Morning by Morning, September 7 - Hearts Filled with Faith, Mouths Filled with Praise Through It All

 

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

 

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

 

This morning when I looked to see what happened last night with Hurricane Irma, marching through the Caribbean on its way to Florida, the first thing I saw was the proclamation of prayer and praise from the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello. He was boldly declaring to the world for all to hear, "We would like to start out thanking the Almighty! Our prayers were answered!" The storms came but Your people were not overcome.

 

Yes, Lord! Praise You, Lord! In the midst of the storm, we join with all who are choosing to keep turning to You and calling on Your name to be our Hope and Help through whatever comes -- rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, giving thanks to the Almighty in all circumstances. This steadfast spirit of unquenchable hope and persevering faith is "the will of God in Christ Jesus" for all who trust You to be with us through it all (v. 18).

 

This is the buoyant hope, bound together with fearless faith, that inspires us and empowers us to overcome no matter what challenges we face in this broken, fallen world that's not yet redeemed and restored. As You said, "In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33 NKJV)  

 

Just as Your Word reminds us, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I Am the Lord your God.... You are precious in My sight, and honored, and I love you" (Isaiah 43:1-4). May Your Spirit keep filling our hearts with faith and our mouths with praise, thanking You for being with us through whatever comes and all You empower us to overcome. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray that by the power of God's grace your heart is filled with faith and your mouth is filled with praise through every storm you ever endure -- rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, giving thanks in every circumstance, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friend!

 

Friends, I'm joining with you in the agreement of prayer for all who are recovering from Hurricane Harvey and facing Hurricane Irma for God's protection and provision, and that His love and grace may be evident to all through His people who are there to pray and to help as the heart and hands of Jesus Christ. God bless you!

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, September 6 - Praying in Faith Against "The Prince of the Power of the Air"

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

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among who also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:1-7 NKJV).

There is a so-called "prince of the power of the air" who is a "spirit" -- an evil and destructive spirit (Ephesians 2:2). It's the same spirit who is "the thief" who "comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). It's the same spirit You called "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31). And it's the spirit of destruction and death at work in our world, seeking to destroy and defile Your creation by every means possible and at every opportunity available. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now" longing to be "set free from its bondage to decay" (Romans 8:19-23). 

So when I see on the news there's another storm called Hurricane Irma churning across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Caribbean, on its with to the southeastern coast of America, with Your creation and Your children in the path of its destruction, I don't think of an angry God hurling another fireball from hell against His own creation. I think of "the prince of the power of the air." I think of "the thief who comes to steal and kill and to destroy." And I turn my heart and my prayers and my hope to the One who says "I came that (you) may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). I turn to the One who is "rich in mercy," who reaches out to us -- even in our sins, even in the places our destructive, accusing enemy of our souls and of Your creation claims we have opened the door to destruction in our hearts or in our land throughout our generations -- and invites us to call on Your name in our distress (Ephesians 2:4). 

O God, hear our prayer. Crush "the prince of the power of the air." Grant us mercy in the face of its destruction. Speak to the wind and the waves to be silent and still. Dissipate the detour this storm to empty it of its destructive force. Stir in the hearts and prayers and proclamations of Your people who are called by Your name to take a stand in faith to speak to this mountain of destruction, even as we humble ourselves to be desperately dependent upon You alone (Mark 11:23).  

And as You bring us through no matter what we may endure, as we groan with all Your creation for the redemption of our broken, fallen world, may we continue to turn to You to be our Hope and our Help. "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:7). May You continue to fulfill Your Word through these unprecedented days of what seems like unrelenting catastrophe:  "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with (us)" (Romans 16:20). In Jesus' name we pray.

 

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

I pray in faith in agreement with you that our God who is rich in mercy will give faith and grace to all who in the path of Hurricane Irma to endure and overcome this "prince of the power of the air" and its destructive forces, in Jesus' name. And I join with you in prayer that lives would be restored in the coastal region of Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, and that all who are suffering in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and these storms of this season would experience the protection and provision of our God, in Jesus' name! May the presence of God in His mercy and love and through His people be evident in the midst of it all. 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, September 5 - Turning Hurricane Harvey into a Harvest of the Kingdom

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today.  ...

 

"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples" (John 13:35 NLT).

 

Several of us from our ministry went to the Red Cross disaster response training this weekend to help with the victims from Hurricane Harvey. Since the local Red Cross facility was being overwhelmed with what they called "the Texas-sized" response of people wanting to help, they held the training in the sanctuary of the one of the biggest churches in San Antonio. It was a beautiful sight to see thousands from across our city -- crossing all the cultural, racial, and denominational barriers -- come together as one to help.

 

All across Texas, we see hearts opening up and walls coming down. And the body of Christ is in the midst of it all to be the hands and heart of Jesus, right alongside our neighbors who may not yet share our faith but who share God's heart of compassion and mercy and love.  True unity comes from the Holy Spirit -- "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). 

 

In that unity of the Spirit -- with the walls that would divide us being swept away in a hurricane of love no less devastating to the kingdom of darkness than this hurricane that devastated the coastline of Texas -- all the world is watching us and our response. And may they see the heart of Jesus in the midst of it all. May they know we are Christians by our love. And as they see the unity of the Spirit rising up in our hearts silencing the storms of racism and hatred that were brewing in our land, may there be a great harvest of the kingdom that comes out of this hurricane of destruction. 

 

The witness of oneness is a witness to the world that the Father sent His Son to save us all. As You modeled the unity of the Spirit on the earth and prayed to Father for us all, "I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are One ... so that the world will believe You sent Me.... May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me" (John 17:21-23 NLT). In this way and in so many more, You are redeeming this storm and turning Hurricane Harvey into a great harvest of the kingdom  (Matthew 13:39). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray in agreement with you that the Holy Spirit will continue to unite us and love through us, as God redeems this storm to turn Hurricane Harvey into a great harvest of the kingdom, in Jesus' name. I join with you in prayer for that lives would be restored in this coastal region of Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, and that all who are suffering in the wake of this storm would experience the protection and provision of our God, in Jesus' name! May the presence of God in His mercy and love and through His people be evident in the midst of it all. God bless you, my friend!

Our Prayers are with all the people of this region of Texas, Louisiana, and all who are enduring this storm and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

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, August 31 - Our Hope and Help

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead my heart, renew my mind, and guide my steps in the way, the truth, and the life of Christ today.  ...

 

"I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.... Do not, O Lord, withhold Your mercy from me; let Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness keep me safe forever.... Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me.... As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!" (Psalm 40:1-17)

 

O Lord, our God, hear our cry. Hear the cry of every soul whose patience is running thin and whose faith is growing weary. Reach down into their pit of despair and lift them out of the miry bog of confusion and disillusionment. Set their feet on the solid ground of the assurance of Your presence, Your protection, and Your provision. Bring order out of their chaos and hope to their hearts.

 

O God, hear! O God, act! O God, come in Your power and love in both Your supernatural miracles and in Your Spirit-led people, reaching out to the hurting and taking hold of the helpless, to weather this storm and rebuild their lives in You. We need Your hope! We need Your help! "You are (our) Help and (our) Deliverer; do not delay, O (our) God! (v. 17) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray in agreement with you and all who are led to join us in prayer by the Holy Spirit that the rain would stop, the land would dry up, and lives would be restored in this coastal region of Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, and that all who are suffering in the wake of this storm would experience the protection and provision of our God, in Jesus' name! May the presence of God in His mercy and love and through His people be evident in the midst of it all. And may this terrible storm be turned into a great harvest. God bless you, my friend!

Our Prayers are with all the people of this region of Texas, Louisiana, and all who are enduring this storm and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

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, August 30 - Search and Rescue

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Show me how to pray, as I turn my eyes to You and listen for the leading of Your Spirit.  ...

 

"For thus says the Lord God:  I Myself will search for My sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out My sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness" (Ezekiel 34:11-12).

 

In these days of clouds and thick darkness, with whole communities still reeling from the floods and rains of destruction from this terrible storm, we need You and cry out to You, O Lord, our God. You are our Good Shepherd, our True Shepherd, our Faithful Shepherd, who says, "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak" (v. 16).

 

Thank You for the workers and volunteers, for the neighbors and friends, for the total strangers with a heart to help who come together as one as an extension of Your heart and hands for all who are lost and suffering. Search and rescue. Deliver and save. Bring hope and healing, security and shelter in the midst of this storm. Give all who are hurting and afraid the hope and faith to believe there will soon come a day when "they shall be secure on their soil; and they shall know that (You are) the Lord" (v. 27). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray in agreement with you and all who are led to join us in prayer by the Holy Spirit that the rain would stop and lives would be restored in this coastal region of Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, and that all who are suffering in the wake of this storm would experience the protection and provision of our God, in Jesus' name! May the presence of God in His mercy and love and through His people be evident in the midst of it all. And may this terrible storm be turned into a great harvest. God bless you, my friend!

