Humility, Intimacy, and Authority of Spiritual Maturity 4-19-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your Word light my path, let Your Spirit fill my soul, as I follow You throughout my day. … “Be He gives all the more grace; therefore, it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ … Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you” (James 4:6-10). As I was seeking Your heart and Your word for the people of Villa Rica, Georgia, where You’ve called me to preach and pray for spiritual revival this week, You stirred up these words in my spirit: Humility; intimacy; and authority. These are keys to spiritual maturity for Your Church in this hour. We are to grow up “to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). We are to become “mature in Christ” as Your Holy Spirit forms the nature of Christ within us—“Christ in (us), the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27-28). In this hour, You are preparing a people who will arise and stand in the strength of Christ, shining with the light of the glory of Christ in the midst of the darkness, made ready for the battles and tribulations to come. Now is the time we must learn humility—to humble ourselves before You, to become desperately dependent upon You alone, to be shaken free from our self-centered lives and firmly established in a Christ-centered life. Now is to the time we must learn intimacy—to draw to You, as You draw near to us, to allow Your Spirit to search our hearts and remove everything from us that would hold us back from embracing the fullness of Your mercy and love. Now is the time we must learn our authority in Christ and the authority of Christ in us—to know that together we are the Body of Christ on this earth, the hands and feet of Jesus, to continue the ministry of Christ in the Spirit of Christ to the glory of our Father, to teach what You taught, to do what You did, in the power You had (John 14:12). O Lord, revive us. Breathe afresh Your breath of life within us. Remind us of who we are in You and who You are in us. Awaken us to our calling and destiny to arise and shine for our Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us (Isaiah 60:1). As we humble ourselves before You, as we draw near to You, as we obey Your command to proclaim the gospel of Your Kingdom with the power and authority You’ve given us in Your name to glorify You, we are growing up into spiritual maturity. By the transforming power of Your Holy Spirit, we are becoming the Bride of Christ You long to see on this earth and You long to embrace in Your coming (Ephesians 5:25-27). You are bringing many sons and daughters of God to glory so that You may display Your glory through Your people—a people of deep humility, intimacy, and authority. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this week as I preach the Spring Revival at Villa Rica First United Methodist Church near Atlanta Georgia, hosted by Pastor James Smith, Sunday Night through Wednesday Night April 18-21: www.vrfumc.com They have been fasting and praying with great expectations to see what the Lord will do! We were off to a great start last night with a great hunger for more of Jesus. The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry, Level 2, April 28-May 1, 2010 in Lexington next week. A focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and a Messiah Ministries teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. This time, Dan Van Nice from Austin and Lisa Preston will be joining us to teach. 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 2 gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing ministry. For more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevel2 Also, you can contact Marilyn, our Messiah Ministries Director of Ministries for more information: DirOfMinistries@aol.com 859-317-1591 Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY