"To Know Christ" 7-29-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to know You and hear You and follow You. … "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings by becoming like Him in His death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:10). To become like You in Your death is the key to knowing the power of Your resurrection -- not just resurrection from the dead when I die, but the power of Your resurrection living in me every day. And to become like You in Your death is to be completely submitted in trusting surrender to the will of our Father no matter what the cost. "Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who … humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death -- even death on a cross" (verse 2:5-8). The words of complete submission and trusting surrender are: "Nevertheless not my will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42 NKJV). Help me know You and become more like You every day -- in obedience to the will of our Father. As I do, by Your grace, I will know the power of Your resurrection in my life more every day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Pleasing God, not People 7-28-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Guide my steps in the way that pleases You today. … "For to the one who pleases Him, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy" (Ecclesiastes 2:26). Show me how please You with my life today. Let that be my standard and my goal. I need Your wisdom and knowledge; I want to experience Your joy. Let me focus not be pleasing people but pleasing God. As I please You, some people may be pleased and some may not. Give me the grace and the wisdom to know that I will only find joy as I seek to please You above all else. Anything less will only steal my joy. Disappointed people that I have not made it my aim to please may condemn me, but my heart will not condemn me if I seek to live my life to please You. "Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we obey His commandments and do what pleases Him" (1 John 3:21-22). So, we should not make it our aim to please others; "we make it our aim to please Him" (2 Corinthians 5:9). Then let others be pleased that they see me seeking to please You above all else. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Protector of Widows" 7-27-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I began this day flying home toward the glorious sun rising in the east over the Texas plains. You are the Son of glory and I thank You for the gift of beginning every day flying in my spirit toward You in prayer. … "Sing to God, sing praises to His name, lift up a song to Him who rides upon the clouds -- His name is the Lord -- be exultant before Him. Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation. God gives the desolate a home to live in; He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land" (Psalm 68:4-6). You are a Father to the fatherless and You are a Husband to the widow. In her time of rejoicing for my grandfather's spiritual healing and in her time of grieving for the loss of his physical presence, I know You are holding my grandmother near in Your strong arms and tender mercies. Nanny is eighty-seven years old and the day before PaPa's funeral was their sixty-eighth anniversary of marriage. You have filled their long lives with much grace and mercy. I pray that Nanny's later years will be even greater than her former years (from Haggai 2:9). Edna Marie Hays is amazingly active and deeply spiritual woman of God, still full of much life to give. Give her the grace to live out the richness and fullness of these grandest years of her life for Your glory. "And the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your Husband, the Lord of Hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called" (Isaiah 54:4-5). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Go Rest High" 7-26-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Good Shepherd. Your sheep hear Your voice and follow where You lead -- from day to day, from one life to the next. Take my hand and I will follow Speak Your words, I will obey. Lead me on and I will follow Every step of every day. … Thank You for that song, Lord. You said it this way in Your Word: "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cups runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever" (Psalm 23). This morning we will return my grandfather's body to the dust. PaPa has no more need of it now. He has heard the voice of His Good Shepherd and he has followed. Now he's resting in Your green pastures, beside Your still waters. You have lead him through the valley of the shadow of death, and he has had no need to fear, for You are with him. The last few days, I've been thinking of song written by Vince Gil that makes me think of PaPa's passing form this life to the next: "Go rest high on that mountain. Son your work on earth is done. Go to heaven a shoutin' Love for the Father and the Son." Walking with him through this journey of earthly life, through the fleeting grip of death, into Your arms of eternal life have made me realize even more deeply the critical significance our relationship with You. How else could we face death with peace and even joy? And every day between this day and that one in my own journey, I can come to You in prayer by Your Spirit. Every day in prayer, I can "go rest high on that mountain." Every day in prayer, I can "go to heaven a shoutin' Love for the Father and the Son." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Away from the Body 7-25-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill my mortal body with fresh breath of Your Holy Spirit, as I look to You and listen for the leading of Your voice. … "So we know that we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord -- for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we aim to please Him" (2 Corinthians 5:5). These earthly bodies of flesh and blood are not our true home. They are but dust (Psalm 103:14). And one day, these mortal bodies of dust will return to dust -- "the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). These bodies are Your means for us to live out our earthly lives until the joyful day we come "home with the Lord." We were never meant to take up permanent residence in these bodies subject to decay and the weight of sin and death in a broken, fallen world. We are not permanent citizens of this world. "But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, by the power that also enables Him to make all things subject to Himself" (Philippians 3:21-22). My grandfather's faith has become sight because he is now "away from the body and at home with the Lord." He can now hear and see perfectly, his mind is clear and his heart is pure. He has run his course and fought "the good fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6:12). He has heard Your words, "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). Until that day comes for me, give me grace to keep running my course and fighting my fight, doing all with the aim to please You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy In honor of my grandfather Nolan Bradford Hays (January 13, 1909 - July 23, 2006). His body will be buried on Wednesday in Lamesa, Texas, but his spirit is at home with his Lord in heaven. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Resurrected into Life 7-24-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You said to Martha in the midst of her grief from the loss of her bother and friend, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die" (John 11:25). I believe in You. So did my PaPa. And in You, we know we will never die, but live forever in the power and the glory of Your resurrection and life. … Yesterday morning, as I finished my morning prayer, so did PaPa. In a little while I realized he had breathed his last breath on earth. He passed effortlessly through the hands of death into the arms of eternal Life. "For this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:53-56). Nolan Bradford Hays lived out his ninety-seven years on earth with us and now he will live out eternity in heaven with You. Father, You have given him the victory of life over death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God! His lungs no longer strain to breathe. His aged body no longer strains under the weight of this world. He is home and he is free. Like Abraham, he "breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people" (Genesis 25:8). Ninety-seven is pretty good old age. He is now gathered up with that "great cloud of witnesses" cheering us on to live our lives in the fullness of our years for Your kingdom and Your glory, all by Your grace. Like PaPa, one day we will be resurrected into eternal life; but even now, let the power of Your resurrection Life live on in us (Romans 8:11). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends, thank you for your prayers for my family through this time of both grief and joy, of death and resurrection. My grandmother has asked me to preach at PaPa's funeral at the First Baptist Church of Lamesa, Texas this coming Wednesday morning, July 26th. I would appreciate your prayers for all of the friends and family of Nolan and Edna Hays. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

