Tommy Hays's Posts

Morning by Morning, October 1 - "Take Heart"

Posted by Tommy Hays on October 1, 2018 at 9:46

Morning by Morning, October 1 - "Take Heart"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my heart with Your heart, my thoughts with Your thoughts, as I look and listen for Your leading. ...

"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 16:33 NLT).

Our peace is in You. It's not the peace of appeasement or the peace of compromise with what's true and what's right. It's not the peace of the world that tries to goes along to get along at any cost. It's a peace that can only come as we look to the One who is our "Prince of Peace" -- our "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

As You said, it's not a peace without "many trials and sorrows," without many challenges and battles, without many hurts and heartbreaks. But You are with us through it all, reminding us that You have already overcome it all. And as we keep looking to You, trusting in You, You cause it all to work together for good when it's all said and done (Romans 8:28).

We're not overcomers unless we've overcome something. We don't have a testimony unless we've been tested. We can't be more than conquerors unless we've had something to conquer. That's how You develop Your character in us. That's how we "take heart" and boldly proclaim our hard-fought, fire-tested hope with the confidence and integrity of Your Word through every challenge we face in our broken and fallen world: "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 5:3-5).

By the power of Your grace, I will "take heart" through it all because I've entrusted my heart to You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you "take heart" in the peace of the "Prince of Peace" through every challenge you face, letting the Holy Spirit develop God's character in You, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'm excited to be sharing a message of hope and healing at the First Wednesday Service of Worship and Prayer at Oak Hills Church, Crownridge Campus in San Antonio this coming Wednesday Night, October 3, at 7pm. All are welcome!

First Wednesday Service of Worship and Prayer

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 28 - Free to Express Both Fury and Hope

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 28, 2018 at 10:04

Morning by Morning, September 28 - Free to Express Both Fury and Hope

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Give me right heart, a right spirit, as I begin my day trusting in You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

A psalm of David -- in his frustration and fury at the ways of the world around him and of those with the power and influence over him -- comes to my mind this morning, as I reflect on the events of these days. You give us permission to fully express our thoughts and feelings to You without varnish or veneer; and then You give us invitation to turn it all over to You, into the hands of the One who is the only Judge who really matters:

"Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry;

give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.

From You let my vindication come;

let Your eyes see the right.

If You try my heart, if You visit me by night,

if You test me, You will find no wickedness in me;

my mouth does not transgress.

As for what others do, by the word of Your lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent.

My steps have held fast to your paths;

my feet have not slipped.

I call upon You, for You will answer me, O God;

incline Your ear to me, hear my words.

Wondrously show Your steadfast love,

O Savior of those who seek refuge

from their adversaries at Your right hand.

Guard me as the apple of the eye;

hide me in the shadow of Your wings,

from the wicked who despoil me,

my deadly enemies who surround me.

They close their hearts to pity;

with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

They track me down; now they surround me;

they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.

They are like a lion eager to tear,

like a young lion lurking in ambush.

Rise up, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them!

By Your sword deliver my life from the wicked,

from mortals-by your hand, O Lord-

from mortals whose portion in life is in this world.

May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them;

may their children have more than enough;

may they leave something over to their little ones.

As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;

when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness" (Psalm 17).

Our true enemies and our true battles are not against human flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of darkness that seek to steal, kill, and destroy every dimension of our lives and all that is good in our world (Ephesians 6:12; John 10:10). So "the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Our mighty weapons are things like humility, repentance, prayer, patience and perseverance in the face of cruelty and injustice, thanksgiving, worship, faith, hope, and love -- all in the power of Your grace to call on Your name and entrust ourselves to "the One who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:23).

Lord, let it be so in me. Let it be so in my land. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are free to fully express all your thoughts and feelings to the One who loves you and is always for you and will never let anything separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus, no matter what you endure on your journey of faith through this broken and fallen world, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. 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 27 - Exposing the Truth by the Spirit of Truth

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 27, 2018 at 9:50

Morning by Morning, September 27 - Exposing the Truth by the Spirit of Truth

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name (Philippians 2:9). And I declare Your name over every area of my life and every moment of my day. I declare Your power and authority over me and my world, as I seek to live out this day under Your lordship and will. ...

"When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say" (Luke 12:11).

Holy Spirit, You are "the Spirit of truth" and You "guide (us) into all the truth (John 16:13). You bring all things out into the light to expose the works of darkness and reveal the intentions of the heart. "Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore what (we) have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what (we) have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops" (Luke 12:2-3). Come have Your way in my heart and in my land, and even at the highest levels of the governmental authorities of our nation.

