Preparing for the Storm 8-31-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Rock and my Refuge, My everlasting God. ... "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock" (Matthew 7:24-25). Many are preparing for the storm along the Gulf Coast. It seems that almost three years to the day, another major hurricane is poised to come ravaging through New Orleans. Seas of people are boarding up their homes, loading up their cars, and moving north to safety ahead of the storm. Cities of refuge, including my own, will be welcoming the refugees of the storm -- people just like us with families and homes and fears -- into our communities and churches to stand with them through the storm. But moved with compassion and the stirring of Your Spirit, we will not merely watch the news and wait for the storm. We will pray. First, we take our stand with those who are taking their stand against the storm -- that it would dissipate and die, without causing destruction and death. And secondly, we pray that the faith of Your people will be strong to endure whatever may come, that no matter what forces are set in motion against them, they will know that You are with them through all that comes, that You will use and redeem all that happens for their good (Isaiah 43:2; Romans 8:28). And thirdly, we pray many would come to put their trust and hope in You as they see You reaching out to them through Your people You position in their lives through any trials or tragedies to come. And just as we pray this for them now, others will pray this for us when we face our own trials and tragedies to come. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to the Mountain! This Monday Night (meeting on Labor Day) and every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

"In Our Image" of Love 8-30-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- Lord, I want to know You more in every facet, dimension, and person of Your Being. ... "The God said, 'Let Us make humankind in Our image, according to Our likeness ....' So God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:26-27). For thousands of years, we have tried to grasp the concept of Your nature as one God, revealed in three persons. We've pondered the mystery and wandered through history trying to receive this truth by faith and trying to make sense of it at the same time. There is a oneness in the diversity and a diversity in the oneness of Your being. There is perfect unity, not uniformity. And not one facet, not one dimension, not one person of Your being reveals the fullness of Your essence and nature. As You have progressively revealed Yourself to us through Your Word and the experience of Your people, even the first chapter of the Old Testament contains these seeds of truth of Your multi-faceted, multi-dimensional nature. You are not many Gods, You are One God with much depth to the essence of Your personhood and nature. Part of what this means to me is that at the very core of Your essence, You are a relational God. "God is love" (1 John 4:8). That's not just one of Your attributes or just something You do. That's the core of Who You are. And love is relational. You cannot truly love without relationship. So, I suppose, You cannot truly be God Who is Love without existing in a perfect relationship of love. And being perfect Love, You created us for a relationship of love with You. You created us in Your image, in Your nature, in the image and nature of love. That's must be why loving You and loving one another is at the heart of You calls to do and all You call us to be (Matthew 22:36-40). Love is at the heart of Your revelation of Your nature to us, and love is to be at heart of our understanding of ourselves. When You bring us in to union with You in every dimension of Your being -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- is at the heart of that union. "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.... He abides with you and He will be in you.... On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.... and those who love Me will be love by My Father, and I will love them and reveal Myself to them" (John 14:15-21). As we become "completely one" in the unity of the bond of Your love with You and with one another, You display the glory of Your nature to all the world through Your creation (John 17:20-26). Lord, let it be so. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Calm and Quiet My Soul 8-29-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Guide my thoughts and my heart. ... "But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul within me is like a weaned child" (Psalm 131:2). Some mornings it's easy to awake and arise and enter into to the deep place of prayer and peace in Your Presence before my day begins. Other mornings it seems like all the world is in uproar and chaos around me and I'm ready for Your to return and step into the storm and declare, "Peace! Be still!" (Mark 4:39). Either way, peace of spirit and calmness of soul is, in many ways, a simple choice. Even in the midst of chaos, I can choose to be calm. By the power of Your grace, I can choose to quiet my soul. Or I can choose to get caught up in the chaos. Lord, send Your angels to guard my morning time with You. Post them as watchmen on the wall around these first moments of my day as I choose to humble my soul, yielding my mind and will and emotions to my spirit to arise in the communion of prayer with You. There will be plenty of chaos to come in my day, plenty of swirling storms to confront in the authority of Your name. So in these first moments of my morning with You, I pray for supernatural protection so that Your supernatural peace prevails. Give me Your divine wisdom and revelation insight to set Your order in place and experience Your peace. You are the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Let Your peace that surpasses all understanding guard my heart and mind as I choose to calm and quiet my soul (Philippians 4:7). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Freedom and Fulfillment 8-27-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Increase. ... "Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, 'I brought you up from Egypt, and brought into the land that I had promised your ancestors. I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you. For your part, do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land; tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed My command. See what you have done! So now I say, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become adversaries to you, and their gods shall be a snare to you' " (Judges 2:1-3). You brought the Israelites out of Egypt and into the land of Your promise in fulfillment of Your covenant. And You warned them that though they were free, they would be tempted to compromise their faith and forfeit their freedom. Yet in disobedience -- either out of rebellious defiance of the authority of Your word or out of doubt and unbelief of the truth of Your word, they chose to dishonor their part of the covenant to be faithful to You. And as You said, they were ensnared and enslaved by the false gods they served and failed to destroy. Instead of living in the joy of their salvation and the blessings of Your promises, "the people lifted up their voices and wept" (Judges 2:4). Their story is our instruction. Their wavering is our warning. "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall" (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). Our Father God, by the power of Your grace, You delivered us from our Egypt, saved us from our sins, and released us into the fulfillment of Your promises. You "enabled (us) to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light" and "rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of (Your) beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:12-14). Like those who have gone before us, we are also tempted to squander our blessings and forfeit the freedom and fulfillment of Your promises. We compromise our faith and bow down at the altar of the false gods of our culture and our sin. We become ensnared and enslaved by the adversary of our souls through the sin we befriend and fail to drive out from our lives through obedience and faith in the power of Your grace (Romans 6:6). "You are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness" (Romans 6:16). But even in the bondage of our choices in rebellion or doubt of Your word and wisdom for our lives, we can turn to You for freedom and fulfillment of the promises You long for us to have in You. "For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1). Come, Lord Jesus. Deliver us in the power of the Holy Spirit that we may again embrace the promises of our Father. Our covenant is sealed in Your blood and received through faith and obedience to Your word. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, in these strenuous economic times, please keep our ministry in mind in your giving to the ministries of the kingdom of God as the Lord leads. We raise all our own financial support and I would be very glad to share the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries with you or anyone who may have heart for "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" according to Isaiah 61 and Luke 4, our Scriptural vision for ministry. All contributions to "Messiah Ministries" are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated to help fulfil our calling: Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org God bless you! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

