Tommy Hays's Posts

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

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Morning by Morning, July 23 - Your Kingdom Come!

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 23, 2018 at 9:54

Morning by Morning, July 23 - Your Kingdom Come!

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done -- here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"For the kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

When You rule as King in my heart, there is righteousness in the Holy Spirit. You're setting things right -- right between me and my God, right between me and others, and right within myself.

When You rule as King in my heart, there is peace in the Holy Spirit. It's Your peace, not the world's peace -- peace between me and my God, peace with others, and peace within myself.

When You rule as King in my heart, there is joy in the Holy Spirit. It's the fullness of joy You desire me to have when my joy is made complete and the joy of the Lord is my strength -- joy between me and my God, joy with others, and joy within myself.

You said, "The kingdom of God is within (me)" (Luke 17:21). I need more of Your kingdom within me. I need more of Your righteousness, more of Your peace, more of Your joy. I need more of Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). I need more of You ruling and reigning as King in my heart.

So come, Holy Spirit. You are the One who moves in my heart to manifest and advance the fullness of the kingdom of God within me -- the kingdom of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit within me. "For God is working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13 NLT). The more I yield and surrender, embracing Your Presence and Your plan, entrusting my heart to You and Your will, the more the kingdom of God advances in me. That's how Your kingdom comes and Your will is done, on earth (and right here in me) as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Father God, let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit, with Your righteousness and peace and joy. I open my spirit and bow my heart before You, "that the King of glory may come in!" (Psalm 24:7) Let the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of my heart "become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15 NKV) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray the fullness of the kingdom of God comes in you in a fresh filling of the Presence of God with His righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name! May the King of glory come into you and every are of your life! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Update on Preaching in Pakistan. Friends, due to heavy rains we had to postpone our open-fire evangelistic meeting in Pakistan through our Skype Internet Ministry from last Friday night until this coming weekend. Thank you for all your prayers, encouragement, and support for this. Each month, I will be preaching in different villages around Lahore, Pakistan in the Punjab Region. Please keep us in prayer for salvation, healing, deliverance, and revival in the mighty name of Jesus! God bless you!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning (corrected), July 20 - Forgiven and Free from Bondage and Sin!

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 20, 2018 at 11:53

Morning by Morning, July 20 - Forgiven and Free from Bondage and Sin!

Good morning, Lord Jesus. From the rising of the sun, through every moment of my day, I give You praise -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that (Jesus) was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and He was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 'Whey does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?' At once Jesus perceived in His spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and He said to them, 'Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up and take your mat and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins' -- He said to the paralytic -- 'I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.' And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We have never seen anything like this!'" (Mark 2:1-12).

This man was paralyzed in his body. But You didn't speak first to his body, You spoke first to his soul. You said, "Son, your sins are forgiven." He needed healing in his body, but first he needed the healing of his soul. His body was paralyzed, but so was his soul -- as paralyzed and lifeless and dead as his legs. But You came that he would have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). You came to set him free from his paralyze and death, that You might raise him up to walk in newness of life -- "just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life!" (Romans 6:4)

You called this man "Son" because You are our Father, the Father of all who believe in You to forgive us from our sins and free us from death and all that would keep us bound up and crippled from embracing the fullness of life You have for us all. "To all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12). "For in Christ Jesus (we) are all children of God through faith" (Galatians 3:26).

As You spoke Your words of spirit and life into his spirit, You forgave him of his sins and freed him of his bondage. And he responded in faith. He stood up and took up his mat and walked out his faith in front of them all with great joy! The salvation of his soul began to manifest in the salvation of his body! And allwho saw it -- even the Your critics -- were amazed and glorified God! (Mark 2:12)

Lord Jesus, Your words are "spirit and life" (John 6:63). Speak Your words of spirit and life into my spirit today. Forgive me from my sins and free me from my bondage. Raise me up into newness of life to walk in Your ways -- leaping in my soul and shouting Your praises and glorifying my God! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, I pray you embrace by faith the fullness of life our Father has for you, forgiven and free from bondage and sin, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'm excited to be Preaching in Pakistan again this Friday Night (Pakistan Time) in a open-air evangelistic meeting through our Skype Internet Ministry. Each month, I will be preaching in different villages around Lahore, Pakistan in the Punjab Region. Please keep us in prayer for salvation, healing, deliverance, and revival in the mighty name of Jesus!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, July 19 - "Love the Truth"

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 19, 2018 at 9:43

Morning by Morning, July 19 - "Love the Truth"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak to my heart and lead me in Your ways -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, and lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

Come, Holy Spirit. Give me a love for the truth. You are "the Spirit of truth" who "comes (to) guide (me) into all the truth" and "glorify (Jesus)" (John 16:13).

