Steady as a Rock 6-24-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the old song says, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee."... "I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:1-2). Like a solid rock that never moves, You are steadfast and true, unchanging and unmoving. I find my strength in Your strength, my courage in Your courage. As I look to You, my heart is steadied and still. I am comforted and encouraged in the security of the stronghold of Your covenant with me. In You, "I shall not be moved" (Psalm 62:6, NKJV). In You, I take my stand to face with faith whatever comes -- steady as a rock, stead in the Rock. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Love Casts Out Fear 6-23-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. By Your grace and in Your power, I choose to depend on You. Be my wisdom, be my strength. Be my Father and my Savior. Be my Lord, my God, and my Best Friend. ... "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, 'Abba! Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ -- if, in fact, we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:14-17). It is the spirit of slavery that always tries to draw me back in to fear -- fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of trusting. But it is the Spirit of Adoption -- the Holy Spirit of the Living God living in me -- who is always trying to draw me forward into the fullness of the future to fulfill my calling and destiny in You. I am a son of God, and You are my Father. I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. Your Spirit bears witness with my spirit of the deepest bonds of relationship with You in every dimension of Your Being -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By grace, You have chosen to identify Yourself with me; and by faith, I have chosen to identify myself with You -- in suffering and in glory, in failure and in success, in this world and in the world to come. Keep giving me faith to live in this truth. Keep giving me grace to live in this bond of trust by Your love for me as Your child. Faith in Your love for me breaks the power of all fear and delivers me from every spirit of slavery. "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:17-18). Abba, Father! Keep casting out my fear and keep filling me with Your love. As You do, You are casting out every unholy spirit and filling me with Your Holy Spirit, for You are Perfect Love. "God is love, and those who abide in God abide in love, and God abides in them" (1 John 4:16). Lord God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- keep abiding in me as I keep abiding in You, all by Your grace and all in Your love. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends of Tommy Hays and Messiah Ministries, Please prayerfully consider giving joyfully and generously to the ministry of the Lord through Messiah Ministries as He leads you. Like a missionary, I raise my own funds for the work of our ministry. Our calling and vision is to do our part in the power of His Spirit to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God, to bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free (Isaiah 61; Luke 4)! Messiah Ministries ... Ministering the Healing Love of God, Preparing the Way of the Lord. Our Address for Contributions and Ministry is: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Our website: www.messiah-ministries.org Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe/Unsubscribe at MessiahMin@aol.com Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Kingdom is Near 6-22-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I submit and entrust my life to You, let there be more of You and less of me, more of Your nature and less of my nature -- morning by morning and day by day. ... You sent out seventy disciples -- not just twelve -- into Your harvest of souls, saying, "Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves" (Luke 10:1-3). But even though You warned them You were sending them to "the wolves," You told them to begin their ministry to the people by speaking words of peace rather than judgment, first giving people the chance to welcome Your disciples and Your message of hope and life through faith. "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you" (verse 10:5-6). The peace of Your presence is within us, as Your disciples. As we go to the places You send us, we are not offering people ourselves, we are offering them You. But at the same time, we offer them You through us -- through the peace of Your presence living in us and flowing through us by Your Holy Spirit. As we abide in You and allow You to abide in us, our nature becomes more like Your nature, our words become more like Your words, and then the peace we offer is Your peace You are offering through us. It's all about You -- but amazingly, You offer Yourself through us -- those You have called and discipled and sent to proclaim with authority and to demonstrate with power that "The kingdom of God has come near to you" (verse 10:8-9). By the grace and the mystery of Your Spirit living in us, You said, "Whoever listens to you listens to Me, and whoever rejects you rejects Me, and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me" (verse 10:16). And there are consequences for our choices -- the choices we make to go where You send us and to do what You command us, as well as the choices they make to welcome us or reject us, to share in Your peace or not. There will come a day of Your "judgment" for each of us, based upon the choices we make in the light of Your grace (verse 10:14). Lord, give me grace to choose well -- first in welcoming and receiving those You send to bring Your peace, and then in going out into Your harvest to share the peace of Your presence I have welcomed into my soul with others -- even to "the wolves" You warned me I would encounter along the way. Keep me close to You, starting each day and continuing each day in You, so that it is more and more Your true nature and Your true message that others have a chance to welcome or reject. Let it be Your kingdom and not my kingdom that "has come near" (verse 10:9 and 10:11). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Laborers of the Harvest 6-21-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I entrust my life and this day to You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "After this, the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where He himself intended to go. He said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest' " (Luke 10:1-2). Lord of the harvest, send out laborers into Your harvest. Send us out ahead of You to every town and place where You intend to go. Send us out in pairs, teamed together in relationships of interdependence and trust, complimenting one another's gifts and callings, temperaments and strengths. You don't just tell us to go, You also tell us to pray -- to pray for the others who will labor with us in Your harvest. And as we answer Your call, we become the answer to the prayers of others who are asking for Your harvest. For a great harvest, there must be ripe grain and ready laborers. Lord, let the grain be ripe and let the laborers be ready. Prepare their hearts and prepare ours. Your Word seems to say the harvest is already plentiful, but it is the laborers who are not ready. The laborers are few. This day we pray for the laborers. I pray for those called to labor alongside me, and I pray I would be ready to labor alongside others, as You send us ahead of You into Your harvest. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Friends of the Bridegroom 6-18-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Form Your thoughts in my thoughts, Your desires in my desires. Cleanse me from my sin and fill me with Your Spirit. Make me more like You each day. ... John the Baptist "grew and became strong in the Spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day He appeared publicly to Israel" (Luke 1:80). He listened for Your leading and prepared for Your coming. Some thought he was the Messiah, but his calling and ministry was always to point others to the Messiah. Some came to listen to the leading of his voice, but he always called others to listen for the leading of Your voice. He said, ' "I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of Him.' He who has the bride is the Bridegroom. The friend of the Bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly at the Bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease " (John 3:28-30). Help me mature and grow in Your Spirit, Lord. Let me be one of Your witnesses preparing for Your coming in my heart and in our land and throughout the earth. Let my voice lead others to Your voice. Let my words lead others to Your Word. You are the Bridegroom coming for Your bride -- a bride made "holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the Word, so as to present the church to Himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind -- yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25-27). Let me stand and hear You, rejoicing greatly at Your voice. Help me grow in a relationship of trust and obedience to You as a "friend of the Bridegroom." As I wait this morning for Your leading and the inspiration of Your Spirit, it seems I hear You say: "Awaken, arise. Do not hesitate; do not look back. Look to Me and follow My lead. Be still and listen for my leading, then move quickly at the command of My voice. Many pieces are in place; many more are coming into place. Your part is to make sure your piece is in place. Only I see all the pieces in all their places, but I am opening the eyes of My children to see more than they have ever seen. You will need to see more to see where I am leading in these days. Fear not, and follow Me." Yes, Lord. Help me stay in a place of stillness in the silence of surrender to listen for Your leading. Help me find my place and do my part as You call others to find their places and do their parts. Fit us together and purify our souls. You are calling Your bride and preparing her for Your coming -- coming first in our hearts and one day in the fullness of Your glory to receive the glorious bride You have prepared. Those who will come to follow Your lead and learn Your ways, You call Your "friends" (John 15:15). As we do our part in our generation -- all by Your grace and Your Sprit, preparing Your bride for Your coming -- we are Your friends, friends of the Bridegroom. "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' " (Revelation 17:17) In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Rooted and Built Up in Him" -- 6-16-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill my spirit with Your Spirit, draw me up into the heavenly dimension of Your presence I pray. ... "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6-7). We've been staying with my mom in the little village of Ruidoso tucked away in the mountains of central New Mexico. It's a unique setting of rocky mountains covered with tall, cool pines, surrounded on every side by vast desert. This region is ruggedly beautiful, but suffering a severe drought. Though the rocky soil is hot and dry, the pine trees seem to smell just as fresh and stand just as tall as they do every summer when we come out here. They've been built up be the cycles of winter snows, spring rains, and summer droughts for years. Their roots sink deeply into resources of water beneath the surface of current circumstances. Keep teaching me how to live my life in You, rooted and grounded in the faith, built up in praise and prayer. Teach me how to flourish with the fragrance of Christ even in the dry seasons -- "the fragrance that comes from knowing Him" (2 Corinthians 2:14). Teach me how to abound in thanksgiving for the hidden resources of Your Word and Your Spirit that sustain me and empower me to stand firm in the faith through every season until the rains of blessing come again. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. http://www.messiah-ministries.org Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain This Friday Night 6/16 -- the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel at Centenary United Methodist, 2800 Tates Creek Rd in Lexington. All are welcome!

"The Present Age" 6-15-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. The closer I get to You, the closer I want to be. The more of I see of Your glory, the more I see how far I fall short of Your glory and how much I need You and Your grace every day. But here You are -- answering my need and my desire. ... "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:11-14). There is a present age and there is an age to come. While I wait with eager anticipation for the age to come, I don't want to be passive or complacent about my part in my generation of the present age. By Your grace and love, You desire to bring "salvation to all" and then to convict us and redeem us from "all iniquity" as You purify us and empower us to live our lives for Your glory and Your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. As the body of Christ on earth, being cleansed from our sins and being filled with Your Spirit, we are created and called to be "the manifestation of glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." We wait for the hope of Your coming, but at the same time, we embrace the coming of Your kingdom and Your nature in our lives now. This is "the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Thank You, Lord, for saving me and forgiving me. Thank You for purifying me and redeeming me. Thank You for convicting me of my need for Your grace every day. Thank You for calling me and empowering me to keep welcoming the glory of Your presence in my heart and my life a little more each day. Make me more "zealous for good deeds" for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done in my life and through my life for the hope of Your glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. http://www.messiah-ministries.org Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain This Friday Night 6/16 -- the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel at Centenary United Methodist, 2800 Tates Creek Rd in Lexington. All are welcome!

Multiply the Moments 6-14-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before the day begins, it's good to come away with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I give to You my first thoughts, my first emotions, my first words. ... As I watch and wait for Your leading in the silence of surrender, it seems I hear You say, "Multiply the moments." I think of these moments with my children and family during our time away. Yes, Lord. Multiply the moments -- these moments together with one another, set apart from the intensity of our regular daily lives. Multiply the investment of love and time in these moments with my children. "Then Peter said, 'Look, we have left our homes and followed You.' And He said to them, 'Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life' " (Luke 18:28-30). These few weeks near the beginning of each summer have become some of the most important weeks of my life. These are the times when I "get back very much more in this age" some of what I seem to have lost "for the sake of the kingdom of God." As those who have known me in the journey of my life and those who have come to know me in the journey of my prayers have found, I share the pain and the joy of both a broken family and a blended family. After my first year of ministry in the transition of my worlds from lawyer to minister and from Texas to Kentucky, my first wife divorced me, despite all the counseling and prayers and offers to return to the our old world. My three older children from that first marriage -- Elizabeth, Zachary, and Madison -- are only able to be with me part of the time now. So this block of time when I bring them "back home" to see my family out here in Texas and New Mexico and to spend uninterrupted weeks rather than days and hours with them carries a significance far beyond a family vacation. These moments of talks and laughs, arguments and prayers -- these moments of real life together -- are worth their weight in gold. This year has been a little harder without my two youngest children -- Elijah and Josiah -- since it seemed a little too early to travel for my wife with our newborn son. But at the same time, it's allowed a little more focused time with my older children in a rare gift we seldom share. Somehow by the power of Your grace and Your love, You have brought us through and are bringing us through the journey of brokenness and healing, blending our old life into our new life -- our redeemed life. I have no idea how anyone could try to make it through this kind of journey without You and I'm so glad we have never had to try. Multiply the moments, Lord. Thank You for putting this prayer of Your will on my heart this morning. Do in these moments what might otherwise take months that we no longer have to give and to share with one another. Thank You for the gift of "very much more." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. http://www.messiah-ministries.org Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain This Friday Night 6/16 -- the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel at Centenary United Methodist, 2800 Tates Creek Rd in Lexington.

