Living Stones 4-25-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Word of God made flesh to live among us. Now You live within us by the presence of Your Spirit, making us one with You, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, to the glory of our Father. Come live in me and be at home in my heart this day and every day. ... "Come to Him, a living Stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight; and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2.4-5). We are each living stones, being hewn and chiseled through the circumstances and afflictions of life, to be fitted together into the house of God. Every stone is unique and every stone is needed. Together, we are Your temple -- the place where Your presence dwells on earth (1 Corinthians 3.16). You desire to fill the temple with Your glory, but You will not fill a broken house nor will You fill a house made with human hands. As we each look to You, Your Spirit fits us together as one; and as one, You come and fill Your temple with the fullness of Your glory. "Listen to Me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the Rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug" (Isaiah 51.1). You are the Rock of our salvation; You are the Cornerstone of the spiritual house You are building with Your own hands -- one stone at a time. Let us each be fitted for our place in the temple of Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us for the Tablernacle of Fire led by Heather Butler and Mary Burt of Wales this Friday night 4/29 at 7 in the Chapel of Centenary in Lexington. They've been sent to minister prophetically in worship and word to release a Welsh Revival to Kentucky. Please write for details and spread the word. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Hearing Your Voice 4-24-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lay this day before You and entrust it into Your hands -- hands scarred by the nails of Your sacrifice of love for us. ... "Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3.7). You have poured out Your Spirit upon all flesh -- both Your men and Your women, Your sons and Your daughters, that we may hear Your voice, discern Your will, and speak Your word as You lead (Acts 2.14-21). You are the Good Shepherd and Your sheep learn to know Your voice, so that we are not led astray but are led in trusting obedience to Your will (John 10.1-18). You go before us and all things are present to You in the heavenly realm, even before time unfolds them for us in the earthly realm. You desire to lead us by Your voice since You know now what we will face then (John 10.4). How foolish to not take the time to listen. How foolish to not take the time to learn the leading of Your voice by spending time alone in Your presence. Forgive us for not valuing this greatest of all gifts -- the gift of knowing You and Your voice so that we can obey Your will and fulfill our destiny in You. Free us from our distractions; humble us from our pride; teach us to know Your voice; and empower us to obey. Though You are preparing the way and revealing Your plans, we will never hear unless we learn to listen; and it does no good to listen unless we learn to hear Your voice. You have always commanded Your people to listen and to hear so that we can obey Your command to follow -- all for our good and Your glory (Deuteronomy 6.4-9). Give us ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying to us each day, that we may be both followers and conquerors, vigilant and victorious in Christ (Revelation 2.7) In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Transformation 4-23-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my example and my standard, my mentor and my guide. By Your grace, I choose to follow You as You make me more like You each day. When I sin, convict me; when I stray, correct me; when I slumber, awake me. I don't want to settle for anything less. Like all Your children, I am created to be conformed into Your image -- step by step and day by day. ... "Thus it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living being'; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second Man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the Man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the Man of heaven" (1 Corinthians 15.45-49). Like the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, we may begin like a worm crawling in the dust of the earth in our flesh; but we are created for glory to fly in the freedom of Your heavens in the beauty of holiness. As we behold You, You are changing us. As we gather in to the cocoon of prayer alone with You each day, we are being transformed by Your presence. First the physical, then the spiritual. First we make the choice of complete surrender and total submission in humility and faith, then we receive the blessing of the transformation of our souls into Your nature (2 Peter 1.3-4). "Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the Truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring Word of God" (1 Peter 1.22-23). Yes, Lord. Convict us, correct us, awaken us that we may arise into newness of life each day in Your process of transformation. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Spiritual War 4-22-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Bring Your Word to life in my spirit as I listen for the leading of Your voice. ... The wars of the Old Covenant fought in the earthly realm speak to us of the wars of the New Covenant being fought in the heavenly realm. For our true enemies are not flesh and blood, but the spiritual forces of wickedness, who influence us in our flesh to rebel against You and destroy one another (Ephesians 6.12). The weapons and strategies of war under the Old Covenant are now fulfilled in Christ, that we may fight with spiritual weapons in spiritual strategies at Your command under the New Covenant (2 Corinthians 10.3-6). No one desires war, yet war has been declared against You and Your people and Your purposes, so that we are at war whether we desire it or not. The war for the souls of men that began in the beginning will rage until the end (Genesis 3.15; Revelation 12.17). You are opening our eyes to see, so that we may open our hearts to obey. You are teaching us obedience and discipline, giving us wisdom and courage, as we learn to "fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6.12). Because we are at war, we must learn to fight in the midst of war. Yet we need not fear nor let our hearts be troubled, for the victory is won by the power of the cross through the blood of the Lamb. "Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15.57). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Cadence of the Drums 4-21-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before the thoughts for the day come rushing in, I silence every thought but the thought of You. ... I hear the call of the cadence of the drums. Throughout the heavens, You are calling our steps into agreement. The scattered troops of Your army are being called to march as one. Through the worship and words You are releasing through many voices, You are bringing us into agreement, into order, into unity. You lead first in the spirit, then soul, then the body. There is a sound in the Spirit bringing our steps together to a level of unity that teachings and sermons, doctrines and creeds could never do. The call of Your Spirit is piercing through the heavens, crossing every barrier -- not stopping at the walls of division or the boundaries of pride. All who have ears to hear will hear the call and come into line -- from every tongue and tribe and nation, from every church and tradition and denomination. Your call is going forth to make "every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4.3). We will be move as one as we hear the call and answer Your command. You are making our steps steady as we move forward in agreement with the cadence of Your voice. "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4.4-6). Let us respond in courage and obedience, in the unity of the Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Fill Us Up 4-20-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I reach my hands and my heart up to You. ... "Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord, for My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of Living Water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2.12-13). Lord, You are the supply of all we need. You are available to us as we humble ourselves enough to acknowledge we need You. Without You, our strength fails, our hope pales, and our worries prevail. Open our eyes to see where we have dug our own cisterns, in our own strength, to be filled up with our own waters that we think will bring us the life we are thirsting for. They are easily cracked and broken, and all that we've spent so much effort in collecting just spills out onto the dry and parched soil of our souls. All the while, You long for us to simply open our hearts to You and let You fill us freely with the Waters of Your Life -- the Living Waters of the Living God, Who satisfies our thirst with Your presence. We thirst for You, Lord Jesus. Come fill us up again to overflowing with Your Spirit. Blessed are they who thirst for You, for they shall be filled (Matthew 5.6). We receive the blessing of Your filling that Your Spirit has prayed for us through Paul: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15.13). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

You are Wisdom 4-19-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Transform me by the renewing of my mind. Shape my thoughts and guide my heart as I seek You and Your wisdom. ... You are Wisdom. As we seek You and behold You, we become wise in Your ways. The struggles and barriers of our lives begin to make more sense. With understanding comes peace. In the beginning, Your ways are not our ways and Your thoughts are not our thoughts, but You want us to grow in the wisdom of Your ways and You want to mature us in our thoughts. When we were children, we thought as children; but now we are to continually grow in maturity of our thinking so we can grow in maturity in our living. Free us from the deception and the excuse of saying we will never understand so will never try. You have given us Your Word so that we can understand Your ways. You have given us Your Spirit so that we can live in Your ways. This is wisdom -- to seek to understand Your Word and to seek to live in Your ways. "Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you desire cannot compare to her. I, wisdom, live with prudence, and I attain knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. I have good advice and sound wisdom; I have insight, I have strength. By me kings reign and rulers declare what is just; by me rulers rule, and nobles, all who govern rightly. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me" (Proverbs 8.10-17). Yes, Lord. We seek You with diligence, not waiting passively to receive understanding, but actively pursuing You and Your ways. Then the pieces of our lives will fit together and then the struggles of our lives will begin to make sense, as You teach us Your ways and conform us to Your image. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502.