"Integrity of Heart" 8-26-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me close to You. Fill my mind with Your words and fill my heart with Your desires. ... "For who has stood in the council of the Lord so as to see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word so as to proclaim it?" (Jeremiah 23:18). It's only as I come to stand in Your council that I can see and hear Your word. It's only as I heed it and live it that I have any integrity to proclaim it. I want that integrity, that authenticity. In the council of prayer each day, draw my mind and my heart into the purifying fire of Your Presence. Wash me in the water of Your word. Let me learn to see what You're doing and hear what You're saying in these first moments of the morning with You. Then, in the power of Your grace and by the leading of Your Spirit, I will arise and go about my day. "I will walk with integrity of heart" (Psalm 101:2). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Giddiness of God 8-25-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Simply and deliberately, I specifically direct and entrust my spirit to You. ... "Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.' The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced" (Psalm 126:23). As I was teaching and ministering at our conference on healing the past few days, there were a lot of times when a kind of childish giddiness bubbled up inside of me. Even as we were talking and learning about deep and serious topics, it would bubble up and come pouring out. It was even contagious. And we had a lot of fun even as You were showing us how You uproot the sin and shame and pain of our lives to replace it with the planting of new life in Your peace and joy. That's all part of the coming of the kingdom of God in our lives. "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Sometimes we tend to take ourselves too seriously, and Your Holy Spirit seems to say, "Lighten up a little. Laugh a little more. Enjoy Me even in the midst of this slight, momentary affliction of your journey through this broken, fallen world. That's part of what I'm forming in you, as I conform you to My nature." Yes, Lord. "The joy of the Lord is (our) strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). "Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You. Let those who love Your salvation say evermore, 'God is great!' " (Psalm 70:4). You anoint us with the joy of Your Spirit and give us "the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit" (Isaiah 61:3). So I will not be embarrassed or ashamed when the giddiness of God overcomes me. By Your grace, I will not push it down or shut it off, but it overflow in streams of gladness as You release the joy of the Lord through my life as You will. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you so much for covering us in prayer at the healing conference I was leading in Winchester, Kentucky, "Preparing the Way of the Lord." People came from many different churches and traditions in the city, so it was a time of unity and blessing of the city-wide body of Christ in the region. And it was an amazing time of much inner healing -- healing from the inside out. I pray the same for you and your city! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Knocking at the Door 8-23-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse me from sin, awaken me from deep within, anoint me and empower me for my life today again. ... "Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking, if you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with Me" (Revelation 3:20). In my spirit, I hear Your hand knocking on the door of this region. I hear Your voice speaking to our hearts, "Open the door of your hearts to Me. Open the gates of Your cities to Me. Welcome Me in and I will come." Yes, Lord. When You said You stood at the door knocking, You were speaking to the people of Your church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14). You want to come in to the hearts of those who have never let You in before, but You also want to come in to the hearts of those who already know You in a deeper way. There is always more. And there is more You want to do in this day in our lives. But You are a perfect gentlemen. You knock and You wait until we choose to open the door. Let us be humble enough to listen for Your voice. Let us be hungry enough to get up from whatever we're doing and open the door. You promise that if we will, You will come in. You will eat with us and share Your heavenly banquet with us (Song of Solomon 2:4; Matthew 22:2; Revelation 19:9). But as I hear Your gentle, but persistent knocking toward us, I also hear a violent banging on the gates of hell. The same hand that knocks on the door of our hearts is the same hand that bangs against the gates of hell. As welcome You into our hearts and allow You to strengthen us and empower us by feasting on Your Word and embracing the Spirit of Your Presence, the gates of hell will not prevail against Your church (Matthew 16:18). You are ready in this hour to enter in and to break through. "The one who breaks out will go up before them; they will break through and pass the gate, going out by it. The King will pass on before them, the Lord at their head" (Micah 2:13). Yes, Lord. Enter in so we can break through. Someone's knocking at the door. Let us let Him in. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you so much for your prayers for us at our Preparing the Way of the Lord meetings in Winchester, Kentucky here in this strategic gateway city between the mountain region of eastern Kentucky and the bluegrass region of central Kentucky. There is great spiritual hunger here for the Presence of the Lord as He calls us to prepare the way for His coming in transformation, resurrection power. I pray the same for your region and the strategic places the Lord sends you to prepare the way for Him! 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" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Watchmen Posted in Prayer 8-22-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Hungry for Your Presence, I seek Your face and I seek more -- more of You in more of me. ... "O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the Lord day and night for the fulfillment of His promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. Give the Lord no rest until He makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth" (Isaiah 62:6-7, NLT). Since I arrived in the town of Winchester, Kentucky yesterday for our time together with Your people from different churches and streams of Your body in this community for our Preparing the Way of the Lord meeting the next few days, You've moved in the hearts of Your people to pray. I was overwhelmed to see that every block of time, even through every watch of the night, is covered by Your watchman in a prayer vigil for You to move in power to change our lives and this community. With hungry hearts and longing souls, they take no rest and will give You not rest until Your breakthrough comes, until You break through every barrier that would try to hold back the fullness of Your Presence in this community. Your Sprit has been preparing the way for Your coming in glory for a long time. One day You'll come in glory in the clouds for all the earth to see (1 Thessalonians 4:16). But already, You long to come in glory in the hearts and souls of a people prepared and preparing the way of the Lord. You are cleansing our souls and cleansing our land, binding up the brokenhearted and setting the captives free, restoring the devastations of generations, rebuilding the ancient ruins, and establishing Your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven (Isaiah 61; Luke 4). You are coming to embrace a holy bride, longing for the glory of Your Presence, prepared and ready to display Your glory through our lives. "(Jesus) gave up His life for (His church) to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word. He did this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead she will be holy and without fault" (Ephesians 5:25-27, NLT). So keep moving in our hearts to give You no rest as we stand in our posts of prayer throughout the watches of the day and night. This is in heart; keep imparting this to our hearts, as we prepare the way of the Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for joining with us in prayer to prepare the way of the Lord in Winchester (Thurs through Sunday). I pray the same for your community. May the Lord come in ever-increasing glory in our hearts and souls before the day of the Lord when He physically returns in glory throughout all the earth. God bless you! 