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It Seems to Me . . |
. . . we should be grateful for professors who practice what they teach.
Kevin Carrothers, pastor of First Baptist Church in Rochester, IL, was genuinely excited to tell me about the breakout he had attended earlier in the day: Praying Scripture. The conference notebook indicated that breakout would be taught by a seminary professor and, much like many of you reading this, I wondered if it would be strong on theology but lacking in practical wisdom. Well . . . stereotyping is never a good idea and, as my pastor friend reviewed his experience, totally inappropriate in this situation. He explained to me several of the principles that were taught but also how the professor (Dr. Don Whitney from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) helped the participants authentically experience them. Plus, my colleague’s explanation went beyond regurgitating what he had heard; he was already applying new ideas to his ministry back home. Information was fueling application leading toward implementation. And that implementation would lead toward a transformation in the prayer life of that congregation. For example, the teacher explained how to pray through Psalm 23, modeled it for them, then gave them an opportunity to practice as part of the breakout. That brief personal experience provided a key insight. Pastor Kevin realized that every Sunday, when he reads the scripture text of the sermon then prays before preaching, he could pray through the scripture instead. A simple change that would model for the members of his congregation how to pray scripture, draw them deeper into his prayer and connect their corporate praying to both the scripture and the sermon. A simple and easy-to-implement change that will also impact how those members pray in their small groups and Sunday classes. Near the end of the conversation, Kevin shared a bonus insight. According to Dr. Whitney, we need to train church members in how to pray scripture in their personal praying before we attempt to implement it in a corporate setting. When we invite a corporate group to use a new method, the participants are prone to revert to their default style of praying unless they have experimented with the new approach. No wonder so many prayer champions get discouraged after trying something new or different. Another simple insight that has huge implications for those who facilitate prayer. In that brief conversation, a good conference got even better. It seems to me, we should be grateful for professors who practice what they teach . . . and be thankful for pastors who internalize and implement what they’ve been taught. P.S. A week later, I received this in an emessage from Kevin: “I have been praying the Word all week and even shared it at our community pastors’ fellowship. It has been refreshing.” |
Morning by Morning, November 1 - The Place Prepared for Me in the Mansion of Heaven and the Mansion of My Heart
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am Yours and You are mine (Song of Solomon 6:3). ...
"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3 NKJV).
You've prepared a place for me, and I've prepared a place for You -- just like You invite me to abide You as I welcome You to abide in me. There's a mansion for me in Heaven when I die, but You want me to make much room for You right here in the mansion of my heart now (John 15:4).
When You're abiding in me in the mansion of my heart, I'm already abiding in You in my mansion in Heaven. I don't even have to wait 'til I die before I go to Heaven. In that heavenly dimension of the spiritual realm, I'm already home. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has (already) blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3). Already, "God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us ... made us alive together with Christ ... and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6). Where You are, that's where I am also; I am in Christ, and Christ is in me (Colossians 1:27).
Lord Jesus, come into my heart now and throughout every moment of my day, just as You promised to "come again and receive (me) to (Yourself)" (John 14:3). Come, Holy Spirit. Take me to Heaven in my heart. And let Heaven come fill my heart, right here on earth, right here in me, right here in this moment. My Father God -- "Abba! Father!" -- "hallowed by Your name! Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven!" (Romans 8:15; Matthew 6:9) Your kingdom is "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). And "in Your Presence there is fullness of joy!" (Psalm 16:11) Fill me now with the joy of Your Presence, as all the joy of Heaven fills my heart! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray you are filled with the joy of the Presence of the Lord, as you abide in Him and He abides in you, in your heavenly mansion and in the mansion of your heart, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Please share this word to encourage a friend!
#Today's #Daily #BiPartisan #Election #Praying
View on Web -
www.markmirza.com/bipartisan-voters-guide-2018
.PDF #Download - http://markmirza.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018VoterGuide.pdf
Morning by Morning, October 31 - The Festival of the Great Harvest
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today. ...
"You shall observe the festival of harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall observe the festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor" (Exodus 23:16).
When some people see pumpkins, they think of jack-o'-lanterns and Halloween. But with the eyes of Heaven, I think of Jesus and the great harvest. Prophetic voices say the spring and fall feasts of Israel are ultimately fulfilled in the first and second coming of Christ; and that the festival of harvest -- the festival of ingathering -- speaks of the great harvest and final ingathering of souls for the Kingdom of God just before the return of Christ. As You explained Your parable of the wheat and the weeds growing up together, You said, "The One who sows seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world" and "the harvest is the end of the age" (Matthew 13:36-43).
In great anticipation of the harvest of souls in every age and in the great harvest of souls at the end of the age, You commanded us to pray and invited us to be the answer to that prayer. You said, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Matthew 9:35-38).
So tonight while some are lighting their candles to shine through the faces of their pumpkins, I pray You'd light a fire in our hearts to shine through the faces of Your children. "For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!" (2 Corinthians 4:6) Come, Holy Spirit. Stir in our hearts, shine through our faces, and send us into Your harvest, that we can celebrate through all eternity the great ingathering of souls to Your Kingdom! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray you shine with the light of Christ on your face from His Spirit in your heart to be part of the great harvest of the Kingdom of God in our age, 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!
#Today's #Daily #BiPartisan #Election #Praying
View on Web -
www.markmirza.com/bipartisan-voters-guide-2018
.PDF #Download - http://markmirza.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018VoterGuide.pdf
Morning by Morning, October 30 - Overcoming Evil with Good
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- help me start this day and live out each moment centered and grounded in You. ...
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).
Evil actions of hatred and violence, along with simmering cauldrons of chaos seem to be invading and infusing the soul of our nation. Even in our personal relationships and everyday encounters, patience runs thin, nerves are frayed, and tempers flare. A thin veneer of pretended politeness often covers seething emotions ready to erupt with even the slightest expression of a differing of opinion. Lord, help us. We need You now as much as ever, maybe even more than ever.
It is as You said it would be in these days, ever-nearing Your return, since You first spoke the words to warn us (Matthew 24:2-14). It is as Your Word prophesied long ago, that "darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples" (Isaiah 60:2). Yes, "the days are evil" because of the evil choices made by those willing to embrace the darkness rather than the light (Ephesians 5:16). But even in the midst of the evil, Your Word tells us to welcome Your Spirit, to worship through the wickedness, with gratitude for Your goodness, "giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:18-20).
This is how we "overcome evil with good." This is how we "shine like stars in the world" even "in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation" (Philippians 2:15). This is how we "Arise, shine; for (our) light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon (us)" even when "darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples" so that "nations will come to (our) light, and kings to the brightness of (our) dawn" (Isaiah 60:1:3). This is how we can embrace and live out the promise of Your Word even in the midst of our dark and angry world: "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows" (John 16:33a NLT). But with our faith in You and Your nature being formed in us, we can "take heart, because (You) have overcome the world" (John 16:33b NLT). "For every child of God defeats this world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:4-5 NLT)
Come, Holy Spirit. Empower us with nature of Christ in our hearts to shine with the light of Christ in our world. Give us courage to speak the truth and to speak it in love -- neither truth without love, nor love without truth. "We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ" and by the power of the grace of God at work within us, "(we will) let the Spirit renew (our) thoughts and attitudes" seeking to "put on (our) new nature, created to be like God -- truly righteous and holy" in the midst of our world in these dark and evil days (Ephesians 4:15-24 NLT).
Only in Christ, can we pray for those who persecute us, bless those who curse us, and even love those who hate -- loving our enemies, overcoming evil with good, calming the chaos with peace, while standing firm in our convictions and true to our consciences -- just like You (Matthew 5:43-48). We are in Christ and Christ in us (Colossians 1:27). So Christ is in our world because the "Spirit of Christ" is in us -- having already overcome this world and, at the same time, still overcoming this world through our attitudes and our actions every day (Romans 8:9).
"Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing Him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.... In Christ, we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in His presence" (2 Corinthians 2:14-17). In our world, "we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). Lord, let it be so in our hearts and through our lives. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray you shine with the light of Christ in you everywhere you go, overcoming evil with good, praying for those who persecute you, blessing those who curse you, loving those who hate you; and I join with you in pray for our nations, 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!