The Breath of Your Spirit 6-13-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I come away from the world for a moment to seek You alone and wait in the silence to listen for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "We look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). I cannot see the air I breathe, but it is real. And it is essential for my life. I cannot see You, but You are real. And You are essential for my life. If in my pride I were to stubbornly insist that I would not allow air into my lungs because I could not see it and therefore could not believe it was real, I would surely die. Having known the Breath of Life, I know my life would be as dry as a bone and my spirit would surely die if I were to stubbornly refuse to allow the life breath of Your Spirit to fill me afresh every day. The same Hebrew word for breath is the same word for spirit -- ruach. As the worship song says, "You are the Air I breathe. I'm desperate for You." From the very the beginning, we have lived by the breath of God alone: "The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). You are Spirit (John 4:24). And Your Spirit brings new life to dry bones and weary souls. "Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live" (Ezekiel 37:5). By Your grace and my faith, I choose to believe and I choose to receive the breath of Your Spirit, the breath of Your Life. Breathe Your life into my spirit afresh and let these bones live for You today. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com "Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Before All Things" 6-12-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me see You in Your Word and hear You in my spirit. ... "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in Him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He himself is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything" (Colossians 1:15-16). Come to "have first place" in my life, Lord Jesus. I know there are still so many areas where I turn to myself and my will before turning to You and Your will. There are still so many times that You come in second -- or far worse -- on my list of priorities and guiding principles for my decisions. Not only is that sin, it's also foolish, because in You "all things hold together." When things are not holding together well in my life, I know it's time reorder my priorities, seek the wisdom of Your ways, and look to You and Your leading "before all things." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com "Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

More Fruit of Your Spirit 6-11-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your desires on my heart and Your thoughts in my mind. Lead me in prayer and throughout my day by Your Spirit. ... "The fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things" (Galatians 5:22-23). Lord, let me see more fruit of Your Spirit in my life. But even as I pray this prayer, I know You will be doing Your part by providing Your power through Your grace, and calling me to do my part by faith and obedience to Your will. Your answer will come as You bring the circumstances into my life that will become the opportunities for me to choose to bear this fruit or not. Your Word calls us each to "live lives worth of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, as you bear fruit in every good work as you grow in the knowledge of the Lord" (Colossians 1:10). It is our choice how we chose to lead our lives, but You are there to provide the desire and the power to live a life that pleases You. You have put this prayer on my heart because You want to bring this answer in my life. It's only possible by Your grace, but Your grace is sufficient for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribewrite to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com "Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Times of Refreshing 6-9-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Awaken my hunger for the fullness of Your presence in my heart again today. ... "In this way God fulfilled what He had foretold through all the prophets, that His Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through His holy prophets" (Acts 3:18-21). Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. We prepare the way of the Lord as we repent of our sins and turn to You. So repentance brings refreshing. Returning to You allows You to return to us in the fullness of Your presence, unhindered by sin. May the hunger for Your presence intensify to the time of universal repentance when You send Your Messiah for the time of universal restoration. You long to restore every heart that turns to You in repentance. You long to refresh every heart that longs for Your presence. Father God, send your Messiah. Fulfill the fullness Your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Come, Holy Spirit. Convict us of our sin. Convince us of our need for the refreshing and restoration that only the coming of our Messiah can bring. Call us to repentance as we turn to our God and cry out in prayer for the presence of the Lord in measures of intensity that touch the heart of heaven. Come, Lord Jesus. Refresh us and restore us with the fullness of Your presence in our hearts and throughout the earth. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com "Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Faithfulness as Firm as the Heavens 6-8-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me entrust all things to You. ... "I will sing of Your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations. I declare that Your steadfast love is established forever; Your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens" (Psalm 89:1-2). Steadfast and steady, faithful and true I find my rest and security in You. Others may falter and others may fail But Your goodness and mercy will always prevail. Why do I doubt and why do I fear? Through every challenge, You're always near. So help me let go and help me to trust To rest in You and not worry so much. You hold my life in Your hands, from beginning to end Every hope and dream, every struggle with sin. Keep lifting my eyes to see as You see Not looking around or looking at me. I give You my burdens and release them to You I find rest in Your peace as You want me to. There's no better place than the security of Your presence Your faithfulness to me is as firm as the heavens. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Dominion 6-7-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart to seek You. ... "When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars that You have established; what are human beings that You are mindful of the them, mortals that You care for them? Yet You have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under their feet" (Psalm 8:3-6). You are the Creator and we are the created. Yet You created us with love and given us glory and honor in measures we could never deserve and never earn just becuase it is Your will to do so. You have entrusted the rest of Your creation to our care. In Your dominion, You have given us dominion. Forgive us for failing to care for Your creation as You have cared for us. Give me grace to see that part of Your creation You have put under my feet. Give me Your heart to love it and Your wisdom to steward it with glory and honor. This is not pride, this is obedience -- not to honor ourselves, but to honor You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Away with You 6-6-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I have come away from my world for a couple of weeks of vacation, but I don't want to come away from You. Though my mornings may start a little later, I still want to start them with You. ... "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle in the farthest limits of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me fast" (Psalm 139:7-10). Wherever I go, You are there. And in a truth that is beyond my comprehension, You are there waiting for me. You are there waiting for each of us to acknowledge Your presence and welcome Your life into our lives. The moment I lift my face to Your glory and open my heart to Your Spirit in worship and prayer, You are there. You have been there all along, but I come to know that truth more surely as I consciously and deliberately direct my thoughts to know and acknowledge Your presence with me. It's not getting away from work and daily responsibilities on vacation that will bring me the deepest rest. It's having a little more time to linger in Your presence and look more deeply into Your glory that will renew me and refresh me to return home in a fresh power of Your Spirit. As You said to Moses, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14). The last thing I did at "work" was to preach and pray on Pentecost Sunday for all of us to be filled afresh with Your Holy Spirit. Now You are answering my prayers as I have a little more time to pursue Your presence. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends, I will be away on family vacation for a couple of weeks and will send out my devotional as I am able. We usually take the kids out to spend time with my family in Texas and New Mexico each summer. But I will be keeping you in prayer and ask you to please keep us in prayer. God bless you and thank you for coming along with me in the journey! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Omen of 666 6-2-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the truth and light of Your Holy Spirit shine in my soul. Bind back the darkness and deception of these days and open my eyes to see the One who is the Truth. By Your grace, You are my Way, my Truth, and my Life. ... "False christs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be alert; I have already told you everything. But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then He will send out the angels, and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven" (Mark 13:22-27). Last week, all the famous "double-decker" buses in London we saw had advertisements pasted on their sides for the movie coming out on 6-6-06 called "The Omen." It is an obvious reference to the antichrist and the mark of the beast "who performs great signs" and "deceives those who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 13:11-18, NKJV). "Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666" (verse 13:18). He comes looking "like a lamb" but speaking "like a dragon" (verse 13:11). But You have warned us to hold fast to what is true, to test everything against the truth of Your Word and Your Spirit. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:15-16). The enemy of our souls "is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). His fruit is doubt and unbelief, confusion and fear. He is a counterfeiter of the truth. The movies and books in the media of our day are flooded with deception and distortion of the truth. "The DaVinci Code" book and movie present as facts a litany of outrageous lies easily contradicted by even the secular, historical record; yet the faith of many is being shaken by the false appearance of objectivity and supposed revelation of hidden conspiracy. "The Gospel of Judas" has surfaced as an ancient document but also an ancient distortion of the truth in line with the Gnostic philosophies that were asserted in contradiction to the truth of the Gospel. These are days of relentless and accelerating deception. "Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood" (Revelation 12:15). But Your truth will prevail over every counterfeit and deception for those who choose to seek Your face and stand firm in Your Word by Your grace. "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19, NKJV). A counterfeit only has significance because it is a counterfeit of what is real. There are false signs and wonders because there are true signs and wonders. There are false christs and prophets because there is a true Christ and His true prophets. "And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved" (Mathew 24:11-13). These are exciting days! The seeds of truth and deception, of good and evil have grown into maturity for the time of harvest (Matthew 13:36-43). Lord, give me grace to stand firm in the faith. Give me grace to endure to the end. Let the banner of Your cross, the standard of Your Word, and the power of Your Spirit be the true omens of our day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, one good web site with excellent material on these issues is: www.JesusAndDavinci.com Also, one of the professors I had at Asbury Seminary, Dr. Ben Witherington has written an excellent book called The Gospel Code on this subject. Please check out the Global Day of Prayer events this Sunday June 4th in your area: http://www.gdop-usa.com/ Our events in the Lexington, Kentucky area for the 3:00 gathering at Rupp Arena and the prayer sites across town for the 10 Days of Preparation are at: http://www.metrolexprayer.org/ Messiah Ministries will host the Friday prayer time focused on healing at 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm at the Prayer Tower at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Please come join us! Also, I am very excited to be joining in the preaching on Pentecost this Sunday at Centenary for all three services -- please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't. To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Preparation for Pentecost 6-1-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch and wait for the coming of Your Spirit afresh in my heart again today. You are always with me, always within me, but in these moments of deliberate surrender, I am more with You. Help me decrease as You increase more and more each day. ... "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 1:4-5). There are fifty days of preparation from Passover to Pentecost. These are days of preparation in the seasons of our heart in faith from the crucifixion of our flesh, the cleansing of the blood of the Lamb, and the resurrection of new life at Easter until the fresh filling and baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It speaks of the life-long process of spiritual transformation -- being sanctified in spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). We must continue to decrease as You continue to increase in every area of our lives (John 3:30). As we are continually emptied of ourselves, You are continually filling us with You -- baptizing us, immersing us, saturating us in the fullness of Your Holy Spirit to transform us into Your holy nature layer by layer, step by step, "from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). This coming Sunday, we will join the body of Christ throughout the earth to celebrate the day of Pentecost. Again this year, there is also a call going out to the nations for a Global Day of Prayer. You will be glorified in our prayer and worship so that on this Pentecost Sunday "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). But there is a preparation before Pentecost. You continue to call Your disciples "to wait for the promise of the Father." There is something in the waiting that causes us to focus on the One we are waiting for, the One who comes to baptize us with His Holy Spirit not many days from now. In the watching and the waiting, we begin to hunger and thirst in growing anticipation for a fresh encounter of Your living presence where we "may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Your first disciples heeded Your call and obeyed Your command. They pulled away from the labors of life and ministry, "constantly devoting themselves to prayer" (Acts 1:14). Prayer is the preparation for Pentecost. Watching and waiting in constant devotion is the attitude of heart You long to fill with the fullness of Your Spirit. Let me sense Your leading and obey Your commands for the ways You are calling me to watch and wait in constant devotion for a deeper baptism of Your Holy Spirit in my life. "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability" (Acts 2:1-4). On Sunday, let Your people who are called by Your name throughout the earth gather "together in one place" -- the place of prayer, the place of surrender, the place of hungering and thirsting for more of You, more of Your nature, more of the fullness of Your presence and power in our lives. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Let Your mighty rushing Wind come set our hearts ablaze with the Fire of Your Spirit 'til we run out of our own words to praise Your holy name! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please check out the Global Day of Prayer events this Sunday June 6th in your area: http://www.gdop-usa.com/ Our events in the Lexington, Kentucky area for the 3:00 gathering at Rupp Arena and the prayer sites across town for the 10 Days of Preparation are at: http://www.metrolexprayer.org/ Messiah Ministries will host the Friday prayer time focused on healing at 12:00 noon at the Prayer Tower at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Please come join us! Also, I am very excited to be joining in the preaching on Pentecost this Sunday at Centenary for all three services -- please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't. To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Stump and the Shoot 5-31-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me afresh with the life of Your Spirit as I open my heart and spirit to You in worship and prayer. ... "A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:1-2). As we gathered each day for worship and teaching in the sanctuary of Holy Trinity Brompton in London last week, I was struck by the marriage of ancient and modern. We were surrounded by centuries-old gothic arches, stained glass, and organ pipes; but spiritual life was teaming from every corner from casually-clad worshippers, led by guitars and drums. An ornately carved pulpit with steps leading high above us stood off to the side with the marble baptistery and other antique religious artifacts stacked