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" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Aglow 8-21-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my eyes to seek Your face; open my ears to hear Your voice. ... "Then all the people came, and Moses gave them the instructions the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he removed the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people would see his face aglow" (Exodus 34:32-35, NLT). Moses' face was aglow because he spent time in Your Presence. He couldn't help but be transformed by Your glory. And all who saw him could see that he had been with You. Your glory arose upon him and remained upon him, as a prophetic foretaste of Your heart for all Your people. "Arise, shine; for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). That prophetic promise of experiencing the glory of the Lord that changes us and leaves us aglow is ultimately fulfilled in our personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the personal, intimate Presence of Your Holy Spirit within us. "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). This week, I was honored and excited to pray a prayer of blessing and consecration, as an Area Advisor, over the new leaders for the Lexington Lighthouse prayer community for Aglow International being established in our city. You use this ministry so powerfully in the nations of the world to encourage, equip, and empower women of faith to walk in their calling and destiny in You, especially in intercessory prayer. And this is another reflection of Your city-wide church, beyond the walls of denominations and traditions in our region. As You have promised in Your Word, You release Your glory to Your church as we become one with You and one with one another. "The glory that You have given Me I have given them, so that they may be one, as We are One. I in them and You in Me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that You have sent Me and have love them even as You have loved Me" (John 17:22-23). Lord, let us each find our calling and destiny in You -- men and women alike -- as You reveal the Light of Your glory by Your Spirit living in us and shining through us. "Christ in (us), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:17). Draw us into Your Presence every day, with unveiled faces, as we watch and wait for Your voice, embrace Your instructions, and obey Your will. Then as we come out of prayer and into our day, let all who see us know we have been with You. "And they realized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Keep changing us and changing our communities and regions from glory to glory -- all by Your grace and all for Your glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please let us know if you sense the Lord's leading to be apart of this newly forming Lighthouse of intercessory prayer in Lexington. I've been serving as an Area Advisor for our region of Kentucky for several years. For the vision of Aglow International and their ministries in your nation or region: www.aglow.org Please come join us if you can and keep us in prayer as I lead a healing conference on Preparing the Way of the Lord in our spirit, soul, and body in Winchester, Kentucky starting tonight (Th night; Fri night; Sat, Sat night, and Sunday) co-hosted by Rapha Ministries and First United Methodist Church: http://winfumc.blogspot.com/ and www.winfumc.org Contact Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Here's a note from Laura Beach, a Spiritual Director with our ministry, about upcoming women's retreats she's leading. Please come if you can and you'll be blessed: For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit… Isaiah 44:3 You are invited to day retreats of spiritual refreshment for women of faith led by Laura Beach, Equipping Lydia, in Association with Messiah Ministries 2008 Dates: August 26, September 24, October 16, November 17, and December 19 Like Lydia coming to the river for prayer (Acts 16), these day retreats are for women of faith who need to experience spiritual refreshment through prayer and communion with the saints. A love offering will be received each time we gather to help sustain this ministry. The location will be “A Quiet Place,” a beautiful Christian Retreat Center in Bryantsville, Kentucky, Located 26 miles from Lexington, www.aqpretreat.org Contact Laura Beach at LauraBBeach@insightbb.com or 859-523-3219 / cell 859-533-7257 for more information or to register your attendance and coordinate carpooling. 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" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

No Fear, No Shame 8-20-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are always revealing the heart of the Father, the Father is always pouring out His heart through His Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is always opening our hearts to You. Lord God, You are One; and in every dimension of Your Being, You are drawing my heart and changing my nature to Yours. ... "I sought the Lord and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to Him and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed" (Psalm 34:4-5). You answer those who seek You. You embrace those who long for Your embrace. You enter into hearts who are open to You. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Our sure promise and certain hope is that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved, will be answered, will be embraced by in the power of Your love and the fullness of Your Presence. "And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). As Your perfect love comes flooding into our hearts by Your Spirit, all fear must go -- fear of unworthiness, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear of trusting, fear of intimacy, fear of losing control, fear of man and what others may think, fear of failing and not living up to Your expectations or those of others or those of ourselves, fear of all that is less than the faith of fully trusting You and Your love for us. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). In Your love, there is no shame. There is only acceptance and knowledge of the truth that You love us and embrace us just as we are, while at the same time, loving us enough to change us into who You created us to be. You renew us in our minds and conform us in our nature, because You love us and want to fulfill us with the desires You've planted in our hearts (Romans 8:29 and 12:2). "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land and enjoy security. Trusting You is entrusting all of my life to You -- my heart, my sins, my needs, my hopes. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act" (Psalm 37:3-5). Whom then shall I fear? Why then should I ever be ashamed? (Psalm 27:1). If God be for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31). For as I look to You, by the power of Your grace, You make my heart pure and my face radiant -- no fear, no shame -- only the truth that nothing "in all creation will be able to separate (me) from the love of God in Christ Jesus (my) Lord" (Romans 8:39). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be leading our School of Spiritual Ministry in Winchester, Kentucky this Thursday night through Saturday night, hosted by Rapha Ministries and First United Methodist Church. I'll be preaching there Sunday. Please keep us in your prayers. Contact Marilyn for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com Here's a note from Laura Beach, a Spiritual Director with our ministry, about upcoming women's retreats she's leading. Please come if you can and you'll be blessed: For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit… Isaiah 44:3 You are invited to day retreats of spiritual refreshment for women of faith led by Laura Beach, Equipping Lydia, in Association with Messiah Ministries 2008 Dates: August 26, September 24, October 16, November 17, and December 19 Like Lydia coming to the river for prayer (Acts 16), these day retreats are for women of faith who need to experience spiritual refreshment through prayer and communion with the saints. A love offering will be received each time we gather to help sustain this ministry. The location will be “A Quiet Place,” a beautiful Christian Retreat Center in Bryantsville, Kentucky, Located 26 miles from Lexington, http://www.aqpretreat.org/ Contact Laura Beach at LauraBBeach@insightbb.com or 859-523-3219 / cell 859-533-7257 for more information or to register your attendance and coordinate carpooling. 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

