"Pray for the Light!" - November 17, 2020

 Morning by Morning, November 17 - "Pray for the Light!"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You first and listen for You first, to begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit. ...

 

"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be associated with them. For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light -- for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!" (Ephesians 5:6-14)

 

I hear in my heart this morning, "Pray for the light." ...

 

Yes, Lord.... I pray for the light. Let Your light shine. Bring all things out of darkness and into Your light. Expose the "works of darkness" -- wherever "darkness" has been at work in me or my life, in my community or my nation, in the Body of Christ and throughout our world. Expose them.

 

As I pray for You to "expose them," what comes to my heart is this: "I said in My Word for you to expose them." ...

 

Yes, Lord.... As I look again at verse 11, Your Word commands us to be active and not passive, to be actively engaged and not sitting idly by, to advance and not retreat: "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them" (Ephesians 5:11).

 

How do I "expose them?" ...

 

Once again I hear You saying in my heart, "Pray for the light." ...

 

Yes, Lord. I pray for the light. I pray all that is hidden be uncovered, all that is secret be revealed, all that is darkness be exposed.

 

I pray for the light and I proclaim the Truth of Your Word that You are the Light. Just as You said, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). And as we welcome You in our hearts, as we embrace Your light of life in our lives, our prayers and thoughts, our words and actions are filled with Your light to shine forth into our lives and our world. Just as You said of all who allow Your light to shine in our hearts, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill that cannot be hidden" (Matthew 5:14). As You said, "When you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light" (John 12:36).

 

Come, Holy Spirit. Spirit of Light, Spirit of Life, Spirit of the One who is the Light and empowers us to let the Light of God shine in us, arise in us! Awaken us from our slumber of sleep. Deliver us from passivity and capitulation to the pressures of the world seeking to silence our voice and even our prayers in this hour! Let us rise from the dead and come to life in our prayers to believe and to proclaim that all that is in darkness will be exposed!

 

It's the nature of fallen man to love darkness rather than light (John 3:19). But You come into our world in the Light of Your Glory to overcome all darkness; and that darkness cannot overcome Your Light (John 1:5).

 

So by the power of Your grace, we will no longer take part in any of the works of darkness. Nor will we tolerate or condone any of the works of darkness on our watch of prayer or in our spheres of responsibility and authority in the power of the name of Jesus!

 

I respond to Your call and I actively engage in prayer, as I proclaim in the Spirit to all who are called by Your name, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!" (Ephesians 5:14) I join with you as you join with me to "Pray for the light!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be empowered by the Holy Spirit to pray for the Light, as you arise and shine and let the Light of the glory of God shine through you to expose the works of darkness in all your spheres of responsibility and authority, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. I join with you with expectant faith and prayer for our nation and for our witness in the midst of these days! God bless you, my friend!

   

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

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"Truth in Love" -- Both Truth and Love - November 16, 2020

Morning by Morning, November 16 - "Truth in Love" -- Both Truth and Love

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear Your voice and follow Your leading -- now and throughout the moments of my day (John 10:3). ...

 

"We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:14-16).

 

Speaking the truth in love -- not just truth, not just love, but the "truth in love." There's no true love apart from truth. And all that's really true will be grounded in love, for "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is Love" (1 John 4:8).

 

But Your true love is not the world's love. It's not some kind of watered-down love, dumbed-down to the lowest common denominator kind of love, or sit back and shut up and take it as it's being shoved down our throats kind of love. It's not some kind of stick your head in the sand, go along to get along without rocking the boat or risking offending someone by standing firm in what you believe to be right and true according to Your Word and our conviction of conscience kind of love. It's love that's grounded in truth. For just as much as You are Love, You are also Truth -- "the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6). And Your Spirit is "the Spirit of Truth" (John 16:13). For You are also "Light" and "in (You) there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).

 

So part of growing up into Christ who is our Head is growing up "to maturity" of discerning what is "the truth in love" in every encounter we face, every crisis we go through, every challenge to our faith and opportunity to grow in Christ-likeness, "to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). None of us can do that apart from You and Your Spirit abiding in us. We can't love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who persecute us unless You empower us with both the confidence of Your truth and the courage of Your love. We can't "expose" the darkness if we're ignoring or condoning the darkness (Ephesians 5:11). We desperately need You to form a right spirit in us, for "Apart from (You), we can do nothing" (John 15:5).

 

And we do praise You that we are not apart from You. We praise You that You are "with (us) always, to the end of the age" and every moment of this age of these tense and challenging days we're living through (Matthew 28:20). All will be revealed in truth -- all in Your time and all in Your way. "For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light" (Luke 8:17). 