Our Prayers are with all the people of this region enduring this storm and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

Come join us for our

Level 1 Prayer Ministry Training

Biblical Principles of Inner Healing and Deliverance

Starting Tuesday Night, September 5th, being hosted at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. DVDs are also available.

Registration and Information

The core teaching for our Level 1 School of Ministry

 is based upon my book:

 Free to Be Like Jesus 

 Transforming Power of Inner Healing & Deliverance

 

Click Here to Order through Amazon

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, August 29 - Fervent Prayer that the Rain Would Stop

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look up to You and speak up to You and welcome You to take hold of me and speak into me, as I seek to begin my day in communion with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.  ... 

"Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth" (James 5:17). 

O Lord, as we hear and see the overwhelming devastation of the rains that continue to pour down and the waters that continue to rise up along the Texas coast and Gulf of Mexico, we're moved to cry out to You in prayer and call on Your name in faith. You moved in Elijah's heart to pray fervently that it might not rain. And Lord, that's our prayer for this region overwhelmed by these floods and desperate for a miraculous move of God. Father God, in the name of Jesus, let the rain stop and begin to dry up the land. 

Your Word calls us to both humility and faith in our prayers -- humility to seek You and faith to believe You, humility to be available to pray and intercede as You lead by Your Spirit and faith to trust that You're putting Your prayers on our hearts to pray according to Your will. "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 8:26-27). 

I believe Your Spirit is leading us to pray in humility and faith for the rain to stop and the land to dry up. I believe Your Spirit is leading us to pray for protection and provision of all who are suffering and for suffering souls to be saved as they cry out to You in their distress.  "They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out from their distress; He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they had quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind" (Psalm 107:28-31). 

Move in the hearts of Your sons and daughters to pray like Elijah, in humility and faith. By the power of Your grace, may our fervent, earnest prayers, led by Your Spirit, be "powerful and effective" (James 5:16). And may we trust in Your Word when You said, "Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:18-20). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray in agreement with you and all who are led to join us in prayer by the Holy Spirit that the rain would stop in this coastal region of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico, and all who are suffering in the wake of this storm would experience the protection and provision of our God, in Jesus' name! May the presence of God in His mercy and love and through His people be evident in the midst of it all. And may this terrible storm be turned into a great harvest. God bless you, my friend!

Our Prayers are with all the people of this region enduring the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

Come join us for our

Level 1 Prayer Ministry Training

Biblical Principles of Inner Healing and Deliverance

Starting Tuesday Night, September 5th, being hosted at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. DVDs are also available.

Registration and Information

The core teaching for our Level 1 School of Ministry

 is based upon my book:

 Free to Be Like Jesus 

 Transforming Power of Inner Healing & Deliverance

 

Click Here to Order through Amazon

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, August 28 - Our Rescue and Refuge

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your sheep hear Your voice, so I call on Your name and listen for Your leading.  ...

 

"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress; He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they had quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven" (Psalm 107:28-30).

 

Though the hurricane has passed, the rains remain and the rivers are rising in what they're calling unprecedented, catastrophic flooding on the Texas coast. Thousands are stranded and wait for rescue. Thousands more wonder when it will ever end. While I'm thankful that we were not overwhelmed in our community as they expected, I'm moved with compassion and stirred to intercession for all who were and for all who long for this nightmare to be over.

 

So I join with every heart crying out to You, calling on Your name, and seeking Your help. Lord, dry up the rains, push back the clouds, clear up the skies, and send forth Your word. Bring provision and protection for all who are in need. Send out Your angels and send out Your servants to be Your hands and Your heart. 

 

You've stilled the storm and hushed the waves, now be our Rescue and our Refuge for all who are crying out in distress. We need You now in our hour of need. And we thank You now for every way we will see You come through and bring each soul "to their desired haven." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

I pray you'll be rescued and comforted if you're in distress and that you'll be moved to intercession for all who are, in Jesus' name! Please join me in prayer for all who are suffering in the wake of this hurricane. May the presence of God in His mercy and love and through His people be evident in the midst of it all. God bless you, my friend!

Our Prayers are with the people of Houston, Texas and all enduring the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

Come join us for our

Level 1 Prayer Ministry Training

Biblical Principles of Inner Healing and Deliverance

Starting Tuesday Night, September 5th, being hosted at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. DVDs are also available.

Registration and Information

The core teaching for our Level 1 School of Ministry

 is based upon my book:

 Free to Be Like Jesus 

 Transforming Power of Inner Healing & Deliverance

 

Click Here to Order through Amazon

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!