"Give to Everyone Who Begs from You" 11-30-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Holy Spirit. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Lord God Almighty, I enter in to the Holy of Holies of Your presence in prayer through the blood of the Lamb. ... "You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.... So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:8-13). Yesterday a man asked me for money to buy some food. It may be the changing season or the changing culture, but that seems to be happening more and more. I have to admit those times make me uncomfortable as I find myself trying to judge the person's heart, motives, needs, and circumstances. Then I find myself judging my own. But this time, as soon as my mind started to go down that road, I heard very clearly in my spirit, "Give to everyone who begs from you." So that made it easy. But as the man walked away, I remembered the many times I have not given to everyone who begs from me, despite the teaching of Your Word (Matthew 5:42). I remembered the times I've tried to find comfort leaning instead toward another teaching of Your Word, "Anyone unwilling to work should not eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:11). It just reminded me how impossible it would be to try to sort out the heart and circumstances of every person in every encounter, without the leading of Your Holy Spirit. And it seems that is the answer to showing no partiality -- with every encounter with every person in every circumstance, I need to listen for the leading of Your Holy Spirit, I need to seek the mind of Christ, I need to choose the path of the Father Heart of God. I need to begin my days entrusting the encounters of that day to You, so I can be ready make choices out of constant communion with You. Otherwise, I'll always be tempted to look upon the outward appearance and judge from my limited discernment, when You always look at the heart and only You truly know a person's heart. "For the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Lord, forgive me for the times I have shown partiality by relying on my own wisdom and whims rather seeking Your will and ways. Forgive me for my judgments that were not sanctified by Your judgment and all the times I have not loved my neighbor as myself, in violation of Your royal law. I am guilty under the law of Your judgment, and I need Your mercy. Thank You for making Your mercy available for my sins when I commit them to You. Thank You that Your "mercy triumphs over judgment." Judgment is real and so are the consequences -- now in this age and in the age to come -- but so is Your mercy. Thank You for the mercy that freely comes to a repentant heart by the blood of the Lamb in the grace of God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Flesh and Blood 11-29-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I think of what I have to do today, before I even begin to pray for others or myself, I turn my heart and soul to You. ... "So Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no Life in you. Those who eat My flesh and drink My blood have eternal life and I will raise them up on the last day; for My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink. Those who eat My flesh and drink My blood abide in Me, and I in them....' When many of His disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult, who can accept it?'... Because of this many of His disciples turned back and no longer went about with Him" (John 6:53-66). Lord, help me hear all Your words and receive them all as "spirit and life" -- even the hard words and difficult teachings (v. 6:63). Give me faith to keep pressing in and courage to keep pressing on, never turning back and never holding back. You are the Word of God and You became flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14). You poured out the blood of Your life to cleanse me from my sins, heal me of my wounds, and free me from my bondage. By Your grace, I choose to abide in You and welcome You to abide in me. I choose to eat of the flesh of Your Word and drink of the blood of Your Life. In the mystery of faith, make me one with You, one with the others of Your body throughout the nations and generations, and one in ministry to all the world. Where You lead me, I will follow -- knowing You go with me and You live within me, all the way. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Fire from Heaven 11-28-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of the morning in contemplative prayer, let me hear no voice but Your voice, think no thoughts but Your thoughts, have no desires but Your desires. I watch and wait for You alone -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "Now, O my God, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to prayer from this place.... When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple" (2 Chronicles 6:40-7:1). Solomon built a temple for You; and by Your grace, You have built a temple in me. Through the sacrifice of the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, my body is now "a temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19). As I offer to You in prayer the burnt offerings of my heart and soul with the sacrifices of my thoughts and desires, let Your fire come down from heaven. Consume my flesh and fill me afresh with the glory of Your presence living in me. "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3:16). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we are planning some times to share the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries with those who are friends of our ministry and those who would like to know more. If you are in the Lexington area and would like to be included, please send me a note at MessiahMin@aol.com or call Marilyn at 859-317-1591. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Fear Him and Seek Him 11-27-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the paths of Your righteousness today. ... "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His holy ones, for those who fear Him have no want. The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing" (Psalm 34:7-10). You call me to seek You and to fear You at the same time. Teach me Your ways, Lord. Let Your ways become my ways, a little more each day. ... It seems I hear You say, "My son, there are those who seek the blessings of My hands without seeking the glory of My face. There are those who want to know Me for what I can do for them, not really desiring to know Me for who I am to them. This is not the fear of the Lord. To fear Me is to honor Me for who I am without regard to what I can do for you. I am the Lord your God. Seek Me first and My righteousness. Then all these things will be added unto you. When you seek Me in this way, you honor Me, you fear Me, and you welcome Me to encamp around you." Yes, Lord. As someone has said, I choose to seek Your face before Your hands. By Your grace, I seek You first (Matthew 6:33). As You have said in the wisdom of Your Word, "I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently find Me" (Proverbs 8:17). Help me continue to learn how to walk this journey of faith in both the fear of the Lord and the intimacy of the Lord, as You teach me to seek You and to honor You for who You are. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we are planning some times to share the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries with those who are friends of our ministry and those who would like to know more. If you are in the Lexington area and would like to be included, please send me a note at MessiahMin@aol.com or call at 859-422-1794. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

King of Glory Come In 11-26-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am, Lord -- watching and waiting for Your leading, as I offer to You the first-fruits of my thoughts and desires this day. ... "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! That the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is this King of glory" (Psalm 24:9-10). To You, O Lord, I lift up my head and open up my heart. You are the King of glory. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. You are the King and Lord of my heart and soul, and I welcome You to continue to come in and establish Your Kingdom in my life. As I behold You in the trusting surrender of worship and yield to Your will and Your ways in the communion of prayer, You are changing me into Your image one day at a time (2 Corinthians 3:18). "Look to Him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed" (Psalm 34:5). Thank You for Your blood that cleanses my sin. Thank You for Your fire that purifies my soul. Thank You for Your grace that enables me to lift my head and open my heart that the King of glory may come in. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we are planning some times to share the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries with those who are friends of our ministry and those who would like to know more. If you are in the Lexington area and would like to be included, please send me a note at MessiahMin@aol.com or call at 859-422-1794. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

At All Times" 11-25-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I begin this day with You, I choose by Your grace, to actively and simply seek You and worship You while I wait for You in the silence of surrender. ... "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exult His name together" (Psalm 34:1-3). Teach me, Lord, how to keep my eyes fixed on You, while at the same time, fully seeing the reality of the circumstances before me. Teach me how to bless You with my praises and honor You with my trust, while also submitting to Your discipline and yielding to Your correction. Because I know You are with me, because I know You care for me, because I know in the end You will cause all things to work together for my good as I keep my face set toward You, I can bless You" at all times." This is how, by Your grace and in Your power, I can "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Be magnified and exalted in my heart and throughout the moments of my days. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Anticipating the Coming of Christ 11-24-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your light shine in my heart and throughout the earth this day. ... "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world" (John 1:5-9). In this season as we turn our hearts from Thanksgiving to Christmas, we look toward the Light who is coming into the world. This is the season of Advent -- the season of the anticipation of the coming of Christ. Those who long awaited Your first coming through the prophesies of the coming Messiah, longed for the light to step down into darkness. It would be said of them, "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, fulfilled in Matthew 4:16). As we begin this season of anticipation to celebrate Your first coming, let us also continue in this season of hope longing for Your second coming. Step down into the darkness of our souls and the darkness of this broken, fallen world. As the prophets spoke of Your first coming, so they also proclaimed Your second. "Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves the Lord on that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem" (Zechariah 2:10-12). Come, Lord Jesus. You are "the Alpha and the Omega," the One "who is and who was and who is to come," "the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we are planning some times to share the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries with those who are friends of our ministry and those who would like to know more. If you are in the Lexington area and would like to be included, please send me a note at MessiahMin@aol.com or call at 859-422-1794. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Anticipating the Coming of Christ 11-24-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your light shine in my heart and throughout the earth this day. ... "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world" (John 1:5-9). In this season as we turn our hearts from Thanksgiving to Christmas, we look toward the Light who is coming into the world. This is the season of Advent -- the season of the anticipation of the coming of Christ. Those who long awaited Your first coming through the prophesies of the coming Messiah, longed for the light to step down into darkness. It would be said of them, "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, fulfilled in Matthew 4:16). As we begin this season of anticipation to celebrate Your first coming, let us also continue in this season of hope longing for Your second coming. Step down into the darkness of our souls and the darkness of this broken, fallen world. As the prophets spoke of Your first coming, so they also proclaimed Your second. "Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves the Lord on that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem" (Zechariah 2:10-12). Come, Lord Jesus. You are "the Alpha and the Omega," the One "who is and who was and who is to come," "the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we are planning some times to share the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries with those who are friends of our ministry and those who would like to know more. If you are in the Lexington area and would like to be included, please send me a note at MessiahMin@aol.com or call at 859-422-1794. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Thankful Hearts 11-23-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I give You thanks and praise as I lift up my heart to You. ... "As He entered a village, ten lepers approached Him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!' When He saw them He said to them, 'Go and show yourselves to the priest.' And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him. And he was a Samaritan" (Luke 17:12-16). On this Thanksgiving Day, I choose to be one who turns to You in worship and praise with a thankful heart. You are my Savior and Healer. You have cleansed me from sin and shame. You are the One who answers when I call. Sometimes the answer comes immediately in the miracle of a moment, but most of the time the answer comes as I go forth in obedience like the lepers who were healed as they went. Thank You for the countless mercies of Your grace in my life that have come and are yet to come in my journey of faith. With a grateful heart, every day is a happy day of thanksgiving in You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Fount of Every Blessing" 11-22-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. On the eve of Thanksgiving, I come to You this morning with a thankful heart -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light" (Psalm 36:7-9). I hear the words of the old hymn in my spirit this morning -- "Come thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise." You are the Fount of every blessing; You are the Fountain of Life. As we gather tomorrow to feast on Thanksgiving Day, let us remember that You are the source of our feast. Every good and perfect gift is from You (James 1:17). Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Your goodness and the abundance of Your steadfast love. You are my Father and I am Your son. Thank You for the gift of salvation through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. Thank You for the gift of Your abiding presence through the Holy Spirit of the Living God living in me. I sing to You my songs of loudest praise! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays For my friends in the Lexington area, please come join me today at noon. I will be leading a Service of Thanksgiving in the chapel at my home church, Centenary United Methodist at 2800 Tates Creek Road. God bless you all as we thank God for the goodness of His grace and abundance of His blessings! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Give Thanks to the Lord 11-20-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I set apart these first moments of my morning to watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit in the communion of prayer. ... "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 118:1). We give thanks because You are good, because You love us, and because You love endures forever. Some say we should give thanks to You for all circumstances, but I believe we should give thanks to You "in every circumstance" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). There is a difference. Not everything that happens to us in this broken, fallen world is Your will, where human beings and spiritual beings have the freedom to rebel and resist Your will for our lives and others. You do not will or cause evil. You desire the abundance of life for us, while the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy through whatever means he can (John 10:10). But even then, You are with us -- fighting for us, walking with us, even causing all that we endure to work together for our good out of Your love (Romans 8:28). So I thank You, Lord. Though I go through the valleys, I will fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 23). Though I go through the waters and rivers and fires of hard circumstances in a broken, fallen world, they shall not overwhelm me nor consume, for You are with me (Isaiah 43). Thank You for the steadfastness of Your love; thank You for Your power to redeem all things in my life for my good and Your glory. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Jesus Christ is Lord" 11-17-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be exalted in the heavens and exalted in my heart. ... "On His robe and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, 'King of kings and Lord of lords' " (Revelation 19:16). Lord Jesus, You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Your name "is the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow ... and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11). I bow my knees before You this day and confess before heaven and earth that You are Lord and You are my Lord, You are King and You are my King. As Your first disciples bowed their knees before You in worship before You ascended into heaven, You declared, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And remember I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:16-20). In trusting faith, I submit to Your authority and seek to obey Your command -- to do my part in my generation to go and make disciples of all nations. We each have our part by the grace of the gifts You have given each of us to lead others to You and teach them all You have taught us. Then they will bow their knees before You and confess with their tongues before others that You are Lord. "And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). As we go and make disciples and as we proclaim the coming of Your kingdom, You will be with us always -- by the Spirit of Christ within us -- to the end of the age (Romans 8:9; Colossians 1:27). To God "be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 11/17 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 Brooke and Shannon 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 -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Renewed Day by Day 11-16-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. ... "So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). Thank You, Lord, for "the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). Day by day, morning by morning, moment by moment, renew me, Holy Spirit, I pray. Fill me afresh with Your breath of life. Refresh and renew the inner nature of my human spirit by conforming me to the holy nature of Your Holy Spirit. You are the "Spirit of Truth" (John 14:17), the "Spirit of Life" (Romans 8:2), the "Spirit of Holiness" (Romans 1:4), the "Spirit of Jesus" (Acts 16:7), the "Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9), the "Spirit of the Lord" (Acts 5:9), the "Spirit of God" (Romans 8:9), and the "Spirit of the Living God" (2 Corinthians 3:3). As we pray in the song of worship and surrender, "Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me...." Thank You for this daily gift of "the new life of the Spirit" as You lead me to entrust You with my life every day (Romans 7:6). You are a good Father who gives good gifts to Your children, giving us the good gift of Your Holy Spirit day by day to all who ask (Luke 11:13). So by Your grace, I ask; and by Your grace, I receive, as You renew my inner nature by Your Spirit this day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 11/17 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 Brooke and Shannon 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 -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Verses to the King 11-15-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All that I am and all that I have, I entrust to You alone -- my Lord, my God, and my King -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the King; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe" (Psalm 45:1). All that I am and all that I have, I entrust to You alone. My thoughts and desires, all my waking hours I give You my heart and soul. In You there's no lack, so I hold nothing back. I lay my life in Your hands. You are worthy of my trust and the loyalty of my love, I give You all that I have and all that I am. Yes, Lord. Thank You for putting these new verses on my heart to express my commitment of surrender to You again this day. Help me commit more of myself to You each day than the day before. Help me receive more of You each day than I received the day before. Keep increasing and I keep decreasing (John 3:30). Help me keep my eyes on You, beholding Your glory, as I am "being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 11/17 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 Brooke and Shannon 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 -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Created in Christ for Good Works 11-14-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for this new day. Let me live it well as I live it in You. ... "For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life" (Ephesians 2:10). Lord God, my Father, from before the foundations of the earth, You willed in Your heart that I would live my life for You in Christ. I am what You have made me to be as You have given me grace to choose to embrace Your will and Your way for my life. As I live my life in Christ, let Your ways become my ways, Your will become my will, and Your nature to become my nature. As You led me to teach my children to pray at the beginning of each new day, "Lord Jesus, make me more like You each day." You set before me the good works of Your good pleasure for Your purposes through my life. Open my eyes to see them and direct my desires to do them by Your grace and in Your power and for Your glory this day. Let Your will be my way of life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! 