PaPa's Song 7-23-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My brother Greg and I have been taking turns keeping the night watch over my PaPa as he draws nearer to the fullness of Your glory with each passing breath. As the night watch moves into the morning watch today, I am moved by the sense of Your watch over our lives every night and every morning and every day. … "He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by Him you were called into fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:8-9). Thank You, Lord, for Your persevering faith and unfailing grace that has strengthened PaPa and kept him near to You to the end. In these last days and moments of Your earthly grace, we are not able to see all he sees nor hear all he hears of Your heavenly grace. But in that realm that he is surely now beginning to experience in a measure far beyond what we could ever ask or imagine, I know he is finding deep assurance of Your forgiveness of sin, complete cleansing from shame of any failures or regrets, healing from the brokenness and pain of ninety-seven years of life through a broken and fallen world, and the sense of peace in the final fulfillment of every promise of Your Word to him. Sometimes You heal us in the power and glory of a moment, sometimes in the process of a journey in the means of grace You choose, and sometime You heal us in the glory of our resurrection into the fullness of Your presence. You are the Healer and Savior of our spirits and souls and bodies, sanctifying us fully in the joy and peace of Your presence (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Life is a journey of faith, "but the one who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13). Thank You for holding my PaPa safe and sound in the grip of Your grace to the end. In the fading strength of his earthly body, PaPa can't pray with words anymore. So I join with him in my prayers to You, spirit to spirit, deep calling to deep, in the strength of Your Spirit. As I include him in my morning prayer today, I seem to sense Your Holy Spirit rising up in his human spirit in a trusting song of peace: You are my Healer You heal my hurt and pain You are my Healer You heal my brokenness and shame. Sometimes You heal in power Sometimes You heal in glory And sometimes You heal in the glory to come. You are my Savior You save me from my sins You are my Savior You save me through the end. Sometimes You save in power Sometimes You save in glory And Sometimes You save in the glory to come. So come now and heal me Heal me in the wholeness of Heaven So come now and save me Save me in the fullness of Your glory to come. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.org

Resting in the Promise of Resurrection 7-21-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I journey through the moments of my life, You are with me. As we begin the journey today, I welcome Your wisdom, I trust in Your truth, and I rest in the promise of Your resurrection power. … "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits -- Who forgives all your iniquity, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with love and steadfast mercy, Who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:1-5). With just a little strength of life left in one lung, my PaPa finds strength in these last steps of the journey in You alone. Amazingly, there is still strength in his hugs and firmness in his handshake. Through ninety-seven years of life, he is a soul who has been blessed with Your goodness as long as he has lived. Thank You for the many blessings seen and the countless blessings unseen. Thank You for the benefits of being a son of God through faith in You -- forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, mercy, and fulfillment. In Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way through the mercy of faith in You, his youth will be renewed in the full measure of Your glory. "Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the Man of heaven" (1 Corinthians 15:41). Because we trust You and Your Word, we join in faith with PaPa in committing and commending his spirit and soul and body to You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends, thank you for covering our family in prayer as we walk out the last steps of the journey with my PaPa. At home, our ministry will still be leading The Fountain this Friday Night 7/21 at 7 pm. Doris McCray will lead in prayer and Paul Cooper will lead in worship. Please come if you can and join in prayer if you can't. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Each Day 7-20-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Prince of Peace. I welcome Your peace in my soul this day. … "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out gather enough for that day" (Exodus 16:4). Thank You for the grace we need each day. Thank You for a peaceful night for PaPa and thank You for the grace of Your peace this morning as we continue to entrust him into Your hands. As one of his favorite old songs goes, "One day at a time." You give us each day our daily bread as we welcome You to walk through each day with us (Luke 11:3). You are "the Bread of Life" that rains down from heaven (John 6:35). You are enough for every day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Praying Friends, thank you for all your prayers and notes. Though I probably can't respond to them all any time soon, I'm grateful for each one of you in the journey. With much love, Tommy To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.org

Into Your Hands 7-19-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I entrust myself and my family to You this day. … "In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being" (Job 12:10). My first thoughts were turned to phone instead of to prayer this morning and now I'm on a flight from Kentucky to Texas. Sometime around 3:00 this morning, I got the call from my grandmother, Nanny, I knew would come one day soon. My ninety-seven year old grandfather, PaPa, is experiencing massive internal bleeding. He seems to be slipping from this earthly life, through the fleeting grip of death, and into the fullness of eternal life. We have chosen to entrust his life completely into Your hands and Your care, with no artificial means of preserving his life on earth -- only our faithful prayers in trusting surrender to Your perfect will. Death is our enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26). And in Jesus' name, we rebuke death from having any say in this matter, and we entrust PaPa into the hands of Life. You are Life and we trust You to snatch him out of the grip of death and deliver him into the hands of his Father in Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way. I pray You would steady the heart of my grandmother and give her the peace of Your presence. Calm my spirit and focus my thoughts as I travel to join her in these hours of uncertainty and stress. Give me Your words to speak and Your prayers to pray. Father, I pray for Your favor and grace as we make arrangements for the rest of our family to come alongside my grandparents in these sacred moments of time. They have no living children and as the oldest grandson, I will bear much responsibility. Help me to bear these burdens to You and follow the paths of Your leading through these delicate days. Into Your hands, I entrust the spirit and soul and body of my grandfather and Your son. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.org

"All Day Long" 7-18-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I begin to think about my day, before I even begin to pray for others, I seek You and offer You the first moments of my morning. No matter where this day will lead, I will know I began it here with You. … "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for You be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth, and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all day long" (Psalm 25:1-5). I can't wait for You "all day long" unless I wait for You now. I can't follow Your leading "all day long" unless I begin to follow You now. These first moments of the morning set in motion the journey of my day. By Your grace, draw me near to You and focus my thoughts on You. Form Your nature in my nature as I willingly choose to submit myself to You. I seek the mind of Christ, the Father heart of God, the anointing of Your Holy Spirit. "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul" -- my mind and will and emotions. As I do, You will keep teaching me Your paths and leading me in Your truth "all day long." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday night at 7 pm for our ministry's monthly gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper from Liberty Worship will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.org

"Drenched in God's Holy Spirit" 7-17-06

Good Morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse my soul in the washing of the water of Your Word. Fill my heart with the fullness of the life of Your Spirit. By Your grace, I choose to begin this day submitted and surrendered to You. … "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit' "(Acts 11:15-16). At the close of prayer ministry time at the Aldersgate conference in Springfield, Illinois Saturday night, a close friend of mine who pastors a church in Indiana brought his family up for us to pray together. His little boy had just come from the youth service and he was still grinning from ear to ear. I asked him what happened to him. He said, "God drenched me with His Holy Spirit!" He told me when one of the youth leaders began to pray for him, he started to cry for a long time, but they were good tears. Then we prayed for his sister to be "drenched in God's Holy Spirit" and little tears started to flow down her face. After a while of gently praying for her, I asked her if they were good tears and she nodded. Then her daddy kneeled down and held her tight for a long time while they cried good tears together -- along with all the rest of us. This was a wonderful picture in the natural realm of what was taking place in the spiritual realm. Lord Jesus, as we seek You and the fullness of Your presence in our hearts, You fill us with Your Holy Spirit and drench us in the love of God, as our heavenly Father holds us tightly in His powerful embrace. "And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). Keep pouring Your love into our hearts, Lord. Keep drenching us in Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us for the Aldersgate conference on the Holy Spirit next summer in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas: www.aldersgaterenewal.org Come to The Fountain! this Friday night at 7 pm for our ministry's monthly gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.org