As darkness is exposed and truth is revealed, Father God, let Your Holy Spirit fill the minds and mouths of every child of God with the right words to set things right. "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne" (Psalm 89:14). Let righteousness and justice be affirmed in our hearts and as the rule of law in our land.

With truth in our mouths and the One who is the Truth in our hearts -- all by the power of Your grace and the mercy of Your love -- may we seek to live each day before our God and the eyes of our world "blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation in which (we) shine like stars in the world ... holding fast to the word of life" (Philippians 2:14-16). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I join with you in prayer for you and for all who will speak their voice in truth by the leading of the Holy Spirit, that righteousness and justice may have its way in our hearts and in our land, in Jesus' name! 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 25 - A Voice for All Victims -- Whether Wrongfully Abused or Wrongfully Accused

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 25, 2018 at 10:00

Morning by Morning, September 25 - A Voice for All Victims -- Whether Wrongfully Abused or Wrongfully Accused

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my heart and every moment of my day, as I live and move and have my being in You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...

"Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph's care all the prisoners who were in prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph's care, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper" (Genesis 39:20-23).

Joseph was wrongfully accused of sexual assault. His integrity and honor were questioned. His good name was slandered. And the one who claimed to be the victim and survivor was lying to cover up her deeper motives and advance her own agenda (v. 6-18). But he was judged and condemned by the mere accusation alone, with his life forever changed (v. 19).

You're a God who hates violence and abuse of any kind. You heal the brokenhearted and save the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). You're an Advocate who speaks up for us and an Activist who does something about the injustice You see, as You seek to set things right in the righteousness of Your will and Your ways (Psalm 17). And at the same time, You're a God who hates lies and deceit, cover-ups and smears. "These are the things that you should do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord" (Zechariah 8:16-17).

But even in the prison of all Joseph was made to endure, You were with him (Genesis 39:23). Even through the injustice and slander, You "showed him steadfast love (and) gave him favor" (v. 21). Even when his world was falling apart from the perspective of this world, You stood by him and even prospered him (v. 23). You weren't wasting a moment of his sufferings to prepare him to yet accomplish through him exceedingly, abundantly far more than he could ever ask or imagine (Genesis 41:57). You turned around all that was intended for evil in his life and used it all for great good in his life and all the lives You would touch through him for many generations to come (v. 50:20).

Lord, give voice to the victims -- whether wrongfully abused or wrongfully accused. And bring all things out of darkness and into Your light. When it's in the light, it's a fair fight. Then You can set things right, for "righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before You" (Psalm 89:14). And no matter what comes or how long it takes, You will always bring good out of it -- no matter the source or the motive of it -- for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I join with you in prayer for the voice of every victim to be heard, whether wrongfully abused or wrongfully accused, and that the Lord our God would set things right and work it all together for good, in Jesus' name! 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 24 - Joyful Journey "from the Heart"

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 24, 2018 at 10:04

Morning by Morning, September 24 - Joyful Journey "from the Heart"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I surrender to Your name and Your nature. Come have Your way in me this day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves to sin have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6:15-18).

I'm no longer a slave to sin. You've broken those chains and opened those bars to set me free. "If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). It's not that I no longer sin -- sadly -- but it's that no longer have to be in bondage to it, enslaved by it, bound up, locked up and left for dead in the dark of it. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set (me) free from the law of sin and death!" (Romans 8:2)

You've set me free to be obedient to You "from the heart" because You've changed my heart. It' not "from my head" or "from my will-power" or "from my trying so hard with all my might not to do the things I really wish I could do and get away with it if You weren't always with me." No, it's "from the heart." You've created in me a clean heart and renewed a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). And every day I keep opening my heart to You, You keep creating in me a clean heart and renewing a right spirit within me (Philippians 1:6).

Now every day, I'm free to live for righteousness instead of sinfulness -- not because You're making me but because I want to -- "from the heart." Your Spirit at work within me is giving me Your right desires to live in the might of Your power "from the heart" You've given me.

I know I have a long way to go. But I know I'm on the journey, as You keep changing my heart and my desires. As it turns out, the freedom You've given me to join with You on this journey of obedience is a very joyful journey. As You said long ago: "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:10-11). This is my joyful journey of obedience in You "from the heart" You've given me and keep giving me every step along the way. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you're filled with joy on your journey of obedience with Jesus, living from the clean heart and right spirit the Lord has created and is renewing in you every step along the way, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. 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 21 - The Day of Our Breakthrough is Here!

