Strife Must Cease in the Presence of Love 11-16-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be my Vision, my Wisdom, and my Guide all along the journey of this day. … “In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from Me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you…. No weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from Me, says the Lord” (Isaiah 54:14-17). Not everyone is happy for the things that make us happy. Not everyone sings for joy when You stir up Your joy in our hearts. As human beings we can tend to think we know what’s best for ourselves and everybody else. We can tend to think we have it all figured out, we know what’s right, we know all about Your will and Your wisdom and Your way for our life and everybody else’s. We can tend to forget the humility of the truth of Your Word that, “My thoughts and not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Where I have wrongly judged others or stirred up strife against them, convict me of my sin and lead me to my repentance and Your forgiveness. Heal those I have wounded with my words; restore the reputations of those I have slandered; and honor those I have dishonored. Vindicate their name and establish them in Your righteousness as their Advocate and Ambassador who confutes and corrects every voice that rises against them in judgment. Give me Your heart for them. Let me see them through Your eyes, honor them with Your words, and rejoice with them with Your joy. As You have lavished me with Your grace, let me offer them the same. As I have so freely received, let me so freely give. All strife must cease in the presence of the steadfast love of the Lord. And if anyone has judged me, dishonored me, slandered me, I choose to forgive them, releasing them to You, into the freedom of my forgiveness. I give them the gift You’ve given me—the gift of mercy and grace. I choose to remember we all fall short of Your glory; we all fail to fully be Your hands and heart in the lives of one another You’ve called us to be. None of us walk in the other’s shoes; none of us live in the other’s skin, to know all the facts and to know the heart of the one we judge. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And deliver us from evil. Then let us trust You to speak up for us. Let us trust You to restore unto us the joy of our salvation and embrace with gladness all the goodness You pour into our lives, even when we deserve it the least—no matter what anybody says. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, may nothing steal the joy of the Lord in your life today! May you be filled with the all the fullness of the Kingdom of God today and everyday, which is "Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Please pray the same for me! Please Save the Date of December 10th for our Messiah Ministries' Celebration and Christmas Party! We'll share stories of God's glory and all He has been doing at home and abroad in the life of our ministry. Please come join us in Lexington and bring some friends to know more about Messiah Ministries --"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God!" Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night Nov 19th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Jeff Green will be leading in worship this month. All are welcome and please spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Messiah Ministries ... "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org MessiahMin@aol.com To order Tommy Hays' books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org God bless you!