Friday, March 27, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 27 - God's Wisdom and Strategies through our "Famines"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...
 
"Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought" (Genesis 47:13-14).
 
Father God, during the great famine of the land that stretched across the Middle East in the days of Joseph, You gave Joseph a voice of authority and the wisdom to use it. You "gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house" (Acts 7:9-10). All through the days of hardship that came upon all that part of the world, You kept giving Joseph wisdom and strategies to provide for the people who came to him to listen to him, to trust him, and to follow him in his leadership (Genesis 47:15-26).
 
Though it was costly to them all, the people survived. And among all the people of that part of the world, going through all the struggling and suffering of the famine, there was a people who not only survived, but also thrived. They were the family of Joseph -- the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By the decree of Pharaoh, executed through Joseph as his governor, Jacob and his family were given "the best part of the land ... the land of Goshen" (Genesis 47:1-6).
 
In Goshen, they survived and they thrived. "Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen; and they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly" (Genesis 47:27-28).
 
Lord Jesus, You are our Joseph. You are our Salvation. You are our Wisdom. You are our Land of Goshen. We turn to You, to listen to You, to trust You, and to follow You. We ask for Your wisdom, for Your strategies, and above all, for Your favor. "For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover them with favor as with a shield" (Psalm 5:12). Your voice of wisdom says, "Whoever finds Me, finds life and receives favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 8:35).
 
Father, we ask this for those You've strategically positioned in places of leadership and authority for such a time as this -- places of authority on the earth and places of authority in the heavens. As You said in Your Word, "If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith..." (James 1:5-8).
 
Holy Spirit of the Living God, fill us with faith, lead us with wisdom, empower us with courage. By the power of Your grace at work within us, You will guide us through this. You will give us Your divine strategies and godly wisdom. In You, we will survive and even thrive. And all the world will know there is a God who sees, who cares, and who leads in wisdom and love through all our famines and all we face. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be filled with faith, led forth in wisdom, and empowered with courage, as You trust in the Lord and pray for all who in strategic positions of authority on the earth and in the heavens, in Jesus' name. May you survive and thrive, and take your place of authority as a child of God and disciple of Jesus, anointed, favored, and empowered by His Holy Spirit. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 
 

 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Thursday, March 26, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 26 - "Hope is a Beautiful Gift and a Mighty Weapon"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I turn my eyes to You, help me begin my day deeply knowing I'm embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...
 
Listening for Your leading this morning, I hear in my heart: "Hope is a beautiful gift and a mighty weapon. Put your hope in Me and I will fill you with My hope." ...
 
Yes, Lord. You bring to mind Your written Word to confirm Your spoken word: "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).
 
Hope is gift from You -- just like joy and peace. And You fill us with hope as You fill us with "the power of the Holy Spirit." It's not just a little trickle of hope, not just a little hope to get us through another day, not just enough hope to get us over to the other side. It's a hope that empowers us to thrive and not merely survive, to "abound in hope" and not merely stick around in wishful thinking that it might turn out okay after all.
 
Hope comes by believing in You, by trusting in You. Then, it's a beautiful gift we receive and a mighty weapon we wield.
 
I've known what it is to feel hopeful and to feel hopeless, to feel encouraged and to feel discouraged, to feel faithful and to feel faithless. But Your Word is greater than my feelings and Your Truth can overcome any doubts I'm feeling at the moment. 
 
So as best as I can and all by the power of Your grace, I choose this day to put my hope in You. I choose this day to open wide my human spirit to filled afresh with Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), to be "endued with power from on high" (Luke 2:49). And I choose this day to thank You and praise You that You are "the God of hope" who is filling me now "with all joy and peace" as I am believing and trusting in You. You are my "Living Hope" -- living in me and filling me with Your hope today (1 Peter 1:3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be filled with hope and joy and peace today by the power of the Holy Spirit, enduing you with power to hope from on high, in Jesus' name. May you embrace this beautiful gift from God and wield this mighty weapon against the darkness and doubt, the fear and confusion, the hopelessness and despair in the world around you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 25 - The God Who Hears and Answers!
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. First thing in the morning, I turn to You first -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. I seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, that You may set things right in me and set the right path before me in all the steps of my day (Matthew 6:33). ...
 
My heart is full of gratitude today. Yesterday morning You gave such a strong sense that You were moving mightily on our behalf to confront our world-wide crisis. I strongly sensed You were calling me and so many to humbly pray for the tide to turn and to boldly proclaim in faith that that the tide had turned. And while we may yet have a long way to go to see manifested on earth what You have done in heaven in response to the prayers of Your people around the world, we are seeing some rays of hope, some glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel. We are hearing some good news of Your grace on some major fronts in the battle. And I give You all glory and honor and praise!
 