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 21, 2018 at 10:08

Morning by Morning, September 21 - The Day of Our Breakthrough is Here!

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You're my Rock, my Refuge, and my Strong Tower. I'm safe and secure in You, as I begin my day in confidence and faith, looking to You first above all else. ...

"Before she was in labor she gave birth; before the pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such a thing? Shall a land be born in a day? Shall a nation be delivered in one moment? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor she delivered her children. Shall I open the womb and not deliver? says the Lord; shall I, the One who delivers, shut the womb? says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her -- that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious bosom!" (Isaiah 66:7-11)

My Father God, I thank You for every promise of Your Word and every promise You've spoken to me by Your Spirit. So many have been fulfilled and yet so many are still in the process of being fulfilled -- all in Your way and all in Your time. You're the God who makes all things beautiful in Your time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). And "in the fullness of time" according to Your purposes and plans, You bring to pass every word and promise You've made to me and all Your children (Galatians 4:4).

This morning as I wait on the leading of Your Holy Spirit, I am stirred with an expectant faith. I think of how Paul said he was expectant and pregnant to see the purposes of God formed and fulfilled in the people of God, like a woman in the travail of labor (Galatians 4:19). I believe there are things in Your heart You are birthing and bringing forth in our world, here in our day. There are things we've longed to see, trying to wait patiently in faith, that we will suddenly see in the breakthroughs of a moment, even in the "now" of our moments today.

Lord, let my faith awaken! Let my faith arise! My faith is in You, my hope is in You; and I'm excited to see what You will do!

As I pray, I hear Your Spirit forming a song of expectant faith in my heart:

My faith is in You!

My hope is in You!

And I am so excited to see what You will do!

Come in Your power!

Come in Your glory!

Come in Your faithfulness and make all Your promises come true!

May Your faithful ones arise!

May Your prayerful ones arise!

May Your expectant ones arise!

Arise and shine in the light of Your love

Arise and shine in the word of Your truth

Arise and shine for the day of our breakthrough is here!

Yes, Lord. Let this be the day of our breakthrough. Do in a day what we've prayed a lifetime to receive. Do in a day what generations have longed to see. Stir up our faith -- expectant faith in You and expectant faith to believe the day of our breakthrough is here! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are stirred expectant faith for the day of your breakthrough, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. 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 20 - Dressed and Ready

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 20, 2018 at 10:04

Morning by Morning, September 20 - Dressed and Ready

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You, as I listen for Your voice and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ...

"Be dressed for action and have your lamps; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he come during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves" (Luke 12:35-38).

One day You will return in Your glory to the earth at Your second coming (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:11). And every day between now and then, You want to come in Your glory into my heart (Colossians 1:27; Revelation 3:20). So even as I long for the coming of the day of the Lord in the earth, give me a longing for the coming of the Lord of this day in my heart. And as I'm longing, let me also be preparing for Your coming, "dressed for action" with my lamp lit -- dressed and ready, secure in my identity and fulfilling my destiny.

I'm Your servant -- "a slave of Christ" who has been "bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 7:22-23). And at the same time, I'm Your son -- a son of God and "joint heir with Christ" (Romans 8:17). As Your servant and Your son, I'm called to be ready for Your coming, ready for Your leading, willing and available for Your service. Dressed for action with my lamp lit, may I be "found faithful" when You come in Your glory in the sky; and at the same time, may I be "found faithful" as You come in Your glory in my heart today (1 Corinthians 4:2 NKKV). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, I pray you are dressed and ready, prepared for the coming of the Lord as a servant of God and a child of God, faithfully secure in your identity and fulfilling your destiny, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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 20 - Dressed and Ready

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 20, 2018 at 10:04

Morning by Morning, September 20 - Dressed and Ready

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You, as I listen for Your voice and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ...

"Be dressed for action and have your lamps; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he come during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves" (Luke 12:35-38).

One day You will return in Your glory to the earth at Your second coming (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:11). And every day between now and then, You want to come in Your glory into my heart (Colossians 1:27; Revelation 3:20). So even as I long for the coming of the day of the Lord in the earth, give me a longing for the coming of the Lord of this day in my heart. And as I'm longing, let me also be preparing for Your coming, "dressed for action" with my lamp lit -- dressed and ready, secure in my identity and fulfilling my destiny.