Every Moment Matters 4-18-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Focus my thoughts and lead my heart as You order my steps today. ... "Do not let your moments be wasted. Time is one of My greatest gifts, and every moment matters." Yes, Lord. Our lives can be changed in the blinking of an eye; our time on earth can be over even more suddenly. Give us wisdom to use our time well and to value every moment as a gift You have given us to give away to others. When we love one another, we are loving You. When we receive love from on another, we are receiving Your love. You are Love and You express Your love through us to one another (1 John 4.8). Our lives have significance to the extent we offer our lives in love. Everything else is a distraction from our purpose and our calling. Everything else is a waste of our time. "For all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5.10). Love will be the standard by which You judge. Give us grace to live well and to love well, so that we will be judged well on that day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Resurrection and Life 4-17-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your words bring wisdom; let Your presence bring peace. You see what we don't see and You know what we don't know. If we trust in You and in Your love for us, that brings us comfort and security no matter what we face. You are our Peace and Your Spirit is our Comforter. ... Thank You for the power of Your words: "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die" (John 11.25-26). Let the fullness of the power of this kind of life arise within our hearts. Let it lead us to live our lives fearlessly -- unhindered by the fear of death and the fear of man, undaunted by restrictions and hesitations. You call us to believe and obey, to live our lives in this truth: "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and Hades" (Revelation 1.17-18). Though we fall, yet will we rise; though darkness surrounds us for a night, Your light bursts through every morning. Every day is a new day of life in You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

"Raise the Dead" (Mt. 10.8) 4-16-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I believe You have called me to arise and pray through the watch of the night for my friend Stanley, in agreement with my friend Sandra. By sight, his earthly life was taken last night; by faith, yet will he live. Holy Spirit of the Living God, release Your Word through the spirit of those who stand in agreement with Life and rebuke Death in this hour, to the glory of our Father in heaven. ... Lord Jesus, You have "all authority in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28.18). We thank You for rebuking and overcoming and destroying "the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil" in the lives of those who are under siege to keep them from fulfilling their destiny on earth (Hebrews 2.14). We agree with You and the power of Your Word being released in the spirit, soul, and body of my friend and each of these. You came that we "may have life, and have it abundantly;" it is "the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10.10). Teach us how to fight in the power of Your might for the lives of those we love, rather than passively sitting back and wishing the enemy of our souls would go away or at least steal away our loved ones with as little pain as possible. Forgive us for the sins of passivity, prayerlessness, faithlessness, and disobedience to Your commands. Death is our enemy and not our friend; and You have defeated our enemy in the victory of the cross (1 Corinthians 15.26). Teach us how to enforce that victory in agreement with Your Word and in the power of Your Spirit. The same Spirit Who raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in us (Romans 8.11). Let us believe it true and pray like it is true, because it is. Then we will begin to see our Father's Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You sent forth Your first disciples in Your power and authority to overcome the enemy of our souls, who claims to hold power over death and the process of death through sickness and disease. And so You continue to send forth Your disciples today in that same power and authority, commanding and commissioning us: "As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10.7-8). "As the Father has sent Me, so I send you" (John 20.21). Unless we begin to take the authority You have given us and pray the prayers You have commanded us to pray, we will never see these promises come to pass. We have not because we ask not (James 4.2). Yet You have already told us Your will, proclaiming "the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these" (John 14.12). Today, we ask. Today, we take the authority You have given us in the power of Your name and by the blood of Your sacrifice. We receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven You have placed in the hands of Your church (Matthew 16.18-19). We bind death and we loose life into every cell in Stanley's body. We agree with You as You rebuke the destroyer and command him under Your feet and ours (Romans 16.20). Father, You are looking for those who would "stand the gap" between Your perfect will in heaven and our current circumstances on earth, that Your kingdom may come on earth as it is in heaven (Ezekiel 22.30; Isaiah 59.16). In Christ, You have come to stand in the gap and repair the breach. You call us to stand in Christ as Christ stands in us (Colossians 1.27). Lord Jesus, You ever live to intercede for us (Hebrews 7.25); and Your Holy Spirit intercedes through us, as Your body on earth, according to perfect will of our Father in heaven (Romans 8.26-27). By Your grace and in Your power, we stand in the gap with Stanley and for him, in praying this Psalm of David on his behalf and on behalf of all those You are laying on our hearts right now and in the future battles to come: "Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in Your righteousness. ... For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. ... Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. Let me hear Your steadfast love in the morning, for in You I put my trust. ... For Your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life. In Your righteousness bring me out of trouble. In Your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am Your servant" (Psalm 143). In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth Who came in the flesh; Who was crucified, dead, and buried; Who was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven; we declare "Arise, Stanley, Arise! We proclaim Death is defeated. We fight for your life in the name and the power of the cross, the blood, and the resurrection of Jesus. Come out of the grip of death and fulfill your destiny on earth. Life, and not Death, will have the final say of the number of your days -- in the name of Jesus, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Lord, we ask this and receive this, in thanksgiving and praise. We magnify this prayer out over all those You are laying on our hearts now and in the future, in agreement with You and with one another. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

From Sea to Sea 4-15-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. Fill my heart and my thoughts with the glory of Your presence, I pray. ... Five hundred years before it happened, Zechariah prophesied of Your first coming: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter, Jerusalem! Lo, your King comes to you; triumphant and glorious is He, humble and riding on a donkey" (Zechariah 9.9). Yet you also opened his eyes to see Your second coming as well: "He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and He shall command peace to the nations; His dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 9.10). Teach us how to see at many levels -- how to see where we are and where we are going; how to see things as they are, but also how they will be. Though the battles rage now, there will come a day of peace. Though the victory is won through the cross of Christ, the victory is enforced as the nature of Christ is formed in our hearts. Victory begins in humility. Your dominion stretches from sea to sea as Your Word stretches from our head to our heart. Peace comes because the enemy is defeated day by day in our souls between the humility of Your first coming and the glory of Your second. As You open our eyes to see You then, and now, and as You are to come, let us also see who we are and who we will be in You. "Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 40.5). "When Christ Who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" (Colossians 3.4). Lord let is be so today as it will be in that day to come. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please Come to The Fountain this Sat night at 7pm in the Chapel of Centenary Methodist in Lexington -- our ministry's monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Every month is different as the Spirit leads our unplanned time in His Presence. All are welcome, so please spread the word and please cover us in prayer if you can't come. It's the 3rd Sat night of each month. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Cleansing the Generations 4-14-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Word of truth and You are the Word of grace. Speak Your truth that convicts our hearts and leads to Your grace. ... In the days of Zechariah and Daniel, Your judgment came upon Your people. Yet it is always Your heart to remember mercy even in judgment. Though Your heart breaks as the justice of Your judgment falls in accordance with the integrity of Your holy nature and the principles of Your creation, Your hands of mercy are always reaching out to us to return in repentance and humility. Your mercy triumphs over judgment, as Your judgment leads us to mercy through repentance. Then through prayers of repentance for ourselves and for our ancestors before us who have sinned in the land and in their hearts against You, You forgive us and cleanse us to restore us in relationship with You. "The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return to Me says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.' Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, Return from your evil ways and your evil deeds.' But they did not hear Me, says the Lord" (Zechariah 1.2-4). Lord, let us hear You. Give us humility to bow before You for ourselves and for those who have gone before us, in answer to Your call. You moved upon the heart of Daniel to confess the sins of his generation and those of the generations before him, so that You could open windows of grace over Your people and their land (Daniel 9). Conviction leads us to confession, and repentance prepares the way for redemption. Thank You for the power of Your blood to release Your mercy over us when we answer Your call to repentance. "You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish" (1 Peter 1.18-19). Convict us so that You may cleanse us of our sins and the sins of the generations. Let Your mercy triumph over Your judgment as we hear and answer. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Fire and The Fountain 4-13-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Welcome in my heart and welcome in my day. ... We have all sinned and fallen short of Your glory; there is none without sin (Romans 3.21-26). We all stand guilty before You with the Gentiles who pierced You with the nails and with the Jews who pierced You with their words. Yet there is no sin the Blood of the Lamb cannot cleanse and no sinful nature the Fire of Your Spirit cannot purify. It is Your will to convict us of the sin in our hearts with godly sorrow that leads to repentance, because it is Your will to pour out Your mercy and restore us to intimacy with You. Let Your purifying fire continually burn in our hearts to expose the sin of our souls, that we may draw nearer to You than ever before, unhindered by the nature of our flesh. As You prophesied over Israel long before Your coming and dying in the flesh, so You continue to prophesy over all who stand convicted of sin and in need of the One Who forgives and redeems: "And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the One Whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn. ... On that day a Fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (Zechariah 12.10-13.1). May the Spirit of the One we have pierced begin to pierce our hearts. Pour out Your spirit of conviction so that You may pour our Your spirit of mercy. The Holy Fire of Your Spirit that purifies us from all sin is the same Holy Fire that burns in our hearts with a passion for You. The fires of Your purity will make us parched of thirst to drink deeply from the Fountain of Your Living Water. You are The Fire and You are The Fountain. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please Come to The Fountain this Sat night 4/16 at 7pm in the Chapel of Centenary Methodist in Lexington -- our ministry's monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Every month is different as the Spirit leads our unplanned time in His Presence. All are welcome, so please spread the word and please cover us in prayer if you can't come. It's the 3rd Sat night of each month. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Time of Favor 4-12-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your Word wash over me, let Your Spirit come fill me, as I watch and wait for You in the stillness of the morning and the quietness of my soul. ... "Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I have answered you, on a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; saying to the prisoners, 'Come out,' to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' They shall feed along the ways, on all their bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for He Who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them" (Isaiah 49.8-10). Yes, Lord. This is a time of favor; this is the day of salvation. You are releasing Your Word to Your people to come out of the chains that have held us back and to bring the dark places of our souls out into Your light. We will feed on Your Word and be filled with Your Spirit. You will lead us out of the desert places where our vision was drying up and our purpose was perishing. You have already provided Your springs of water along the way -- where we will be refreshed and renewed, healed and delivered, anointed and empowered for Your will and our calling. Your Kingdom will be established in our hearts and the heritage of Your people will be restored and then released in Your power to others. And this is our heritage -- that we are created and loved by our God, Who is redeeming our past and fulfilling our future, right now in the present. For all who will receive it, this is the time of favor; today is the day of salvation. We ask for it and we receive it this day -- through our faith, in Your power, all by Your grace. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Praying Friends, if the Lord is ministering His love and encouragement to you through our ministry, please include us in your generous giving to His Kingdom. Even a small amount is a wonderful blessing and encouragement to us, since we raise all our own funds for ministry. Contributions to "Messiah Ministries" are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated. God bless you! Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, KY 40502. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Conformed to Christ 4-11-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You each day. ... We tend to spend so much of the energy of our lives to know what is the will of God. And rightly so. We will never find fulfillment in anything less than Your will for us. You have a plan and purpose that You have gifted us and anointed us to live out, then blessed us with the gift of freedom to choose to find and follow Your will for our lives or not. Even when we choose "not," the spiritual principles You have created to govern our lives lead us back into the currents with Your will if we stop resisting the flow of "the River of the Water of Life" (Revelation 22.1-7). In seeking the flow of Your will, Your Holy Spirit is continually drawing us out of the tributaries and side streams that can get us swirling around in the eddies of the circumstances of our lives. As someone has said, "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." Lord, what is the main thing? What is the primary flow of Your will through our lives? "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4.3). Yes, Lord. You are sanctifying us into the image of Christ. Your will is that we be conformed to Christ. "And God, Who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom He predestined He also called; and those whom He called He also justified; and those whom He justified He also glorified" (Romans 8.27-30). As we look to You and follow You, we become more like You. "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3.18). This is the main thing. This is the flow of the River of Life. This is Your will for our lives. Let us view every circumstance and every challenge as a means to the end in our journey. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

All in All 4-10-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord, my God, my King, my Best Friend -- You are my All in All. ... "I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, which are the riches of His glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power for us who believe, according to the working of His great power. God put this power to work in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And He has put all things under His feet and made Him the head over all things for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1.17-23). We receive wisdom and revelation as we come to know You. Some say there is power in knowledge, and that is true. The greatest power we can have is in knowing You. Then we can begin to know the hope to which You have called us. Then we can begin to know the immeasurable greatness of Your power toward us. This is the wisdom and revelation to begin to understand this mystery of our calling and purpose -- that You are our head and we are Your body, as You fill us with the fullness of Your presence. In this way, "Christ is all and in all" (Colossians 3.11). "When Christ Who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" (Colossians 3.4). These are "the riches of His glorious inheritance among the saints" that we come to know and understand, as we come to know You a little more each day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