In these days and the days to come, just knowing the truth will not be enough. "Even the demons believe -- and shudder" (James 2:19). No, we need more. We need to "lovethe truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:10). We need to love the truth, just as a wise person loves correction and discipline (Proverbs 13:1). That's our antidote to the power of deception -- a lovefor the truth.

Loving truth is different from loving what we want to hear, loving what fits our feelings, or loving what we think is right despite what You say is right. And You've already warned us that we will be tempted to give into the pressures of our world to turn from the truth in the times to come: "For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

"The truth" is not simply a statement of faith or mental assent to accurate doctrine. The truth is a Person. You are the Truth. You are "the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" (John 15:6). You are the One we need to love. Loving You, loving the One who is Truth, is the Way You've provided to lead us through the confusion, deception, and temptation to compromise to come.

You said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever. 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" (John 14:15-17).

As I grow in my love for You, I grow in my love for Truth. May my love for You, my love for Truth, keep me from being deceived in these days to come -- even by "the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, and lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you grow in your love of the truth, in your love for the One who is the Truth every day, so that you are not confused or deceived to give in to the temptation to compromise with God's truth, now and in the days to come, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'm excited to be Preaching in Pakistan again this Friday Night (Pakistan Time) in a open-air evangelistic meeting through our Skype Internet Ministry. Each month, I will be preaching in different villages around Lahore, Pakistan in the Punjab Region. Please keep us in prayer for salvation, healing, deliverance, and revival in the mighty name of Jesus!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, July 17 - See and Abide; Abide and See

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 17, 2018 at 9:40

Morning by Morning, July 17 - See and Abide; Abide and See

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You're welcome here in my heart and in the moments of my day. ...

"Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know Me? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How an you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? ... I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever. 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" (John 14:9-17)

Lord Jesus, when I see You, I see my Father. When I abide in You, Your Spirit abides in me. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God, help me see and abide; help me abide and see. I become like the One I see -- "being transformed in the same image (2 Corinthians 3:18). And I become one with the One I allow to abide within me -- "anyone united with the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17).

Open my eyes to see. Open my heart to abide. Let me see You more clearly each day. Let me abide in You more deeply each day. Make me more like You each day -- "because as (You are), so are we in this world" (1 John 4:18).

"God is faithful; by Him (we) were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:9). So by the power of Your grace at work within me, may I see and abide; may I abide and see; I in You and You in me. "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 see the Lord more clearly and abide in Him more deeply each day, becoming like the One you see and allow to abide 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

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, July 16 - "Rich Toward God"

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 16, 2018 at 10:07

Morning by Morning, July 16 - "Rich Toward God"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name, as You set things right -- here in my heart and into my day. ...

"(Jesus) told them a parable: 'The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my good. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves and are not rich toward God" (Luke 12:16-21).

In the eyes of the world, this many was very wise. He was resourceful and successful; he worked hard and now he was ready to play hard. He was living the dream, larger than life. His motto was "Go big or go home" and now he was building bigger barns for his bigger wealth to match his bigger head to boast in his heart about big self-made success he had made of his life.

But You said he was a fool. He was rich in the success and wealth of the world, but he was "not rich toward God" (v. 21). You said, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" (v. 15). You weren't against his success; You were against his perspective. The focus of his success was to be on You -- the Source of his success and Your purpose for his success. You weren't against him being rich; You were against him not being rich toward God in the priority of his relationship with You above all else.

Lord, help me grow in my heart to be "rich toward God." Give me a right perspective with right priorities. Set me free from the wisdom of this world, and cultivate in me the wisdom of God. "For this wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (1 Corinthians 3:19). "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy" (James 3:17). Let me "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (my) mind, so that (I) may discern what is the will of God" (Romans 12:2).

Lord, how should I be "rich toward God?" ...

It seems I hear You saying in my heart: "My son, you are rich toward Me when you seek Me first above all else. Let Me be your priority. Let our relationship be your greatest stewardship of your time and resources. Then trust Me to take care of the rest with My guidance, My favor, and even My abundance." ...

Yes, Lord. Give me grace to "Seek first the kingdom of God and (Your) righteousness, and all these things shall be added to (me) (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). "My God will satisfy every need of (mine according to (Your) riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that (I) ask or think, according to the power that works in (me), to (You) be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever" (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Father God, I thank You for every success You've given me, and the abundance of Your riches in so many ways. But help me remember You are the Source of my success and You are the Redeemer of every one of my many failures. I want my treasure to be stored up in heaven and not on earth -- "for where (my) treasure is, there (my) heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). So I pray You would convict me and deliver me from foolishness and make me wise in Your ways and in Your sight. Whatever riches or abundance You may pour into my life for Your purposes, may I be found faithful to be "rich toward God" by the power of Your grace at work within me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you will be rich toward God in your heart and in all He pours into your life for His purposes, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, July 13 - "Put Out into the Deep Water"

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 13, 2018 at 9:51

Morning by Morning, July 13 - "Put Out into the Deep Water"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord and Savior, be Lord of my life and every moment of my day. ...