Out of the Desert Places 7-15-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I bow to You as King of my heart. I submit to You as Lord of my life. Rule and reign in me today. Come let me hear what You are saying to me today. … "Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress; He led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind. For He satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry He fills with good things" (Psalm 107:4-9). In these days apart to seek Your face and welcome Your Spirit at the Aldersgate Conference, You have released a hunger and a thirst for Your presence and Your power. The more we seek You, the more You surface our need for You. Times of intense worship are followed by times of intense ministry. Like Isaiah, the more we behold Your glory, the more we see how much we are undone and broken, in need of Your tender mercies, healing grace, and mighty power. But as we cry out to You in our troubles, You deliver us from our distress. You are satisfying our thirsting souls and filling our hungry hearts. We are being changed in the power of Your presence. Lord, what You are doing in us in these days, I pray You would do throughout the earth. Pour out a thirst and a hunger for Your presence and Your power. Lead every wandering soul out of the desert places of loneliness and isolation, out of brokenness and pain, out of anxiety and fear, out of doubt and unbelief, out of sin and shame, and into the place of Your power and Your presence. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for us at Aldersgate. The Lord is emptying us of ourselves and filling us with Himself. I pray that blessing for each of you. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.org

Waves of His Will 7-14-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here in the silence of surrender, I entrust myself to You in these first moments of my morning. Draw me into Your presence as I welcome Your presence in me. You say, "I am the Vine." I say, "I am one of Your branches. I abide in You as I welcome You to abide in me" (from John 15:1-5). … When I practiced law in Corpus Christi beside the Gulf of Mexico, I liked to spend some time at the beach every now and then. It was nice to relax in the sun and walk in the sand along the edge of the water. Stress seemed to wash out to sea with every wave. Sometimes I would wade out a little deeper and I could feel the draw of the water back into the sea after every wave would wash onto the beach. As I tried to walk, I would have to almost dig in with my steps to resist the flow of the water trying to draw me out to sea with the waves. So sometimes I would lay back in the water and kick up my feet with no resistance, just to flow with waves. These morning times of prayer are kind of like that the washing of the waves along the shore of my soul. There will be time to walk through the resistance of all the challenges that will come with the day, time to dig in and take a stand, time to press on when everything seems to flowing the other way. But these first moments of the morning are a time to lay back in Your arms, kick my feet up in trusting surrender to the flow of Your Spirit, and let You draw me out into the deeper waters of Your presence. Let the morning sun of the Son of God shine on my soul, and let the waves of Your Holy Spirit wash away the stress and strain of my own strength. Draw me out into the flow of the will of my Father today, as I abide in You and welcome You to abide in me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your prayers this week while I'm ministering at Aldersgate in Springfield, Illinois. Today I will be teaching and ministering on the topic of Freedom from the Chains of our Past. I am also ministering on the prayer team and word gifts team for the general sessions. I wish you were all here in Springfield, Illinois with me! So please be with me in the Spirit through prayer. The Lord is moving powerfully! God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.org

Burning Heart 7-13-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek You Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let me know You more completely in every dimension of Your Being and let me receive You more deeply in every dimension of my being. … Most every Methodist knows the birth of our movement began on May 28, 1794 when John Wesley went to a Moravian prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street in London. His heart was "strangely warmed" and set ablaze with a passion for You and for others in a depth of intimacy of relationship with You he had never known. Though at the time he even thought he was having an initial salvation experience, it seems to me and many others, from his later writings and the evidence of the fruit of Your Spirit in his life both before and after that encounter, that You baptized him in Your Holy Spirit in that moment of desperate surrender and humble faith (Matthew 3:11; Acts 1:5). I've come to the annual Aldersgate Conference again this summer to understand and receive a deeper measure of the presence and power of Your Holy Spirit in my life. Help me to drink deeply of Your Living Water through the ministries of teaching, preaching, prayer, and worship. Free me to worship You from the depths of my soul, unhindered and unrestrained by anything but the leading of Your Spirit. Let me catch up with some old friends who have become family. And anoint me to teach and pray with Your power and authority as I give away to others what You have given me. When I go home, refreshed and renewed from my time with You, let me be like those disciples who encountered You along the way and received a personal touch of Your presence -- "Were not our hearts burning within us!" (Luke 24:32). Yes, Lord. Let my heart be strangely warmed at Aldersgate again this year. Baptize me afresh in Your Holy Spirit and set me ablaze with a passion for You and for others in a depth of intimacy of relationship with You I have never known. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your prayers this week. I am ministering on the prayer team and word gifts team and I will be teaching and ministering on the topic of Freedom from the Chains of our past Friday. I wish you were all here in Springfield, Illinois with me! So please be with me in spirit through prayer. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Preparing the Way of the Lord, ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.org

