Refreshed, Renewed, Refocused 7-31-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my mind, my will, and my emotions with Yours. ... "Then (Elijah) lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly and angel touched him and said to him, 'Get up and eat.' He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, 'Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.' He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God" (1 Kings 19:5-8). Elijah sought to be a spiritual man. He wanted to hear Your voice and speak Your words, empowered by Your Spirit to prepare the way for the coming of Your Kingdom. He willingly gave his heart and life to You and was "very zealous for the Lord" (v. 19:10). At times he stood firm in great faith and at times he was almost overwhelmed by fear. But You gave him sleep and rest. You fed him on the bread of Your Word and refreshed him in waters of Your Spirit. You prepared him for the next season of his journey of faith and life and ministry. You reminded him of Your sovereign hand and mighty power, yet You spoke to him in Your still small voice of tenderness and compassion (v. 19:11-12). You gave Elijah time and space to search his heart and soul, to remind him where he was in the journey, what he was called to do, and who he was called to be (v. 19:13). Then You said to him, "Go, return ..." (v. 19:15). And You sent him out of the place of rest back into the place of ministry, to "anoint" another generation of spiritual leaders to prepare the way of the Lord and the coming of the Kingdom of God (v. 19:15-18). "So he set out from there" to go fulfill his calling and destiny, refreshed and renewed by Your Word and Your Spirit (v. 19:19). Thank You, Lord, for Your seasons of refreshing and renewing. Thank You for Your Word and Your Spirit, for the reminders of Your power and Your tenderness. Thank You for the gift of Your faith that frees me from fear and the mercy of Your grace that empowers me for life. Thank You for times of rest and refocus for the next season of life and ministry at hand. "Elijah was a human being like us" (James 5:17). But he was a spiritual man on a spiritual journey, who knew Your Presence and saw Your power in his generation, as You used him to prepare the way for the next -- a generation who would go even further than he did and see even more than he could. Life is hard, but God is great. Lord, let me be found faithful to be all You created me to be and to do all You created me to do -- all by the mercy and power of Your grace, all for the glory of Your name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for me on my time away with family these past few weeks. Please keep us in prayer as I lead our first Messiah Ministries' Healing Prayer Weekend at Cliffview Retreat in Kentucky this weekend. And please come join us if you can or cover us in prayer for our next week-long intensive School of Spiritual Ministry later this month in Lexington. Please contact Marilyn Walker, my Director of Ministries for more information and on-line registration: DirOfMinistries@aol.com Order my books, Free to Be Like Jesus, Morning by Morning, and our Messiah Ministries Resources on-line at: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe 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 Devotional Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com