"When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if You say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.... Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.' When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Him" (Luke 5:4-11).

It takes some effort to "put out into deep water." You don't get there by accident and it's never easy -- especially when you're tired or discouraged or disappointed. Even when you're tired and weary from the exhaustion of fruitfulness and success, it's hard to say, "Let's do it again! Let's go deeper still! Let's go further than last time and beyond our expectations!"

But to "put out into (the) deep water" of Your Spirit, is to seek to hear Your voice, to call You "Master," and obey the nudges of Your guidance in trusting faith, no matter the circumstances of how things appear at the moment. We need not be afraid. And we need not hold back, because there is always an abundance that follows obedience.

Part of living life in the "deep water" is being willing to not always see the abundance that follows obedience at the time. So often, we have to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). If we insisted on only believing what we see and trusting only what we feel and always playing it safe to never take a risk on our sense of Your leading in the still, small voice we'd never get past the shallow water. And we'd never know the abundant treasures that wait for us in the deep water.

You've prepared a treasure of abundance for us in the "deep water" of Your Spirit. There's a great catch if we're just willing to be caught up in the arms of Your embrace to live in trusting faith. That's the place where "Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him ... God has reveled them to us through His Spirit ... yes, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). That's the place where we hear and respond to Your Word: "Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known" (Jeremiah 33:3).

So when "Deep calls to deep," we can respond and put out to the deep water -- no matter how tired we are or how the circumstances appear -- or we can just settle for what we have and just stay where we are, content to live out our lives in the shallow water (Psalm 42:7). It's safer for sure. We have a lot more control when the water is only up to our ankles instead of over our heads (Ezekiel 47:3-5). But my, what great treasures we would miss. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you take time to position your spirit to hear the Master call and sense the nudging of His Holy Spirit to put out into the deep waters of all the He has for you and desires to do through you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, July 12 - "Abundantly Prosperous"

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 12, 2018 at 10:09

Morning by Morning, July 12 - "Abundantly Prosperous"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for the gift of prayer, here in the communion of Your Presence -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"When all these things have happened to you, the blessings and the curses that I have set before you, if you call them to mind among the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, and return to the Lord your God, and you and your children obey Him with all your heart and with all your soul, just as I am commanding you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, gathering you again from all the peoples among whom the Lord your God has scattered you. Even if you are exiled to the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. The Lord your God will bring you into the land that your ancestors possessed, and you will possess it; He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors.

Moreover, the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live. The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on the adversaries who took advantage of you. Then you shall again obey the Lord, observing all His commandments that I am commanding you today, and the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as He delighted in prospering your ancestors, when you obey the Lord your God by observing His commandments and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law, because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away.... No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe" (Deuteronomy 30:1-14).

You take delight in making me "abundantly prosperous in all (my) undertakings" (v. 9). You take delight in my obedience to Your will and Your ways (v. 10). And You take delight when I come to realize I cannot even obey You apart from You, that I need Your word in my mouth and in my heart every moment of every day (v. 14).

Lord Jesus, You are the Word of God who lives in my heart (John 1:14). You are the One, along with my Father, who's given me Your Spirit to give me the desire and the power to obey Your will and walk in Your ways (Philippians 2:13). And You are the One who reminds me that the measure of my love for You is revealed in my obedience to You: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.... On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. They who have My commandments and keep them are those who love Me; and those who love Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love them and reveal Myself to them.... 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. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word that you hear is not Mine, but is from the Father who sent Me.... 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.... 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 14:15-15:11).

So there is a Biblical relationship between love, obedience, and prosperity. And it's all related to my personal relationship with You and complete dependence upon You and Your Spirit abiding within me. This is how You've expressed Your heart and Your plans for me in Your Word: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

Obedience is not just an Old Testament thing; it's a Jesus thing. Just like prosperity is not just a Jesse Duplantis thing; it's a Bible thing. And You've said these things through Your Word living in our hearts so that "(our) joy may be complete" as You delight in both our obedience and our prosperity. There's no "prosperity gospel" apart from the "obedience gospel."

Come, Holy Spirit, sent from My Father in the name of Jesus. Anoint me afresh with the desire and the power to love and obey, to keep turning to God and returning to God. No matter how far I ever get away, You're always calling me home to the place of being "abundantly prosperous" in my relationship with You. "How joyful are those who fear the Lord -- all who follow His ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! ... This is the Lord's blessing for those who fear Him!" (Palm 128:1-4 NLT) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are "abundantly prosperous" in your deeply personal relationship of obedience and love with the Lord our God, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, July 11 - "Share His Divine Nature"

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 11, 2018 at 10:07

Morning by Morning, July 11 - "Share His Divine Nature"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of all I am and all I do this day. ...