"Who am I?" 7-12-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lift me up into the heavenly places where I am seated in Christ with You at the right hand of our Father in Heaven (Ephesians 1:20 and 2:4-7). … "Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, 'Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far?" (1 Chronicles 17:16). To have the honor and the privilege to even come and sit before You is incredible. Then to know that You welcome me into Your presence and You even desire to hear my worship and praise and prayers is beyond comprehension. But even as I ask, like David, "Who am I?" it seems I hear You say, "You are My son. You are a child of God. I have brought you this far in the journey of your relationship of intimacy with Me, but I have so much further for you to go. Keep coming to and sitting before Me. Keep welcoming Me into the moments of Your day. This is the heritage of My children. This is the purpose for which I have created you. I am Love. And I have created you for a relationship of love with Me. You are greatly loved and You are always welcome in My presence." Thank You, Lord. You are my Father and I am Your son. I am a child of God. Keep drawing me nearer. Keep cleansing me of sin and shame and all that would try to hold me back from drawing near to You. Keep reminding me of who You say that I am. Keep reminding me of who You are and who You are to me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Tody, I will be joining the ministry team and teaching at the Aldersgate Annual Conference of the Holy Spirit in Springfield, Illinois the rest of the week: www.aldersgaterenewal.org Please keep us in your prayers and if you can, come join us! 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

Praying in the Spirit 7-11-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I set aside my prayers and wait on You for Your prayers. … "Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but hat very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26-27). I do not know how to pray as I ought. So, I look to You and listen for Your leading. You search my heart and You know my weaknesses and my needs. You searches the hearts of those for whom I'm interceding and You now their weaknesses and their needs. And then You intercede through me with sighs too deep for words, with intercession beyond my comprehension, but with prayers according to the will of God. As You begin to bring people and circumstances to my mind now, I give you my heart and I pray in Your Spirit according to Your will. … … As I pray, these are words and sighs in the groaning of the Spirit, yearning for the will of God to be done, for the kingdom of God to come on earth -- and in these lives of each person and each need You are bringing to mind -- as it is in heaven. I don't know the words You are praying, but the thoughts that come to my mind as I pray in the Spirit are thoughts of freedom … healing … breakthrough … restoration … hope … peace … cleansing … joy. I agree with Your will to release Your word and Your power into each of these lives by the power of Your Spirit. And I thank You for those who pray for me in the power of Your Spirit when You bring my face to their minds according to Your will. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Praying Friends, thank you for joining with me in prayer in ministry to the people here at Christ Church in Fairview, Illinois. Last night the Lord moved deeply in our hearts touching and healing deep wounds as He was binding up the brokenhearted and setting the captives free. Thank you for joining with me through your intercession in this ministry of prayer and proclaiming God's Word in the power of His Spirit. I'll be speaking with pastors this morning from other churches in the area on the ministry of inner healing and deliverance. Please keep us in your prayers. God bless you! Wednesday, I will be joining the ministry team and teaching at the Aldersgate Annual Conference of the Holy Spirit in Springfield, Illinois the rest of the week: www.aldersgaterenewal.org Please keep us in your prayers and if you can, come join us! 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

Bread upon the Waters 7-10-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You, Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. … "Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will get it back" (Ecclesiastes 11:1). You have given me the bread of Your words of life. You have nurtured me and strengthened me, You are growing me into maturity. And every day You send me to share with others what You have given me, even as I learn from others what You have shared with them. In the giving, there is receiving. And the measure we give will be the measure we receive. As You said, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back" (Luke 6:37-38). Keep teaching me Your ways, keep leading me in Your will, keep transforming me into Your nature -- little by little, step by step, day by day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be preaching and teaching at Christ United Methodist Church in Fairview Heights, Illinois outside of St. Louis this Sunday through Tuesday: www.connectingwithchrist.com Then I will be joining the ministry team and teaching at the Aldersgate Annual Conference of the Holy Spirit in Springfield, Illinois the rest of the week: www.aldersgaterenewal.org Please keep us in your prayers and if you can, come join us! 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