I Surrender All 4-9-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are faithful and true, worthy of our trust and worthy of our praise. I praise You now in the trusting surrender of my life today. ... You prepared Your disciples for the troubled times to come. They would need to stand firm in the power of Your strength as everything around them would be shaken to its foundations. Before You told them of the things to come, You told them of the heart they would need. Ironically, you pointed them to the brokenness and surrender of an old woman: "He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said truly I tell you, truly this widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on" (Luke 21.1-4). That was the key to survive and to triumph through troubled times -- "she put in all she had." She held nothing back, but gave You her all. Where our hearts are, there our treasure will be also. When our hearts are completely surrendered to You, we have nothing to lose. We when are standing completely in Your strength, we have nowhere to fall. When we are emptied of ourselves, we can be filled with You. When we recognize the poverty of our own power apart from You, we are prepared to receive the riches of Your provision for our every need. Then we will not merely survive, we will triumph in the power of Your strength. And those whose hearts are failing for fear of the shaking of heaven and earth around them will turn to the One they see standing firm in us. Give us the wisdom and the grace to prepare for troubled times -- to put in all we have to give of ourselves now so that we will always have all You have to give of Yourself. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouaraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for our revival in Georgia. Last night we came to a place of deep surrender of ourselves to be filled with the fullness of Him. I pray the same for each of you. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory 4-8-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. One-on-one, my hand in Yours, Your heart in mine, make us one, in the communion of prayer. ... "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever" (Matthew 6.13). Our Father, we are Your sons and daughters; we are children of God. You have honored us by giving us Your name. You have called us to give us Your nature. Let Your kingdom come here in our hearts, here in our thoughts, here in the encounters of our lives. Your kingdom comes wherever and whenever we bow to Your authority and submit to Your will and Your ways in trusting surrender. When we put our hand in Yours, the kingdom of God is at hand. Then Your power is released in us and in every circumstance we face. The glory of Your manifest presence fills our hearts and covers our lives, as Your light shines through Your people (Isaiah 60.1-3). Your kingdom comes as Your will is done. "Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head above all. Riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might; and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. And now, our God, we give thanks to You and praise Your glorious name!" (1 Chronicles 29.11-13). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Press On and Press Through 4-7-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse my heart and purify my thoughts, as I humble myself in silence before You, to watch and wait for Your leading. ... Many start well, but You have called us to finish well. Many do well for a season, but You have called us to be ready and available for Your purposes in all seasons. Let us never grow satisfied with what we have done, but always eager to see what more You will do. Increase our desire to press on; intensify our resolve to press through. Let every obstacle we face become an opportunity to grow. Let every challenge before us become a lesson we learn. Anoint us with the power of perseverance. As You have said, "The one who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10.22; 24.9). Let us keep on seeking and receiving the fullness of Your salvation with our Your glory in our sight and Your resolve in our hearts. Let us settle for nothing less than the eternal pleasure of hearing Your words, "Well done, My good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25.21). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Life and Death 4-6-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Giver of life, for You are Life. Breathe Your life afresh into my spirit and soul and body this day and every day. ... The headlines are flooded with a tidal wave of death in these days -- the deaths of Pope John Paul and Terry Schiavo; victims of earthquakes, tsunamis, famines and disease; massacres and murders of terrorism; the tragedy and casualties of war; the shock of shootings even in our children's schools. We are awash in a sea of blood throughout the earth. The darkness of destruction and death is on the march. "Who can live and never see death? Who can escape the power of Sheol? (Psalm 89.48). Yet, Life lives on in the face of death. As we turn our eyes to You, Life leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14.6). It is the thief who comes to steal and kill and destroy, but You have come that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10.10). In the victory of Your cross, "death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15.54). Yet victory must be enforced, soul by soul, nation by nation, generation by generation, as Life marches on and "the last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15.26). You have won the victory over death for us by embracing life through death, by enduring the shame of death for the sake of the joy of life beyond the gate of death (Hebrews 12.1-2). "Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death (Hebrews 2.14-15). Praise You, Lord Jesus, for Your victory over death and the one who wields the power of death. You have captured the thief and put him under Your feet. Though we may have to pass through the gate of the death and live our lives through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear. You snatch us out of the hands of death and place us into the hands of our Father. Death is one of the gates of hell that cannot prevail against You and Your church (Matthew 16.18). There is a generation who will see the fullness of Your Kingdom and the ultimate consummation of Your victory -- who will not even "taste of death" (Matthew 16.27-28). There will soon come a day of the world-wide display of Your victory over death when You return in glory. "For the Lord Himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4.16-18). "My son, embrace Life and not death. Death is to be endured, not glorified. Death is a passing moment of apparent victory for the one who delights in the marring of My creation, yet he is defeated and I am enforcing My victory for all those who entrust their lives to Me. This is how I delight even through the death of My precious ones, for death becomes a door into the fullness of life." Yes, Lord. We overcome death though life in You. Thank You for helping us to grow in understanding. Death is a step in the journey through a broken and fallen world, but our hope is not in this world or its ways. Our hope is in You. Let us be encouraged by Your Word: "I have said this to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!" (John 16.33). "Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15.57). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouaraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Steady as She Goes 4-5-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am to worship. Here I am to pray. Here I am to watch and to wait as we begin a new day. ... "Steady as she goes." Yes, Lord. In a way, our lives are like a ship at Your command. We may encounter troubling seas or dangerous waters, but we are to stay the course, moving forward with caution, at Your command. We are to move steadily forward and we are to move cautiously; but we need not fear, for we will not waver as we continue to place You at the helm. "To be steady, is to be consistent and persistent. Keep your eyes fixed on Me, and I will direct your course. Keep your ears tuned to the sound of My voice, and you will hear My commands. Though you traverse troubled waters, you will not crash upon the shoals, but will fulfill the calling of your journey." Yes, Lord. You are the Master and Commander of our vessel. You are the Lord of Hosts and the Captain of our command. Give us the wisdom to seek You, the sensitivity to hear You, and the courage to obey. "Keep my steps steady according to Your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me" (Psalm 119.133). Then we will be steady and secure through these troubled times. Then we will know Your peace in the journey and finish our course for our generation with valor and honor, by Your grace. "Those of steadfast mind, You keep in peace -- in peace because they trust in You" (Isaiah 26.3). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'd appreciate your prayers for our revival this weekend at Hickory Flat United Methodist Church in Canton, Georgia. May the Lord stir His revival in your hearts and cities. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Open Our Eyes 4-4-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take my thoughts and lead me near to You -- from the outer court, to the inner court, to the Holy of Holies beyond the veil. ... When we come inside a room from the outside, our eyes have to adjust so that we can see. The same is true when we go from the inside to the outside. The same vision that serves us well in one realm is not sufficient for the other. For these days, our eyes must adjust to see more clearly the spiritual realities beyond the veil of the physical circumstances. For the carnal mind steeped in the ways of the world, this is foolishness; but for the worshippers and warriors who will be Your heart and hands upon the earth by Your Spirit in these days, this is essential. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5.7). Lord, increase our faith, our wisdom, and our discernment that are necessary to bridge the realms of the spiritual and physical. "The discerning person looks to wisdom, but the eyes of a fool to the ends of the earth" (Proverbs 17.24). You are Spirit and You lead us by Your Spirit, so we must learn to be as comfortable in the spiritual realm as in the physical realm of our lives. We must learn how to see more clearly with our spiritual eyes. As You opened the eyes of Elisha's servant to the spiritual realities beyond the surface of the physical circumstances, open our spiritual eyes, that we may see to worship and to fight as You lead (2 Kings 6.15-17). You only did what You saw our Father doing (John 5.19). May Your Holy Spirit open our eyes to see what our Father is doing -- for that is what we are called to do and that is where we are called to go, all by Your power and by Your grace. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Spiritual Fathers 4-3-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and exalted throughout the earth and here in my heart. ... Pope John Paul II passed through the gates of death into the presence of Life yesterday. He sees You face to face in the glory of eternity as he takes his place among the great cloud of witnesses who have run their race and finished their course on earth (Hebrews 12.1-2). Though all do not agree with all of his teachings and interpretations of Your Word as the leader of the stream of Christianity known as the Roman Catholic Church, all may agree that he sought to be an "ambassador of Christ" with humility, integrity, and faith. Not being from that stream, I have been reflecting on the idea of the Catholic office of Pope. As I understand it, the title of "Pope" comes from the Latin word for "papa," meaning a term of affection for "father." As in our journey of life in the natural realm, it is true that we are to grow in maturity in the spiritual realm as well. You spoke of these levels of spiritual maturity through the apostle John: "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven on account of His name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him Who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one. I write to you children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know Him Who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one" (1 John 2.12-14). As the church moves forward at Your command, those who have grown from children in the faith to young men and women of the faith, are now being called to take their places as spiritual fathers and mothers in the Lord. Father, give them grace to lead with humility, integrity, and faith. When Moses passed on to be with You, Joshua was ready to take his place of leadership and to move forward in the advance of Your kingdom. Though You are our Father, You also bless us with spiritual fathers to help us grow in maturity. Though You are our Teacher, You also bless us with spiritual teachers to help us understand Your Word and Your ways. Help us grow in grace so that we will each be ready to take our place in our generation, as You fulfill Your purposes in us and through us to Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Moving Forward 4-2-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. May You increase and I decrease. Let my thoughts be still, so that I can hear Yours'; let my heart be quiet so I can sense the leading of Yours'. ... "Move forward. Do not hesitate as I give the command. This is why I have been training you to hear My voice, to sense My leading, to know My Word. I have been preparing you, sanctifying you, equipping you. Now I am moving you forward. Though it will be one step at a time, there will be steps. Your steps will not be alone, for I am moving My people forward in unity and in agreement. Steady steps, in agreement, directed by My voice, will become a march." Yes, Lord. Doors in line with our dreams will begin to open that have not been open before. Thoughts that seemed like distant visions will become reality as they grow in intensity and we hear them confirmed in the mouth of witnesses You send across our paths. Your Kingdom is advancing as You move Your people forward. Before the walls of Jericho fell down, You first called Your people to march, but when You gave the command, "the people charged straight ahead in to the city and captured it" (Joshua 6.20). Give us discernment to hear You and courage to obey You, as the march begins. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Jesus is Lord 4-1-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I actively welcome You into my heart and my thoughts in whole-hearted surrender and single-minded devotion. ... " 'The Word is near to you, on your lips and in your heart' (that is the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, 'No one who believes in Him will be put to shame' "(Romans 10.8-11). Lord, let our lips and our lives come into agreement; let our minds and our hearts be one. Release in us the kind of knowing faith that truly transforms our lives rather than a superficial level of identity with You. Knowing the right doctrines or understanding with our minds Who You are and what You have done is different from living a life in surrender to the leading of Your Lordship in every area of our lives. As Your Word warns us, "You believe that God is One; you do well. Even the demons believe -- and shudder" (James 2.19). Let our faith not be a facade. Let our lives be a reflection of our hearts, and let our hearts be fully surrendered to You. You give us the right and the responsibility to choose whether to fully surrender our lives to You or not, and You hold us accountable for our choices. As best as I can, I willingly submit to Your Lordship in every area of my life. You are Lord of my spirit, my soul, and my body. You are Lord of my marriage, my family, and all my relationships. You are Lord of my identity and Lord of my destiny, Lord of my work and my ministry, Lord of my gifting and calling and anointing. You are Lord of my finances and resources. You are Lord of my hopes, my dreams, my plans. You are Lord of my past, my present, and my future. You are Lord of all, as far as Your grace will go. I choose to declare now with my lips and my life, by Your grace, what all will declare sooner or later -- as every knee bows and every tongue confesses -- that "Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2.9-11). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we'll be at the regional conference for Aglow International in Lexington, KY this weekend, where I serve as one of the advisors. Please cover us in your prayers and may the Lord cover you in His love. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Deliver Us from Evil 3-31-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the peace of Your presence settle over me, as You draw me in to the place of prayer. ... "Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one" (2 Thessalonians 3.1-3). In this broken and fallen world, where we face the challenges of suffering and sickness and death each day, we also face evil. According to Your Word, there are "evil people" and there is "the evil one." Help us to keep the distinction clear. We are to love the people and hate the evil one. You call us to love the people and to forgive them, while confronting them by speaking the truth in love -- even when they are doing evil things that hurt others and hurt us (Matthew 5.43-48). But we are to war against the evil one. "For our struggle is not against enemies of flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6.12). Thank You for Your faithfulness. You are always there to strengthen us and to guard us from the evil one. You deliver us from evil as we entrust ourselves to Your care -- not passively, but actively, as we take up our armor to be clothed in Christ in order to take our stand against our true enemy. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6.10-11). What peace You bring even in the midst of the battles -- battles we win by Your grace as we keep loving the people even in the face of evil. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Come to Me 3-30-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I humble myself in Your sight to watch and wait for Your leading. Fill my heart with the fullness of Your presence, I pray. ... Thank You for Your promise to sustain us when we become weary and renew us when we are weak. There is so much pain and so much need in this broken and fallen world, as time continues to accelerate to the fulfillment of all things. Yet in Your grace, You remind us that we are but the instruments in Your hands. We are not to bear the burdens on ourselves, but we are to bear them to You. We are not the answer, but we are to lead others to the One Who is. "Come to Me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11.28-30). You are singing a new song of the Spirit over us, as You lift these burdens we've been bearing from our shoulders and take them onto Yours: "Come to Me; Come rest in Me; Come lay your head down. As I arise; Though I had died; I rise up in you. I am your strength; Your friend in deed; I supply your every need. Just trust in Me; Believe in Me; With your mind and with your heart. Then you will see; I'm all you need; Your Master and Your King. I'll walk with you; I'll see you through; I'll lead you in My ways. Give Me your sorrows; Give Me your pain; I free you from all shame. Come seek My joy; Come know My peace; I fill you with My love. Receive My life; Let go of strife; Be made one and whole in Me. For I am Love; And I love you; Come receive My love. Forevermore; And for every day; I am always here. I never leave; So just believe; Put your trust in Me. There's no other way; To face each day; Apart from My love for you. So come and rest in Me." Yes, Lord. Thank You for this new song You've written in my spirit. We come to You this day to rest in You as You arise in us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please feel free to use any of these songs, peoms, or words that come from the Lord as He may lead. They belong to Him. The words in quotes in my devotionals, not referenced by a Scripture, are from the Lord in prayer that day. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Touch Me 3-29-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit, as You abide in me and I abide in You. ... As You walked into the room where Your disciples hid, You've come to walk into the room of our spirits, in the closet of prayer. You humbled Thomas' pride and unbelief by offering the body of Christ to him that day (John 20.19-25). Now, You call us to humble ourselves to receive Your body and Your blood in the communion of prayer with Your Holy Spirit every day: "Touch My hands -- they were nailed to the cross for you. Touch My side -- it was pierced to let the water and the blood flow down for you. Touch My feet -- as you humble yourself in My sight, I will lift you up. Touch My head -- the crown of thorns has become My crown of glory. Touch my back -- the stripes I bore were for your healing and the punishment that should have been laid up you has been laid upon Me, that you might be made whole. I am the fullness of your salvation by the sacrifice of My love for you. Touch Me with your hearts, welcome Me in your spirits, and receive the full measure of all I have suffered for you to receive." Yes, Lord. You don't want us to hold back, but to draw near -- with humble hearts, in trusting faith. Let us honor You by receiving all that the sacrifice of Your life has given. Remove our pride that causes us to hesitate, though we think it is humility. Remove our doubt and unbelief that causes us to question, though we think it is wisdom. "For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1.18). Thank You for the power of God released to us through the sacrifice of Your cross and the glory of Your resurrection. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Resurrection Power! 3-28-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Arise in my heart as we begin this new day together. ... Today begins the season of forty days we remember how You appeared in Your resurrection glory, beginning to point Your disciples to the Holy Spirit, Who would come lead them in Your ways to fulfill their destiny. "After His suffering He presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God. While staying with them, He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. 'This,' He said, 'is what you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now' " (Acts 1.3-5). Thank You, Lord, for the many convincing proofs of Your life and Your power when we turn our eyes to You and call upon Your name. You lift the burdens we can't bear alone, You turn our mourning into joy, You free us from the bondage of the world, the flesh, and the devil. And You give us the gift of Your Holy Spirit, as our Father has promised to send in Your name, to dwell in our hearts and empower us to live our lives in Your resurrection power. Breathe the breath of Your Spirit into our spirits afresh this day and every day, that we may fulfill our destiny in our generation, as Your first disciples did in theirs'. As was said of those first believers, let it be said of us: "These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also!" (Acts 17.6). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be preaching a revival in Canton, Georgia the weekend of April 8-9 called "the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory." If you're in that area, please come, and if not, please cover us in your prayers. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

He is Risen! 3-27-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Consume my thoughts in these moments alone with You at the start of a new day. ... "He is risen!" "He is risen indeed!" Since the beginning of Your church, Your disciples have greeted one another this way on the day we celebrate Your resurrection. You were crucified, dead, and buried, but on the third day, You arose! Death could not hold You, Satan could not defeat You -- You are Life itself, and life always overcomes death just as light always overcomes darkness. "But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again" (Luke 24.1-7). Roll away the stones of doubt and unbelief, and arise in our hearts in the power of Your resurrection. We've been looking for the living among the dead for too long. Free us from the hold of mediocrity in our lives, trying to live the life of faith without being crucified in our flesh and dead to the ways of this world. You are not there in those places and in those ways, You are here before us in Your resurrected glory calling us to arise with You. "If the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you" (Romans 8.11). "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5.14). Yes, Lord. Let this day be our third day, as we arise in newness of life with You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Day of Silence 3-26-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let my body be still; let my soul be quiet; let my spirit soar, as I settle in to the place of prayer to follow where Your Spirit leads. ... You breathed Your last on Good Friday and they laid You in the tomb behind the stone. On Resurrection Sunday the stone would be rolled away and You would rise in the victory of resurrection power. What of Saturday -- the day the silence of the grave must have been deafening? "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which He also went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you--not as removal of dirt from the body, but as a appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to Him" (1 Peter 3.18-22). "But they will have to give an accounting to Him Who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does" (1 Peter 4.4-6). Though the tomb was silent on the day between the first day and third day, You were not. The One Who would rise to the highest heaven also descended to the depths of hell (Ephesians 4.8-10). You were proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God, as "the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead." You are relentless in the sacrifice of Your love for us; You are relentless in Your pursuit of our hearts for You. Open the blinded eyes to Your truth and soften the hardened hearts to Your love, so that through repentance and faith, even "death is swallowed up in victory" by the power of Your resurrected Life (1 Corinthians 15.54). Thanks be to God! In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