Joining the Great Choir 8-19-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I enter into the holy of holies of prayer by the blood of the Lamb, washed in the water of the Word, the through the veil torn asunder by the sacrifice of Your love on the cross for me. ... "This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. And no one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. For they are spiritually undefiled, pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been purchased from among the people of the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. No falsehood can be charged against them; they are blameless" (Revelation 14:3-5, NLT). Today we'll commit the spirit of Marjorie Brookshire into the arms of her Father through Jesus Christ her Lord. With both heavy hearts that will miss her and happy hearts that know she's never known more peace and joy than she knows now with unveiled face in the glory of Your Presence, we'll honor You as we celebrate the life You lived by Your Spirit through her. She was the mother of my good friend Brenda and the wife of a travelling evangelist, as they poured out their lives so that many lives would know Your love and embrace Your grace and gift of eternal life (John 3:16). Wherever Marjorie and Joe went to share the gospel of Christ, Marjorie led the worship. And choirs of angels sang over the souls coming into Your kingdom. Many will be there with her now joining with her in the great choir before Your throne, welcoming her pure and holy voice, now freed from the faltering of this world in the harmony of heaven. My last memory of her was standing by her bed, holding her hand, as she prodded me to sing a song of worship to You with my faltering voice. Lord, You know that's not one of the gifts You've given me, but it seemed to delight her as she coaxed me to sing to You again and again. The great choir she hears and joins now will never be singing off-key or out-of-tune. And may they sing and rejoice over another soul who Marjorie sings into Your kingdom today. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep the family of Marjorie Brookshire and Brenda Everman in your prayers through this season of both grieving and celebrating Marjorie's life: www.milwardfuneral.com Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Spirit of Holiness 8-18-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. O Lord my God, in awesome wonder, I worship You. How great You are, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in His holy scriptures, the gospel concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh, and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the Spirit of Holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of His name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:1-6). The Spirit of Holiness reveals Your truth and displays Your power. The Spirit of Holiness forms the hearts of Your servants into the heart of our Father, transforms the minds of Your people into the mind of Christ, and conforms the will all who are called to belong to Jesus Christ into the will of God. Come, Holy Spirit. Come, Spirit of Holiness. Burn within us. Set us apart and send us forth every day to give and to live the gospel of God our Father concerning His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. At work, in school, on the road, with every conversation and every encounter, teach us and empower us to walk in the obedience of faith, so that faith in You is attractive to all who see it in us. You are holy and You have called us to be holy in You. "Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, for it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy' " (1 Peter 1:14-16). We can't do that by our flesh, but by faith in Your power of resurrection life through Your Spirit of Holiness living in us. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Where Else Would I Go? Who Else Would I Trust? 8-17-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lean on You as You lead me into the light of this new day. ... "Peter began to say to Him, 'Look, we have left everything and followed You.' Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for My sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age -- houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions -- and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first' " (Mark 10:28-31). Lord, I have chosen to trust You and follow You with my life. We've been on this journey for quite awhile -- this journey of choosing by Your grace to trust You and follow You as best as I can. I've stumbled many times, maybe even been tempted to turn back or turn away at times when the road seemed almost too hard. But, like Peter, I say, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life? Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (John 6:68-69, NKJV). I've made my choice and You've set my course. By the grace of God, I will continue to follow as You lead. You never promised me this journey would be easy or without pain. Instead You said up front there would be deep losses and even persecutions along the way. Yet You also said I would see one day as I look back that it all was worth it. What is sown in tears will be reaped with joy. You redeem all things -- a hundredfold now in this age and also in the age to come. Some days it may seem like I'm finishing in last place, while those who don't trust You and follow You seem to finish first. But You have Your way of making all things right. You are a just Judge and merciful King, a perfect Father and a faithful Friend. So again this day, I choose to keep following You, to keep surrendering all, in faith believing and trusting in You. Where else would I go? Who else would I trust? You alone are worthy, faithful, and true. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be preaching at my home church at Centenary United Methodist in Lexington at two of our services, the 11:15 and 5:15 today, on trusting God, Proverbs 3:5-6 www.centenarylex.com I would appreciate your prayers. I'll be preaching at the First Methodist Church in Winchester, Kentucky next Sunday as part of our School of Spiritual Ministry and Prayer Revival there, Thursday through Sunday. Please contact Marilyn if you'd like to come DirOfMinistries@aol.com Order my book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Fountain of Newness of Life 8-16-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I surrender all again this day and every day, all by the power of Your grace. ... "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. So if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His" (Romans 6:3-5). Last night at The Fountain, our ministry's monthly ecumenical gathering as an expression of the city-wide church in our community, a young woman celebrated the baptism of newness of life in You. I had the honor and the joy of baptizing and immersing Melanie in the fountain of Your living waters. As she came bursting up out of the waters with her hands and face lifted to heaven, literally trembling with delight, we all entered with her into a deeper surrender of newness of life. She wasn't baptized into our ministry or into any specific local church. Like each of us who have entered into the sacrament of these living waters as on outward sign of Your inward grace, Melanie was baptized into Christ. She's now dead to sin and self, and alive in Christ, filled with Your Spirit in resurrection power to walk in newness of life. As we remembered out baptism, many of us with the outward sign of those same living waters that washed over Melanie, we also renewed our surrender and commitment to live our lives for You. That by water and the Spirit, we might live and grow as faithful disciples of Christ. What a night at The Fountain. What a life in Your Fountain. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I pray the blessing of newness of life in Christ for you today. I'm excited to be preaching at my home church at Centenary United Methodist in Lexington at two of our services, the 11:15 and 5:15 tomorrow, on trusting God, Proverbs 3:5-6 www.centenarylex.com I would appreciate your prayers. I'll be preaching at the First Methodist Church in Winchester, Kentucky next Sunday as part of our School of Spiritual Ministry there, Thursday through Sunday. Please contact Marilyn if you'd like to come DirOfMinistries@aol.com Order my book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