Extravagantly Glorious and Abundant Life 7-9-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I’ve come to Fairview Heights, Illinois to share Your words of truth and life with the people here this morning and over the next few days. So open my heart to hear Your words and open my spirit to receive Your life so that I can share what I receive. … “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10b). Abundant life is so much more than living on life support. Abundant life is living the fullness of life in the very face of death – in the face of the thief who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (verse 10:10a). We don’t live life in a vacuum. We live it out day by day, morning by morning, in the midst of a world submitting to the rule of the evil one. But we need not fear, for You have overcome the world and You have defeated the evil one. Give us courage then to confront death with life, to cast off our artificial means of just surviving and just getting by. Awaken us to live the extravagantly glorious and abundant lives You have created us to live. Like Lazarus, let us cast off our death clothes as You roll away the stones that have sealed our tombs. Release the Spirit of Your resurrection life into every area of our lives as You drive death, our enemy, from our lives (John 11:1-44). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be preaching and teaching at Christ United Methodist Church in Fairview Heights, Illinois outside of St. Louis this Sunday through Tuesday: www.connectingwithchrist.com Then I will be joining the ministry team and teaching at Aldersgate Annual Conference of the Holy Spirit in Springfield, Illinois the rest of the week: www.aldersgaterenewal.org Please keep us in your prayers and if you can, come join us! 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

Voice of the Good Shepherd 7-7-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Good Shepherd and Your sheep hear Your voice. You have called me as one of the sheep of Your fold. In these first moments of my morning, help me hear Your voice and Your voice alone. Help me follow You and You alone. ... "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all of his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. ... I am the good shepherd" (John 10:1-5 and 11). Lord, how do I learn to discern Your voice from the voices of the thieves and bandits who are strangers pretending to be my shepherd and friend? ... It seems I hear You say: "My sheep know My voice because my sheep know Me. You know Me because You spend time with Me, and in spending time with Me you know My nature. My nature is love and My nature is life. My nature is truth and My nature is peace. My nature is encouragement and My nature is hope. When I come in to the gate of your heart, I come in to give you life -- abundant life. When the thief comes in, he comes to bring discouragement and death, destruction and fear. Test the voice you hear. Know Me, and in knowing Me, you will also recognize your enemy, the thief who comes to steal and kill and destroy." Yes, Lord. Forgive me for the times I have given in to deception. Forgive me for the times I have failed to test the thoughts and impressions and voices that come pressing in to my heart and soul. Forgive me for times I have confused Your nature with the thief's nature and judged Your ways as his ways. Remind me of Your nature, renew me in our relationship, refresh me in the knowledge of Your love for me and Your purpose for my life. You are my Good Shepherd. And by Your grace, I want learn and grow to be a more discerning and obedient sheep. Help me hear Your voice and follow Your lead. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be preaching and teaching at Christ United Methodist Church in Fairview Heights, Illinois outside of St. Louis this Sunday through Tuesday: www.connectingwithchrist.com Then I will be joining the ministry team and teaching at Aldersgate Annual Conference of the Holy Spirit in Springfield, Illinois the rest of the week: www.aldersgaterenewal.org Please keep us in your prayers and if you can, come join us! To subscribe/unsubscribe or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and 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.comcd'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

Favored one of God 7-6-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn to You and call on Your name. I lift my eyes to the heavens and turn my soul to You. I start this day with You so that You will know I welcome You to walk through this day with me. ... "Remember me, O Lord, when You show favor to Your people; help me when You deliver them; that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory in Your heritage" (Psalm 106:4-5). Your favor is Your hand of grace -- Your protection, Your provision, Your power. When I fall far short of Your glory, Your favor lifts me up and presses me on. When I disappoint myself and others, Your favor reminds me to hear Your words of encouragement, that I am still Your child and there is much You have done and much more You will do through my life that the others and I can't always see. When I feel confused about the uncertainties of the present and the anxieties for the future, Your favor reminds me that I am one of Your chose ones -- those who have chosen to receive Your free offer of grace and love to all -- and that You have chosen me to fulfill a purpose and calling and destiny that depends much more on You than on me. So as best as I can and all by Your grace, in humility and in faith, I ask for and I receive Your favor. I choose to find my glory in Your heritage, to be available to You to use my life as You will. Just keep letting me know that You remember me. Just keep reminding me that You love. Just keep encouraging me that You have chosen me. Deliver me from all discouragement and doubt. Establish me in the confident hope and unfailing grace of Your favor. You are all the protection, the provision, and the power I will ever need. In You, I am a favored and chosen one of God. 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