"By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires" (2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT).

Lord, how can I -- being human and filled with the human desires of my world -- come to "share (Your) divine nature"? How can I "have the mind of Christ" and "let the same mind be in (me) that was in Christ Jesus? (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5) How can I "be perfect, therefore, as (my) heavenly Father is perfect"? (Matthew 5:48) How can I "be holy" just "as He who has called (me) is holy" (1 Peter 1:15)? How can I be one of those who are created and called to "be 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 world of life" (Philippians 2:14-16). ...

As I wait and listen, it seems I hear You saying: "My son, apart from Me, you can do nothing. Apart from Me, you cannot stop sinning and become a saint or start doing everything right and stop doing anything wrong. It is not about what I have called you to do or not do; it is about who I have called you to become. I have called you to become like Me."

Yes, Lord. But how would I become like You? ...

I believe I hear You speaking in my heart: "You become like Me as you yield to Me. Willing choose, by the power of My grace, to let Me conform you to My nature. Allow My Spirit to fill you and change you, to lead you and guide you, to put My thoughts in your mind and My desires in your heart, to make you more like Me each day. You cannot do this; but you can choose to allow Me to do this in you if you willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon Me alone through humility and faith." ...

Yes, Lord. I believe You. And I believe Your "great and precious promises" for me and for all who believe and come to know You. "For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him. And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory" (Romans 8:29-30 NLT). "As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, be we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world" (1 John 4:17 NLT). "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17 NRSV).

So by the power of Your grace at work within me, in humility and faith, I willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone.

Come, Holy Spirit of God. Make me perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect; make me holy as You are holy; make me to share Your "divine nature" as You give me both the desire and the power to keep desiring Your nature every day. "For it is God working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13 NLT). And I believe this is what pleases You -- that I would be willing to become more like You each day. "God's will is for (me) to be holy" (1 Thessalonians 4:3 NLT). It's only possible by the grace of Your love, the power of Your blood, and the work of Your Spirit (1 John 1:7). Lord, let it be so. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray God's Holy Spirit gives you the desire and the power to become more like Jesus every day, that you may share in His divine nature and shine like a star in your world, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, July 10 - A Sheep and a Son

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 10, 2018 at 9:48

Morning by Morning, July 10 - A Sheep and a Son

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice. ...

"The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.... Very truly, I tell you, I am the good shepherd" (John 10:2-11).

As I look to You in worship and listen for You in prayer, Your Holy Spirit opens the gate of my spirit to welcome You into every moment of my day. You call me by name; You know my nature and my needs; and You speak into my spirit what You want me to hear and to know.

I'm a sheep and I'm a son -- a sheep of Your fold and a son of my Father. Help me listen and hear, so I can rise and follow You into Your will for my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

As I look and listen to begin this day, it seems I hear You saying: "My son, you always have the freedom to open the gate of your heart to Me or not, to watch and wait and worship or not, to take time to listen and trust and obey or not. Choose well. Seek Me first and My righteousness and My kingdom. Then all you need will be added unto you; and all I desire for you will be fulfilled through you."

Yes, Lord. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to seek You first (Matthew 6:33). As a sheep of my Good Shepherd, I seek to hear Your voice and open my heart (Hebrews 3:7). As a son of God, I seek to be led by Your Spirit. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.... For (we) have received the spirit of sonship (Romans 8:14 RSV).

O Lord, my God, put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Guide my steps by the leading of Your Spirit into the path of life You have for me today (Psalm 23:3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you choose well to seek God first, that you may hear His voice and be led by His Spirit in the path of life He has chosen for you this day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I'm glad to have you with me on my daily journey of prayer. These are my journaled prayers I write each morning as I seek to start my day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled afresh with the Holy Spirit. God bless you and thank you for joining with me on the journey. And thank you so much for praying these prayers back for me, as I pray them for you!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, July 9 - "Led by the Spirit" Through Every Temptation

Posted by Tommy Hays on July 9, 2018 at 10:00

Morning by Morning, July 9 - "Led by the Spirit" Through Every Temptation

Good morning Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.... Then the devil took Him to the holy city.... Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain.... Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.'' Then the devil left Him, and suddenly angels came and waited on Him" (Matthew 4:1-11).

Lord, help me learn to discern when I'm in a place where the Spirit has led me or where the devil has taken me. Even You, holy and without sin, were both led by the Spirit to places at times and taken by the devil to places at times, according to the Word of God. You were "in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV). You always knew how to respond. You always embraced all the Spirit had for You and always rejected all the devil had for You. By the power of Your grace, may I learn to do the same.

