Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 23 - "This Place of Undeserved Privilege"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today. ...
 
"Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love" (Romans 5:1-5 NLT).
 
We now stand in "this place of undeserved privilege." We now "have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (v. 5:2 NKJV).
 
We didn't deserve it. We can't earn it. But we can stand in it because You stand in us. We can enter into it because You have entered into us. We can come boldly to Your throne of grace because You boldly set aside Your throne of glory to humble Yourself in the likeness of human flesh and blood to lay down Your sinless life for us in Christ at the cross (Philippians 2:5-8).
 
O, how You love us! And O, how You long to embrace us and allow us to embrace You! How You long to fill our hearts with Your Spirit and fill our lives with Your Presence!
 
Let me never take for granted this place of "access" to Your Presence, "this place of undeserved privilege." It's a privilege, not a right. But it's a privilege You offer to all who will humble themselves to seek You and allow You to awaken the hunger to pursue You. Your invitation stands and the gates of Your Presence are open wide, as You speak to our hearts, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you seek and find the One who loves you so in the privilege of access you have to His Presence, 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, October 21, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 21 - "Filled with All the Fullness of God"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come fill the tabernacle of my heart with the fullness of Your Spirit in a great feast of Your Presence this day and every day (Leviticus 23:33; Ephesians 5:18).  ...
 
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant that (I) be strengthened in (my) inner being with power through His Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in (my) heart through faith, as (I am) being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that (I) may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that (I) may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:14-19).
 
"Filled with all the fullness of God" -- Lord, is that a valid prayer to pray? I know it's from Your Spirit inspiring Your Word in this Scriptural prayer. But how can a human vessel be "filled with all the fullness of God?"  ...
 
As I wait for Your leading, I believe I hear You speaking to my heart:  "My son, I fill the hearts of those who hunger and thirst for Me. It is My joy to fill your heart with My Presence. I desire to display My glory through the hearts of My sons and daughters, to manifest the glory of My Presence in you and through you. This is what it means to be "the body of Christ," filled with "the Spirit of Christ." As I am, so are you to be in your world. Christ in you, the hope of glory -- My glory displayed through you, as you are filled with all the fullness of God. You, of course, will never be God, but you will become more like Me as you behold Me and trust Me and entrust yourself to Me in ever-increasing surrender to My will and My Presence in your life." ...
 
Yes, Lord. As I test and discern these words that come to my heart, many Scriptures immediately come to mind to confirm Your words:  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). "Be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). "You are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him" (Romans 8:9). "For in one Spirit we are all baptized into one body.... Now you are the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). "Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). "Thus He has given us, through these things, His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.... As He is, as are we in this world" (1 John 4:13-17). "They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display His glory!" (Isaiah 61:3).
 
So, Yes, Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit today. In this amazing mystery of faith and by the power of Your grace, may I "be filled with all the fullness of God!" May You display Your glory through my life today. May I be filled up and overflowing, letting Your Spirit bring life to all You would touch with Your life flowing through my life today -- for "out of the believer's heart (filled with all the fullness of God) shall flow rivers of living water! (John 7:38) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you be "filled with all the fullness of God" today, filled up and and overflowing with His ever-abiding Presence to display His glory through 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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Friday, October 18, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 18 - "In Returning and Rest, Quietness and Trust"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up, here in my heart and here in my world. Now, as I watch and wait in the surrender and silence of my morning prayer, I'm listening for Your leading. ...
 
"For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:  In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you refused and said, 'No! We will flee upon horses' -- therefore you shall flee! and, 'We will ride upon swift steeds' -- therefore your pursuers shall be swift! .... Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show mercy.... Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (Isaiah 30:15-21).
 
All that happened to Israel under the Old Covenant is an example to us to teach us spiritual truths and principles for our life in Your Spirit and grace under the New Covenant. "Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did.... We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 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 10:6-11).
 
Through their experience and their example, You're teaching us to continually return to You, to rest in You, to trust in You -- not turning to others for the help only You can provide, not depending on ourselves in our own wisdom, our own strength, to do our own will in our own way. You're teaching us that we are given over to the choices we make and the fate of the gods we choose to be the idols of our lives. And in that place of our own choosing, we will eat of the bread of adversity and drink of the water of affliction.
 
But it doesn't have to be that way. That's not Your heart for us. You're teaching us that apart from You, we can do nothing. And You're teaching us that we never have to be apart from You, but we can always return to You and rest in You, in quietness and in trust, instead of rebellion and pride. For You oppose the proud, but give grace to the humble (James 4:6). And if we humble ourselves in Your sight, You will lift us up -- lift us up into Your embrace, lift us up into Your will and Your grace, lift us up out of our pit of our pride (James 4:10).
 
Then we can hear Your voice telling us, "This is the way; walk in it," instead of listening to our voice and the voice of the deceiver leading us in the wrong way of our own will apart from Your will. Then we can look and see our Teacher, instead of looking to ourselves and looking to someone else to be our guide or our savior. "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:  I Am the First and the Last; besides Me there is no God.... Is there a God besides Me? Indeed, there is no other Rock; I know not one (Isaiah 44:6-8).
 