"Cleanse the Land" 8-14-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my face, open up my heart, and speak out Your name. I watch and wait in the silence of contemplative prayer to center my thoughts and ground my day in my relationship with You. ... "Praise, O heavens, His people, worship Him, all you gods. For He will avenge the blood of His children, and take vengeance on His adversaries; He will repay those who hate Him, and cleanse the land for His people" (Deuteronomy 32:43). Your heart is to cleanse the land for Your people. And one of Your means of grace is to cleanse the land through Your people, through confession and repentance for the generations of disobedience, violence, idolatry, and sin that defile the people and defile the land. To prepare the way for the revival and awakening of the hearts of Your people, You send Your forerunners with authority in the power of Your name to pull down the idols, break down the false altars, reclaim the high places, and dismantle the strongholds for You to open up Your heavens and pour out Your Spirit (2 Kings 23:22:1-20; Daniel 9:1-19; Nehemiah 9:2). We prepare the way of the Lord in our hearts and in our land. "It shall be said, 'Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from My people's way" (Isaiah 57:14). "See, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare You way, who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight' " (Mark 1:2-3). Before Your first coming, You moved upon the hearts of Your people to prepare the way. Before Your second coming, You are moving on the hearts of Your people to prepare the way. And in Your desire to come into our hearts and dwell in our land every day, You move on the hearts of Your people to prepare the way. So by Your grace, we humble our hearts before You in repentance and lift up our hearts to You in faith, asking You to cleanse our hearts and our land to prepare for the fullness of Your Presence, that we "may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Today, You are leading a few of us on a prayer journey to an old farm in northern Kentucky not far south of the Ohio River where it's said the chains of slaves still hang on the wall of the cellar. Forgive us, Lord, for the sins of our generations in this land and all remaining manifestations of those sins in our hearts and our land today. In preparing the way of the Lord in days of Ezra and Nehemiah, they "stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors" (Nehemiah 9:2). So will we today as we stand in gap with prayers of identificational repentance and prayers to receive Your mercy and the cleansing of our land. We thank You for the Freedom Railroad that ran along this same land through these same generations. While some held the sin of slavery in their hearts, others heeded the call to bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free. In these days of preparation, You are striking the earth with arrows of Your truth, You are breaking off the curse and releasing Your blessing, as we each do our part by Your grace to prepare for Your coming in glory and power. Today, let this gate of unrighteousness come down and Your gate of righteousness be lifted up. "Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up a (banner) over the peoples" (Isaiah 62:10). With cleansed hearts and a cleansed land, we welcome the coming of the Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer today on our prayer journey up Highway 68. Rob Poindexter and I will be leading in a time of worship and the Word together with intercessors and watchmen from that area this evening at 7 pm at the Lighthouse Community Church near May's Lick, Kentucky. I join with you in prayers for the cleansing of your land for the coming of the glory of the Lord. Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night 8/15 -- the 3rd Friday night of every month. We're going to have a baptism! This is our ministry's monthly, city-wide gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. Come early for intercessory prayer at 6:30. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Order my book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

First Day of First Grade 8-13-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. By the Holy Spirit, I come to the Father, through Jesus, the Son. I give You all glory for all great things You have done. ... "God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day" (Genesis 1:5). Today is the first day of the first grade for my son, Elijah. We walked him to school this morning at Wilmore Elementary, and entrusted him to the care of his teachers. I know not all parents have the gift we have of Christian teachers for our child, with a Christian principal, full of teachers and administrators who pray for the students, in a public school built on land soaked in prayer from generations of holiness camp meetings. But that's part of why we chose to live in this little town with such a rich heritage. So we receive and rejoice in this gift You've given us. And I’m thankful for Your Spirit in our nation, where our teachers have the freedom to pray for the children entrusted to their care -- not imposing their faith on others, but fully free to affirm their faith in You. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of a religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" (Constitution of the United States of America, First Amendment). "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). At the same time, I pray for the children and parents of faith You have gifted in other ways, but who will feel more like light shining in the midst of the darkness today in their public schools, rather than soaked in the light of Your Presence. But Your grace is sufficient and perfectly-fitted for each child and each parent to be Your light and bring Your light into every dark place. Wherever Your children go, the light of Your glory shines through them and the power and the glory of Your kingdom draws near, for their King and Your kingdom is within them (Luke 17:21). This first day and every day, let Your light shine in the hearts of our children and the hearts of the teachers, helpers, administrators, and all who are called by Your name and strategically positioned for Your purposes in the schools of our nation and all the earth. No matter where I children go to school, no matter who their teachers are or what faith they have, we remember Your words as we entrust them to the care of their schools: "You call Me Teacher and Lord, for that is what I am" (John 13:13). So we know our children are in the good hands of the perfect Teacher. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Order my book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night 8/15 -- the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. Come early for intercessory prayer at 6:30. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Trust Issues 8-12-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch and wait for the leading of Your Holy Spirit and settle in to the embrace of my Father. ... "But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust in Me, to show My holiness before the eyes of the Israelites, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them' " (Numbers 20:12). Our trust is important to You. "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). In the desert wilderness, You wanted to show Your holiness to Your people through the provision of water and the power of Your word spoken through Your servants. Even in the midst of the peoples' murmuring, doubting, and complaining, You wanted to reveal the glory of Your mercy. So You commanded Moses to "command the rock before their eyes to yield its water" (Numbers 20:8). But Moses waivered in faith and failed in obedience; he "did not trust" in You. Rather than speaking to the rock with the word of the Lord as You commanded, he took the matter into his own hands and struck the rock twice with his staff, while chastising the people with an angry heart (v. 20:10-11). You released living waters from the rock but Moses did not release living faith from his heart. One time before, the people were thirsting and complaining and You commanded Moses to "strike the rock at Horeb" for water to come out (Exodus 17:6). Maybe Moses' sin was looking to the past or looking to a formula of faith, rather than living in the fresh faith and tender mercies of each new day. Maybe it was his heart that hardening against the people and he couldn't believe You could have mercy and grace for them even in the midst of their complaining and sin. Maybe in striking the rock twice, he revealed his lack of trust and lack of patience. "Through faith and patience" we "inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12). In any event, Moses doubted and did not trust, so Moses did not enter into the land of promise. Lord, forgive me for my times of doubt and unbelief. Forgive me for the times I fail to trust You. Forgive me for the times I've tried to make good things happen out of my own power or with the wrong heart. You said, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to this fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive" (Matthew 21:21-22). Help me not take matters into my own hands. Help me not rely on yesterday's faith or depend on formulas or rituals, rather than relationship with You. Help me trust You and obey You. Help me seek You and sense the leading of Your Spirit in each moment or mountain I encounter. Give me faith to speak Your word to the rock or the mountain or whatever You choose as the means of Your grace to provide for my needs and those entrusted to my care. Let Your living waters flow through a life surrendered to You in faith (John 7:38). I want to honor You by trusting You, as You show Yourself holy, faithful, and true. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Order my book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night 8/15 -- the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. Come early for intercessory prayer at 6:30. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Everlasting Love, Unfailing Covenant 8-11-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be the first thought I think and the first name I speak on this new day. ... "At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.... I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you.... See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together, a great company, they shall return here" (Jeremiah 31:1-8). These are exciting days of the fulfillment Your words You have spoken and written through Your prophets thousands of years ago about the return of the families of Israel to their land. You said, "In the latter days you will understand this" (v. 30:24). These are those latter days. You are beginning to open the eyes of the world and even Your church to understand that Your Word will never return void, Your covenant will never be broken, and Your everlasting love will never fail. Every prophecy of the return and peace of Your people will be fulfilled. And by Your grace, since the miraculous reestablishment of the nation of Israel in 1948, we've been seeing it happening before our eyes in these latter days -- whether we have known or acknowledged what we have seen or not. All the journey of the Jewish people You chose from before the foundations of the earth is a journey to teach us all Your nature and our nature, Your faithfulness and our unfaithfulness, Your steadfast, everlasting love and mercy and our eternal need of it. "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the age have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). And through their example, we see You are faithful to Your Word and faithful to Your people, for "God is faithful" (v. 10:13). Last night, we stretched out our hands and hearts to our dear friends with our ministry, Bob and Doris McCray, to be commissioned as the state-wide representatives for Ezra International Ministries in Kentucky. You've been using this ministry to bring Your people home "from the land of the north" and "from the farthest parts of the earth" (Jeremiah 31:8). Just over the last few years, You've used this ministry to bring over 70,000 Jewish people home to Israel from the north land of the former Soviet Union such as Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, and many others. Among them are the poorest of the poor. Though "with weeping they shall come," You gather them to the land You have prepared for them where "they shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord" (Jeremiah 31:9-12). You are fulfilling Your promise, "I will rejoice in doing good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all My heart and all My soul" (v. 32:41). In the land of their ancient home, knowing the fulfillment of every covenant promise, You are opening their eyes of Your people to see You as You are. As is already beginning to happen in astounding moves of Your Spirit, one day all Your people who are called by Your name will see You and embrace You their faithful Messiah and coming King. "And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the One whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.... On that day a fountain shall be opened for the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.... They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are My people'; and they will say, 'The Lord is our God' " (Zechariah 12:10 - 13:9). "And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written, 'Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; He will banish ungodliness from Jacob.' And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins" (Romans 11:26-27). Thank You for choosing to allow us to be alive in these exciting days when all prophecies are beginning to be fulfilled, when Your Spirit is moving in the hearts people of all nations to prepare the way of the Lord. Thank You for letting me and our ministry be a part of Your ministry of everlasting love to Your chosen people and all people who put their hope and trust in You (John 3:16). You are the Messiah of Israel, the Christ of all nations, our soon and coming King (Revelation 22:12-21). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we are excited about this bonding in this dimension of our ministry, through Bob and Doris McCray, with Ezra International Ministries: http://www.ezrausa.org/ Bob and Doris will be traveling with Barry Wagner to Kiev, Ukraine next month to gather Jewish people from that region to return to Israel. Please join us in praying for God's peace, protection, and wisdom to all the people of this land (Psalm 122:6). Order our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Wisdom to Trust God and Succeed 8-10-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come fill the spirit, soul, and body of my person with Your Presence. ... "The whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind" (1 Kings 10:24). This wisdom I seek is the wisdom You would put into my mind. The love I seek is the love You would put into my heart. The power and provision and protection and all else I might ever seek is that which You would put into my life. I trust You to know what's best for me. And I don't trust that I do. You alone see my life from beginning to end and beyond. You alone know the mountains of joy I'll climb, the valleys of grief I'll walk through. You alone know all I need for You to put into me for me to become all You created me to be and to do all You created me to do. So I choose to trust You -- to look to You, to lean upon You, to desperately depend upon You this day and every day. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones" (Proverbs 3:5-8, NKJV). As I go on in this journey, I choose to take nothing with me but what You provide and impart to me now and along the way, through the means of grace You choose (Luke 9:1-6 and 10:1-12). I entrust all success or failure into Your hands, knowing with the attitude of trusting submission You put into my mind and heart, I have already succeeded in all that will ever matter most. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Order our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos.

Harmony 8-9-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my thoughts and desires with Yours, as You set the path for the steps of my day. ... "May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15:5-6). Harmony was the theme of the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing, China last night. It reveals the universal yearning for peace and harmony within our souls and within our world. Even in the midst of all the confusion, chaos, and conflict of our present world, deep inside we all yearn in hope for the peace and harmony that only You can provide. You are love and You call us to love one another, to "cloth (ourselves) with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:14). Unlike ancient philosophies of men that seek oneness out of an emptiness of the individuality of ourselves, so that all things move into a forced harmony of bland uniformity, Your harmony is indescribably creative. You bring our hearts and lives into a harmony of great diversity, with a unity of infinite individuality. WE are one body only in Christ (1 Corinthians 12). With one voice we glorify You through our oneness in Christ, but the sound of our voice is a harmony of the many unique and distinct voices of those praising You with "a new song," as Your "saints from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9). The Chinese chose to begin the Olympics at the eighth minute of the eighth hour of the eighth day of the eighth month of the eighth year of this century. From ancient times, they have a sense of the significance of this day and year. Lord, bring us all into this new season of new beginnings, for which all people of all generations have yearned and hoped. Move in the power and glory of Your Spirit in the hearts of the people of all the earth to sing a new song with one voice to see and honor the one true God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Filled with hope, let a parade of nations walk together as one in the perfect harmony of Your steadfast love and peace. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for our gathering at Cane Ridge yesterday. Many gathered at this ancient well of revival to pray as one voice from many diverse voices of intercessors and watchmen from many different churches and cities from our region to pray for revival in this new season. And we magnify those prayers out to every place where people are hungry for more of God. God bless you! Come tonight in Lexington if you can to hear Barry Wagner of Ezra International Ministries speak about the prophetic destiny of Israel and the Church coming together "one new man" in these last days. Here is a note from Doris & Bob McCray with our ministry who lead a time of prayer for Israel every Monday night about an important event this Saturday Night 8/9/08: "Everyone wants to know what is happening in Israel and where we are in prophecy being fulfilled in our day. This Saturday, August 9 at 7 p.m. at First Southern National Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Rd., Messiah Ministries' “Come To The Mountain” has invited Barry Wagner from Ezra International to share an evening of prophecy of God’s end time plan for Israel, the Jewish people and the church. Barry will share from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Daniel and many other prophets who wrote of a day just prior to the return of Messiah, when God would gather His chosen people from the four