Thank You for the promise of Your Word, "All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). And for Your promise, "When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide (me) into all the truth" (John 16:13). I am Your child and You are my Father. Come lead me by Your Spirit into Your truth. Empower me to discern and resist every temptation of the devil. "No temptation has overtaken (me) except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow (me) to be tempted beyond what (I) am able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that (I) may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV).

Let Your Word be hidden in my heart so that I can declare what is written; and let Your Spirit guide my spirit so that I'm certain where I am and who led me there or took me there. Then -- no matter whether it was You or the devil -- You'll cause it all to work together for good in the fulfillment of Your plans and purposes (Romans 8:28). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are led by the Spirit through every temptation with God's Word hidden in your heart and God's Spirit guiding your spirit, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I've been away on a couple of family trips but am glad to be back with you on our journey of prayer together! God bless you and thank you for joining with me on the journey!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 29 - Ho! Hunger and Thirst for the Presence of God!

Posted by Tommy Hays on June 29, 2018 at 9:48

Morning by Morning, June 29 - Ho! Hunger and Thirst for the Presence of God!

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I wait on You in the intimacy and surrender of contemplative prayer, I worship You and welcome You into every area of my life and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live" (Isaiah 55:1-3 NKJV).

I'm not really sure what "Ho!" means, but as I read it and pray it, something stirs from deep in my spirit that cries out "Ho! I'm thirsty for more! Ho! I'm hungry for more! Ho! I don't want anything less, anything fake, anything superficial, anything passive or boring or dull or devoid of the passionate pursuit of all You are and all You have for me!" So my heart and soul cry out, "Ho!"

Holy God, God who's here, God who's always making me hungry and thirsty for more, my heart and soul cry out, "Ho!" ...

As I do and as I stop to listen -- like waiting to listen like an echo bouncing off the walls of a canyon -- I believe I hear in my heart: "My son, I am the One who puts this hunger and thirst in your heart. I am the One who says seek Me, pursue Me, settle for nothing less than Me. I give you the gift of My holy hunger. Receive My gift and you will always hunger for more, you will never settle for less, and you will delight in the abundance of My presence, even as you are never satisfied. As you cry out "Ho!" I respond, "I'm here!"

Yes, Lord. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). And You never stop filling those who never stop hungering and thirsting. Make me hungrier, thirstier still in my insatiable pursuit of Your presence! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you are stirred in your heart with an insatiable desire for the passionate pursuit of the presence of God, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer, "Morning by Morning" each day. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these fresh from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 27 - Fit and Faithful

Posted by Tommy Hays on June 27, 2018 at 9:37

Morning by Morning, June 27 - Fit and Faithful

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart to make me more like You today. ...

"Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.... May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 NLT).

Lord, make me fit and faithful in "spirit and soul and body." Make me whole and holy, aligned with Your will to walk in Your ways. I have far to go -- in my spirit, in my soul, and in my body. But You are faithful and You will do it, as I humble myself to ask You to do it in me. "For it is God working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" and to become all You created me and called me to be in You (Philippians 2:13). You're making me into Your vessel, "fit for its purpose" (Isaiah 54:16).

Apart from You, I can do nothing (John 15:5). But I thank You that I'm never apart from You, that You're always with me and always at work within me, conforming me into Your image day by day (Hebrews 13:5; Romans 8:29). So in my weakness, I cry out to You and call on Your name to inspire me and empower me. "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.... For whenever I am weak, then I am strong;" and "(Your) grace is sufficient for (me)" when "(Your) power is made perfect in (me) weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). By the power of the grace of God, make me fit and faithful in You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, I pray you are inspired and empowered to be fit and faithful by the power of the grace of God at work within you every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, I recently began an exercise plan -- finally, after all these years! I'd appreciate your prayers to be faithful and consistent. I need them more than you know! And I pray the same for you in every way the Holy Spirit is leading you to be holy and whole in spirit and soul and body :)

Friends, thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer, "Morning by Morning" each day. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these fresh from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 26 - Power in the Waiting

Posted by Tommy Hays on June 26, 2018 at 9:52

Morning by Morning, June 26 - Power in the Waiting

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit today. ...

"While staying with them, He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the Promise of the Father. 'This,' He said, 'is what you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.... You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth'" (Acts 1:4-8).

How I need You every day, every hour. I need Your Presence and Your power. I need Your Spirit to infill me and infuse me, to equip me and empower me, to anoint me and appoint me to go and be Your witness in my world -- whether to the end of my street or the ends of the earth.

So You invite me to wait on You. You bring me into the secret, quiet place of beginning my day in contemplative prayer, where I listen for Your leading before laying out all my burdens and requests before You. There will be time for all of that -- for prayers of intercession, supplication, confession, and everything else. But You invite me to first look to You and listen for You. First things first. And You are always first -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.

