The Anger of the Lord 8-13-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above every name. At Your name, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). ... "But You indeed are awesome! Who can stand before You when once Your anger is roused? From the heavens You uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still when God rose up to establish judgment, to save all the oppressed of the earth" (Psalm 76:7-9). Yesterday I sensed Your anger was roused in me. I saw the oppressed of the earth face to face and could do nothing about it, and I was angry at those who could. We took my children to a National Park for the day to see Mammoth Cave, and there were people there from many different nations and cultures. Two men were there with their wives, veiled in black clothe from thier head to their feet with only slits for their eyes to see how to walk and take care of their children. My anger rose and my heart broke that a husband could do that to his wife, that a religion could do that its people. So I continued to release my anger to You and let the anger turn to intercession. I continued to remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness who come to deceive and confuse, to oppress and destroy (Ephesians 6:12). You desire to save "all the oppressed of the earth," whether they know they are oppressed or not. Lord God, let Your anger be roused against the injustice and oppression of our spiritual enemy who comes to deceive and work his destruction through those he has blinded to truth of Your nature. The gospel of Your truth "is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Let the earth fear God and be still before You, as You rise to establish Your judgment and justice to save all the oppressed of the earth. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). 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 Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Evil Exposed by the Light 8-12-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the light of Your life shine in my soul and throughout the earth. … "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them" (Ephesians5:11). Thank You for exposing the plans and schemes of the terrorists who sought to explode ten passenger planes on their way to America. I join in the prayers of Your people throughout the earth that the works of darkness will be exposed and the works of evil will be thwarted. Terrorism is the enemy's perversion of the fear of God. "Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in their hearts; there is no fear of God before their eyes. They flatter themselves in their own eyes that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit; they have ceased to act wisely and do good. They plot mischief while on their beds; they are set on a way that is not good; they do not reject evil" (Psalm 36:1-4). The true fear of God is honor and reverence for You and Your ways. Your ways are life and light, not death and darkness. I pray for the souls of those who are confused and deceived by this false fear, who worship a god who is not God. Open their eyes to see You as You are. Let the true fear of God come upon them that leads to humility and repentance, then Your mercy and grace. "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light" (Psalm 36:9). 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 Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-17694

Promise of Restoration in the Days of Amos 8-11-06

Morning by Morning, Friday Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me be quiet so I can hear. Help me listen so You can speak. … Though Your Word through Amos speaks of judgment without measure for the people of the nations and for Israel who will not humble themselves in repentance and turn to You in obedience, Your Word also speaks of the healing and restoration that comes through Your mercy for those who do (Amos 9:11-15). "On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; in order that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name, says the Lord who does this" (9:11-12). Lord, raise up the booth of David -- the tabernacle of worship and praise and prayer "before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister regularly before the ark as each day required" (1 Chronicles 16:37). Draw Your people before the ark of Your presence. Let us seek You and Your face for Your protection and Your grace as each day requires. Only the power of Your presence will bring peace and protection. Open our eyes and our hearts to seek You and receive You. Rebuild Your tabernacle of prayer and praise in our hearts. Let it be so in Israel and in Islam, in the hearts of all people of all nations who humble themselves to seek Your face, welcome Your presence, and obey Your will. 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 Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-17694

The Days of Amos 8-10-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call upon Your name and seek the fullness of Your salvation for myself and for all who need to know Your name. ... Are these not the beginning of the days seen by Amos long ago? Through Your prophet You declared Your judgments on the nations of the earth to come. "The Lord roars from Zion, and utters His voice from Jerusalem; the pastors of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers" (Amos 1:2). I join those You are calling to intercede throughout the earth for salvation of the people of our nations, the people of all nations, and especially the people of these nations and cities You have named by name under Your judgments to come in the fullness of time: Damascus (Amos 1:3), Gaza (1:6), Tyre (1:9), Edom (1:11), Ammon (1:13), Moab (2:1), Judah (2:4), and Israel (2:6). "Surely the Lord does nothing, without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets. The Lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?" (Amos 3:7-8). In the fear of the Lord, I pray. In the love of God, I pray. I pray for the blessing of the fear of God to fall upon every heart that brings conviction of sin -- especially the sin of hardened, rebellious hearts of doubt, unbelief, and pride that resist the grace and mercy of God available to all through Your unfailing love revealed and released through the blood of Christ. "This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth" (1 Timothy 2:3-4). You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Through the sacrifice of Your love and Your offer of grace to all, You have prepared the way for each of us to know the truth and live our lives eternally in You. Though judgment will come, Your "mercy triumphs over judgment" for all who will humble themselves in Your sight (James 2:13). "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). I pray for all who need to call on Your name before judgment and even in midst of the judgment to come. Even Your judgments are Your mercy if the humble hardened hearts and bow rebellious knees to ask for the grace You long to give. "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done in it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But in accordance with His promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home" (2 Peter 3:9-13). Come Lord Jesus, be at home in my heart today. Come be at home in every heart who calls on Your name today. 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 Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-17694