corners of the earth. Jeremiah tells us that this exodus would be so large it would eventually overshadow the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Come hear Barry Wagner share about Ezra’s International's work in the former Soviet Union of rescuing the Jewish people and enabling them to make aliyah back to Israel. Barry will help us, the church understand how to pray and how we can help in Israel’s final return. Please contact Bob & Doris McCray at: bndmccray@windstream.net 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" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Eighth Day, Dawn of New Beginnings 8-8-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. On this eighth day of the eighth month of the eighth year of this thousand year season, I embrace the reign of Your kingdom in my soul and in all the earth. ... "On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised" (Leviticus 12:3). "Seven days you shall present the Lord's offerings by fire; on the eighth day you shall observe a holy convocation and present the Lord's offerings by fire; it is a solemn assembly; you shall not work at your occupations" (Leviticus 23:36). Many say that the occurrence of the number eight is biblically symbolic of new beginnings. You called the Hebrew children to be circumcised of their flesh on the eighth day, speaking to us of the cutting away of our human flesh and the embracing of Your Holy Spirit. You called Your people to a celebration of the festival of tabernacles for eight days, speaking to us of the celebration of thanksgiving for the Son of God who has come to dwell among us and live within us by the abounding Presence of Your Holy Spirit. You called the subjects of the kingdom of Israel to sanctify and cleanse the temple of the Lord for eight days, speaking to us of cleansing our souls in the blood of the Lamb and embracing the sanctifying grace of Your Holy Sprit, filling our hearts as Your temple (2 Chronicles 29:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16). Lord, let this eighth day be the dawn of new beginnings, a new day and a new season of life in Your Spirit. Rend open Your heavens and pour out Your Spirit as we rend open our hearts (Joel 2:12-13, 28-29). Endue us with the power of the presence of Your Holy Spirit from on high as we go through the gate of Your righteousness into this next season of our destiny in Christ (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). You are "the Gate" (John 10:9). You are "the Power of God" from on high (1 Corinthians 1:24). For myself and for all of Your people who are called by Your name, cut away our flesh, fill us with Your Spirit, and empower us as Your people to enter into this new season of the reign of Christ on the earth through the reign of Christ in our hearts. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you to all who felt led to join with me to fast and pray for this first eight days of this month for breakthroughs in our lives and in all the earth. It will be exciting to see all the Lord has done and will continue to do for the glory of His name! Many of us are going up to Cane Ridge on Friday 8/8/08 to pray for a fresh flow from this ancient well of revival where the Second Great Awakening in America was birthed in revival here in 1801 in an incredible outpouring of the Holy Spirit that sent fire to the nations from Kentucky. Contact our friend Gerry Morford for details to meet at his house in Lexington at 1:00 and travel to Cane Ridge for prayer and worship about 2:15. 859-619-6897 gerry.morford@ky.gov Cane Ridge Meeting House is located at 1655 Cane Ridge Road (KY State Highway 537) near Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky. Please join us if you and pray for us if you can't. Friends, here is a note from Doris & Bob McCray with our ministry who lead a time of prayer for Israel every Monday night about an important event this Saturday Night: "Everyone wants to know what is happening in Israel and where we are in prophecy being fulfilled in our day. This Saturday, August 9 at 7 p.m. at First Southern National Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Rd., Messiah Ministries' “Come To The Mountain” has invited Barry Wagner from Ezra International to share an evening of prophecy of God’s end time plan for Israel, the Jewish people and the church. Barry will share from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Daniel and many other prophets who wrote of a day just prior to the return of Messiah, when God would gather His chosen people from the four corners of the earth. Jeremiah tells us that this exodus would be so large it would eventually overshadow the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Come hear Barry Wagner share about Ezra’s International's work in the former Soviet Union of rescuing the Jewish people and enabling them to make aliyah back to Israel. Barry will help us, the church understand how to pray and how we can help in Israel’s final return. Please contact Bob &Doris McCray at: bndmccray@windstream.net 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" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

My Neverforsaker 8-7-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me up and in to the holy of holies of prayer. ... Lord come and fill me And heal me And lift me up with You Lord come and lead me And feed me And make me more like You You are my Savior And my Anchor And I find my strength in You You are my Maker And my Neverforsaker And I face each day in You As I wait in the silence of surrender, I hear these words of this song of hunger for Your Presence and trust in Your security. Many faces come to mind of people I've been praying for who are holding in to You in faith, persevering through their trials, and seeking the assurance of Your voice. You speak to us in many ways, and I pray You would speak to each one of them now in the way they need just as You are speaking to me now through this simple song of trust. Yes, Lord. You never leave us and never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). "So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid' " (v. 13:6). You are very near, very present to all who call upon Your name, who cry out to You in their distress, and put their hope in You alone (Psalm 107). As I will humble myself to seek Your face and call on Your name, I never have to be afraid of ever facing a day without the assurance of Your Presence. Through every moment of every trial, You are with me (Isaiah 40:1-7). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, many of us are going up to Cane Ridge on Friday 8/8/08 to pray for a fresh flow from this ancient well of revival where the Second Great Awakening in America was birthed in revival here in 1801 in an incredible outpouring of the Holy Spirit that sent fire to the nations from Kentucky. Contact our friend Gerry Morford for details to meet at his house in Lexington at 1:00 and travel to Cane Ridge for prayer and worship about 2:15. 859-619-6897 gerry.morford@ky.gov Cane Ridge Meeting House is located at 1655 Cane Ridge Road (KY State Highway 537) near Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky. Please join us if you and pray for us if you can't. Friends, here is a note from Doris & Bob McCray with our ministry who lead a time of prayer for Israel every Monday night about an important event this Saturday Night: "Everyone wants to know what is happening in Israel and where we are in prophecy being fulfilled in our day. This Saturday, August 9 at 7 p.m. at First Southern National Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Rd., Messiah Ministries' “Come To The Mountain” has invited Barry Wagner from Ezra International to share an evening of prophecy of God’s end time plan for Israel, the Jewish people and the church. Barry will share from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Daniel and many other prophets who wrote of a day just prior to the return of Messiah, when God would gather His chosen people from the four corners of the earth. Jeremiah tells us that this exodus would be so large it would eventually overshadow the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Come hear Barry Wagner share about Ezra’s International's work in the former Soviet Union of rescuing the Jewish people and enabling them to make aliyah back to Israel. Barry will help us, the church understand how to pray and how we can help in Israel’s final return. Please contact Bob &Doris McCray at: bndmccray@windstream.net 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 Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com/