I'm Your servant -- "a slave of Christ" who has been "bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 7:22-23). And at the same time, I'm Your son -- a son of God and "joint heir with Christ" (Romans 8:17). As Your servant and Your son, I'm called to be ready for Your coming, ready for Your leading, willing and available for Your service. Dressed for action with my lamp lit, may I be "found faithful" when You come in Your glory in the sky; and at the same time, may I be "found faithful" as You come in Your glory in my heart today (1 Corinthians 4:2 NKKV). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, I pray you are dressed and ready, prepared for the coming of the Lord as a servant of God and a child of God, faithfully secure in your identity and fulfilling your destiny, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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 19 - "Sow to the Spirit" for Good Harvest

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 19, 2018 at 9:54

Morning by Morning, September 19 - "Sow to the Spirit" for Good Harvest

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- You are One and You are here with me. I worship You and welcome You into my thoughts, my desires, and my day, as I entrust them all to You, my Lord and my God. ...

"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith" (Galatians 6:7).

As it turns out, how I spend my time, how I speak my words, how I invest my resources, how I live out the moments of my days that I have here on this side eternity have eternal consequences. I praise You for Your mercy and grace that I never have to earn or work for my salvation -- "for by grace (I) have been saved through faith, and this is not (my) doing; it is the gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one may boast;" but at the same time, "(I am) what He has made (me), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be (my) way of life" (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Even our "good works" that follow and flow out of our salvation -- the very seed You give us to sow, as well as the desire and the power to sow it and grow it -- is all by Your grace, inspired and empowered by Your Spirit at work within us. "For it is God who is at work in (us), enabling (us) both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12). Even when I'm sowing the "good works" of prayer, it's by Your grace and the leading of Your Spirit. "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).

Our part is to participate with You. Our part is offer ourselves as willing vessels for Your light to shine through us and Your love to flow through us. That's the good seed we sow and the good works we do, deliberately choosing to align ourselves with Your will to fulfill Your purposes prepared beforehand to be our way of life, to produce the good harvest of the good fruit that comes from Your grace flowing through our lives. You continue to speak to Your disciples and sowers of Your seeds of every generation: "Abide in Me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.... Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing.... My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples" (John 15:4-8).

Father God, in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, give me grace today to "sow to the Spirit" and not "sow to (my) own flesh." Let Your priorities become my priorities, Your thoughts become my thoughts, Your desires become my desires. Let me see what You're doing and hear what You're saying so I can follow and participate in Your leading (Romans 8:14). I pray for Your good seed to produce a good harvest that pleases You this day, in Jesus' name. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you the Holy Spirit inspires and empowers you to sow good seed that produces a good harvest that please our Father today, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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 18 - One in Truth with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 18, 2018 at 10:03

Morning by Morning, September 18 - One in Truth with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Way and the Truth and the Life. Lead me in the way of truth that leads to life in You today. ...

"Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you know Me, you will know My Father also. For now on you do know Him and have seen Him" (John 14:5-7).

To know You is to know the Father; to see You is to see the Father. As You said, "The Father and I are One" (John 10:30).

To hear Your voice is to hear the Father's voice. As Your Word says, "Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and He sustains all things by His powerful word" (Hebrews 1:1-3).

As You are One with the Father, You are One with the Holy Spirit. As You said to Your first disciples and as You fulfill in all Your disciples, "This is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, because He abides with you, and He will be in You.... On that day you will know that I am in My Father and you in Me, and I in you.... Those who love me will keep My word, and My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them... The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you" (John 14:17-26).

Just as You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit, You desire to One with us. You call out to us by Your Spirit of truth, our Helper, "Abide in Me as abide in you" (John 15:4). And as we respond in surrender and faith, Your Word promises us "Anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17). "Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).

This is how You conform us into Your image, forming Your thoughts in our minds, Your desires in our hearts, and Your nature in our nature (Romans 8:29 and 12:2). "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:16-17).

Come, Holy Spirit, "Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9). Make me more Christ-like today, more like my Father today. I want to be more and more "mature in Christ" and fully embrace "the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in (me), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27-28). "As (I) there have received Christ Jesus the Lord, (may I) continue to live (my) life in Him, rooted and build up in Him and established in the faith, just as (I) was taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6).

This is the way You've set before me today, as You do every day. You invite me, "Choose life so that (I) and (my) descendants may live, loving the Lord (my) God, obeying Him, and holding fast to Him" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). And this is the promise You will continue to fulfill in me as I continue to entrust myself to You. "He will also strengthen (me) to the end, so that (I) may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by Him (I) was called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:8-9).