"Sound and Blameless" 7-5-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be Lord of my spirit, Lord of my soul, Lord of my body. Be Lord of all. ... "May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do this" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). You are faithful and You will do this. By Your healing power, You will keep me sound. By Your forgiving grace, You will keep me blameless. As I keep choosing to keep submitting and surrendering my life into Your hands, You keep sanctifying me -- purifying my heart and cleansing my soul, preparing me for the coming our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the life-long process of spiritual transformation -- conforming my will to Your will and my nature to Your nature. "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (verse 4:3). When will You sanctify me, Lord? When will I be sound and blameless before You? Only when I get to heaven? No. Your Word says You desire to sanctify me now -- "at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." You are a holy God, and You are coming for a holy people, surrendering by Your grace to Your will and submitting by Your grace to Your Lordship in our spirits and souls and bodies. As we choose this, You are faithful and You will do this. "And may He so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints" (verse 3:13). Strengthen my heart in holiness today. Keep giving me the desire to be sound and blameless at Your coming. Conform my will to Your will and transform my nature into Your nature more every day -- all by Your grace and all in Your power. 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

Birth of a Nation 7-4-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the ruler of the nations and one day all will walk in Your light and bow to Your glory (Revelation 21:24). All by Your grace, I choose to walk in Your light and bow to Your glory today. ... "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). Today we celebrate the birth of our nation on July 4th, 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. From the recorded journals and writings of those who made history at that time, history cannot deny that You were on their minds. In signing their names and sealing their oaths of independence on that day, they also affirmed their dependence upon You: "And for support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance upon Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." You are Divine Providence. And there is no honor that is not sacred honor. Blessed is the nation and blessed is the people who remember to honor You. "And now, Almighty Father, if it is Thy holy will that we shall obtain a place and name among the nations of the earth, grant that we may be enabled to show our gratitude for Thy goodness by our endeavors to fear and obey Thee. Bless us with Thy wisdom in our counsels, success in battle, and let all our victories be tempered with humanity. Endow, also, our enemies with enlightened minds, that they become sensible of their injustice, and willing to restore our liberty and peace. Grant the petition of Thy servant, for the sake of Him whom Thou hast called Thy beloved Son; nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done" (General George Washington, private prayer of June 1779 from his headquarters on the Hudson River). Restore us in Your righteousness; forgive us of our sins; remind us of our calling and destiny as a nation who proclaims liberty, fights for freedom, and lives in honor. Like all people of all nations, we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But You desire Your mercy to triumph over judgment. And You desire to redeem and restore as You remind us of Your hand of Divine Providence that reaches out to every nation who will humble herself to take it. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12, NKJV). In our celebrations today, may we also remember to humble ourselves to take Your hand and praise Your name for the blessing of our birth and the faithful fulfillment of our destiny. 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. 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

Seeing is Believing 7-3-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. By the Holy Spirit of the Living God living in me, I come to the Father through Jesus the Son. Lord my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- I want to seek You more deeply and find You more completely in the journey of growing in relationship with You. ... "Then Jesus cried aloud: 'Whoever believes in Me believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And whoever sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me should not remain in the darkness.' " (John 12:44-46). You have not created me and called me merely to understand You or assent to the doctrines about You, but to seek to see You. And in seeing You, I come to know You and to believe in You. As the old sayings go, "Seeing is believing" and "I'll know it when I see it." But the darkness of this broken, fallen world blinds our eyes to the truth of Your presence and Your nature, keeping us from seeing You and knowing You as You truly are. Father, You are Spirit, and those who seek to know You and worship You must seek You in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). So You have entered our darkness in the nature of Your Son. As Your Spirit prophesied of Your coming long ago, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined" (Isaiah 9:2). Now through Your Spirit, You are pushing back the darkness to open the eyes of our hearts to see You and believe You (Ephesians 1:17-19). In the nature of Your Son who has lived among us to show us Your face and who is living among us by Your Spirit to seek Your face, You are "the light of the world" (John 8:12). Darkness has to hide by the coming of the glory of Your light. "For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). Father God, as I see Your Son, I see You. As I see His nature, I know Your nature, for the Father and the Son "are One" (John 10:30). I know You as I see You. And then seeing is believing. 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 on inner healing, 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

Belief and Obedience 7-2-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak Your name and seek Your nature. ... "The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath" (John 3:35-36). There is an inseparable connection between belief and obedience. We cannot really believe without also obeying and we cannot really obey without believing. Faith in the Son of God includes both trusting and obeying. Lord, help me trust more; help me obey more. Father, draw me more deeply into Your love of Your Son by Your Spirit. Keep giving me the grace to trust Him and obey Him. As I keep putting my faith in Your Son, His life becomes my life and His nature becomes my nature. And I grow in my understanding of my identity as a son of God -- created to endure Your pleasure and not Your wrath. 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