#Today's #Daily #BiPartisan #Election #Praying
View on Web -
www.markmirza.com/bipartisan-voters-guide-2018
.PDF #Download - http://markmirza.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018VoterGuide.pdf
You are treasured! You are loved! You are anointed for my purpose! Walk closely with me to see and taste the wonders of my love for you! Do not consider yourself “not good enough”. I made you who you are, and I make no mistakes. If you will seek me, I will show you how to love and how to live a new life of hope and fulfilment. I will guide you past the worries as long as you stay close to me. I have hidden treasures in your heart waiting to come forth into the world. These treasures are love and mercy, thanksgiving and peace. They will be of great benefit for you in the coming days. I am waiting for you to come to me for your answers, your peace and your forgiveness. I am waiting for you to receive these treasures I have laid up for you.
Come to me with your burdens, your worries and your fears. I am your comforter, I am ready to lead you to a life of victory. I am ready to show you love that you have never seen or felt before. I am the God of Adam, the first man that I created. I am the God of Moses who I chose to lead my people out of slavery. I am the Great Creator of this world. There is nothing I cannot do. I am ready to give you a good life, but you must follow me to receive.
Accept my invitation today! Accept my love! Accept my promises! I have laid up treasures in Heaven for a life well done!
#Today's #Daily #BiPartisan #Election #Praying
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#Today's #Daily #BiPartisan #Election #Praying
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Transition is tough! I wonder how old does one need to be before life is not punctuated by transitions? I’m not sure. You’ll need to ask that question to someone older than me. I clearly remember transitioning from being at home all day, as a five-year old, to going off to school every morning. I did so with a prayer from and with my mother, the greatest prayer warrior I ever knew. She faithfully prayed every day, that I would do the best I could, with what I had, for Jesus’ sake, on that day. She taught me early that prayer was the way to deal with transition. From early school days, and off to college, through marriage, through parenting, through career adjustments, through mid-life crisis, through grandparenting, through health issues, and through retirement, my life has been marked by transition, and continues to this day. The idea of praying through transition has been enforced by two special passages of scripture: “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3, NASB) and “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Often the measure of maturity is how well we manage transitions. I recommend management with prayer.
#Today's #Daily #BiPartisan #Election #Praying
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Morning by Morning, October 26 - Wisdom and Understanding from Holy Angels and the Holy Spirit
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here in Your presence -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- I want to hear Your voice and sense Your leading from the intimate place of communion in prayer. ...
"While I was speaking, and was praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God on behalf of the holy mountain of my God -- while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen before in a vision, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He came and said to me, 'Daniel, I have now come out to give you wisdom and understanding. At the beginning of your supplications a word went out, and I have come to declare it, for you are greatly beloved. So consider the word and understand the vision" (Daniel 9:20-23).
Lord, You draw us near in prayer, as a beloved children of God. You forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from my unrighteousness, that there would nothing separating us from You (1 John 1:9). You send Your Spirit, You send Your angels, You send Your word with wisdom and understanding to consider Your word and understand Your vision. You're a God who's intimately involved in our lives -- speaking to us and leading us into the fulfill of Your purposes though our lives (John 10:3).
In the days of Daniel, Your Spirit came upon Your people at particular times, in particular ways, for particular purposes. But in Christ, we encounter You and embrace You through an even "better covenant" (Hebrews 7:22). In our days, You still send Your angels with Your word to give us wisdom and understanding to see Your vision and follow Your leading (Acts 5:19-20; 8:26; 10:3; 12:7; 27:23-24). "Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14)
But at the same time, You have now poured out Your Spirit on all flesh to hear Your voice and see Your vision with the wisdom and understanding You impart to our hearts (Acts 2:16-18). Your very Spirit fills us and abides within us (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 6:19). From within us, You shape our thoughts and guide our steps, giving us the desire and the power to hear You, to trust You, and to obey You (Philippians 2:13). You give us the wisdom and understanding "from above" because the Spirit of the One who is all true Wisdom and Understanding, the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, lives in us (James 3:17; Romans 8:9).
So I pray for Your wisdom and understanding. I pray for Your vision of all I need to see and to know, and the patience and faith to rest in You from all I have no need to see and to know at this time. I pray for the divine service of Your holy angels who come in "swift flight" at Your command -- the "mighty ones who do His bidding, obedient to the His spoken word" (Daniel 9:21; Psalm 103:20). I pray for Your abiding presence, here in my heart, as You abide in me and I abide in You (John 15:4). And I pray for an ever-increasing filling of Your Holy Spirit -- Spirit to spirit, Deep to deep -- in the communion of prayer and intimacy with You, where You invite me to "pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication" (Ephesians 5:18 and 6:18). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray you are filled with the Holy Spirit and receive the ministry of the Lord's holy angels to know the wisdom and understanding of God for your life each day, 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!