 

So as we long for Your truth to be revealed, may Your love be revealed in us -- Your true love. "By this all people will know that (we) are (Your) disciples" (John 13:35). As best as we can and all by Your grace, may we walk in the Light of Truth, speaking the Truth in Love, in both the confidence of Your Truth and the power of Your Love. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be empowered by the Holy Spirit, deeply abiding in Christ, to walk in  both the Light of Truth and the courage of Love, speaking the Truth in Love, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. I join with you with expectant faith and prayer for our nation and for our witness in the midst of these days! God bless you, my friend!

  

New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

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Our "Twenty-One Days" to Breakthrough for Righteousness - November 13, 2020

 Morning by Morning, November 13 - Our "Twenty-One Days" to Breakthrough for Righteousness

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Rule and reign in my heart, in my thoughts, in my will, in my desires, in every area of my life and every moment of my day, O King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). ...

 

"Righteousness is on Your side, O Lord...." (Daniel 9:7).

 

Daniel declared Your truth from Your Word when he humbled himself to fast and pray for his nation. Righteousness is on Your side; and we are called to be on the side of righteousness. For "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).

 

Daniel was fasting and praying but not yet seeing the answer to his prayers being made manifest in his nation, even though he was so strongly moved in his heart to pray and stand firm in the word that he heard. He "had been mourning for three weeks" (Daniel 10:2). And when the angel of the Lord came to him to encourage him, he said, "My strength left me, and my complexion grew deathly pale, and I retrained no strength. Then I heard the sound of his words...." (Daniel 10:8-9).

 

How we need to hear the sound of Your words, Lord. How we need to be encouraged and strengthened to continue to fast and to pray and stand on the side of righteousness, despite what we see at the moment.

 

From the very first day Daniel began to repent and pray as he stood in the gap by falling on his knees, in intercession by the moving of Your Spirit according to the Word of God, You sent Your answer and You sent Your angel to reveal Your mercy, to forgive and free Your people, and to heal their land (Daniel 9:23 and 10:12). But for "twenty-one days" there was a raging spiritual battle taking place in the unseen realm of the heavenlies over the land for the heart and soul of the nation (Daniel 10:13-14).

 

After twenty-one days, a breakthrough came. After twenty-one days, an answer came. The angel of the Lord touched him and strengthened him and affirmed him that he was "greatly beloved," as he encouraged him, "Stand on your feet!" (Daniel 10:11)  As Daniel was still "trembling" in his body, the angel of the Lord was strengthening his spirit, exhorting him, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words" (Daniel 10:12).

 

O Lord, hear our words. O Lord, hear our prayer! For these "twenty-one days" -- whatever that speaks of in our hearts, in our land, in our days -- let us not grow weary or give up, but persist and persevere. Let us continue to pray with a heart of humility and stand on the side of righteousness.

 

Daniel had become "speechless" with his "face toward the ground," but the angel of the Lord "touched (his) lips, and (he) opened (his) mouth to speak" (Daniel 10:15-16). Then the angel of the Lord continued to strengthen and encourage the man of God, speaking to his spirit, "Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are safe! Be strong and courageous!" (v. 18-19) "Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!" (NKJV). Then the angel revealed to him, "I've come to tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth" (v. 21).

 

O Lord, strengthen us! O Lord, continue to give us Your words to speak and Your prayers to pray and Your truth to proclaim from Your Book of Truth! Though the spiritual battles rage during our "twenty-one days" between our prayers and Your answer, empower us to persist in prayer until the breakthrough comes. May we yet be a people and a nation who stand on the side of righteousness, as we humbly bow in prayer with our eyes firmly fixed on the Righteous One! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you persevere and persist in prayer, humbly and faithfully looking to the Righteous One who is strengthening you and encouraging you to keep standing on the side of righteousness, in your heart and for your nation, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. I join with you with expectant faith that breakthrough is coming! God bless you, my friend!

 

"The teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civil and social life that it would be literally-and I do not mean figuratively, I mean literally-impossible for us to figure to ourselves what that life would be if these teachings were removed. We would lose almost all the standards by which we now judge both public and private morals-all the standards toward which we, with more or less resolution, strive to raise ourselves...." 

                            --President Teddy Roosevelt

 

"The Bible is the rock on which our Republic rests." 

                            --President Andrew Jackson

New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

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Hope that Does Not Disappoint - November 12, 2020

 Morning by Morning, November 12 - Hope that Does Not Disappoint

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- and welcome You in every Dimension of Your Being into every dimension of my being -- spirit, soul, and body. ...