You are I AM 8-9-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -- Maker and Master of Heaven and Earth -- You are I AM. ... "But Moses said to God, 'If I come to the Israelites and say them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM." Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " God also said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you: This is My name forever, and this is My title for all generation' " (Exodus 3:13-15). You are all I need. I need all of You. By Your grace, I give all of me to all of You. Open my eyes to see You clearly as You are. Open the eyes of Israel and Islam to see You clearly as You are. Open the eyes of all nations to behold the One who rules all nations. "He calls to the heavens above and the earth, that He may judge His people: 'Gather to Me My faithful ones, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice!' The heavens declare His righteousness, for God himself is judge. 'Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you, I AM God, your God' " (Psalm 50:4-7). Forgive each of us, Lord God, when You call to us and we do not answer, when You come to us and we do not receive You, when You lead us and we do not follow, when You reveal Yourself to us and we do not see You for Who You are. You are I AM. You said, "For the sake of My servant Jacob, and Israel My chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know Me. I AM the Lord and there is no other; besides Me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know Me, so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides Me; I AM the Lord and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:4-6). By Your grace and mercy, You arm and protect the people of Your covenant and call them by name, though they do not yet know Your Name. You are I AM. You said: "I AM the Bread of Life" (John 6:35); "I AM the Light of the World" (v. 8:12); "I AM from above" (v. 8:23); "I AM the Gate" (v. 10:9); "I AM the Good Shepherd" (v. 10:11); "I AM God's Son" (v. 10:36); "I AM the Resurrection and the Life" (v. 11:25). To Your first disciples, You said, "You call Me Teacher and Lord -- and you are right, for that is what I AM" (v. 13:13). To the Samaritan woman at the well who said, "I know Messiah is coming and when He comes He will proclaim all things to us," You said to her, "I AM He, the One Who is speaking to you" (v. 4:25-26). And when the children of Abraham could not see You as the One who was to come to fulfill their hopes through the sacrifice of Your love, You said, "Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I AM" (v. 8:58). Thank You for Your grace that has opened my eyes to see You, my ears to hear You, and my heart to receive You as You are. You are my protection and my provision, my Lord and my Savior, my God and my King. You are All I need. You are my "All in All" (1 Corinthians 15:28). You are I AM. And I pray the eyes of all people of all nations in all generations would be opened to see You are You are. 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 Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-17694

"The Remnant of the Noble" 8-8-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill my thoughts with Your thoughts and fill my desires with Your desires as I decrease and You increase, as I watch and wait for Your leading and Your command. … "Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord. Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, O son of Abinoam. Then down marched the remnant of the noble; the people of the Lord marched down for Him against the mighty" (Judges 5:11-13). There are those who are "the mighty," but You are the Almighty! There are those who take their stand against the will of the Lord, but You are the One whose will stands over eternity. Let Your sons and Your daughters hear Your call to awake and to arise! Let us hear Your call to march in the authority of Your Word and the power of Your Name. We are the remnant of the noble, the people of the Lord who refuse to bow down to the enemies of our King -- the world, the flesh, and the devil. These false gods seek our worship and seek our appeasement. Then those around us who give them place and honor in their lives, give them strength and courage to advance against the gates of the kingdom of God. "When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates" (Judges 5:8). By Your grace, we will not sit back; we will answer Your call. We will arise and march down to the gates -- the gates of our hearts and minds, the gates of our thoughts and desires. There we will worship You alone as God and bow before You alone as King. And there our God will arise and our enemies will be scattered (Psalm 68:1). There we will proclaim as the remnant of the noble, "How the mighty have fallen in the midst of battle!" (2 Samuel 1:25). 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