My Life-line 6-30-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I turn my eyes to challenges of they day, I first turn them to You. Now is when I receive the wisdom and the strength that will carry me through this day. ... "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:1-4). On a popular television game show, the contestants try to give the right answer to the questions in order to keep progressing to the end. When they really get desperate, and no longer think they can make the right choice on their own, they turn to one of their "life-lines" for help. There have been many times when I have live my life like that game show -- trying to do it on my own until I get desperate enough to ask for help, to use my life-line. But You have been teaching me the peace that comes with desperately depending upon You from the very beginning. You are my Life-line. You are the right answer to every question I will encounter this day. I don't want to even try to answer the questions and meet the challenges I will face today in my own wisdom or strength apart from You. And I don't have to. I turn my face and my heart to You in desperate dependence upon Your help and Your life, for I have chosen for my life to be hidden in Your. 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

Buildings of Blessing 6-28-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me get quiet and listen for Your leading as I spend the first moments of this morning with You. ... Our church needs a new roof. The estimates for repair have been staggering, and the idea of diverting funds from ministry to materials is overwhelming. But as we use the building You have entrusted to us, You are reminding us it is not a building we honor, but You. It's not a building we serve but the people You bring to the building as a place and a means of Your ministry to them. Our building is a blessing only to the degree we use it to bless those outside our building who need to come inside a living and personal relationship with You. As we were praying about that and the other challenges we face as a church yesterday, the image came to me of another building where You were ministering. That building was an obstacle to ministry for the friends of a paralyzed man who couldn't get in to see You and receive Your healing words and Your healing power. So they tore the roof off of that building (Luke 5:18-19). Lord, tear the roof off of everything in our lives and our churches that hinder us from our mission of sharing You and Your Word and Your power with all who need You. Remove the false ceilings, break down the barriers, and open up the heavens over our heads -- even if You have to tear the roof off to do it. Let this challenge not be a distraction but a means to our destiny. In the ways of Your kingdom, You'll give us a new roof as we pray for open heavens. Long ago, a torn-up roof led to a mighty demonstration of Your power to forgive sins and heal lives. "Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe" (Luke 5:26). We glorify You for Your goodness. We stand amazed in Your presence. We are filled with awe at Your grace to forgive and Your power to heal. Let our lives be Your temple and let our hearts be open to Your heavens, so that our buildings will be blessings for all people. 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

Welcome 6-27-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Father God. Good morning, Holy Spirit. I welcome You, Lord, in every dimension of Your Being here into dimension of my being this day. ... "Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him" (Luke 8:40). In the original language of this verse, the word "welcomed" means to receive gladly. Every day, I want to be waiting for Your return and every day I want to be receiving You gladly into my life. One day You will return in glory in the skies, and every day between now and then You want to return in glory in our hearts. Your glory is Your manifest presence. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- come manifest the glory of Your presence in my life today. I wait for You eagerly and welcome You gladly. 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

Riches of Life 6-26-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call You Lord, because I choose to submit to Your lordship in every area of my life, as best as I can and all by Your grace. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Be my King. Be my Lord. ... "As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life" (1 Timothy 6:17-19). The two riches men in the world recently announced they are giving incredible proportions of their time and their riches to help the lives of others. Whatever their motives or their circumstances, one thing seems clear -- they are seeking to find fulfillment in something other than what they have. And they each seem to have so very much. In the journey of my life, there have been times when I have been rich and times when I have been poor. But You have shown me over and again the measure of my wealth is not the measure of my joy. My treasure is found in trusting You. You know just what I need to find fulfillment, peace, and joy. And when I am willing to trust You in that, letting my focus be Your focus and my priorities be Your priorities, You richly provide everything I need for my enjoyment of life -- "the life that really is life." That kind of life may be lived out even in the most horrendous circumstances and challenging struggles, but it is a life of the joy of Your presence and Your pleasure that I have found my "good foundation for the future" in the treasure of trusting 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 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

Power of the Word of God 6-25-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are mighty. You are powerful. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I trust in the might of Your power. I submit to the authority of Your name. ... In the struggles of ministry, Moses questioned the extent of Your power, and therefore doubted the authority of Your word. But You simply looked at him and loved him, then You resolved to show him the power of Your name and the faithfulness of Your word. "The Lord said to Moses, 'Is the Lord's power limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not' " (Numbers 11:23). Forgive me for the times I question Your power and doubt Your word. Forgive me for the times I look at the struggles longer than I look to You, submitting to their lordship rather than Yours. You are not a weak God, nor a complacent God. You are involved in every area of my life and in the lives of those around me. You are mighty and You are powerful. And every word You have ever spoken to me in my spirit and to me through Your Scripture will come to pass. In Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way, I will see that Your word for me is true. I will see the glory and the power of Your Word and my King. "For the Kingdom of God depends not on talks but on power" (1 Corinthians 4:20). 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

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