Make Room, Make Ready 12-7-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. O come let us adore You. ... “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before Him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:13-17). Before the coming of the Messiah was the coming a prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and focused on fulfilling his mission to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” His ministry was to turn hearts to God in preparation and anticipation of the coming of the King to rule and reign in the hearts of His people. For their hearts were to be His Kingdom. “He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.... And all flesh shall see the salvation of God’ ” (Luke 3:3-6). Repentance made room in their hearts and made ready for the King—as they turned away from the world and toward the Messiah, away from their past and toward their destiny, away from the things that are temporary and toward the things that are eternal. That same spirit and power of Elijah, to turn hearts to God, is being released upon the earth in this season, looking forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ, our Messiah. Our hearts that have been hardened by our world, distracted by our busyness, and tainted by our sin, are drawn to the hope of the humble Child to be born in a manger and destined to live in our hearts. And as we hear the call to repent and turn, as we pause from our performance and cease from our striving, as we watch with excited anticipation and wait with eager longing, Your Spirit makes our hearts ready for the One to come. The true Spirit of Christmas is the Holy Spirit of the Living God who comes to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord,” a people who make room in their hearts for the coming of Christ. Holy Spirit, make room in my heart, as You make me ready for the coming of my King. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friends, please keep us in prayer as I prepare to go preach a series of revival meetings for 10 days in Pakistan. I'll be trying to keep in touch as best as I can through my morning prayers and with our email prayer team. Thank you for going with me in the Spirit and in prayer. May the Lord send me in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way of the Lord in the hearts of the people of this land His loves so much and longs to save. May all flesh see the salvation of God, as they turn their hearts to embrace the soon coming King. I couldn't serve in this kind of ministry without you! Friends, in this Christmas Season of celebrating the Gift of God in Jesus Christ, please prayerfully consider Messiah Ministries in your plans for year-end giving. I hope you see our ministry as good soil in which to sow your seeds for the harvest of the Kingdom of God. Through your partnership with us in prayer, support, and encouragement, we are able to go forth in our commission of "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" to many lives at home and abroad. Thank you for joining me in the journey! Subscribe for 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 my Books, Free to Be Like Jesus and Morning by Morning, or our other Ministry Resources. They make great Christmas presents! or Contribute: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org