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart 8-7-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord I give You my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Help me hold nothing back from You today. … Saturday night at the conference, a little child prayed for me at the altar that I would have clean hands and a pure heart before You. Sunday morning, the pastor and the people of the little country church where I stopped to worship on my way home circled around me to pray for me at the altar. As they laid a "mantle" in the form of a prayer shawl across my shoulders, someone prayed that I would have clean hands and a pure heart before You. I receive Your call to holiness of heart and life. By the love of the Father and the blood of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit, cleanse my hands and purify my heart by Your grace and Your power in accordance with Your Word. "Who will ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob" (Psalm 24:3-6). By Your grace, I seek Your face. By the blood of the Lamb that cleanses my sins and sanctifies my soul, I ascend this hill and come in to this place -- the place of Your presence -- with clean hands and a pure heart. Thank You for this gift of grace beyond words. 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

Women on the Frontlines 8-5-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call upon Your name as You call upon my heart. … "At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. … She sent and summoned Barak …and said to him, 'The Lord, the God of Israel commands you, 'Go, take possession of Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.' ' Barak said to her, 'If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.' And she said, 'I will surely go with you; nevertheless the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman' "(Judges 4:4-9). I'll be going to a conference in Ohio this weekend with my mother-in-law Beverly called "Women on the Frontlines of Battle." Prepare my heart to hear Your Word from Heidi Baker, Jim Goll, and the others You will use to speak Your Truth and impart Your Spirit. In these days, You are humbling the men of Your kingdom to make room for the leadership of Your women. There are battles we need to fight that cannot be won unless we go out with them into battle. There is land You have given to us to possess we cannot take unless we take both Your sons and Your daughters with us into battle. We have different roles, but our roles are of equal significance and value in Your kingdom. Let them be the roles You have determined rather than those we have determined by the traditions of men rather than the Word of God. Let our positions be those You have assigned at Your command rather our own. The Word of God says, "In these last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon My slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out My Spirit; and they shall prophesy" (Acts 2:17-18). From the day Your poured out Your Holy Spirit upon all flesh -- male flesh and females flesh -- on the day of Pentecost, these days have been "these last days." You have called "both men and women" to hear and to speak Your Word with Your authority at Your command. Forgive us where we have misunderstood Your Word, failed to consider the whole counsel of God, heard what we wanted to hear, and ignored the rest. This road on which we are going will not lead to our glory but to Yours. 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

Peace and Power 8-4-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Peace and Your are my Power. Fill me with Your Power and Your Peace to follow You in Your ways this day. … "The Lord goes forth like a soldier, like a warrior He stirs up His fury, He cries out, He shouts aloud, He shows Himself mighty against His foes" (Isaiah 42:10). You are not a passive God, sitting back waiting for the world to unravel as time unfolds. You are both the Lamb that takes away sins of the world, but Your are also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. There are times when You are silent as a Lamb before the shearers and times when the mountains tremble with at roar of a fierce Lion. You abound in mercy, but You are also righteous in judgment. You are the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6) and You give us Your peace, but not the peace "as the world gives" (John 14:27). This is not a peace of appeasement or complacency, not the cessation of conflict at any cost, but the peace that comes only from the wisdom of the One who establishes peace with the sword of His Word and the authority of His name. In this way, You said, "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). You have not come to bring the pacifistic peace of the world that chooses the compromise of conscience rather risk confrontation and challenge to injustice, persecution, and oppression. We will only know when to lay down our lives and our weapons and know when to stand and fight when we know the One who is our Peace. Then we will be led by Your Spirit rather than our flesh and unholy spirits. "I have said this to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you may face persecution, but take courage; I have conquered the world!" (John 16:33). Yes, Lord. Only in You do we have true peace. Only in You do we have true power. As they say, "No Jesus; No peace. Know Jesus; Know Peace." 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

War in the Heavenlies 8-3-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You call me to draw near to You in the morning in the intimacy of prayer so I can rise and go forth into the battle of the day in the authority of Your presence. Now is when I listen, so that I will be ready when You call me to speak. Now is when I bow low in humility before You, so that I will be ready to rise and take my stand in faith to follow You. … There is war in the heavenlies, and that war is being manifested in the realms of the earth. Israel is ground zero, as You have prophesied in Your Word from the beginning and through the end. Though the nations gather for destruction and war, true peace will come, but only after a false peace comes first. Let us not be deceived and let us not be complacent. Let us be ready and vigilant with our eyes to the heavens and our ears to Your heart to pray and war in the Spirit as Your lead. "For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape. But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief, for you are all children of light and children of the day, we are not of the night or of darkness. So than let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober, for those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, as indeed you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:2-11). You are my Breastplate; You are my Helmet. You are my Warrior and my Peace; my Encouragement and my Hope. Let me be awake and alive in You to obey Your command in the war at hand. 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

