Face to Face by Grace 12-17-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Give me a humble heart that does not approach You in arrogance, give me a tender heart that draws near to You in love, and give me a bold heart that comes before You in faith -- all by Your grace, and all as Your Holy Spirit leads. ... Father, when Moses saw You as the Flame of Fire burning in the bush, You called to him to turn to You, but at the same time told him, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:1-6). In Your love for us, You call us to come as near as we can; and in Your mercy for us, You know how far we can come into the holiness of Your presence without being consumed. Our sinful flesh cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. Only by the Blood of the Lamb may we draw near. It is by the measure that we have allowed You to crucify our flesh, that Your Spirit may live in our hearts, and we may draw near to You. It is a good and merciful thing when the fear of God will not let us draw any nearer than our submission to God will allow. But by Your grace, the Blood of Christ "sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified" so that we may draw near to You in repentance from our sin and trusting faith to "worship the living God" (Hebrews 9:11-14). Continue to expose the sin in my heart and crucify the flesh of my soul. Continue to humble my pride and burn away all that cannot stand in Your holy presence. Give me the courage to face what You reveal, the humility to turn it to You in repentance and faith, and the perseverance to keep pressing through and pressing in to deeper levels of intimacy with You. Moses grew to a place where You "used to speak to Moses face to face" even under the old covenant (Exodus 33:11). Do all You have to do in me to bring me to that level of intimacy and even more that is available to each of us under the new covenant in the Blood of Christ. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Saturday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching dvd's on healing and wholeness, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address is 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com