So by the power of Your grace at work within me by Your Spirit, I choose life, I choose You -- the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. "I am confident of this, that the One who began a good work (within me) will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of (us)" (2 Corinthians 13:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are growing every day into maturity in Christ in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the love of God, and in the communion of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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 14 - "Pounded by the Storm"

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 14, 2018 at 10:08

Morning by Morning, September 14 - "Pounded by the Storm"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above every name and every moment of my day. ...

"We were being pounded by the storm so violently that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard, and on the third day with their own hands they threw the ship's tackle overboard. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, 'Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss. I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told" (Acts 27:18-25).

I pray for all the people being "pounded by the storm" along the North and South Carolina coasts this morning in the face of the hurricane. I think of several summers where I spent time on Myrtle Beach, which is likely buried under waters of water about now. May they "keep up (their) courage" and "have faith in God" as You bring them through the storm. May You stir hearts with compassion and empower Your servants with wisdom to help the hurting, assure the fearful, and provide for all that is needed according to Your riches in glory and the mercy of Your grace.

Paul went through a storm he never chose to come and even warned against. But there he was in the midst of the aftermath nonetheless. And Your were right there with him through it all -- confirming Your word and leading by Your Spirit. Others were in a panic, but Paul was at peace "giving thanks to God in the presence of all" so that "all of them were encouraged" (v. 35-36).

Lord, turn our storms into opportunities to display "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Let our hearts be steady and secure, built on the rock of faith that cannot be shaken and overcome by the storms we endure (Matthew 7:24-25). You are our "Refuge and Shelter from the storm and rain" (Isaiah 4:6). Empower us to be Your heart and hands to minister Your peace and provision to those in panic or pain, to those suffering great loss and in need of hope and help and healing. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, I pray you are steady and secure on the rock of your faith in the One who is your Refuge and Shelter through every storm, ready to to pray and help as the Spirit of God leads you in His mercy and love, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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 13 - "Out of the Abundance of the Heart"

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 13, 2018 at 10:04

Morning by Morning, September 13 - "Out of the Abundance of the Heart"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit and make me more like You today. ... "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is know by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:43-45).

My words reveal what's in my heart. Out of the abundance of my heart my mouth speaks. So create in me in clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Fill my heart with Your Word so my words reflect Yours. Conform my spirit to Your Spirit so my nature becomes more like Your nature (Romans 8:29). Let my words reveal the life and love, the peace and joy, the encouragement and hope I have in You and that You've poured into me.

Let my words encourage and comfort, edify and build up, exhort and inspire, because I see with Your eyes and speak from Your heart, as I abide in You and You abide in me (1 Corinthians 14:3; John 15:4).

When You hear my words that reveal my heart, what do You hear and see in me, Lord? ... It seems I hear You saying, "A heart that seeks Me, that pursues Me, that hungers and thirsts for more of Me. A heart that's willing to be conformed to Me and allowing Me to make your heart more like Mine." ...

Lord, I pray that's true, that this is Your voice and not my wishful thinking or vain imaginations. If I can keep choosing, by the power of Your grace, to keep pursuing this path with all my heart, all the things in me that need to change and be conformed to Your image will yield to You along the journey of my life in You. "For God is working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases (You)" (Philippians 2:13). And I want to be filled with the desire and the power to please You in all that I am and all that I do -- with the words I speak and with the treasure of God flowing out of the heart that I in You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you know the good treasure of God He has formed in your heart as you pursue Him and His heart, allowing your words and your ways to reveal His heart in you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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 12 - "Forevermore" Giving "Forever More"

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 12, 2018 at 10:02

Morning by Morning, September 12 - "Forevermore" Giving "Forever More"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear Your heart and live into it today -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"You show me the path of life. In Your presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

With You in my heart and my heart in You, there are pleasures "forevermore." There is fullness of joy, fullness of peace, fullness of the abundance of life, just as You said, "I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). In You, there is "forevermore" and in You, there is "forever more."

I ask for more. More of You, more of Your Spirit, more of Your joy, more of Your peace, more of Your love, more of Your power, more of the fullness and abundance of Your life in me. "How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:13). All of Your "more" is all by the extravagant gift of Your grace. And You are the God who always "gives all the more grace" (James 4:6). Your gifts are always "a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over" (Luke 6:38).