God at Work 8-2-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, my Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. I settle my soul to seek Your face and listen for the leading of Your voice. … "From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who works for those who wait for Him" (Isaiah 64:4). What an amazing thought! My God works for me as I wait for Him. Of course, You are not working for me in the sense that I am Your boss and You are at my command -- that would be arrogant blasphemy. But as I wait for You, You are at work moving in my life, ordering my steps, preparing the path before me for Your purposes. Yet if I fail to wait, I won't leave room for You to work to prepare the way. If I hurry to go my way, it will be my way rather than Your way that I'm going. So give me the grace of patience to wait -- to sit in the silence of surrender before You, to humble myself in Your sight, to listen for the leading of Your voice, then to rise and follow in the path You have prepared in Your work for me this 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

Possessing the Land, Embracing the Kingdom 8-1-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Each day is another day of being conformed to the image of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit in submission to the will of my Father God (from Romans 8:29; 12:1-2). … "Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you, thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised" (Deuteronomy 6:18-19). The literal realities of the events of those living under the Old Covenant also speak of the spiritual encounters of those living under the New Covenant. "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). Under the New Covenant, my true enemies are not the human beings but the spiritual beings who will be at work to try to hinder and delay, to defile and distort Your purposes in my life today. "For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). And the true land You have given me to possess is not marked by metes and bounds, rivers and mountains; it is the land of living in the kingdom of God. And Your kingdom comes in the hearts of all who bow to Your will and Your ways as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. "But strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Give me grace to do what is right and good in Your sight today. As I submit my heart and mind to Your will and ways today, let my enemies be scattered and let me enter in to the good land of Your promise and provision. To possess the land is embrace Your kingdom. Then it will go well with me, despite all I may encounter and all I may endure. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, in my life today. 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

"Peace like a River" 7-31-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me in to Your presence, my Father. Come, Holy Spirit. Lord God, I seek all of You with all of me -- as best as I can and all by Your grace. … "Peace like a river." You brought these words to mind to pray into someone's spirit last night during the prayer time of our New Life Community -- our gathering of a couple of small groups that meet on Sunday nights from my home church. With these words came an image of a gently flowing river, but the waters were flowing underground in an underground stream. It seemed You were saying, "Beneath the surface of Your life, I am always here, always moving like a steady flow of peace no matter what things look like on the surface. Don't worry. Be anxious for nothing. Receive my peace like a river." Yes, Lord. "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved" (Psalm 55:22). "Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). You are my Peace, Peace like a River flowing through my life -- steady and pure, always moving, always there, always ready to carry me through every trouble I face. Help me not resist Your flow, but freely give myself to You in trusting surrender and to flow with You wherever You take me. 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

Desert Place of Prayer 7-30-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are One and You are the One I seek in the quiet of the morning and in the desert place of prayer. … "In the morning, while it was still very dark, He got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed" (Mark 1:32). My deserted place for prayer is most often the deserted hours of the early morning, while it is still very dark because no one else is up yet. Here in my prayer chair with my laptop journal and my Bible, You meet me in the communion of prayer. Here I can get quiet in my soul -- my mind, my will, and my emotions -- and my spirit can rise into the heavenly places of prayer where I am seated with You, by being seated in You through the communion of Your Spirit and in submission to Your Lordship at the right hand of my Father. "But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He has loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved -- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7). Out of these desert places of surrender in the silence of prayer as I wait for Your presence and listen for Your leading, Your living waters of life begin to flow. The desert makes me thirsty and desperate for the life of the water of Your words. "For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and steams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water" (Isaiah 35:6-7). Here in the wilderness, I watch and wait for You alone. Here in the desert, I thirst for Your words of life and Your will for my life. And here Your living waters break forth. "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). You are my Righteousness and I thank You for filling me afresh with Your living waters in the desert place of prayer. 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

"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

"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