It is Finished 3-25-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my eyes to see You and open my ears to hear you, as I wait and watch for Your leading. ... "It is finished" (John 19.30). On a Friday long ago that we now call good, You poured out Your blood and gave up Your spirit for us all. You Who knew no sin were made to be sin for us. Everything that could keep us from receiving the fullness of our salvation and living in deepest intimacy in relationship with our God was laid upon You that day -- as You hung naked and alone, rejected and despised upon the cross for us. "Surely He has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53.4-6). Though it did not seem good that day, it would be revealed to be the greatest day. Death would give way to life, despair would give way to joy, and defeat would give way to victory. Your light overcame the darkness, and the Kingdom of Heaven was eternally established upon the earth. The plan and purposes of God were finished, accomplished, and fulfilled. Give us the faith to believe it and the courage to live it. The power of Your blood is available to overcome every obstacle to the fullness of our salvation through the victory of Your cross, but You have left it to us to enforce the victory and apply the blood, by Your grace. Let us fulfill our responsibility, because You have already fulfilled Yours. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Place of Surrender 3-24-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Teach me Your ways and lead me in Your paths -- the truth is I have so very far to go. Yet You are my example, my light, and my strength as I choose to follow in Your steps, by Your grace. Strengthen me for the journey each day in our time of prayer together. ... Your steps on this earth led You to a garden called Gethsemane -- the place of absolute surrender to the will of our Father. "Then He said to them, 'I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here and stay awake with Me.' And going a little farther, He threw Himself on the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not what I want but what You want" (Matthew 26.38-39). There is a cup for each of us to drink, just as there is a cross for each of us to bear. "If any want to become My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it" (Mark 8.34-35). Blinded by their own insecurities and puffed up in their own pride, Your first disciples thought they were ready to drink of the cup, as they revealed the blind-spots in their vision of themselves. "And they said to Him, 'Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.' But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized with?" They replied, "We are able" (Mark 10.37-39). They said they were able, but they were not. They thought they had come a long way, but they had far to go. We cannot share in the glory of Your resurrection without first sharing in the crucifixion of Your death. We cannot rise up and follow You until we bow down and surrender. Show us what is our cup to drink, what is our cross to bear. Open our eyes to see the flesh that still needs to be crucified in our soul and the hardness of our pride that still needs to be humbled. Bring us each to the place where we surrender and submit to Your will and Your way. This is the place where we say with You, by Your grace, "Not my will, but Thy will, be done." In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Freely Receive, Freely Give 3-23-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I enter in to the place of prayer with this praise song on my heart: "He gave His life, what more could He give? -- O how He loves you; O how He loves me; O how He loves you and me." ... You gave Your life freely for us so that we can give our lives freely to others. As You sent out Your first disciples to lay down their lives for others in ministry, You told them"...Freely have you received, freely give" (Matthew 10.8). Then, as we give our lives away for others as You have given away Your life for us, there is no limit to the blessings and favor and grace You lavish upon our lives in Your ways and in Your timing. It's an application of Your spiritual principles: "For with the judgment you make, you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get (Matthew 7.2). "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow" (Galatians 6.7). It would be wrong to try to manipulate these principles for our own gain; and, at the same time, it would be foolish not to know these principles apply to our lives. Praise You for the beautiful and amazing revelation of these principles last weekend. A lady named MaryAnn came up to the team for prayer because of the pain in her shoulder from severed tendons, where she couldn't lift her arm. Her livelihood was as a woodworker and she had just restored and refinished a communion table for the local Baptist Church. Though she didn't have much, she felt You laid it on her heart to write across their bill, "No Charge." As she asked for prayer Friday night and tried to describe what she couldn't do, she was doing it as she lifted her arm straight up in the air. Soon she was lifting it up with joy and praise! It was as if You said from heaven, "No Charge," as You restored and refinished her. Then, if that were not enough to make Your point, another lady named Dianne ran up to her Saturday morning after hearing the testimony. She said she knew about the joy and blessing of giving in response to Your call to give when it seemed there was nothing to give, as she put several twenty dollar bills in MaryAnn's hand. It was a humbling moment for all of us. Then some of us heard "the rest of the story" Sunday morning at Dianne's local Methodist Church! She had come home Saturday night and her kids immediately noticed a fresh joy and peace in their mother's heart. Then she opened the mail to find a letter from Eastern Kentucky University offering a full, four-year scholarship for her oldest child. She couldn't quit shouting from the front of the church, "You can't out-give God!" No, we can't. It might not always happen so quickly and so directly from our limited perspective, but it is one of the ways You have called us to be like You. You gave Your life, what more could You give? Freely have we received, now we are to freely give. Whether it's our love, our time, our resources, or our forgiveness, any gift we have to give is just a gift you've first given to us. Give us the wisdom and the courage, the humility and the faith, to give our lives away to one another as You lead. For as we give to one another with grateful hearts, we are giving to You (Matthew 25.40). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Holy Week 3-22-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You in to the temple of my body; be exalted on the throne of my heart. ... Changed hearts; changed lives -- You did not come to die on the cross to start a new religion; You came to change us into the people You created us to be. We are created for relationship, not religion; we are created for intimacy, not independence. Yet You can only change us to the degree that we admit we need to be changed. We confess we are often blinded by our pride and our wounds have grown calloused so that we lose our sensitivity to Your touch and dull the discernment of Your voice. Sometimes we need You to come bursting into the temples of our lives and turn over the tables. We need You to come drive out the moneychangers we've allowed to come in and set up shop in the holy ground of our hearts (Matthew 21.12-17). That's when we'll know that Holy Week is more than a few days on the calendar before Easter Sunday. Come set up Your house of prayer in our hearts. Come let judgment begin in the house of the Lord (1 Peter 4.17). Come slay our pride, cleanse our hearts, and change our lives in the power of Your coming. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Every Day Matters 3-21-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my eyes to see You in the Word; open my ears to hear You in the still, small voice. ... It seems You are saying, "In these days, every day matters. When I call you to rest, then rest for you will need your rest in the day I call you to arise. When I call you to go, then go for I have already prepared the way. When I call you to wait, then wait for I am ordering your steps and the steps of others. Every encounter is a divine encounter; every moment is a holy moment, if you will entrust each day to Me." Yes, Lord. Give us this perspective that every day matters, every moment matters. Yet as we look to You as our guide and our source of provision, it is not a burden we cannot bear because You bear it for us. It's not a responsibility we cannot fulfill because You fulfill it through us. In the wilderness, they sought You and Your provision every day. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not" (Exodus 16.4). Every day mattered to them and every day must matter to us. As You taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Luke 11.3). You are the source of our provision and You provide all we need. You call us to be ready to do our part, each day, so that all the parts come together to accomplish Your purpose in these days. Let us not waste a single day. Every day matters, because every life You would touch through us every day matters. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for our weekend retreat. There were incredible testimonies already of God's healing love and the desire to pray for others to recieve it. May you recieve His healing love and give it away to others each day. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Palm Sunday 3-20-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Hosanna, praises to the King! ... This is the day we call Palm Sunday -- the day all the people of Jerusalem waved their palm branches and laid them at Your feet to welcome You as King. "The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is the One Who comes in the name of the Lord--the King of Israel!' Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: 'Do not be afraid, Daughter of Zion. Look your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!' His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of Him and had been done to Him" (John 12.12-16). As they lifted their palm branches, we lift our hands and hearts and faces to You. When we look upon You and the sacrifice of Your love for us and the power of Your love You release into our lives, we can't help but praise You. We lift our arms in praise like the branches of the trees to declare Your glory. "For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands" (Isaiah 55.12). As You said on that day, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out" (Luke 19.40). We lift our hearts in praise and bow them down at Your feet. We welcome You as King of kings and Lord of lords in our hearts and in our cities. We join all creation in shouting Your praises and giving You glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Welcomed, Taught, Healed 3-19-05