Hidden Faults and a Cleansed Heart 8-5-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the way that leads to everlasting. ... "But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults" (Psalm 19:12). Many years ago, I asked You to help me craft the words of a simple and powerful prayer that I could teach my children to pray every day. As Your Spirit formed the thoughts in my mind and shaped the words of my prayer, it came out like this: "Dear Lord Jesus, make me more like You each day." In the years since then, their prayer has been my prayer. In one way or another, every one of my morning prayer is some variation of that same theme and heart's cry. But as I've found with every passing day, the way You answer that prayer is often to reveal to me in the course of my day another area of my soul that is not yet like You. Our hearts are deceitful, but in Your mercy You reveal our self-deceit and so You can cleanse our hearts (Jeremiah 17:9-10). In my words, my actions, my encounters with others, my moments left alone to my own thoughts, You reveal to me another hidden fault. Not to condemn me, but to cleanse me; not to shame me but to show me that You're still answering my prayer -- my version of David's prayer: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). Some days are better than others, some faults are more not all that hidden, but in Your way and in Your time, You are bringing all things out of darkness and into light, cleansing my soul, and purifying my heart. Yes, I have so far to go on one hand. But, at the same time, the truth of Your Word is being worked out in me: "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Help me see myself as the righteousness of God -- cleansed, holy, and pure, by the blood of the Lamb who has taken away all sins -- while not being too blind or too proud to let You cleanse me of all unrighteousness every day (1 John 1:9). Thank You Lord Jesus, keep making me more like You each day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, here is a note from Doris & Bob McCray with our ministry who lead a time of prayer for Israel every Monday night about an important event this Saturday Night: "Everyone wants to know what is happening in Israel and where we are in prophecy being fulfilled in our day. This Saturday, August 9 at 7 p.m. at First Southern National Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Rd., Messiah Ministries' “Come To The Mountain” has invited Barry Wagner from Ezra International to share an evening of prophecy of God’s end time plan for Israel, the Jewish people and the church. Barry will share from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Daniel and many other prophets who wrote of a day just prior to the return of Messiah, when God would gather His chosen people from the four corners of the earth. Jeremiah tells us that this exodus would be so large it would eventually overshadow the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Come hear Barry Wagner share about Ezra’s International's work in the former Soviet Union of rescuing the Jewish people and enabling them to make aliyah back to Israel. Barry will help us, the church understand how to pray and how we can help in Israel’s final return. Please contact Bob &Doris McCray at: bndmccray@windstream.net 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" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Silent Witness 8-4-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In You I find my rest and my strength, my calm and my courage. ... "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" (Psalm 19:1-4). The heavens about us are a silent witness to Your glory. Yet their witness is as powerful as any voice ever heard or any word ever spoken. They don't have to say or do anything. By their very presence, the declare the knowledge that there is a God who is the Creator of all things with greatness and power beyond our comprehension. And though we have much to say and do, we also can say much without doing anything at all; and we can do much without saying anything at all in the power of our silent witness. When we keep trusting in You in the face of suffering, we are Your silent witness. When we hold on to Your promises in the face of what seems like delayed answers to our prayers, we are Your silent witnesses. When we go about the daily matters of our everyday lives carrying the Presence of Christ within us, we are Your silent witnesses. In Christ, Your Holy Spirit dwells within us, Your Father heart of God flows through us, and Your kingdom advances among us -- all whether we ever lift our voice or speak a word or not. In You, "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). And with all Your heavens and all creation, the silent witness of our lives declare "the knowledge of the glory of the Lord" (Habakkuk 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6). Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Order our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Sharing the Fellowship of His Sufferings 8-3-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be the center of my heart and soul today. ... "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings by becoming like Him in His death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:10-11). Lord, our praise went up and Your glory came down last night in ways that words can't describe and our covenant of confidentiality won't allow. But we will never be the same. One thing I can say is that You were speaking to us and showing us how much we honor You and glorify Your name beyond our imagination when we keep looking to You in the midst of our sufferings. You suffered for us in ways we can't begin to comprehend, and as we share in the fellowship of Your sufferings by offering them up to You as You bring us through them, we honor You. This is the power of resurrection life from the dead, life through the death, destruction, sorrow, and grief of a broken, fallen world. Your resurrection power is released in the heavenly realms and poured out in the midst of this earthly realm when we embrace Life even in the midst of death and all that is less than the fullness of the abundance of life. You are the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you" (Romans 8:11). So in the power of Your grace, we are not to embrace and accept our sufferings, but offer them to You as You bring us through them, out of death and into life. "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you are sharing in Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when His glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13). As we persist in faith, encouraged and empowered by Your Spirit, even in the face of the sharing of the fellowship of Your sufferings, we honor You. "He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, by the power that enables Him to make all things subject to Himself" (Philippians 3:21). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us in your prayer during our spiritual retreat in the Shepherd's Pen as we seek to know our Shepherd, hear His voice, and follow His leading more fully and faithfully in our lives. I pray the same for you. God bless you! Order our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Upward Path 8-2-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your Word be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. ... "And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it' " (Isaiah 30:21). You have set before me a path in perfect alignment with Your will and plan for my life. And Your plan is perfectly suited for who You created me to be and all You created me to do. I can trust You and trust Your plan. "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). To walk this path, You've given me Your Word. It is a lamp to show me the very next step for my feet and it is a light to shine the way forward into the next season (Psalm 119:105). Cause me to love Your Word and learn Your Word, to lean on Your Word as my staff in the journey as You give me the grace to trust and obey Your Word. But along with Your written Word, You've also given me Your spoken word -- the words You speak with Your still, small voice to lead and to guide (1 Kings 19:12). This is the voice of Your word I hear behind me, nudging me to walk in the way You've set before me. If I step to the right to follow my own way or to the left to follow someone's else's way, You are gracious to correct me and nudge me back onto Your way. You call me to "walk in it" because You know what's best for me, what will fulfill me and the plans You have for me. Yet Your love always leaves the choice to walk in Your way or not. With every step, You set before me the choice of looking to Your Word open before me and listening to Your word speaking behind me or not. There is always a step that leads me in righteousness -- right relationship with You and with others and within myself -- or a step that leads me off Your path out of step with Your plan. "In the path of righteousness there is life, in walking its path there is no death" (Proverbs 12:28). "For the wise the path of life leads upward, in order to avoid Sheol below" (Proverbs 15:24). Help me look and listen for the guidance of Your words throughout the moments of my day, so I can choose the path the leads upward to life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this weekend for the overnight spiritual retreat Laura Beach and I will be leading to learn to hear the Shepherd's voice and follow His leading in our lives (John 10). I pray the same for you. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Order our Ministry Resources at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502