You are our Good News and You are the Source of any good news we see. And it is so good to see some hopeful headlines this morning:  The US Surgeon General said we have "Turned the Corner" on coronavirus testing and that experimental medical treatments are working. The US Senate had a major "bipartisan breakthrough" to pass the largest "economic rescue package" in our nation's history to provide immediate relief to workers and businesses. Hopeful news for the long-term is now coming out of the hard-hit epicenters of China and Italy, with Harvard Health Publishing saying "99% of people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 will recover" and the Director General of the World Health Organization saying "China and the Republic of Korea have significantly declining epidemics." 
 
Ultimately, regardless of what the world says, You have the final say. And what You have to say for us is always, ultimately good: "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, for your welfare and not for harm, to give a future with hope. Then when you call upon Me and come and pray to Me, I will hear you. When you search for Me, you will find Me; if you seek Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:11-13).
 
We have a ways to go to get through this, but You are with us and You are for us and You will get us through this. If God be for us, what can stand against us (Romans 8:31). You will turn this all around for us in ways we can't yet see or even imagine (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:20). You're the God who hears and who answers! "To my God, I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice!" (Psalm 18:6)
 
"I love You, O Lord, my Strength.
The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer,
my God, my Rock in whom I take refuge,
my Shield, and the Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
so shall I be saved from my enemies.
 
The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me; 
the snares of death confronted me.
 
In my distress I called upon the Lord; 
to my God I cried for help.
From His temple He heard my voice,
and my cry to Him reached His ears....
 
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered His voice! ...
 
He reached down from on high, he took me; 
He drew me out of mighty waters
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
And from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity; 
but the Lord was my Support,
He brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me, because He delighted in me!"
(Psalm 18:1-19)
 
Thank You for hearing. Thank You for answering. Thank You for continuing to move mightily on our behalf. Thank You for giving us grace to persist in prayer and proclamation in the authority of Your name until we see the fullness of Your answers manifested on earth as they are in heaven (Mark 11:22-24; Matthew 6:10). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!

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

My friend, may you be encouraged and strengthened in your faith and hope today, trusting in our God who hears us and answers us, who is moving mightily on behalf of us, in some ways we see and in so many ways we don't even see, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 24 - "Turn the Tide.... The Tide Turns Now!"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. Now I listen for Your leading in trusting surrender and expectant faith from the deep communion of prayer. ...
 
Right away, I believe Your Spirit is rising up in my spirit with these strong words: "Turn the tide. Turn the tide. Turn the tide. The tide turns now!" ...
 
Yes, Lord. Three prayers and a proclamation!
 
In humility we pray, "Turn the tide. Turn the tide. Turn the tide."
 
In boldness we proclaim, "The tide turns now!"
 
Father, You're the Lord of the tide. You set the boundaries of the tides of the sea. 
 
"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind ... 'Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb? -- when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped'" (Job 38:1-11).
 
You said to the sea, "This far and no more." And You continue to speak in Your sovereignty, "This far and no more" to all that would seek to overwhelm us. We believe it's Your will, according to Your Word, that You desire to set our boundaries in pleasant places so that our hearts are glad, our spirits rejoice, and we can rest secure in You (Psalm 16:6-11).
 
At the same time, You speak through Your people who are called by Your name, as we humble ourselves to pray, to seek Your face, to turn to You, to listen for the leading of Your Holy Spirit, to see what You're doing and hear what You're saying. "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the children of men" (Psalm 115:16). "You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways" (Job 22:28).
 
In humility we pray, and in boldness we proclaim. In humility we listen for Your word, and in boldness we speak it forth in the authority of Your name.
 
When we humbly listen together in prayer, when we bolding speak together in proclamation, there is a synergy of power in the authority of Your name. Together as Your Body, in the unity and maturity of Your Spirit, we pray with prophetic insight and we proclaim with apostolic authority -- all by Your grace and as far as Your grace will go (Ephesians 4:1-16).
 
Lord Jesus, You taught us these principles of prayer and proclamation in Your Word: "Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours'" (Mark 11:22-24).
 
We pray Your will instead of ours, we proclaim Your word instead of ours, when we first humble our hearts to seek Your face and listen for the leading of Your voice. "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).
 
This is how You turn the tide of whatever comes against us that's less than Your will for us. This is how Your turn it all around for our good and Your glory. As You said in the very next verse of Your Word: "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
 
You love us and You've called us according to Your purpose to pray and to proclaim, in humility and boldness, in agreement and with authority. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ... For there the Lord commanded the blessing -- Life forevermore!" (Psalm 133:1-3). 
 
Lord Jesus, You're the One who taught us to pray and to proclaim in agreement and authority. "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 you" (Matthew 18:18-20).
 
In this hour, when all the world is feeling afraid and overwhelmed by the merciless tides that seek to destroy us in our health, our economy, our sense of security and peace, our joy and even our faith, You are giving us wisdom and strategies to overcome. Together we reach out in love in the ways You lead. And together we also pray and proclaim in the ways You lead.
 
Together we pray for wisdom, ingenuity, and inventions to create preventions and cures, vaccinations against viruses, medical breakthroughs and miraculous interventions. And at the same time, we pray and proclaim, in both humility and boldness, in unity and the authority of Your name by the leading of Your Spirit:
 
"Turn the tide. Turn the tide. Turn the tide. The tide turns now!"
 
