking with God, and neither will Eradio. He will continue to inspire and mentor and speak boldly and prophetically the Word of God; he will continue to love and to lead with all his heart and all his passion wherever You send him. I know the heart of my friend and You know his heart even better -- and just as he said in his heart forty-one years ago, he stills says in his heart today and every day "Here I am, Lord -- send me!" (from Isaiah 6:8)

 "God took (Enoch)" and God will take Eradio. Only God knows where You will take him next, in this next season of life and ministry. But I know this to be true:  "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered in to the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV). 

For my friend today, what I believe I hear in my heart is "I'm not done with you yet, My son. The best is yet to come. The glory of the latter house will be great than the former. I have saved My best wine for last" (from Haggai 2:9; John 2:10). "The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day" (Proverbs 4:18) And I know in my heart it is far from the full day for my friend and the extravagant, abundant anointing of God upon his life and ministry. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will walk in the path of the righteous like the light of dawn, walking with God, to fulfill your calling and destiny in Christ, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. And please join with me in this prayer of blessing for Eradio and Nellie Valverde and their family. God bless you, my friend!

    

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 6 - Love, Above All Else

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak to my heart, as I listen for Your voice, Good Shepherd of my soul.  ... "Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:14). Your Word commands me to clothe myself with love "above all." No doubt, this is a great priority to You and You desire this to be a great priority to me. So help me understand this spiritual truth and clear demand more deeply. Lord, what does it mean to clothe myself with love?  ... It seems I hear You saying, "To clothe yourself with love is to take deliberate action, with the intention of your heart to consciously choose to love." Yes, Lord. As I hear these words in my heart, I believe You're bringing to mind a picture of me buttoning my shirt, one button at a time. It takes focus and attention, even though it may seem like a small thing. It's not automatic. My shirt doesn't button itself up just because I choose to wear it or want to wear it. I have to take deliberate action to consciously choose to put on my shirt and button it up, one button at a time.  So just as I clothe myself with my shirt every morning, remind me and empower me to clothe myself with love every morning. And may I keep wearing it throughout the moments and encounters of my day. Just like I would have to take deliberate action to consciously choose to take my shirt off, one button at a time, may it be just that deliberate to me if I were to choose to take love off. The moment I touch that top button to begin to take off love, speak to my heart and convict me in my spirit of what I'm about to do.  Remind me to never take off love, but wear it all day, going about every day consciously clothed in love. And as it becomes my way of the heart, let it become my way of life. Help me learn to love, more every day, clothed in love above all else. "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.... if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us" (1 John 4:7-12).  This kind of love is not the world's kind of love. It's not wish-washy, willy-nilly, touchy-feely love. It's obedient love, faithful love, self-sacrificing love (1 John 4:10; 2 John 4:6). As You explained to Your first disciples, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.... They who have My commandments and keep them are those who love Me; and those who love Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.... Those who love Me will keep My Word, and My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words" (John 14:15-24). This kind of love requires truth. This kind of love requires action. "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action" (1 John 3:17). It's not enough to say we love. It's not enough to embrace the world's kind of love. It's our calling and command to put on love, to clothe ourselves with love -- obedient, truthful love -- as revealed and expressed through You, for You are love (1 John 4:16). And as You are, so are we to be in this world (1 John 4:17). This is the way of love You desire and require, above all else. Lord, help me love to love and wear Your love every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you will be empowered with the desire to love, above all else, to consciously choose to put on love every day and never deliberately take it off, as you seek to be more like Jesus in your world 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

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 5 - "God of Hope"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for meeting me every morning -- here in my prayer chair today and here in my heart, wherever I am each day.  ...

 

"May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

 

Daddy Abba! My Father God, You are the God of hope (Romans 8:15). You fill my heart with all joy and peace, as I believe Your Word and trust Your nature. You fill me with the power of Your Holy Spirit, that I may abound and overflow in even more hope still. "For You, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord!" (Psalm 71:5)

 

When my hope is in You -- instead of the fleeting pleasures, uncertain security, and ultimately unsatisfying provision and disappointing promises this world has to offer -- there is an authentic joy and genuine peace that fills my soul and satisfies my heart. Only You can provide that.

 

I'm reminded of the old hymn that proclaims this eternal truth:  "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness....  When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.... On Christ the Solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand." My hope is in You, Lord. Fill me with all peace and joy in believing today. Fill me afresh with the power of Your Holy Spirit, as I confidently trust in You, O God of hope. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

I pray you will be filled with all joy and peace in believing, filled afresh with the power of the Holy Spirit today, by the God of Hope, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

  

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

www.Messiah-Ministries.org 

  

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

www.RaphaGodMinistries.com 

Please share this word to encourage a friend!