Morning by Morning, Saturday 3-19-05 -- Welcomed, Taught, Healed Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my hand to take Your hand; I lift my face to seek Your face. ... When the people drew near to You as You walked this earth in the flesh, You welcomed them, You taught them about the kingdom of God, and You healed them as they had need (Luke 9.11). You have not changed. As we draw near to You, You draw near to us. You welcome us into Your presence as we lift up our hearts and open our spirits to You. You teach us Your word and Your ways as we listen for the leading of Your voice and allow Your thoughts to be our thoughts. You heal us and make us whole as we entrust our spirits and souls and bodies into Your care. Little by little and step by step, You bring our lives back into created order, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, refreshed and renewed by the Spirit of God. As You have welcomed us, You send us out in our day to welcome others into Your presence. Because we have welcomed Your presence in us, we carry Your presence wherever we go. Because we have allowed You to teach us and allow Your thoughts to shape our thoughts, we teach others about Your kingdom with our lives along the way. Because we have embraced Your healing touch, we are vessels of Your healing love to released through us into the lives we touch each day. Thank You Lord, for loving us. Thank You Lord, for loving through us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep praying for us at our prayer ministry training retreat in Kentucky. The Lord moved mightily to touch His people with deep emotional healing of a lady's soul and with a physical healing miracle of a lady's shoulder! May He touch you today! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Forgiven and Forgiving 3-18-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here in my heart, I step in to the closet of prayer and close the door to everything else in these moments I give to You. ... "My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves" (Galatians 6.1-3). As it is said, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." How humbled we should be by Your steadfast love and Your amazing grace. You forgive us of every sin by Your mercy and our repentance, then You cast them "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103.12). You humble our pride and slay our self-righteousness further by calling us to restore one another when they have fallen, even coming along side them to bear their burdens to the foot of Your cross. This is part of Your grace of taking away the shame but not the memory of the sins of our past. You remember them no more, but is Your grace to allow us to remember, for he who has been forgiven much, loves much (Luke 7.47). You allow the joy of forgiveness rather than the shame of failure to rise up within us when we remember, when we need to, so that we will be humble enough to be Your hands of restoration to one another, not being too prideful to bear one another's burdens. "For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins (2 Peter 1.9). Thank You for the blessing of forgiving and cleansing us of much, and thank You for the blessing of restoring and loving one another with much. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be leading a prayer ministry retreat this weekend in a series of meetings in Princeton, KY with the churches of the Madisonville District of the Methodist Church. Please keep us in your prayers, and I pray the Lord will be equipping you to fulfill your calling as His body wherever you are. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Led by The Spirit 3-17-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You refresh and renew me in Your presence. ... There are many facets to Your identity and many dimensions to Your nature. You are humble, yet You are bold. You are gentle, yet You are determined. You were humble as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, like a lamb led to slaughter but did not open Your mouth (Isaiah 53.7; John 1.29). Yet, You boldly confronted hypocrisy, deception, and evil (Matthew 23.13; 16.23). You call us to be like You, to learn from Your ways, but we must be led by Your Spirit in every moment if we are to live out Your nature in every circumstance. We have in You the greatest example we could have, yet we are not to merely imitate Your actions from a passage of Scripture, we are to allow Your living presence to live through us in every moment. Yes, we need You to teach us Your ways, but we also need You to live Your ways through us. We are to be taught by the Master and "led by the Spirit" (Galatians 5.18). In this way, we will be Your body and reveal Your nature in the encounters and circumstances of our lives. Come teach us and come lead us moment by moment and day by day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please Come to The Fountain this Saturday night (3rd Sat. of every month) for our ecumenical, Spirit-led gathering of prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel at Centenary in Lexington. All are welcome. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Holy Double-Vision 3-16-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. "Be Thou my vision, O Lord, my God." ... You told Nicodemus, "No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.... What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3.3-6). Lord, open our eyes to see as You see. Let us not only see the kingdoms of this world in their present state, but let have Your vision to see the kingdom of God being made manifest in their midst. Let us not only see the flesh of one another on the outside, but let us also see the spirit of one another on the inside. Let us not only see things as they now are, but also see things as You intend them to be. Teach us how to come into agreement with the Redeemer instead of the accuser. Give us Your holy double-vision -- vision to see things as they are in the flesh, but to also see things as they are to be redeemed in Your Spirit by the blood of Jesus. Give us Your vision of Your kingdom so that we may see more as You see and agree with Your redeeming words of life. You are the God "Who gives life to the dead and call into existence the things that do not exist" (Romans 4.17). Teach us to see more as You see, so that we may speak more as You speak. Then we will be Your instruments to release life instead of death, healing instead of hurt, and peace instead of pain. By Your grace and through Your people, Your kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven -- in our lives and in the lives of those around us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Persistence in Prayer 3-15-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be the heart of my prayer, the center of my thoughts, and the foundation of my day. ... Three years ago my Grandmother lost the wedding ring Papa gave her over sixty years ago. Nanny was heartsick and couldn't quite bring herself to just let it go. She must have been like the woman who kept coming to the judge for justice or the friend who kept banging on the door for bread in the middle of the night in the parables You taught on persistence in prayer. You must have put it on her heart to pray through to victory. She was digging holes to plant tulips for Easter in her little flower garden when her garden tool hit something hard deep down in the dirt. There it was -- her pearl of great price! You gave her the desires of her heart. The delay in the answer to prayer only made her grow more determined to persevere. The value of her treasure only made her shout of praise that much louder. I had to pull the phone back from my ear while her eighty-seven year old lungs filled that little west Texas town with shouts of praise and hallelujahs to You. The prayer of perseverance is like the prayer You put on the hearts of the watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem: "Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they will never be silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest, and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout all the earth" (Isaiah 62.6-7). Lord, give us grace to know the prayers You are putting on our heart that we are to pray through to victory. Teach us how to persevere until we see the victory or You lift the burden. And thank You for answering Nanny's prayer. How you must have delighted in her celebration of thanksgiving and how You have touched the hearts of all who can't help but hear her shouts of praise! In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!