Without Fear to Hear the Words of God 7-30-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Sanctify my thoughts, purify my words, intensify my passion for You. ... "Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God" (John 8:47). You created us to seek You, to know You, and to hear You. You created us for relationship with You -- a daily, personal, intimate relationship with You. A vital part of that relationship is to take time to listen for Your voice, to linger in Your Presence, and expect You to speak. Remove the fear that You won't. Remove the fear that You will. Let Your perfect love cast out all fear. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:18-20). Part of receiving and embracing Your love is learning to discern Your leading. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). Help me dare to quiet my soul. Help me dare to get still enough to hear Your "still small voice" in the depths of my spirit, rising up into the thoughts my mind and into the ears of my heart (1 Kings 19:12, NKJV). It seems I hear You saying right now living words I recognize from Your written words: "My son, you will find Me as you seek Me with all your heart. You will hear Me as you listen in the center of your spirit where I come to dwell by My Holy Spirit. This My holy of holies within My children. This is My seat of mercy within you. I am Christ within you, within each of you, My children, My son." Yes, Lord. Let every word that is of You seep deep down into my soul and rise up into my conscious mind and influence every moment of my day. Let the awareness of Your constant Presence and Your leading voice keep me accountable and keep me close. By Your grace, don't let me grieve Your Holy Spirit, but fully grasp Your hand as You lead me with Your voice. "Whoever is from God hears the words of God." By Your grace, I am from God and God is with me. The Spirit of the Living God is within me, speaking to me, and leading me -- "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we have just a few places left open. Please sign up right away to come join Laura Beach and me for the overnight spiritual retreat we are leading this weekend, August 2-3, 2008 near Lancaster, Kentucky, in the country just south of Lexington -- "The Shepherd's Pen" -- Come away with the Good Shepherd to learn to hear His voice and be comforted in His embrace. Through Tommy's teaching and Laura's leading of creative prayer experiences, "The Shepherd's Pen Retreat" will explore the beautiful passage of John 10 -- We will delve into what it means to: 1) Truly hear and discern the voice of God, our good shepherd, 2) Identify the broken fences that allow the wolf and the thief to disrupt our ability to hear the Good Shepherd, and 3) Experience the healing and restoration that occurs when we enter into the safe "pen" of God's love. There will be times of worship, teaching, practice hearing the voice of God in different ways and, of course, prayer to equip and nurture all who attend. Please contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries, for more details and registration (859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com). Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com Please Click Here to Order our Ministry Resources On-Line -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502