So give me a holy hunger for more -- an unquenchable thirst and insatiable desire for more of all You desire for me. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Your kingdom is within me; and of Your kingdom, there shall be "no end" (Luke 17:21 and 1:33).

Let me settle for nothing less than the "forever more" of all You have for me. "As it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor human heart conceived, what God has prepare for those who love Him!" (1 Corinthians 2:9). "Forevermore," You're always giving "forever more!" In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, I pray you forevermore experience your heavenly Father's forever more in all He desires and has prepared for you in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. 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 11 - "When the Towers Fall"

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 11, 2018 at 10:08

Morning by Morning, September 11 - "When the Towers Fall"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I need You here in my heart and my thoughts every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"Truly, O people of Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. 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 shall 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.' Then you will defile your silver-covered idols and your gold-plated images. You will scatter them like filthy rags; you will say to them, 'Away with you.' He will give rain for see with which you sow the ground, and grain the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures; and the oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat silage, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. On every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water -- on a day of great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, on the day when the Lord binds up the injuries of His people, and heals the wounds inflicted by His blow" (Isaiah 30:19-26).

On this day of 9-11, forever written into our hearts as a nation and sealed with the scars upon our land, may we humble ourselves to seek Your face and pray. In the mysteries of good and evil, of divine protection and divine judgment, of the consequences of both humility and pride, of obedience and rebellion, of hope and despair, may we turn to the One who's heart toward us is to bind up our injuries and heal our wounds. May we listen for the One who longs to speak to us, saying, "This is the way; walk in it. This is My hand to restore and redeem you; embrace it. This is My desire to honor you as you honor Me; trust it. This is My invitation to lift you up as you humble yourself in My sight; receive it."

Yes, Lord. We need You. Apart from You, we can do nothing (John 15:5). And by Your mercy and grace, we are not apart from You. You never leave us, nor forsake us; even when You discipline us, You always love us and long to restore us (Hebrews 13:5). "So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my Helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6).

Even "when the towers fall," You are our security and strength, our resilience and redeemer, because our hope, our faith, and our trust is in You alone. "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; for You are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy" (Psalm 61:2-3). "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10). O Lord our God, You are our Strong Tower that shall never fall. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I join with you in prayer for our nation and all the nations of the earth in response to the promise of God's Word: "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgiven their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14), in Jesus' name. 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 7 - Righteousness and Justice in the High Court of our Land

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 7, 2018 at 10:05

Morning by Morning, September 7 - Righteousness and Justice in the High Court of our Land

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, come rule and reign in my heart and my life this day. ...

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before You" (Psalm 89:11).

As the eyes of our nation and the prayers of our hearts are on the confirmation hearings of the next Supreme Court Justice, I'm reminded that justice is very important You, as is righteousness. Righteousness and justice are the very foundation of Your throne; and we are to pray that it be so on earth -- here in us and here in our nation -- as it is in heaven.

Those who sit in judgment from the bench of the highest court in our land have the power to uphold the righteousness and justice written into our laws on the foundation of our constitution. You call these men and women into their place of authority to walk in integrity and to rule righteously with the heart and wisdom of "the One who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:23). "Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Psalm 2:10-11 NKJV).

And we are to pray for them -- that the ones You have chosen will be confirmed and the ones who are confirmed will walk in Your ways. "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercession, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

While our senators we elected to represent our voices have their part to vote, we have our part to humble ourselves, to seek Your face, and to pray (2 Chronicles 7:14). This is how we "stand in the gap before (You) on behalf of the land" through intercession and prayer -- standing in the gap between heaven and earth, between righteousness and unrighteousness, between justice and injustice, as we stand in You and allow You to stand through us (Ezekiel 22:30; 1 Corinthians 12:27 and 16:13 NKJV).

We have a voice. Let our voices be heard as we vote and as we pray, not idly standing by, but standing in the gap. You call us to be active, not passive, to be engaged and not detached, to "seek the peace of the city" where we have been positioned according to Your will and Your purposes "and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace (we) will have peace" (Jeremiah 29:7 NKJV).

With our voice, with our prayers, and with our actions as Your people who are called by Your name, our obedience and faithfulness to Your commands remain: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8 NKJV). Lord, let it be so in our hearts and in our land. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, I pray you are stirred to stand in the gap on your knees and in your heart for our land as the Holy Spirit leads you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. 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 7 - Righteousness and Justice in the High Court of our Land

Posted by Tommy Hays on September 7, 2018 at 10:04