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. 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 -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Let God Arise and Our Enemies be Scattered 11-13-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face; I need Your grace; I welcome Your embrace. ... "But my eyes are turned toward You, O God, my Lord; in You I seek refuge" (Psalm 141:8). I have been so honored and blessed to be a minister of Your healing and freedom among Your people tucked away in a retreat in the beautiful woods and hills of eastern Pennsylvania these past few days. We gathered from churches from this region to worship You in spirit and truth, to listen for Your words of life, and receive healing and freedom from the power of Your hand. You are the God who answers when we call -- sometimes dramatically in the miracle of a moment and sometimes little by little and step by step as we can handle it -- but always answering when we call in Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way. From the first night you gave me an image from my recent journey with my family through Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. There are places where there is a low ceiling and you have to bend over as you walk. It seemed You were speaking of a low ceiling of depression and discouragement over this region, trying to keep the people bowed down under a crushing weight. As we gathered for refreshing and renewed in this sanctuary of healing and peace in Your presence, there were many coming as those "utterly spent and crushed," groaning under the burdens of life and ministry under a heaviness of spirit. But You were speaking to us, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). You called us to arise and shine for our Light had come and the glory us the Lord was upon us -- though deep darkness covered us, the light of the glory of God within us was rising up in our praises and prayers to push back the darkness and shine for Your light in our hearts and throughout the region (Isaiah 60:1-3). You arose within us and our enemies of discouragement and depression were scattered. "Let God rise up, let His enemies be scattered; let those who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God. But let the righteous be joyful; let them exalt before God; let them be jubilant with joy!" (Psalm 68:1-3). You are a good God who defeats our enemies before our eyes and fills our hearts with joy. Rise up with us and drive our enemies from us in our hearts, our churches, our cities, and our regions throughout the earth for the glory of Your name. Praise Your holy name! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for all your prayers for me and my family and those I've been sent to minister to in this unusually long period of back to back ministry engagements on the road. God has been incredibly faithful to preserve my health and passion. I've been without internet access at the retreat and was delayed in Philadelphia last night because of weather. I hope to make it home today for some rest and peace in the arms of my family at home. God bless you all and thank you for joining me in the journey! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month -- this Friday Night-- for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com .

Rivers of Living Water 11-9-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am Yours and You are mine. Abide in me, I pray. ... "Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me, and let the one who believes in Me drink. As the Scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.' Now He said this about the Spirit, which believers in Him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 3:37-39). I am thirsty, Lord. I thirst for more of You. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I give as much of me to You as I can; and I receive as much of You in me as I can. Fill me, soak me, immerse me, baptize me in Your Holy Spirit more every day (Matthew 3:11). Your Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of Christ", who lives in me (Romans 8:9). You are the Living Waters that fill me up as I thirst for You and flow out of me as I give my life to You as a vessel for Your purposes and Your kingdom (John 4:10). "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Righteousness for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). You are the River of Life that flows through Your people to touch the nations, bringing life to all Your waters touch (Ezekiel 47:1-12; Revelation 22:1-2). Flow, river, flow. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for praying for our renewal services in western Kentucky this week. Last night we all swam in the River! I pray for the River of Life to rise in your hearts and flow freely through your lives, healing all that He touches through you. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Pursue Holiness 11-8-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes unto the hills, from where my help comes from. My help comes from You, the Maker of heaven and earth -- my Lord, my God, my King -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). To "pursue" is to seek after, to run hard after, to press in and press on with tenacity and perseverance, to settle for nothing less. You call me to pursue peace and to pursue holiness if I am to see You. You give me the grace to desire it and You give me the grace to do it, but ultimately I must make the choice to pursue or not. You are my Peace -- my "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). You are my Holiness -- "majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor" (Exodus 15:11). Holy One of God, I pursue You, I run hard after You, "looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2). Cleanse my heart in the peace of Your presence, that I may be made holy and pure in Your sight by "the blood of Christ" (Hebrews 9:14). Through this mystery of faith in Christ who takes away my sins as I pursue Your peace and Your holiness, I "become the righteousness of God" by Your grace (2 Corinthians 5:21). You make me pure in heart as I "go on toward perfection" in You (Hebrews 6:1). "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8). And I do yearn to see You, Lord -- to see You as You are and to begin to see myself as You see me in Christ. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us in prayer at our Renewal Services in Madisonville, KY -- the Lord is moving powerfully in our midst in the services and personal prayer ministry times. Praise God! I pray you be renewed and refreshed in the Spirit of God as well! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Choose Well this Election Day 11-7-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Conform my nature to Your nature a little more each day (2 Peter 1:4). Reveal Your will and teach me Your ways, then give me the courage to obey. ... "When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,' you may indeed set over you a king whom the Lord your God will choose.... When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall have a copy of this law written for him in the presence of the levitical priests. It shall remain with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes" (Deuteronomy 17:14-19). Today is an election day in America. Let us choose the men and women that You have chosen. Let us seek Your face and listen for Your voice, allowing You to place Your thoughts in our minds and Your desires in our hearts. Let us not be deceived by outward appearances and self-promotion. Let us see their hearts with Your eyes, "for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Lead us to the leaders who have learned to fear the Lord as God, who carry Your Word in their hearts all the days of their lives and diligently seek to know and obey Your will and Your ways in the choices they make in the authority they have. "There is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God" (Romans 13:1). As we willingly submit our wills to Your will, guide our thoughts and decisions to institute the men and women in the seats of authority You choose for Your purposes and our good. "Who are they that fear the Lord? He will teach them the way that they should choose" (Psalm 25:12). Teach us Your way that we may choose well this day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, my wife and two youngest sons came to join me last night for a couple of days of our spiritual renewal services in western Kentucky. Prophet, Preacher, and Prayer Warrior Elijah Hays, my four year-old son, came up to speak a few words from the Lord and pray for the people (then stood by me at the pulpit all night!) Many were moved by the power of his simple words of blessing, protection, and rest. I agree with Elijah's prayer over you and your churches and communities this day. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

"They will see God" 11-06-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the song of worship says, "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord; I want to see You." ... "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8). Purify my heart and sanctify my soul. Open the eyes of my heart to see You in the radiance of Your glory. Remove the veils from my face and the blinders from my eyes. Your glory is Your presence -- the manifest presence of God. And You desire to manifest Your presence in our lives, to fill us with the fullness Your presence and conform us into the fullness of Your nature. Though it is hard for us to grasp with our finite, human minds, You call us "be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit" (1 John 4:12-13). Open my eyes to see You living in me and to see You living in those around me who have received of Your Spirit, who You are filling with all the fullness of God. We cannot fully see You as You are until we stand amazed in Your presence in our glorified and resurrected bodies in the day to come, but we do see You in how You have revealed Yourself and Your nature to us in Jesus the Christ. "But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9). Unlike the new age movement that calls us to say in pride we are each our own god, You call us to surrender and submit our lives to You in humility so that the One true God may abide in our hearts by the Spirit of Your love. Your Spirit is holy and pure, making us holy and pure by Your grace as we worship You and You fill us with the presence of Your glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is the mystery of the presence of God living in all who are called by Your name and filled with Your love -- "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us in prayer for our spiritual renewal meetings at First United Methodist Church in Madisonville, KY this week. This a great hunger for God and anticipation for His move in our hearts. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Living Sacrifices, Holy Fire 11-5-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me see with Your eyes and hear with Your ears, as You continue to transform me by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2). ... "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1). Yes, Lord. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to present my body to You as a living sacrifice. May I die to the desires of my flesh and be resurrected into the desires of Your Spirit. Consume me in Your holy fire and set me ablaze with a passion to worship You and live for You, trusting in Your wisdom and Your ways for my life. Let me be "crucified with Christ" a little more each day until "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:19-20). You have sent me to the people of Madisonville, Kentucky who are hungry for revival and spiritual renewal. Increase our hunger for You and Your presence until we cannot bear to take another breath that is not infused with the very breath of God. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). You are our Righteousness. You are the One for whom our souls hunger and thirst. Come and fill us with Your presence and purify us with Your power. Revive us and renew us as we present our bodies to You as living sacrifices -- "holy and acceptable" to You because You have made us holy in the fire You have sent from heaven upon the altars of our hearts. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this week for our revival and spiritual renewal in Madisonville Sunday through Wednesday. Also, this is Commitment Sunday for my home church in Lexington, where we are seeking breakthroughs in giving to fulfill our calling to the ministries of God He has laid on our hearts. Please pray for us and I pray the same for you and your church. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Secret Sins Exposed 11-4-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I open my heart and every area of my life to You. Let Your light shine in to purify my soul. ... "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be associated with them. For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light -- for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you' (Ephesians 5:6-14). We've just heard news of the secret sins of another Christian leader at the national level being exposed. And we recently heard the same news of Christian leaders here at our local level as well. We live in a broken, fallen world. We are all surrounded by the influences of the world, the flesh, and the devil. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 8:23). But "to set the mind on the things of the flesh is death" (Romans 8:6). And as sin takes root, it grows more each day -- growing stronger in its snare of destruction and deadening our conscience to its nature and its power a little more each day. But to You, all hearts are open and all thoughts are known. And though we are drawn by sinful nature to the works of darkness, You love us enough to bring all things out of darkness and into Your light. Though we would prefer to keep our sins secret, with no accountability and no consequences, You shine Your light and expose the darkness with conviction intended to lead to repentance, so that repentance can lead the way to restoration and mercy. "For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to the light" (Luke 8:17). So keep us accountable, Lord. Keep us in close relationship with one another -- confessing our sins and admitting our struggles with a few trusted ones You've placed in our lives for that very purpose. Do not let our consciences grow dull and the fire of holiness in our hearts grow dim. Let iron sharpen iron, as we expose our hearts to You and to one another in bonds of accountability and prayer (Proverbs 27:17). And when there is falling and failure from Your light through sin in response to the influence from the darkness and death around us in a broken, fallen world, give us Your wisdom and Your heart to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). "My friends, if anyone is detected in transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness" (Galatians 6:1). Yes, Lord. "In Your wrath, may You remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2). We all have need of a Savior -- a Savior from our sins and our sinful nature who responds to humble repentance and trusting faith. And we all have need of mercy. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the area of western Kentucky or eastern Pennsylvania -- please come join me next week. I will be preaching a revival in Madisonville, Kentucky Sunday through Wednesday 11/5-8 and then an Aldersgate Regional Fellowship Retreat in Pennsylvania Friday through Sunday 11/10-12. Call Marilyn for details if you can come -- 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, or order our teaching and prayer dvd's or cd's on inner healing prayer ministry, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Seeing You as You are 11-3-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for the leading of Your Spirit in the silence of surrender before You. ... "I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10). We rejoiced with Your angels yesterday, Lord! One who had become hardened to You through the hurts of her life cried out to You in a step of repentance and faith. You opened her eyes to see You more clearly as You are. She had been rejecting an image of God that wasn’t God at all. "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). But as she chose by Your grace to humble herself before You enough to let You shine the light of the glory of Your truth and presence into the dark places of her soul and the dark moments of her past, she began to see You as You truly are. Then she began to see herself more clearly as she truly is -- as You see her. And the angels rejoiced. "For it is 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). Who could see You as You truly are and still reject You? Lord, remove the blinders from our minds and heal the hardness of our hearts. This is the work of the devil, but I praise You that "the Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). "Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice!" (Psalm 96:7). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