You're the One who is stirring us up in our spirits as "the Body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27), giving us "the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16), and filling us up "the Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18). You're the One who desires to come and inspire our hope and heal our land as we turn to You (2 Chronicles 7:14).
 
If we see the miracle of a moment, we thank You and praise You! If we see the miracle of many moments in the unfolding of time as You keep moving us in persistence in prayer and persistence in proclamation, we thank You and praise You!
 
By the power of Your grace working in us, "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). We keep praying, we keep proclaiming, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). We keep believing in confidence, expectancy, and trust the promise of Your Word: "And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of Him" (1 John 5:14-15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you turn to God in humility and faith, may you turn to our world in boldness and authority, to pray and proclaim with me "Turn the tide. Turn the tide. Turn the tide. The tide turns now! in Jesus' name." God bless you, my friend!

 


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Monday, March 23, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 23 - "In the Cleft of the Rock"
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and call on Your name -- my Lord and Savior, my Rock and Refuge, my Very Present Help in time of need.  ...
 
"The Lord said to Moses, 'I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.' Moses said, 'Show me Your glory, I pray.' And He said, 'I will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, 'The Lord'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,' he said, 'you can not see My face; for no one shall see Me and live.' And the Lord continued, 'See, there is a place by Me where you shall stand on the rock; and while My glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by; then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but my face shall not be seen'" (Exodus 33:17-23).
 
O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- You know the desire in our hearts to see You, to experience You, to know the manifest glory of Your Presence. And in these days of world-wide crisis, of gripping and gut-wrenching personal crisis for so many, we need to know the glory of the Your personal Presence with us more than ever. We're desperate for You -- for Your Presence, for Your guidance, for Your answers, for Your protection, for Your healing, for Your provision, for Your hope, for all we need to get us through this while being faithful witnesses to You through this at the same time.
 
Like Moses, set us on the rock of our security in You. Standing on the rock speaks of standing firm in the faith You supply, standing strong in the confidence of Your Word and Your promises say no matter what our circumstances say, and standing in the face of whatever would seek to steal and kill and destroy in our lives. "Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13).
 
But also like Moses, "put (us) in a cleft of the rock" and "over (us) with Your hand" as "(Your) glory passes by" (Exodus 33:22). Putting us in the cleft of the rock speaks of Your invitation to intimacy with You, deeply abiding with You, lovingly and securely embraced by You (John 15:4). "I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings" (Psalm 61:4 NKJV).  This is the glory of Your manifest Presence. And anything we every go through is worth it if it brings us to that deeper place in You. For there's no other place I'd rather be, there's no other place that better or safer than in the arms of the One who is our Rock. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you stand firm in the Lord and be firmly embraced by Him in the cleft of the Rock of His deeply abiding Presence, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
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, March 20, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 30 - Finding Grace in Our Time of Need
 
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the ways that lead to life in You today -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
 
"Since, then, we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have One who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16).
 
In our weakness but also boldness, in our humility but also faith, we come to Your throne of grace in our time of need. You invite us to come boldly because You're able to sympathize with our weakness, because You have been tested in every respect as we are being tested now. Before You "passed through the heavens," You suffered through every testing of the trials and tribulations of our world we have ever faced and that we are facing now, "yet without sin."
 
You're a God who understands us. You're a God who is not distant or detached, not uncaring or unavailable. You're a God who is right here with us through it all and who has already been through it all -- through it all for us.
 
If we feel afraid of what might happen, You've been through it. If we are feel worried about what we're already experiencing, You've been through it. If we feel confused about what to do, You've been through it. Even if we feel frustrated or angry in a moment for what seems unfair or out of control or overwhelming, You've been through it. "Yet without sin" -- as You suffered well, persevered well, lived out Your identity and calling in the midst of all that was wrong in a broken, fallen world well, You went through it all in human flesh and blood to model well an example for us (Philippians 2:5-11).
 
Lord God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- this is our time of need. We come to You in our weakness and neediness; we come to You on behalf of our neighbors and their weakness and neediness. These problems we face are over our heads. So we come humbly and boldly to Your throne of grace in our time of need, just like You invited us to do. As You have promised:  "My grace is sufficient for you; for My strength is made perfect in (your) weakness.... For when (we) are weak, then (we) are strong" in You (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NKJV). "Therefore (we can be) content (through) weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ" for You are with us and You will get us through it all, as we call on Your name and trust in Your grace, no matter what we face (Corinthians 2:10).
 
You see us. You hear us. You understand us. And You are here with us to help us get us through this. You'll even turn it all around for good in ways we can't even see or imagine right how. Just like You always do. You always have and You always will. So we thank You now, even before we see it come to pass (Mark 11:22-24). "This is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of Him" (1 John 5:14-15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you come boldly before our God's throne of grace in your time of need for yourself and for your neighbors, trusting our God who has already suffered through whatever you face without sin so we could look Him and know He understands and know He will respond in His grace, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!



Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out ...
Preparing the Way of the Lord
  
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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