So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I turn to You in returning and rest, in quietness and trust. In humility before You, I willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. You are my Rock, my Redeemer, my Teacher, and my Strength. You are the One who will guide my steps and direct my path into the fullness of Your complete salvation for me. You are the Voice of the One who speaks behind me, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you return and rest, in quietness and trust, entrusting your will to the One who lifts you up and leads you in the ways to your complete salvation 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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Thursday, October 17, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 17 - "My Strength and My Song!"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, come rule and reign in my heart and my day. ...
 
"See, God has come to save me! I will trust in Him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; He has given me victory!" (Isaiah 12:2 NLT)
 
You are my Strength and my Song! When I'm weary or discouraged, Your Holy Spirt rises up within my spirit to empower me and remind me that I already have the victory in You. When I wake up in the middle of the night with anxious thoughts or get out of bed with dread for what the day may hold, Your Holy Spirit lifts up my spirit with songs of deliverance and songs of praise. 
 
When my mind asks, "What are you so happy? What do you have to be singing about?" or my enemy whispers, "You're a fool to think you can just live by faith and trust in a God you can't see, with you're your wishful thinking and hopeful thoughts, believing that somehow, once again, your God is going to show up and get you through this," You just lift up my spirits a little higher and I just turn up the praise song in my heart a little louder.
 
You do always show up. Do You do always get me through this. Again and again. You even use whatever I'm going through to make me stronger, to become more humble, to trust more deeply. Through the struggles, You make stronger. Through the battles, You make me wiser. Through the victories You bring through the challenges I overcome in the power of Your grace, You make me even more faithful to trust You even more.
 
In that way, whatever gets me closer to You is good -- no matter if it was my own mistakes or the devil himself that got me in that position. You have Your way of turning it all around, even using it all for good, to make me more like You, a little more each day, through every battle I face. And that makes my heart sing! That makes me celebrate the victory that's already mine, even before I see it manifested before my eyes! O Lord, my God, You are my Strength and my Song! And I choose to sing Your praises for my salvation through whatever I face today! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you sing songs of deliverance and praise to the One who is your Strength and your Song throughout your day and through every challenge you face, knowing He will get you through this and you already have the victory 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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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 15 - The God Who Inhabits Eternity Inhabits My Heart
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm beginning my day in Your Word and in Your Spirit. Help me live out the moments of my day in Your will -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"It shall be said, 'Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from My people's way.' For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:  I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite" (Isaiah 57: 14-15).
 
When my spirit is low, You build me up. When I feel I'm blocked from embracing Your presence with the walls of my worldliness and my waywardness getting in the way of the intimacy I long to have with You, You remove every obstacle. As I humble myself in Your sight, You revive my spirit and my heart; You lift my up into Your embrace and You push aside every barrier. 
 
Though You're the God who dwells in the high and holy place of the heavens, at the same time, You're the God who also dwells right here in my heart. Though You're the God who inhabits eternity, at the same time, You're the God who also inhabits every moment of my day.
 
I thank You that You're omniscient and mighty, but I also thank You that You're so intimate and personal. Make me more aware of Your presence. Remind me that You're with me. Help me to more fully comprehend that You're even right here within me (John 14:17; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19). "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
 
So even as I hunger to pursue You and Your presence, I thank You that You've already pursued me and embraced me in Your ever-abiding presence (John 15:4). "In (You), I live and move and have (my) being" for I am Your child, a beloved one, who carries Your presence and Your glory, with me and within me, everywhere I go, throughout every moment of my day (Acts 17:28). And nothing in this world will ever separate me from Your love. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angles nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate (me) from the love of God in Christ Jesus (my) Lord!" (Romans 8:37-39). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you become more aware of the ever-abiding presence of the God who inhabits eternity and also your heart, 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, October 14, 2019

Morning by Morning, October 14 - Successful Plans
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. In silence and surrender, I wait for the leading of Your Spirit to begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...
 
"We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed" (Proverbs 16:1-3 NLT).
 
I want my plans to be Your plans. I want the work of my hands and expression of my words to be by the leading of Your Spirit in the fulfillment of Your will. I want my heart, my motives, and my actions to be right in Your sight. 
 
All that I plan apart from Your plans will only be consumed in the fire of Your judgment as wasted time. Worse yet, they will distract me and detain me from all You desire for me. "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have -- Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials -- gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames" (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).
 
So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I commit my actions to You. I commit my heart and all my desires, my mind and all my thoughts to Your will for my life this day. I thank You and praise You for the great gift of my My salvation -- there is no greater gift. But I believe You've also put it in our hearts to live for so much more! "Christ in (us), the hope of glory!" (Colossians 1:27) "Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father!" (Colossians 3:17)
 
As best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to trust in You with all my heart -- not leaning on my own understanding, not seeking to build on a faulty foundation or with foolish materials for what has no lasting value or eternal significance  -- but seeking You and acknowledging You in all my ways to fulfill Your plans (Proverbs 3:5-6). Then "my" plans will succeed for they will be Your plans fulfilled in me and through me for Your glory (Jeremiah 29:11). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


My friend, may you succeed in your plans, filled with the Holy Spirit who aligns your plans with God's plans to glorify Him in all you do with eternal significance, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 
Friends, Thank you for joining with me on this journey of prayer, Morning by Morning, to grow in deeper intimacy with God!

 



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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