underneath to make room for expressive worship and extensive times of prayer ministry following the messages. Across England, most of the old churches are no longer even churches, being used for museums and remodeled as bookstores, boutiques, and bars -- drying up and falling away like the lingering stump of a felled tree. As in so many of the main-line traditions and ritualistic religion without living relationships, the generations begin to turn away from church as a relic of the past and turn to culture to try to find the answers to the emptiness of their souls. But You began breathing Your Spirit of Life into the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-6). You began speaking to the mountains of lifeless religion and dying tradition to cast them into the sea (Mark 11:23). You began to call forth a fountain to spring up and flow out with Your Living Water to touch the nations (Joel 3:18). Out of the dead and decaying stump rose a tender shoot of new life in Your Spirit. Though the Alpha Course You birthed in this church, generations were drawn back to the ancient wells of truth in welcoming relationships with the safety to ask hard questions and express honest ideas. This movement is now flowing to the nations in every stream and tradition of Your Church as part of Your renewal of resurrection life. Lord, continue to awake Your New Life in me. Continue to put Your axe to the root of what is dead in me and my church and my tradition, pruning the branches of what is bears no fruit so that the life of Your Spirit may draw the hearts of this generation to You. Deliver us from pride and fear and renew us with courage and life. Let this tender shoot rise up from the ancient stump into a Tree of Life that bears fruit for the glory of Your name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

In the Steps of Heroes 5-30-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I've come to worship You with the offerings of my time and the devotion of my heart. ... "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). On May 24, 1738 John Wesley went to the evening worship service at St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral in London, then walked down to a prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street in London. There his heart was "strangely warmed" as he recorded in his journal that day. A movement was birthed in that divine encounter with the living God, which would become a spiritual and cultural transformation of England, then the frontiers of America, and ultimately the world. Even the secular historians acknowledge that moment as a wellspring of great revival. Those who followed Wesley in this movement were mocked as "Methodists" for their radical and methodical devotion to Christ in daily worship, prayer, and service. Wesley often explained these whose hearts were strangely warmed as his in light of this Scripture: "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5, KJV). On May 24th last week, we went to that same evening service at St. Paul's and followed the steps of John Wesley down Aldersgate Street. The actual place of the historic prayer meeting no longer stands -- destroyed by Hitler's campaign of terror against the innocent civilians of London in World War II. But the spirit of revival remains, burning brightly in the spirit of all whose hearts are strangely warmed by the power and presence of Your Holy Spirit. You are still meeting each of us in the divine encounters that transform our lives and the world around each of us who follow after You. Let the love of God be shed abroad in my heart again this day. Encourage me and inspire me to follow those who follow You, to imitate those who imitate You. Let me look to the example and follow in the steps of Your heroes of the faith (1 Peter 2:21). As I do, let my heart be strangely warmed every day by Your love and presence and power. In Jesus' name I pray. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"I am the Alpha" 5-29-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. It's good to be home and find the familiar place where I settle in for my morning moments with You -- to seek Your face and listen for Your voice, to follow the leading of Your Spirit as I begin my day with You. ... " 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). I'm still processing all I experienced in London last week with my pastor and a small team of leaders from our church at the International Alpha Conference. We worshiped and prayed, learned and listened along with delegates from over seventy nations of the one hundred and fifty nations around the world now using the Alpha Course as a means of evangelism and discipleship -- a means of providing a safe place for those seeking God in any culture to ask their questions and find the One who is the answer. You are the Alpha. And living life in You is the course You have set for our lives. You created every heart with a hunger for relationship with You, and we will never be satisfied and never be fulfilled apart from a living relationship with You. But all who seek You will find You (Jeremiah 29:13). The Alpha Course is way for people who don't know You but sense a need to know God to come and ask their questions, express their frustrations, and begin to experience the kindness of the community of Christ willing to listen to their questions and walk with them in the journey. What an eternal blessing it is for them and for us to see the hunger of their hearts satisfied by the One who is "the Bread of Life" (John 6:35). Thank You for letting me see more of the breadth of this movement that is touching the nations of the earth across all barriers of denominations and traditions -- Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox -- because You are drawing our eyes to You. You are our Alpha and our Omega, the beginning and the end of all we need and all we were created to believe and to receive. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I have missed being with you in prayer with you this past week. Several logistical problems made it hard to keep up with sending out my devotional, so I'm glad to be back with you now. Thank you for your prayers for us and our families while we were away at the International Conference of Alpha -- www.alpha.org Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to seek the Lord's direction in this coming season of ministry. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Traveling to meet the Trinity 5-21-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You Lord, and I come to You in these moments of the morning to linger with You in Your presence alone. ... "Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp" (Exodus 33:7). I'll be traveling far off from the camp today. My pastor and I will travel with a small team to London for a leadership conference on evangelism and small group community life through the Alpha Course. We will meet with leaders and learners from many nations to share experiences and gain insights of reaching the lost and bringing them into lasting relationships in the bonds of community. But mostly, I will be coming to meet with You. Even the name of the church You have used to birth and mature the Alpha Course which will be hosting our conference reminds me of the goal of our travels -- Holy Trinity Brompton. It is not man but the Holy Trinity I'm coming to see. It's the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit I'm coming to meet. You are always with us and You never leave us. But sometimes we need to come outside the camp of our everyday lives and responsibilities to seek Your face and listen for Your voice with renewed focus. Sometimes it helps to get far off for a little while to encounter You again in a fresh way. I pray for a fresh encounter of Your presence as I come outside the camp to meet with You this week. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your prayers us as we travel and for our families as we are away in England this week. I plan to keep up with sending my devotionals as best as I can. Here are some related web sites if you would be interested: www.thealphacourse.com and www.htb.org.uk God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"A Threefold Cord" 5-20-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Bind my heart with Your heart, my mind with Your mind, my spirit with Your Spirit in the communion of prayer. ... "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). You have been showing me an image in my spirit this past week. I saw it again last night at The Fountain. It is the image of a climbing rope -- a thick rope woven together with many strands that we had in our gym in junior high school. It would be almost impossible to climb a smaller rope of only one strand, but when the cords of rope are bound together, there is a multiplication of strength and stability that comes. We need one another. We need the strength and stability that comes when we allow ourselves to be bonded together -- together with You and together with one another. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. The sum is greater than the parts. There is a synergy of relationship. You are calling us to climb higher in this season, but there are heights of our calling and destiny we can only reach together. Empower us to be flexible enough and humble enough to be joined together in the strength of Your bonds. "Woe to one who is alone." But blessed are they who are strengthened in the bonds of relationship You and with one another. As Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are a threefold cord. As we are bonded to You and one another, so are we. Give me the wisdom and grace, the humility and flexibility, to be bonded together with You and with others in the threefold cord of Your strength. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Relationship is Risky 5-19-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I open my heart to as widely as I can -- a little more today than yesterday, a little more tomorrow than today -- in this life-long journey of growing in the grace of trust and love. ... "I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 3:1-3). Relationship is risky and unity requires effort. The bond of peace must be maintained. To love one another means we must work at bearing with one another. None of this comes easy; none of this comes without deliberate choices and committed effort. But this is our calling and this is our life in the Lord. As You said long ago, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.... I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another" (John 15:12-17). Without love, without risking our hearts in relationship despite all the struggles and disappointments, woundedness and pain of making ourselves vulnerable to one another, there is no true unity of the Spirit and no true bond of peace. Anything else is a shallow illusion of the family of faith. But You have given us Your Holy Spirit to lead us and empower us by Your grace to live out our lives in the community of relationship with one another. And You have given us some keys to live this life that would be impossible without Your grace -- humility, gentleness, and patience. These do not come easily either. Nor were they intended to. They must be worked into our souls through the risks of relationship. But the more we learn to use these keys and walk in this nature, the more rich and true our relationships will become. These are the bonds of unity that cannot be broken. Though it's risky, though it can be painful, keep working Your nature into my nature. Keep calling me to risk loving others as You have loved me. Keep reminding me that the relationship is worth the risk. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night 5/19 for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! Please forward this on and tell a friend! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://messiah-ministries.orgDaily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Well Done, My son" 5-18-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me humble myself in the silence of surrender before You now -- Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. ... Draw me close and hold me tight, Take my life and make it right. Forgive my sins and heal my pain, Set me free from bonds of shame. Fill me up with Your Holy Spirit, Speak Your Word and let me hear it. Let me know that I am Yours, Whether peaceful seas or troubled shores. Help me to rest in Your steady hand, To rise in faith and take my stand. Teach me to trust and to obey, Give me Your words to speak and Your heart to pray. I offer my life a living sacrifice, I bring my flesh under Your holy knife. I have so far to go and so much to learn, But Your grace is sufficient at every turn. Make me more like You more every day, Give me Your will and teach me Your ways. Cause Your thoughts to be my thoughts and Your desires mine, Help me respond as You would more every time. I need Your peace and seek Your joy, To need You alone and nothing more. Little by little and step by step, I'm growing up with Your Godly help. Don't let me give up and don't let me turn back, But keep seeking the things that will always last. I long for the day I see Your face, And know You as You are in the fullness of Your grace. I want to hear those words from the Holiest One, "Welcome home. Well done, My son." Thank You Lord for writing these words on my heart this morning. I offer them to You as my prayer this day. "His Lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter in to the joy of your Lord' " (Matthew 25:23). I choose by Your grace to live my life to please my Lord. Keep putting that desire in my heart and keep giving me the grace to live it out. Keep forgiving me when I fail, keep lifting me up when I fall. Keep turning my heart toward my home in You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night 5/19 for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://messiah-ministries.orgDaily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

Learn to Discern 5-17-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am Lord. Open my eyes to see; open my ears to hear; open my heart to receive. In the first moments of the morning, I narrow my focus to You alone. ... "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22). Holy Spirit, You are speaking to the church in these days. We are the church, individually and in the community of relationship with one another. Give us ears to hear "what the Spirit is saying to the churches" (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). But teach us how to "test everything" while we "no not quench the Spirit" at the same time. Give us the faith to listen and the humility to submit everything we think we hear from You to the testing of the standard of the Word of God and the nature of God. Only through the process of judgment and discernment will we be able to determine what is good and what is evil, what we must hold fast to and what we must abstain from. In these days of ever-increasing spiritual activity, we must learn to walk in ever-increasing spiritual discernment. "Let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill" (Proverbs 1:5). We acquire skill by looking to You in humility and faith in the challenges of obeying Your command to "test everything." One of the gifts of the Spirit is "the discernment of spirits" (1 Corinthians 12:10). Not all spiritual activity in our lives and in the community of relationship with one another is the activity of the Holy Spirit. Not every spiritual voice we hear is the voice of the Holy Spirit. Our crafty enemy often "disguises himself as an angel of light" when his unholy spirits attempt to masquerade as the Holy Spirit to gain our trust and ensnare us in deception (2 Corinthians 11:14). So we need Your Word and we need Your Spirit; we need one another to help us learn to discern in both humility and faith. You created us to long to be led by Your Spirit. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). Our enemy knows our nature and our longing, so he looks for ways to satisfy that longing with his deception. The answer is not to quit longing for Spiritual leading or to "despise the words of the prophets." The answer is to learn how to "test everything," to learn to discern. We have much to learn, but You are ready to teach us if we are willing to learn. We learn it by doing it, risking our mistakes but trusting in Your grace. By Your grace, I'm willing to learn to discern. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Our ministry will host the monthly ministry leaders' luncheon for pastors and ministry leaders in Lexington today at 11:30 in the fellowship hall of Centenary United Methodist Church. Come join us if you can and please pray for us if you can't. Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries mailto:--MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://messiah-ministries.org/Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com/

A Season of Graduation 5-16-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me humble myself to listen in the silence of surrender. And having listened, help me humble myself to obey. ... "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to complete His work.' Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting' " (John 4:34-35). May is a season of graduation. Many are coming to the end of a journey of study and training, having brought to completion the work of preparation. It is a season of transition from equipping to releasing, from learning to doing, from listening to speaking, from waiting to advancing. It is time to advance in the will of the One who has prepared us to send us to accomplish our calling in our generation. Now comes the harvest. We will continue to learn even as we advance. And at times we will advance the most as we are humbled by our mistakes and our need to learn more. But we must not fear to learn as we go, giving and receiving the grace of God through one another as we dare to risk failure in order to risk success. Success is to do the will of Him who sent me. Graduation is the completion of one journey and the commencement of the next. As I humble myself before You and turn my face toward You, I will continue to advance "from one degree of glory to another" -- Your glory being made manifest in my obedience to Your will and my faith in Your nature (2 Corinthians 3:18). You are always faithful to bring to completion all You have begun in me (Philippians 1:6). As You have been faithful in the preparation, so You will be faithful in the harvest. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: http://messiah-ministries.orgDaily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

