Wednesday, September 04, 2019

Morning by Morning, September 4 - Opened Heavens in Christ
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be lifted high in my heart, my thoughts, my words, my prayers, my way of life today (John 12:32). ...
 
"Nathaniel replied, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!' Jesus answered, 'Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.' And He said to him, 'Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man'" (John 1:49-51).
 
Lord Jesus, the heavens are opened over You; angels ascend and descend upon You. You are the Bridge and the Gate, a Living Portal between heaven and earth, between the spiritual realm and the natural realm, between how things are now in the present and how things shall be and always are in eternity. You are "from everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 90:2).
 
And by the power of Your grace and the mystery of faith, we enter into that supernatural realm with You, as we abide in You and You abide in us (John 15:3). "Christ in (us), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). We are in You and You are in us, so wherever You are, there we are also. "God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace (we) have been saved -- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6).
 
I don't begin to fully understand all this means, but I'm growing in my sense of Your strong invitation to believe and embrace more fully this eternal dimension. Yes, I live in this world, here on earth, where time unfolds day by day and moment by moment. But at the same time, I also live in Your world, there in heaven, where all time and space is eternally present to You. "In (You) we live and move and. Have our being" (Acts 17:28). I am "made alive in Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:22). "This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that (God our Father) has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in Him" (Ephesians 3:11-12).
 
This eternal, heavenly realm is where all that will ever happen on earth has already, eternally happened and is eternally happening in the fullness and completeness of how You have always intended. That's part of what it means for us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" -- here in this earthly, natural realm, as it already, eternally is in Your heavenly, supernatural realm (Matthew 6:10). That's part of what Your Word means in declaring we already have (in the heavenly realm) what we do not yet see fully manifested (in the earthly realm), saying, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3). We are already blessed, we are eternally blessed "in the heavenly places," in the eternal dimension, even before we experience it here in the earthly places, in this earthly dimension.
 
Thank You that the heavens are opened over You. And thank You that in Christ, the heavens are opened over me! Angels ascend and descend on You; and in Christ, angels ascend and descend on me! Give me "a spirit of wisdom and revelation as (I) come to know (You), so that with the eyes of (my) heart enlightened, (I) may know what is the hope to which (You) have called (me), what are the riches of (Your) glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of (Your) power for us who believe, according to the work of (Your) great power!" (Ephesians 1:17-19) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
 
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you more fully understand and embrace your life in Christ in the eternal dimension, where you are already seated with Christ in the heavenly places, where you already have been given every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus, where the heavens are opened over you and angels ascend and descend upon you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!


        

Our School of Ministry Started This Week!
Please keep us in prayer! We're off to a great start being, hosted the year at Oak Hills Church, Alamo Ranch Campus, in San Antonio.

Our Level 1 School of Ministry is a comprehensive Prayer Ministry training based on God's Word, designed to inform and provide a Biblical foundation for inner healing and freedom prayer in a casual learning environment. Topics include Biblical Principles of Inner Healing -- "Healing from the Inside Out," Spiritual Gifts, and Potential Barriers to Healing, as well as a brief overview of Inner Healing and Personal Prayer tools. The training includes six, three hour evening sessions over the course of three weeks in the early Fall.


 

Thank you for joining with me on this journey of prayer -- Morning by Morning! 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

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Tuesday, September 03, 2019

Morning by Morning, September 3 - "Surpassing Value" of Knowing Jesus
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call on Your name and listen for Your voice to begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit. ...
 
"Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.... I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings by becoming like Him in His death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own" (Philippians 3:7-12).
 
Lord Jesus, is knowing You the "surpassing value" in my life? Is it true in my heart that "everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" to "become one with (You)" (Philippians 3:8-9 NLT)? ...
 
Or do I value other things more? Do I think somewhere down in my heart that I'm even supposed to value other things more in a more practical and responsible sense -- marriage, family, ministry, identity, destiny, security? What does it mean to value You more, even while I value such other vitally important, significant things so highly but not more highly than You? ...
 
As I listen for Your leading, it seems I hear You saying in my heart, "Seek first the kingdom of God and My righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. To seek Me first is to set Me as the priority of your life. Seek Me first in your morning prayer and worship. Seek Me first when you seek wisdom and guidance for your day. Seek Me first when you seek a standard to direct your choices. Seek Me first when you desperately depend upon Me alone to be your Source of security, identity, provision, guidance, and power. Seek Me first as you surrender to the work of My Spirit to fill you and change you to make you more like Me every day. Let seeking Me, seeking to know Me, be at the heart of all you are and all you do." ...
 