As I wait on You -- being embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, filled with Your Holy Spirit -- You strengthen me before You send me in Your power and love to make a difference in my world: "The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:28-31). You are the God "Who acts for the one who waits for Him" (Isaiah 64:4).

You're teaching me there's so much power in the waiting. So thank You, Lord, for giving me eagles' wings before I fly off into my day. Thank You for the leading and the grace to first wait on You to begin my day in the intimately personal communion of Your Presence in prayer. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray that as You wait on the Lord in contemplative prayer you are infilled and infused, equipped and empowered, anointed and appointed to go be a witness of Jesus in your world today -- whether to the end of your street or the ends of the earth, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer, "Morning by Morning" each day. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these fresh from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 25 - Flourish like a Tree Planted by the Water

Posted by Tommy Hays on June 25, 2018 at 9:51

Morning by Morning, June 25 - Flourish like a Tree Planted by the Water

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father, One with the Holy Spirit; and I welcome You to be One within me, now and throughout the moments of my day. ...

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

Prayer is the way Your living water of Your Holy Spirit rises up into the roots of my human spirit to bear Your good fruit through my life. It keeps me connected with You, in deep, intimate relationship with You. It refreshes me and renews me. It's life to me. Even in the times of doubt and drought, You just cause my roots to grow that much deeper, so that I'm always connected with You through the communion of prayer. You keep my heart green and full of life, even when the heat of hurts and hardships comes.

And You help me keep my roots grounded in Your Word, in the good soil of Your promises that give me encouragement, inspiration, vision, guidance, and hope. By Your Spirit and Your Word, You keep me "rooted and grounded in love" so that I "may be strengthened in (my) inner being with power through (Your) Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in (my) heart through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).

Like a tree planted by the water, I'm "filled with all the fullness of God" so that I can grow and flourish in the ways of life in You (Ephesians 3:19; Psalm 1:3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you flourish and bear God's good fruit through your life, rooted and grounded in His love through the intimate communion of prayer, to keep growing in His grace by His Spirit and His Word within you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you for joing with me on this daily journey of prayer, "morning by morning" each day. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these fresh from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 21 - More Like Jesus than Judas

Posted by Tommy Hays on June 21, 2018 at 10:16

Morning by Morning, June 21 - More Like Jesus than Judas

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

"When it was evening, He took His place with the twelve; and while they were eating, He said, 'Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.' And they became greatly distressed and began to say to Him one after another, 'Sure not I, Lord?' He answered, 'The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.' Judas, who betrayed Him, said, 'Surely not I, Rabbi?' He replied, 'You have said so'" (Matthew 26:20-25).

Sometimes I wonder what happened to Judas. Did he get too close to the money? (John 6:29) With his hand in Your bowl, did he become presumptuous of his access to Your greatness or begin to take his invitation to Your intimacy and his acceptance of Your grace for granted? Did being one of the Big Twelve give him the big head? Or did the seeds of sin and self-seeking sown into his fallen soul finally grow to full harvest in his heart of betrayal? In any event, somehow Satan himself entered his soul to consume his thoughts and influence his choices (Luke 22:3).

You know every choice we will ever make, seeing the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end (Isaiah 46:10). You know every heart and every motive of every choice (Acts 1:24; Jeremiah 17:10). Yet, the choices are ours in the freedom of will that a true relationship of love requires (Joshua 14:15; Deuteronomy 30:14-15; John 7:17).

And what if Judas had made better choices with all that was entrusted to him? Surely Your Word was true of him as It is with us all: "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). "As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live" (Ezekiel 33:11 NLT).

Judas was not born a traitor, but he "became a traitor" (Luke 6:16). And by the time it was time for Judas to choose blessing or curse, life or death, "the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray (You)" (John 13:2). In the end, "Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place" (Acts 1:25 NKJV).

But what if instead of becoming "the one destined to be lost," Judas would have humbled himself in repentance and faith, seeking You healing and freedom of all that would hold him back of being a faithful follower instead of a condemned traitor (John 17:12)? His confession and repentance came too late when finally acknowledged, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!" (Matthew 27:3) What if he could have become a son of God instead of the "son of perdition" (John 17:12 NKJV)? What if he was to spill out his heart to lead others to Christ instead of spilling out his guts after hanging himself on a tree (Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18)? What if even the Book of Jude could have been the Book of Judas, sharing words of encouragement and exhortation from a life that was changed and surrendered to God to fulfill a destiny to honor Christ (Jude 1)?