#Today's #Daily #BiPartisan #Election #Praying
View on Web -
www.markmirza.com/bipartisan-voters-guide-2018
.PDF #Download - http://markmirza.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018VoterGuide.pdf
Morning by Morning, October 25 - Pregnant with the Promises of God
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart and make me more like You today. ...
"Shall I open the womb and not deliver? says the Lord; shall I, the One who delivers, shut the womb? says your God" (Isaiah 66:9).
In faith, we are pregnant with the promises of God. Your words go forth; they do not return void; they accomplish all to which You have purposed them (Isaiah 55:11). "I the Lord will speak the word that I speak, and it will be fulfilled. It will no longer be delayed.... None of My words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be fulfilled, says the Lord God" (Ezekiel 12:25-28).
By Your Spirit and by Your Word, fulfill Your promises in me. And by the power of Your grace, may I fulfill my purposes in You (Ephesians 2:10). Find me to be faithful; empower me to be persistent. Apart from You I can do nothing; but through Christ I can do all things in accordance with Your will through my life, for with God, all things are possible (John 15:5; Philippians 4:13; Mark 10:27).
"We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we are saved" (Romans 8:22-24).
We are groaning in labor. We are pregnant with the promises of God. We are ready to give birth to all You desire to bring forth in us and through our generation. O Lord, You will not delay. You will not relent. You will not hold back. We travail and pray, we praise and proclaim, calling forth the promises of God in our lives and in our day "in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in (us)" that we may at last be secure and confident in our identity to fulfill our destiny in You (Galatians 4:19).
Like the woman in Revelation who "was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth" even in the face of all the forces of evil seeking to devour and destroy all that You would birth through her, may we have courage to press through the pain and take hold of Your promises (Revelation 12:2). May we have faith in the promises of Your Word and the power of Your Spirit to open our womb and bring to pass all the promises of God You are birthing in us.
Both personally for each of us individually and together as the people of God in the unfolding of Your plan and purpose for our times, let Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth, right here in us, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). In the passionate prayer of Daniel for the fulfillment of Your Word by Your Spirit in his day, "O Lord, listen and act and do not delay!" (Daniel 9:19) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray you would press in and and pray through until every promise of God for your life is birthed through you and breathing life in Him, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Please share this word to encourage a friend!
We see something very unusual in the ninth chapter of Matthew. Some people brought a paralytic to Jesus. And when Jesus saw their faith He worked miraculously in the man's life. In this passage Jesus lays out for us some powerful truths about biblical faith. Look with me at this passage.
Matthew 9:1-8
“And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves,
“This man is blaspheming.”
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said,
“Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men”
Let me help you see some vital truths about our faith in Jesus Christ in this passage.
The Cooperation of Faith
These people surely encouraged one another's faith as they got together to take this man to Jesus. Mark 2:4 and Luke 5:19 tell us something of the great extremes they went to to bring the man to Jesus. This ought to encourage us to work together and pray together in the church. When we do this God's power will be unleashed.
And I think we can assume something else here about the encouragement of faith. I believe Jesus included the paralytic when He said “their faith.” Surely his faith was encouraged, possibly even spawned by the faith of those bringing him.
The Comprehensiveness of Faith
But note, when people trust in Jesus, they do not just trust him for the specific thing they are seeking. We put our faith in the person of Christ, seeking His full work in our lives. It is typical of Jesus' miracles for Him to begin by forgiving sins. Many years ago I heard John Bisagno tell about receiving a letter from a young soldier in Vietnam. The boy told about hearing a sermon tape about being saved. And the young man gave a testimony of praying for his life to be saved in a firefight. And thanking God that he came back alive. John wrote him back and told him he needed more than the saving of his physical life. He needed his sins forgiven and the gift of eternal life.
The Confirmation of Faith
Some of the teachers of the law were offended by this. They knew an ordinary human did not have the authority to forgive sins. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, ask them which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or, “Rise up and walk.” And then He said, “So that you will know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins, rise take up your bed and go home.”
