A New Breed of Priests 11-3-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face and listen for Your voice, as I begin the first moments of my day in the silence of surrender before You, watching and waiting for the leading of Your Spirit. ... “Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people” (1 Samuel 2:26). Samuel grew up in a day when the religious priests around him grew selfish, self-centered, and sinful—defiling the priesthood, abusing their power, and dishonoring their position. “They had no regard for the Lord or for the duties of the priests of the people” (v. 2:12-13). They were building their own kingdoms, not Yours. And their kingdoms were centered on themselves, their plans, and their desires. They treated You and the honor You had given them to minister to You and to Your people “with contempt” (v. 2:17). And so You lifted Your hand of favor from them, and handed them over to the consequences of their wicked choices for dishonoring Your name and misrepresenting Your heart: “For those who honor Me, I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be treated with contempt” (v. 2:30). But at the same time, there was one who sought Your face, longing to have Your heart and mind. His focus was on You and not himself, on Your desires and not his own. In the profound wisdom of child-like faith and a sincere, pure devotion to You, “the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord” (v. 2:21). Though he did not have the ancestral credentials of the priesthood, he had the heart to honor and serve You. So You began to shape his heart and mind to be like Yours, as he grew in stature and favor. He was to be a new breed of Your priesthood—a priesthood not founded primarily in tradition or credentials or official position, but founded in the heart. “I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before My Anointed One forever” (v. 2:35). This priesthood is not built on going in and out of a building, but going in to Your presence and then going out to shine with the light of Your glory in the midst of a dark and fallen world that needs to know Your true heart and mind, revealed through the hearts of Your people. This is a priesthood of those who will humble themselves to admit they need to grow and always keep growing up in the presence of the Lord, while entrusting themselves in faith to Your favor. They are those who will answer Your call and obey Your command: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1). These are those who, “like living stones, let (themselves) be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). In humility and faith, and in the presence of the Lord, Samuel continued to grow. And one day, You determined in Your heart that he was ready to be commissioned into the next season of his life and ministry. His simple response was, “Speak, for Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). And because You trusted him to keep coming into Your presence and growing in Your nature, You caused him to keep growing in Your favor. “As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And (everyone around him) knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord” (v. 3:19-20). Lord, raise up a new priesthood, Your true priesthood, in our day—those who are moved to seek Your presence and Your nature, to listen for the leading of Your voice, then to obey what You say. Free us from our selfishness and self-centeredness. Break down the kingdoms we have built out of our own will for our own purposes so that Your kingdom may break through into our lives. Convict us of our sin, cleanse us by Your blood, and fill us with Your Spirit so we can reveal Your true heart and mind in the midst of a dark and fallen world, because we’ve allowed You to impart Your true heart and mind in us. This is Your desire for all Your people who are called by Your name—that “all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Give us the humility and faith to know we need to grow in Your nature so we can grow in Your favor, as Your fulfill Your purposes through our lives in Christ and through the life of Christ in us. “We must grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Then our words will not fall to the ground, because they will be Your words spoken from the hearts of Your people—Your new breed of priests who have been growing up in Your presence and Your love, so they can be entrusted with Your favor for the advancing of Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Please come join us for these upcoming Messiah Ministries' Events at our home base in Lexington, Kentucky (and please spread the word): Nov 12-14: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry -- Level II is a focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and a teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience, as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing prayer ministry than our Level I Course. Craig & Jenni Marsh, gifted by God with the spiritual gift of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:10) will be with us for the last two nights of our School of Ministry and a public healing service Saturday night. Join us for a Healing Service co-hosted with Messiah Ministries and Centenary United Methodist Church Saturday night, Nov 14th at 7pm in Chapel at Centnary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. in Lexington, Ky. All are welcome and please spread the word! Craig Marsh's testimony in a nutshell is: After undergoing surgery in 1989 and 1991 for a serious stomach complaint. Craig underwent major surgery yet again in 1994. This resulted in radical changes to his stomach and digestive system, involving the total severing of all capacity to produce stomach acid and a ‘wrap’ being performed with the remains of his stomach. Living in constant pain particularly when eating, Craig’s life expectancy was not long as he continued to suffer and slowly waste away.On 3rd May 1999, whilst attending a Methodist Ministers conference in Florida USA to launch Y2000, Craig was miraculously healed. Since then he has been able to eat large quantities of all food, has no pain, has put weight on and no longer takes 39 pills a day as previously. Doctors have been astounded that without a proper digestive system everything is functioning now as if there was. Subsequent Xrays show a normal stomach functioning normally! http://www.turningpointministries.info/ Laura Beach and I heard Craig speak at the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Conference last July 4th and his testimony of healing opened a floodgate of amazing healings from the Lord for those of us in his presence. Laura experienced a healing that night from post brain surgery headaches she had suffered daily from for almost 5 years. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistry-Level II Dec 4-6: Healing Prayer Weekend at Asbury Inn, Asbury Seminary, Wilmore, KY… NEW LOWER PRICE from Change in Location! Led by Tommy Hays with worship and personal prayer ministry teams, you'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. We’ve had wonderful testimonies from our last weekend: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances to Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterHealingRetreat Order our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org 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 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com