Peace will Prevail 5-15-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the peace of Your presence fill my soul as I entrust my life and this day to You. ... "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (Romans 16:20). It is the peace of Your presence in my soul that crushes the satanic power of fear and doubt, worry and stress, confusion and chaos. By Your grace, my enemy is defeated. But You have chosen in Your sovereignty and power to defeat him under my feet. He is defeated as I choose in obedience and faith by Your grace to stand in You and allow You to stand in me. He is crushed as I cast my burdens to You. This is Your command that allows me to conquer: "Cast all you anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering" (1 Peter 5:7-9). This is the peace of the power of Your presence that overcomes every strategy and scheme of the one who would steal my place of peace in You. You have done Your part to defeat him; and by Your grace, I must do my part to resist him. As I cast my burdens on You, Your peace will prevail. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://messiah-ministries.orgDaily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

A Mother's Heart 5-14-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my eyes to see You and open my ears to hear You as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Holy Spirit into the presence of my heavenly Father. ... King Solomon was called to judge between two women who both claimed to be the mother of a newborn son. In the wisdom that You gave him, he tested their hearts to see which one's "compassion for her son burned within her." The one who was willing to surrender the child to the other woman, despite the pain of her sacrifice, rather than see her son harmed was the true mother. Solomon saw her mother's heart and honored her willingness to sacrifice all for the life of her son and decreed, "She is his mother." (1 Kings 3:16-28). A mother's heart burns with compassion for her child and is willing to sacrifice all for the sake of fulfilling this highest calling. Many have rightly observed that to be a mother is the highest calling and hardest job of all. Yet a true mother can find fulfillment in nothing less. You have created them that way -- with Your heart of compassion, Your mind of wisdom, and Your will of determination to sacrifice all for the sake of the lives entrusted to them. To see a mother's heart is to see the heart of God. "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you" (Isaiah 66:13). Today is both Mother's Day and my son Elijah's birthday. This seems very fitting to honor my wife Tricia on the day she gave birth to our son. She finds her fulfillment in the calling of motherhood. Nothing less would do. This day, we honor the mother's in our lives. And as we bless the mother's with honor, we receive the blessings of God in our lives and in our land (Exodus 20:12). Thank You Lord for the blessing of the mother's among us. We honor them as You honor them this day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://messiah-ministries.orgDaily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

Look Up and Look Around 5-13-06

Morning by Morning, Saturday Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my eyes from my self and my world to behold You. Broaden my vision and fill my soul with the fullness of the glory of Your presence. ... "But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together" (John 4:35-36). I spent the last few days rejoicing together with my friends in the MorningStar Fellowship of Ministries. We gather once a year for a time of refreshing and encouragement from our various ministries and churches around the world. I love to hear the stories of what You are doing in the lives and ministries of others in so many different and unique settings. Some are sowing, others are reaping, and all at work ministering Your grace of eternal life for the final harvest of souls from the fields of the earth. Sometimes we can get so busy and focused in what You are doing in our midst that we forget to look up and look around in the fields of Your harvest far beyond our own lives or churches or ministries. But when we do, our hearts filled afresh with wonder and awe at Your power and grace. We are reminded again how blessed we are to live in this generation of great harvest and to labor in preparation for even greater harvests yet to come. The harvest of the end will touch the ends of the earth. "But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:6). Lord, keep freeing me from isolation and self-focus. Keep giving me a broader perspective, a kingdom perspective that stretches my vision of Your glory to the ends of the earth. Let me be found faithful to do my part in my generation as I rejoice together in the faithfulness of my fellow laborers of Your harvest. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, to find out more about MorningStar Ministries, please visit the web site: www.morningstarministries.org This is an exciting ministry touching many lives throughout the earth and I'm honored to be a part of it through the Fellowship of Ministries. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Listen and Learn 5-8-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse my heart and purify my mind. Remove everything in me that would keep me from drawing near to You. ... "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools; for they do not know how to keep from doing evil. Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon the earth; therefore let your words be few" (Ecclesiastes 5:1). Though You continually draw me near to You, though I am created for the very purpose of intimacy in relationship with You, You call me to approach You in reverence and humility. You say "let your words be few" because my words can get in the way of Your words. There is time for me to offer the petitions of my heart, but there is first the time to offer the silence of surrender of my soul. This silence of surrender is better than the sacrifice of service. This relationship of reverence is far better than the rituals of religion. Keep teaching me how to guard my steps in the fear of God in order to know the intimacy of God. Draw me nearer to You each day, as I enter Your house in reverent humility and approach Your throne in trusting faith. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Longing for Heaven 5-7-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I fix my focus on You. A moment ago I woke from a strange dream that reminded me of the frailty of life on earth and our destiny of security in heaven through You. ... "For we know that if this earthly tent that we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling -- if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be clothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee" (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). Father, You have created me to live forever with You in the house of God, the heavenly temple which speaks of Your eternal presence. You have placed the hope of eternity and the sense of the freedom of forever in my heart. The truth and life of Your Holy Spirit living in me continually lifts my face to the fullness of eternity even while my feet are fixed in the frailty of my earthly journey. My spirit that was created for freedom and longs for fulfillment of my eternal life groans under the burden of my earthly life. For this season of life between heaven and earth, I must live out my life and walk out my journey in both of these worlds -- with eternity in my heart and earth in my soul. But "He who has prepared us for this very thing is God." You have prepared me by giving me all I need for this journey -- the very Spirit of Your very presence "as a guarantee" to constantly affirm to me Your truth and constantly remind me of the coming fulfillment of my destiny in You. My hope and my confidence is in You. "Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him" (2 Corinthians 5:8-9). Though I may groan with the longing for my heavenly dwelling, keep giving me the grace to live faithfully in this season of eternity in my earthly dwelling. Let my heart and my aim be to please You whether in heaven or on earth. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Life of Jesus in Me 5-6-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to start this day with You. As we begin the journey of the day together, I welcome You to walk with me throughout this day. How can I follow if You don't lead me and how can You lead me if I don't watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit from the first moments of the morning? ... As I listen for Your leading, it seems I hear You say, "Be available. Be ready. You feel overwhelmed or confused about your sense of direction and purpose when you try to plan out what you will do and where you will go. Rather, look for Me in the relationships and encounters of your day. Welcome My leading by consciously and deliberately choosing to make your mind available to My thoughts and your heart available to My desires. Trust that I am going before you, preparing the way for what I will do through you. As you welcome Me to touch your heart, you are welcoming Me to touch other hearts through you. It is important what you do, but only in relation to who you are -- who you are in Me and who you allow Me to be in you. The most important thing I call you to do is to be available to Me." Yes, Lord. I choose to be available to You this day. Form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Direct my steps. Open my eyes to see You and see what You are doing in the lives of those I encounter today wherever You lead. Wherever I go, I carry You with me because Your Spirit is within me. I am a jar of clay filled with the treasure of "the life of Jesus," being "made visible" through my body in the encounters and relationships of my day to very degree I make myself available to You and ready for Your purpose through my life (2 Corinthians 4:7-12). This is my purpose and this is my direction. This is Your purpose and Your direction for me this day and every day. Help me do this better, help me live this better a little more each day as walk this journey with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Thankful Hearts 5-5-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be Lord of my heart, Lord of my home, and Lord of my nation. You are Lord of all. ... "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17). I joined in the prayers of my fellow countrymen for our nation three different times yesterday at morning, noon, and night. Last night I was honored to lead the part of our prayer on behalf of our state as we gathered from across our city and from across the denominational, racial, and economic lines as one in the body of Christ. We proclaimed our prayers freely and boldly at the courthouse plaza from the center gate at the heart of our city. By the grace of the freedom You have given us, we were not ashamed to pray in the power of Your name as we humbled our hearts in repentance and as we lifted our hearts in praise. As one body and one voice in Your Spirit and in Your Name, we honored You on behalf of our city and our nation. My little boy Elijah wanted to go with me downtown last night. He's not quite four years old and we were concerned he might not make it through a long, public prayer meeting. But when it was my turn to come up and pray, he was there by my side nodding his affirmation of amens and waiving his little hands with authority. On the ride home, he said, "Thank you for taking me to that prayer meeting, Dad." A father loves to hear the thankful heart of his children. Father, I know yesterday you loved to hear the thankful hearts of Your children. As a nation, we give You thanks for Your faithfulness to us even in the face of our faithlessness to You. Your mercy and love abound in measures we can't even imagine to the people of the nations who draw near to You with thankful and humble hearts. And I pray the joy that filled my heart on the ride home is just a taste of the joy that fills Your heart when Your children give thanks to You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Prayers of a Nation 5-4-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit of the Living God. I worship You, Lord my God, my Creator, and my King. ... "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created" (Revelation 4:11). Today is the National Day of Prayer in America. We will gather at churches and courthouses, capitol steps and convention centers, water coolers and river front stadiums across our nation today to honor You publicly with our prayers and praise. Thank You for the gift of freedom to express our faith and hope in You. Forgive us for our silence on all the other days of the year when we have the same freedom. But even so, we ask that You would pour out Your Holy Spirit upon the hearts of Your people in a special anointing of prayer and praise, repentance and rejoicing, humility and honor, as we lift our eyes from ourselves for a moment and turn our hearts to You. Not all will call You by name; not all know You yet by name. But there is one God who created heaven and earth, one God who rules and overrules all, one God who holds every nation in His hands, and when we honor the God of all creation, we honor You alone. "To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever" (1 Timothy 1:17). "God is King over the nations; God sits on His holy throne" (Psalm 47:8). A nation is the sum of its people, and today many of the people of this nation will take a moment and pray a prayer in humility and faith to honor You. Lord, hear our prayer. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12, NKJV). Bless the people of this nation and every nation who seek You and worship You as the One worthy to receive all glory and honor and power. And as You bless Your people in these nations, I pray You will bless the nations of Your people through the earth You have created. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, Thursday May 4th is the National Day of Prayer for our nation. If you are in our area, please join me at noon at the prayer tower at my home church, Centenary United Methodist at 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington, where I will lead our prayer time. All are welcome. Then at 7:30 pm please join us in a city-wide gathering in front of the Fayette County courthouse. If you can come to the Capitol in Frankfort, my friend Carol Koebel will be leading our state-wide observance at the Capitol steps at noon. Please join those who are praying in your community and I ask our friends of other nations to pray that America would honor God in humility, repentance, faith, and praise in prayer this day. I will include below the devotional I sent out recently on the theme for the National Day of Prayer, "America, Honor God." God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com [from Morning by Morning, Friday 4-21-06 -- "Honor Me"] Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord, and I call on Your name. Cause Your nature to be formed in my nature; cause Your heart to be formed in my heart. I entrust my life and this day to You. ... "For those who honor Me I will honor" (1 Samuel 2:30). These words are the call to prayer for our National Day of Prayer this year on Thursday, May 4, 2006. And these words are Your call to prayer for each of us who are called by Your name on every day. The word "honor" in the Hebrew language carries the idea of weightiness, heaviness, and significance. It is from the same root as the word "glory" -- the thickness and heaviness of the substance of the presence of God. It is not shallow or superficial; it is a sense of substance and depth of commitment. As we glorify You, we honor You. As we honor You, we welcome the glory of Your presence. Forgive us for the shallowness of our faith as a people and a nation. Forgive us for honoring You merely with our words or slogans -- "God bless America;" "In God we trust;" "One nation under God." Let these be declarations of surrender to Your will and Your ways rather than sanctimonious and self-serving symbols. Forgive us for allowing ourselves to become "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). We confess our sin and the sin of our nation throughout our generations in the humility of repentance, asking for the mercy of Your grace to renew us and revive us, to reawaken us to our calling and destiny as a nation under God. You created us, as You have created each of us, for the greatness of Your glory. And Your glory fills the hearts and the nation of the people who honor You -- who honor You not merely with our lips but with our hearts, not only in the privacy of our prayer closets, but in the way we live our lives before the world to see. Restore us as a nation and a people to the depth of commitment and surrender You long to have from the hearts of Your people of every nation. Let us not be ashamed to honor You publicly and proudly. "Those who are ashamed of Me and of My words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26). As for me and my house, as for me and my nation, let us declare this day and every day, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith" (Romans 1:16). Blessed is the one who honors God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.