Our Praises Overcome Our Fears 8-27-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Faithful and true, worthy are You of all my heart and life. … “After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle…. Jehoshaphat was afraid; he set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (2 Chronicles 20:1-3). The “spirit of fear” is an enemy of our souls (2 Timothy 1:7). It comes to terrify and taunt, to accuse the faithfulness of God, to cause us to forget all Your promises and provision of our past, and to get us to doubt Your steadfast security for our future and hope. But we are not to give in. We are not to worry, to be anxious for nothing, but only to look and see the hand of the Lord deliver us in the Spirit of Your “power, and of love, and a sound mind” (v. 1:7, NKJV). And if the spirit of fear stirs up within us the emotion of fear, we are to “fear not” and set ourselves to seek You (Isaiah 43:1, NKJV). And as we draw near to You in the intimacy and passion of prayer, as we humble ourselves to be desperately dependent upon You in fasting, we can take our stand in faith—not faith in ourselves, but faith in You. As King Jehoshaphat declared in both deep humility and bold faith, “We are powerless against the great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). As we empty ourselves in humility and faith of our anxieties and fears, Your Holy Spirit comes upon us and rises up within us (v. 20:14). You remind us that “this battle is not (ours), but God’s” (v. 20:15). You stir us to remember to believe Your word and believe the Lord our God” (v. 20:20). So then we can “take (our) position, stand still, and see the victory of the Lord on (our) behalf” (v. 20:17). We are to lift our faces up from our fears and onto our God in worship, praise, thanksgiving, and faith (v. 20:18-21). As we “give thanks to (You) for (Your) steadfast love endures forever,” You ambush our enemies, “destroying them utterly” (v. 20:21-23). You are the great “I Ambush.” As we set ourselves to pray and praise, You route our fears and strengthen our faith with every victory we see. Our praises overcome our fears. We take back all the enemy of our souls has stolen from us and keep pressing in and pressing on, as Your Kingdom advances within us and advances through us (v. 20:24:26). Then we can “rejoice over (our) enemies” in the joy of the Lord who is faithful and true to always bring us through as we rest in You (v. 20:27-30). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy My friend, I would welcome you to prayerfully consider this invitation to join with us in encouragement and support of our ministry at this critical time if the Lord stirs you with joy to give to work of His Kingdom through the vision and calling He's entrusted to us: Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert "For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert" --Isaiah 35:6 Dear Friend of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries, Thank you for your friendship and relationship with me and our ministry. These are exciting days in the Kingdom of God! We are thrilled with all the Lord seems to be doing in the life of Messiah Ministries. He has called us to do our part in our generation to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God, to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free, to prepare the way of the Lord and minister the healing love of God. Thank you for every way you have been a part of fulfilling our calling and vision. Summers are always a challenging time for our ministry's financial support. Though doors of opportunity for ministry continue to open wide and we continue to work hard in the strength of the Lord to fulfill the vision He has given us, this economic desert season is causing us to be even more desperately dependent upon the Lord alone in faith for all our provision. In seeking His wisdom and answers in prayer, we believe He gave us a strategy for our ministry finances in this wilderness time -- Isaiah 35 Streams. In humility and faith, we are inviting you to partner with us in ministry, spiritually and financially, by contributing at least $35 a month to the work of the Kingdom through Messiah Ministries this year. We believe the Lord has shown us this will continue to provide "a steady stream" of His provision through these desert days. Actually an even smaller amount from a broad enough base of our supporters can more than provide for all our needs without undue concern or focus on finances instead of freedom to focus on ministry. We praise God for His faithfulness! And we thank God for you, as you join with us as a significant part of His provision for His ministry for the glory of His name and His Kingdom. Please prayerfully consider our invitation. And if this stirs in your spirit with joy to join us as the Lord's answers to our prayers, please covenant with us this year to be a part of Isaiah 35 Streams. I will be very glad to talk with you about this or describe more of our vision and calling in ministry. You may also know of someone or a group who could easily and joyfully join with us so we don't have to be overly concerned about our monthly provision of financial support. I pray you see our ministry as good soil in which to sow your seed for God's harvest. May the Lord bless you and pour out His exceedingly abundant blessings and provision for you this year -- "... A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap ..." (Luke 6:38). In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Founder, Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org 859-422-1794 (All contributions, of any amount, are very welcome, tax deductible, and greatly appreciated) You can contribute: 1) On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org; 2) Mailing at check to Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, KY 40502; 3) Contact us for automatic withdrawal or phone credit card transactions through Marilyn, our Director of Ministries at 859-317-1591 or to me at MessiahMin@aol.com ; or 4) Giving on-line through Kentucky Christian Foundation at www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org with a variety of contributions including non-liquid gifts and long-term giving. I would love to talk with you about any of this and I'm thankful for your friendship, encouragement, and support of Messiah Ministries and our calling. Thank you and God bless you! Tommy Subscribe to Morning by Morning 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 To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!