Yes, Lord. Let it be so. Set my heart right. Set my mind right. Set my priorities right. Set my perspective right. May knowing You be the surpassing value, the driving force, the defining dream, and the highest goal of my life. Let it be more than words, more than sound doctrine and Biblical theology. Let knowing You be the passion of my life! By the power of Your grace at work within me, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus!" (Philippians 3:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
 
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you grow in your passion to know Jesus as the surpassing value of your life, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

        

Our School of Ministry Starts This Week!

Our Level 1 School of Ministry is a comprehensive Prayer Ministry training based on God's Word, designed to inform and provide a Biblical foundation for inner healing and freedom prayer in a casual learning environment. Topics include Biblical Principles of Inner Healing -- "Healing from the Inside Out," Spiritual Gifts, and Potential Barriers to Healing, as well as a brief overview of Inner Healing and Personal Prayer tools. The training includes six, three hour evening sessions over the course of three weeks in the early Fall.


 

Thank you for joining with me on this journey of prayer -- Morning by Morning! 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

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Friday, August 30, 2019

Morning by Morning, August 30 - Firm Steps on His Path
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I look to You and listen for Your leading in these first moments of my morning, You make me settled and secure, covered and content, in Your plan for my day and Your presence in my spirit. ...
 
"Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when He delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand" (Psalm 37:23-24).
 
Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart. Guide my steps and make them firm. Then, even if I stumble, You'll be there to catch me; and even if I fall, You'll be there to lift me up. 
 
As best as I can and all by Your grace, I want my way to be godly in You so You can delight in my way before You. I want to "walk in the Light" You've set before me by the power of Your grace at work within me (1 John 1:7). "For God is working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13 NLT).
 
Thank You for all Your mercy and grace when I have fallen and failed. And thank You for all Your mercy and grace to help keep me from falling and failing again. "The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again" (Proverbs 24:16 NLT). 
 
As You said through Your Word, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the Atoning Sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2). I'm forever in need of Your Atoning Sacrifice, the power of Your Blood, that forgives me and cleanses me from all the unrighteous of all my falls and failures through the gift of confession and the grace of repentance (1 John 1:9).
 
Your promise is ever true and gives me peace every day:  "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). "Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts.... They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob" (Psalm 24:3-6)
 
I do seek You. I do confess my sins, acknowledge my falls and failures before You. I do turn my heart to You in humble repentance and trusting faith. And I do receive all the mercy and grace You've provided for me through the Blood of Jesus, my Advocate and Atoning Sacrifice for all my sins. This is how You lead me "in the paths of righteousness" (Psalm 23:3).
 
Now I can ascend that hill of the Lord, the mountain of my God, into the holy place of Your presence. Now I can walk in Your Light and walk in the way that brings delight to Your heart along the steps You've set before me today -- not by what I've done or will do, but all by the mercy and grace of all You've done for me. As the old hymn of worship proclaims -- "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow! ... Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you walk in the firm steps of God's paths of righteousness for you today, trusting in Your Advocate who forgives you and empowers you and leads you in the way that delights the heart of God, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

        

Our School of Ministry Starts Next Week!

Our Level 1 School of Ministry is a comprehensive Prayer Ministry training based on God's Word, designed to inform and provide a Biblical foundation for inner healing and freedom prayer in a casual learning environment. Topics include Biblical Principles of Inner Healing -- "Healing from the Inside Out," Spiritual Gifts, and Potential Barriers to Healing, as well as a brief overview of Inner Healing and Personal Prayer tools. The training includes six, three hour evening sessions over the course of three weeks in the early Fall.


 

Thank you for joining with me on this journey of prayer -- Morning by Morning! 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

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Thursday, August 29, 2019

Morning by Morning, August 29 - "Pray in the Spirit at All Times"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Deep to deep, Spirit to spirit, I want to begin my day centered in You and go through the moments of my day in constant communion with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication" (Ephesians 6:18).
 
First Your Word commands us to "take up the whole armor of God" -- the "helmet of salvation," the "breastplate of righteousness," the "belt of truth," the "shoes of peace," the "shield of faith," and the "sword of the Spirit." (Ephesians 6:13:17). Then Your very next command is to "Pray in the Spirit at all times" (Ephesians 6:18).  That's how we are "strong in the Lord and the strength of (Your) power" (Ephesians 6:10). That's how You empower us to "stand firm" and "stand against the wiles of the devil" and "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil" (Ephesians 6:11-12).
 
Lord, I'm learning more every day how to put on the full armor of God, to be clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:27) who is my Salvation, my Righteousness, my Truth, my Peace, my Faith, and my Word. And at the same time, I'm learning more every day how to "pray in the Spirit at all times." Teach me and empower me how to "pray without ceasing" as my spirit constantly abides in communion with Your Spirit throughout every moment of my day (1 Thessalonians 5:17). You wouldn't command it if it were not possible. And with You, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), just as all things are possible for the one who believes in You (Mark 9:23).
 
Come, Holy Spirit. Pray through me all day long. No matter what else I'm thinking about, no matter what else I'm doing, I'm asking You to keep praying through me, with my spirit in constant communion with You (Ephesians 6:18). "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" (Romans 8:24). "What should I do then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sign praise with the mind also" (1 Corinthians 14:15). "But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20).
 
So as I get up from my prayer chair now to go out into my day, I go with God and God goes with me. But I won't stop praying in my spirit and I won't stop abiding in Your Presence. "Deep calls to deep" (Psalm 42:7). You're the Vine and I'm one of Your branches (John 15:5); and the life-giving, ever-flowing Spirit of the Living God will continue to flow through me -- Spirit to spirit and Deep to deep -- throughout all the moments of my day to "bear much fruit" in me and through me as Your child and Your disciple, by Your power and for Your glory (John 15:8). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you be inspired and empowered to pray in the Spirit at all times, throughout every moment of your day in constant communion with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

        

Our School of Ministry Starts Next Week!

Our Level 1 School of Ministry is a comprehensive Prayer Ministry training based on God's Word, designed to inform and provide a Biblical foundation for inner healing and freedom prayer in a casual learning environment. Topics include Biblical Principles of Inner Healing -- "Healing from the Inside Out," Spiritual Gifts, and Potential Barriers to Healing, as well as a brief overview of Inner Healing and Personal Prayer tools. The training includes six, three hour evening sessions over the course of three weeks in the early Fall.


 

Thank you for joining with me on this journey of prayer -- Morning by Morning! 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

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Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Morning by Morning, August 28 - "Have Peace in Me and My Words for You"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord and Savior, my "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6) -- I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...
 
"I am not alone because the Father is with Me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world" (John 16:32-33 NLT).
 
I'm never alone because You are always with me. Whatever my problems, I can have my peace in You and Your word for me.
 
You're a good Father. You're a merciful Savior. You're an ever-present Comforter. You're with me through the "many trials and sorrows" I endure on my journey through this broken and fallen world, which is really a journey of You making me more like You a little more every day. I can "take heart" in You because You have taken hold of me.
 
I believe I hear You speaking to my heart: "Have peace in Me. Let My words penetrate your spirit and wash over your mind, as you seek to abide in Me and allow Me to abide in you." ...
 
Yes, Lord. Let Your words speak to me. ...
 
With every challenging person, You're teaching me how to love (1 Peter 1:22). With every challenging battle, You're teaching me how to fight the good fight of the faith (1 Timothy 6:12). With every challenging decision, You're teaching me how to listen for Your leading and choose Your ways, trusting You to know what's best (Isaiah 30:21; Joshua 24:15; Romans 8:14). With every challenging obstacle to face and mountain to climb and burden to bear and tragedy to get through and spiritual enemy to overcome, You're teaching me how to pray (Luke 11:1), how to proclaim (Mark 11:23), how to press in and press through and persevere (Luke 11:9), until I'm more than a conqueror in You (Romans 8:37) to look back and see that with my God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26) and that all things are possible for the one who believes in You (Mark 9:23).
 
As I remember and hear all that You have told me, I have peace in You (John 16:33). "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Thank You for reminding me and speaking to me Your powerful words today (2 Timothy 3:16). Let them go forth in me and into my every moment of my day. They will not fail; they will not return empty; and they will succeed and accomplish all to which You have purposed for me (Isaiah 55:11; Luke 1:37). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you have peace in the One who is always with you and always speaking His words to you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

      
    


 

Thank you for joining with me on this journey of prayer -- Morning by Morning! 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

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

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