You are "longsuffering toward us (all), not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). So before I judge Judas for the speck in his eye, give me a humble and teachable heart to see the log in my own eye (Matthew 7:5). Let me "judge not," so that by the measure I judge I will not also be judged and that very thing come up me (Matthew 7:1). Let me never take my grace for granted or presume upon my place of intimacy with You. Convict me of my sins and keep me sensitive in my heart to the leading of Your Spirit, so that it's never too late to choose well and live well in the destiny You desire for me (Ephesians 1:11). By the power of Your grace, may I grow to be much more like Jesus than Judas (Romans 8:29). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you grow in the grace of God to become more like Jesus every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you for joing with me on this daily journey of prayer, "morning by morning" each day. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these fresh from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 20 - Keeping Good Company with Jesus

Posted by Tommy Hays on June 20, 2018 at 10:05

Morning by Morning, June 20 - Keeping Good Company with Jesus

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All that I am and all that I have is Yours -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals'" (1 Corinthians 15:33).

If bad company ruins good morals then good company inspires good morals. So I want to keep good company with You, Lord Jesus. You are my Companion and my Inspiration. You are my "Friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). And You fill me with Your Spirit so that my thoughts become more like Your thoughts, my desires become more like Your desires, and my ways become more like Your ways (Romans 8:9).

Some would imply that under a dispensation of grace, we are free to do what we want to do, to be with whom we want to be with, to go wherever we want to go. Who the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). Right? "All things are lawful for me" in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:23). Right? Yes, but not all things are good for me; and in the freedom of my salvation I still have the freedom to choose right from wrong, good from evil, to walk in Your ways or walk in the ways of the world, for me to be lord or for You to be Lord (1 Corinthians 10:23).

So even in freedom, You're always leading me to choose You and Your will and Your ways. Even in grace, You desire obedience -- the obedience that freely flows from a heart that truly believes You love me and want the very best for me. So along with companionship always comes discipleship; and along with grace comes obedience -- as You're teaching me Your ways while I'm walking in deeply personal, intimate relationship with You. "Now by this we may be sure we know Him, if we obey His commandments. Whoever says, 'I have come to know Him,' but does not obey His commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys His word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in Him: whoever say, 'I abide in Him,' ought to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:3-6).

Come, Holy Spirit of God. Move in my heart to give me a right heart. Keep creating in me a clean heart and renewing a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Keep transforming me by the renewing of my mind and conforming me to the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29 and 12:2). May I never stop to "grow in the grace and knowledge of (my) Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever!" (2 Peter 3:18) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you keep good company with Jesus on your deeply personal and intimate journey with Him every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you for joing with me on this daily journey of prayer, "morning by morning" each day. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these fresh from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 19 - Living More Fully into the "Now" of My Salvation

Posted by Tommy Hays on June 19, 2018 at 10:05

Morning by Morning, June 19 - Living More Fully into the "Now" of My Salvation

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice, my Good Shepherd. ...

"As we work together with Him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For He says, 'At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.' See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!" (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

Teach me how to live more fully into the "now" of my salvation and inro the "now" of time. Help me "see" and believe and embrace that "now is the acceptable time" and "now is the day of salvation."

If I'm focusing too muchon my past -- whether my past failures or my past successes -- I'm not fully living into the "now" of my salvation. If I'm focusing too muchon my future -- whether the fears of what is to come or the anticipation of what I hope to come -- I'm not fully living into the "now" of my salvation.

Of course, there of things of my past that make me who I am and give me a testimony of Your grace in my life, but I'm not to undulydwell on my past. And of course, there are things yet to come where I do need to plan and anticipate and even dream about with expectant faith, but I'm not to undulydwell on my future either. If I do, I'm in danger of missing out on all that You have for me "now" and all that You have for those to be influenced by You through my life "now."

Fully living into the "now" of my salvation is fully embracing "today" -- each day as it comes, one day at a time. As Your Word says, "Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today' ... 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion" (Hebrews 3:13-15). Just as You sent the manna to Your people in the wilderness, so You send Your Word and Your Spirit and Your opportunities for us to learn to more fully love and more fully live into Your will for us each day. "Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed" (Exodus 16:21).

Yes, Your promises are Yes and Amen today and every day forever (2 Corinthians 1:20). And Yes, You provide all that I need by the power of Your grace for me to fully live into all You've ordained for me each day, while it is still called "Today" in the "now" of my salvation. "Today (I) have obtained the Lord's agreement: to be (my) God; and for (me) to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, and His ordinances, and to obey Him. Today the Lord has obtained (my) agreement: to be (part of) His treasured people, as He promised (me), and to keep His commandments: for Him to set (me) high above all nations that He has made in praise and in fame and in honor; and for (me) to be (part of) a people holy to the Lord (my) God, as He promised" (Deuteronomy 26:17-19).