I have heard people criticize Faith Healers by saying, “If they can really do that, why don't they just go through the hospitals and empty them.” I'm not sure that is always Justified criticism of those who pray for people to be healed. But in fact Jesus did that very thing. He didn't go through hospitals. There were no hospitals then. Hospitals only came after the influence of His ministry spread across the world. But He went through entire towns and villages healing everyone He came to. God did many mighty works revealing Himself in history in the Old Testament. But in Matthew 9:33 the people said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
The miracles of Jesus confirm who He is. But you might say, “How does that help me? I was not there to see Him work those miracles.” In fact you can see some of the miracles of Jesus recorded in Scripture. There have been those who speculated that Jesus intentionally brought things about in His life so it would appear that He was fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. But it is very difficult to orchestrate the time and place of your birth. The Old Testament even gives specific details of his death down to the soldiers gambling for His clothing. And it is very difficult to explain the radical change in the lives of His followers, if He did not rise from the grave.” And when we read of His life and teachings, His compassion and miracles, God will confirm faith in Him in our lives.
The Terror of Faith
In verse 8 we read that the multitudes who saw these things were afraid. When you begin to really believe who Jesus is, His reality will frighten you. He is the God of the universe walking among Us.
The Result of Faith
And when you realize who He is, you will give glory to God. It is very interesting that whatever Jesus did caused people to give glory to His Father. Our faith in Him should do that. If your faith in Him makes people say what a wonderful person you are, it is faulty. When we genuinely place our faith in God others will come to tremble in His presence and place their faith in Him as well.
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Morning by Morning, October 23 - Weighty Words
"The Sovereign Lord has given me His words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning He wakens me and opens my understanding to His will" (Isaiah 50:4 NLT).
Father God, my Sovereign Lord, give me ears to hear what Your Spirit is speaking to my heart and through my words. Your words of wisdom are weighty words. Your words of wisdom are "alive and powerful ... sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow ... and expose our innermost thoughts and desires" (Hebrews 4:12 NLT).
Lord, sanctify my heart and sanctify my tongue. Show me "what to say and how to say it" as an expression of Your heart and Your hope to the weary who need Your words of comfort and encouragement (John 12:49 NLT). As You waken me in the morning, I welcome You in my spirit and set apart my words to be Your words, as You make my heart to be more like Your heart and align my will with Your will.
As I behold You and embrace Your Word and Your Spirit to divide my spirit and soul, to expose my most innermost thoughts and desires, to remove the scales from my eyes and the veil from my heart, You are changing me into Your image. "Whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord -- who is the Spirit -- makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image" (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT).
Surrounded and yielded to You -- as best as I can and all by Your grace -- I can allow Your words to flow though my words, as my nature becomes more like Your nature and my ways become more like Your ways. You've given us Your gifts to serve Your people and glorify Your name. And You give us the grace to grow in these gifts, to express them in love, and see them bear fruit that honors Your heart: "God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to Him forever and ever!" (1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT)
So I pray for weighty words that carry the weight of the glory of God to inspire hope, to heal wounds, to break chains, to awaken courage, to save souls, to advance Your kingdom, and to glorify Your name. I pray my words would be Your words, the words of the One who is the Word of God abiding in me (John 1:14 and 15:4). So keep crucifying my flesh, keep sanctifying my heart, keep purifying my words, so that my nature becomes more and more like Your nature each day until I can say "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20 NLT). Then my words will truly be weighty words that make a difference in my world. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray your words are weighty words that flow from heart of God being formed in your heart by the power of the grace of God at work in you to crucify your flesh, sanctify your heart, and purify your words, 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!
By Lillian Penner
We are going to look in God’s Word to see some examples of people He used to stand in the gap for his purpose to be accomplished. The Bible describes prayer as “Standing in the Gap” or “Bridging the Gap” a channel through which God’s will is brought to earth.
God chose and appointed Moses to stand in the gap between His people, the Israelites, and Pharaoh. Esther stood in the gap for her people, the Israelites with prayer and fasting when Haman wanted to destroy the Israelites.