 

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

 

My hope is not any man or any event. My hope is in You. And as I hope in You, You fill me with all joy and peace despite what's going on with any man or any event. As I hope in You, You keep filling me with the power and the presence of Your Holy Spirit. Then Your Spirit shows me what I'm to be believing for, what I'm to be hoping for, what I'm to be persisting in prayer for. But it all begins when I put You first, above all else, above every man and every event, above every outcome and breakthrough I'm hoping for and believing for. 

 

Your Word says it this way: "Seek first the first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). It's important to seek these things we believe You put on our hearts, by the moving of Your Spirit and grounded in Your Word -- to persist in prayer, to make our requests known, to seek revelation of Your will and then pray Your will on earth as it is in heaven, as best as we can and all by Your grace, just as far as Your grace will go. But it's most important of all to seek You first, before seeking any of these things.

 

When we do, when we seek You first, when we look first to the God of hope even before praying and believing for all we're hoping for, You fill us with the joy and peace that does not disappoint us. "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5). And then even more hope abounds in us  -- rising up within us, pouring out through us, releasing new life and fresh faith to all that it touches by the power of Your Spirit to press on and pray through until we see our hopes come true. For "faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not (yet) seen" (Hebrews 11:1). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be filled with all joy and peace as you look to the God of hope, seeking Him first above all else, that your hope and faith may abound in Him, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

   

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New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

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Honoring Those Who Answered their Call to Duty on This Veteran's Day - November 11, 2020

 Morning by Morning, November 11 - Honoring Those Who Answered their Call to Duty on This Veteran's Day

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face and listen for Your voice, to begin my day grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. ...

 

I'm mindful that today is Veteran's Day in America. And I'm thankful for the soldiers and all who have served our nation and fought for our freedom and the freedom of others in the nations of this world at the call of duty.

 

I'm reminded that being a warrior is also a dimension and expression of Your nature. "The Lord is a Warrior; the Lord is His name" (Exodus 15:3).

 

"The Lord will go forth like a warrior,

He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.

He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry.

He will prevail against His enemies" (Isaiah 42:12).

 

With the heart of David, whom You called and secured in his identity as both a worshipper and a warrior, I worship You as my Warrior and I thank You for the warriors on the battlefields of this world who have fought to save me from my enemies, just as I thank You for the warriors on the battlefields of the spirit who have fought and continue to fight in the authority of Your name and power of Your blood to save me from spiritual enemies:

 

"Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said:

 

'The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer;

The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My Shield and the Horn of my salvation,
My Stronghold and my Refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies" (2 Samuel 22:1-4).

 

Thank You for the men and women of God who answered the call in their time, for on this side of heaven, until Your return and restoration of all things in our broken and fallen world, "there is a time for war" (Ecclesiastes 3:8). So there is a need for the warriors who would hear their call. And there is a need to honor those who have answered that call.

 

On this Veteran's Day, I thank You and I honor them. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you be filled with thanksgiving to God as you honor those who have fought for you and all of us on the battlefields of this world and the battlefields of the spirit, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

  

 

New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

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"Like Warriors in Battle" - November 10, 2020

 Morning by Morning, November 10 - "Like Warriors in Battle"

 

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill my spirit with Your Spirit and my mouth with Your words, as I seek to begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...

 

"Together they shall be like warriors in battle,
    trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight, for the Lord is with them,
    and they shall put to shame the riders on horses" 

(Zechariah 10:5).

 

Through these days, many voices of appeasement to the forces of darkness are being lifted in the name of civility and the call to capitulate in surrender without a fight for what is right. The voices of intimidation to silence the voices of Your people grow stronger each day. But in the spiritual realm, where the true battles are fought and won, there will be no surrender and no retreat. Only the response of the faithful who continue to take up the weapons of our warfare and continue to run to the battle for the soul of our nation.

 

Come and lead us through this battle, Lord. You're our General, the Commander of the Army of the Lord. In worship, we hear Your battle plans. In prayer, we discern Your path to victory. In authority, we execute Your orders and obey Your command -- without flinching, without faltering, without fail -- doing just as You say for as long as You say. This is how we fight our battles! And this battle belongs to the Lord! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, may you persist in worship and prayer and your authority in the name of our God in obedience to His command until the battle is won, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

 

 

"I said before that the most sublime picture in American history is of George Washington on his knees in the snow at Valley Forge. That image personifies a people who know that it's not enough to depend on our own courage and goodness. We must also seek help from God our father and preserver."  

-- President Ronald Reagan, 1982

 

New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:

Tommy & Rocio Hays

Messiah Ministries

17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries

Messiah-Ministries.org

Please share this word to encourage a friend!