Lord, I thank You for my past and for my future, for all You've done and all You're going to do. And at the same time, I thank You for the power of Your grace to more fully live into the "now" of my salvation today -- not missing out on anything You have for me by overlydwelling on the my past or my future, but living fully "alive in Christ" each day (1 Corinthians 15:22). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you live more fully into the "now" of your salvation each day in the power God's grace at work and alive in you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you for joing with me on this daily journey of prayer, "morning by morning" each day. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these fresh from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 18 - Dedication, Dependence, and Discernment

Posted by Tommy Hays on June 18, 2018 at 9:57

Morning by Morning, June 18 - Dedication, Dependence, and Discernment

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- I draw near to You in my prayers as You draw to me in Your presence. ...

"And the Lord took note of Hannah; she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.... Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.... Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant is listening'" (1 Samuel 2:21-3:10).

Samuel's mother dedicated him and all the days of his life to You. And dedication grew into dependence and discernment. As he grew in stature, he grew in favor. As he grew in favor, he grew in the intimacy of his relationship with You and his dependence upon You until he was able to discern Your voice beyond anyone else's. Then from that place of intimacy and discernment and dependence, You empowered him for ministry. "As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Fan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord" (1 Samuel 3:19-20).

Father God, I thank You for a mother who dedicated me to You and I thank You for all who have loved me and prayed for me to grow in spiritual stature from dedication to dependence and discernment and favor and intimacy and ministry. Help me keep growing. Help me "grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). Help me never stop growing in "the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).

As best as I can and all by Your grace, in humility and faith, I willingly choose to dedicate my life completely to You, in desperate dependence upon You alone. I surrender all. Apart from You, I can do nothing (John 15:5). But in the intimacy and favor of God growing in me -- as I daily abide in You and You abide in me -- I embrace the promise of Your Word that my life will "bear much fruit" (John 15:1-5). Thank You for the promise of Your Word: "I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Tommy, I pray you keep growing in spiritual stature by the grace of God at work in you in dedication, dependence, and discernment, that your life will bear much fruit to the glory of God so that your joy may be made complete, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257

Please share this word to encourage a friend!

Morning by Morning, June 15 - "Well Known to God"

Posted by Tommy Hays on June 15, 2018 at 10:24

Morning by Morning, June 15 - "Well Known to God"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my heart and every moment of my day. ...

"Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences.... For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And He died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for them" (2 Corinthians 5:11-15).

We are "well known to God." And You know well the plans You have for me and each one of Your children (Jeremiah 29:11). ...

My Father, You know all about me. You've created me and saved me. You've loved me and corrected me. You've called me and anointed me, encouraged me and inspired me, equipped me and empowered me. You always go before me and You're always with me. You know every hair on my head and every hurt in my heart. You know every step that I'll take and every misstep I've taken. And yet You love me with "an everlasting love" (Isaiah 54:8).

The Bible says there came a time when "the Lord was sorry that He had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart" (Genesis 6:6). I know I've grieved You to Your heart at times. I wonder if You were ever sorry You made me. ...

But even as I write those words here in my journal, I immediately hear You speaking to my heart. It seems I hear You saying: "No, My son. I chose to create you and never forsake you, even as I have chosen each one of My children. You are created in My image, but destined to struggle through your issues on your spiritual journey to maturity in Me. When you stumble and fall, when you falter or fail, I still love you and help you and even cause you to become more desperately dependent upon Me so that I can display My glory more completely through you. This is My way. This is My will -- that My children learn to trust Me and love Me and know My love for them on their journey to learn to love in the time they have on this earth."

Yes, Lord. "For this is the will of God, (my) sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). You desire that I would "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (my) mind, so that (I) may discern what is the will of God -- what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2).

Though humankind grieved You, at the same time "Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8). And by the power of Your grace through sacrifice of Christ, we are Your children who find favor in Your sight, despite all our sins and failures and all that grieves Your heart with us. "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given us this ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us" (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). In Christ, we are the message -- through our changes hearts and changed lives by the power of the grace of God at work within us! "So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making Hi appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20).

You want to bring me to the place here in my heart and soul where I am free to no longer live for myself, but live for You (2 Corinthians 5:15). And in living for You and allowing You to live in me, I am becoming more like You. "Anyone united to the Lord becomes one Spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17). This is the way of life and the will of God You've chosen for me and every one of us. "God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9). "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). Lord, in desperate dependence upon You alone -- upon the One who knows me well -- make me more like You today, as I learn to love more like You today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My friend, I pray you know how much God loves you and longs to live through you, making you more like Jesus as you learn to love more like Him each day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays' 365 Day Prayer Devotional

Morning by Morning, 2nd Edition

"A Deeply Intimate Journey with Jesus"

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries

4 Dominion Drive, Building 1

San Antonio, Texas 78257