There was no gap between God and the earth after God created the earth. However, after Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit in the garden, sin created a gap between God and his plan for the earth. ¹
Fortunately, God stood in the gap for us by sending His Son, Jesus to the earth to live as a man, die for our sins, and rise from the dead so we could have a personal relationship with Him. He chose us, to be a channel for His power to bridge the gap between himself and the earth.
God chose us to partner with Him and intercede on behalf of our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Just as Jesus, Moses, Esther, Daniel, Joseph, and many others in the Bible stood in the gap for God’s people, we as grandparents have the privilege to stand in the gap with prayer for our families.
Satan is very active in the world today; he knows his time is short. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10, “We are to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” against Satan’s well-thought-out plans and agenda. His goal is to distract and steal our children, grandchildren, and future generations from their faith in Jesus Christ. Our goal ought to be that our grandchildren would know a full, purposeful, and fruitful life in Jesus Christ.
It is not only essential to pray for our families individually, but it is also vital that we unite with other grandparents to pray for our families in these crucial times. As Prayer Coordinator for Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN), I would like to encourage you to stand in the gap for your grandchildren participating in a Grandparents @ Prayer (G@P) intercessory prayer group.
We currently have about 30 G@P groups uniting in prayer for their grandchildren. Go to http://www.christiangrandparenting.net/prayer/grandparents-prayer/introduction-to-g-pcheck out the locations of current groups, testimonials, and additional information. We would love to have you to be a part of the G@P prayer ministry.
I would like to share one of my favorite songs May all who come behind us find us faithful which is my desire for my children, grandchildren, and future generations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi-Mn5tRHvM
As grandparents, let us be the channels through which God’s will
is brought down to earth for our children, grandchildren,
future generations and ourselves.
By Lillian Penner
₁Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Living A Praying Life, (Birmingham, AL: New Hope, 2003).
p 60.
Morning by Morning, October 22 - Learning to Live from My High Place in Christ
"But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved)! For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in the all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7 NLT).
My Father God, teach me what it really means that I have already been raised from the dead along with Christ and You have already "seated (me) with Him in the heavenly realms because (I am) united with Christ Jesus." Give me deeper "spiritual wisdom and insight so that (I) may grow in (my) knowledge of God" to understand more clearly the truth of this mystery (Ephesians 1:17 NLT). Help me "understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else -- not only in this world but also in the world to come" (Ephesians 1:19-21 NLT).
I'm here on earth in this earthly realm. But already, at the same time, I'm also raised up and seated with Christ in the place of honor at Your right hand in the heavenly realm. That's my high place in Christ You've prepared for me. I have such a strong sense that it's so important to grow in my understanding of the truth of this mystery and to live it out. Help me learn to live it out in the way I pray, in the way I speak, in the way I see myself and see all who believe and have been seated with me and united with me and with Christ Jesus in the heavenly realm.
In the heavenly realm, where I am in Christ and Christ is in me, I am "far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else" (Ephesians 1:21 NLT). In that realm, sin is under me, sickness is under me, selfishness is under me, Satan is under me along with every satanic scheme to steal my identity or silence my voice or suppress my spirit. Discouragement, depression, disappointment, defilement, deception, darkness, and every devil sent to delay or destroy my destiny is under me and defeated by the victory of the cross and the glory of the resurrection. "All praise to God, the Father of (my) Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed (me) with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because (I am) united with Christ!" (Ephesians 1:3 NLT)
Let this truth get into my spirit. Let my spirit come alive in Your truth.
It's from there -- from the heavenly realm of my identity in Christ, united with Christ in the place of honor as a child of God at the right hand of God -- that I want to learn to live. I want to learn to live from my high place in Christ. I'm alive in Christ and I want to fully live into all that means. Living from there, together with all who believe You and fully entrust ourselves to You, "we are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). And living from there, may our "hearts be flooded with light so that (we) can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called -- His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance!" (Ephesians 1:18 NLT) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray your heart is flooded with the light of God's truth and love, with wisdom and revelation, to learn to live from your high place in Christ, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, thank you so much for all your prayers for us last week at Aldersgate Renewal Ministries outside Nashville, Tennessee for the Annual Gathering of the Board and Advisory Council, where I was so honored to share a keynote address and also teaching on prayer ministry.
The Holy Spirit moved mightily in our heart with encouragement and strength to grow in God's grace. God bless you and your ministry to Him and His people!
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!