God Who Reveals Mysteries 11-2-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- You are One and You are Holy. You are my Healer and Deliverer, my Savior and Lord, my God and King. … "There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries" (Daniel 2:28). Lord, You hold all time in Your hands. You see the end from the beginning. You see every choice we will ever make and every consequence thereof. And You see the choices and consequences of others that affect our lives and all creation throughout all generations. You see the wounds and sins of our past, the bondage and struggles of our present, and the certain hope and eternal redemption of our future, as we learn to entrust every area of lives to You in humble surrender and trusting faith. To You, all hearts are open and all thoughts are known. No mystery is a mystery to You. Nothing remains hidden beyond Your sight; nothing remains in darkness beyond Your light. I was moved last night by the testimony of a friend who received the ministry of Your healing love into the hidden places of her soul. There were areas of hurt hidden deeply in her heart that she couldn't see. They were a mystery to her and to me, but You are the God who reveals mysteries, who brings all things out of the darkness, into Your light, and under Your blood, in the power of Your love (2 Corinthians 4:6; Colossians 1:11-14). She experienced Your ministry of inner healing -- healing from the inside out as we welcome the light of Your truth and the glory of Your presence in the wounded and bound places of our soul to receive the love and grace of God into every area of our lives. With my friend and her family, I give You all glory and honor and praise for Your Father heart and Your healing hand. And with such joy she shared with me how You explained to her this experience of healing with You by the confirmation of Your Word from the prayer of Daniel: "Blessed be the name of God from age to age, for wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons, deposes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. To You, O God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and power, and you have now revealed to me what we asked of You, for You have revealed to us what the king ordered" (Daniel 2:20-23). Thank You, Lord, for loving us so much that You leave nothing hidden from the light of Your truth and the glory of Your presence in the depths of our soul. In Your time and in Your way, as You give us grace to yield to Your will and entrust ourselves to Your care, You heal us and free us to truly love You and receive Your love -- with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. Then we are free to love others as ourselves and love ourselves as You have called us to by Your grace. Then the hidden places of our hearts no longer condemn us and we are restored to intimacy of relationship with You (1 John 3:18-24). You are the God who reveals the mysteries of our souls; and You are the God who heals us and makes us whole in the power of Your love (Exodus 15:26; Isaiah 53:4-5; Luke 4:16-21). I praise Your holy name; and I worship You, Lord -- my healing God -- in spirit and in truth. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the area of western Kentucky or eastern Pennsylvania -- please come join me next week. I will be preaching a revival in Madisonville, Kentucky Sunday through Wednesday 11/5-8 and then an Aldersgate Regional Fellowship Retreat in Pennsylvania Friday through Sunday 11/10-12. Call Marilyn for details if you can come -- 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, or order our teaching and prayer dvd's or cd's on inner healing prayer ministry, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Father Heart of God 11-1-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You perfectly reveal the Father heart of God, for You and the Father are One, and You come to abide in my heart by Your Spirit (John 14:1-31). Come Holy Spirit, I pray. Cause my heart to be more like the heart of my Father; cause my mind to be more like the mind of Christ; cause my human spirit to more like Your Holy Spirit. … "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. The more I called them, the more they went from Me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in My arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them (Hosea 11:1-4). Father God, as You have loved Israel, so You love us all (Ephesians 2:11-22; Galatians 3:14). And as Israel has not always seen Your heart of love and Your hand of mercy as a perfect Father to a wayward child, neither have we. Yet You have been there all along, protecting us and healing us and fighting for us in ways we could not see. You have often loved us and led us through "cords of human kindness" when we didn't realize it was You who moved their human hearts to minister Your healing love even in the times we turned to idols instead of to You. And we often forget that a perfect Father "disciplines those whom He loves, and chastises every child whom He accepts" so that we will turn again to Your arms and Your ways with nothing separating us from Your love and grace (Hebrews 12:5-11). Even when we don't deserve it, You bend down to us and lift us to Your cheeks to hold us in Your arms and feed us Your Words of Truth and Life to our hungering souls. Yet as tender as You are with our hearts, You are just as stern with our sin. And though it breaks Your heart to see us suffer the consequences of our rebellion, You allow our suffering to surface our need for our Father's love and our Father's care. And there You are -- never leaving us and never forsaking us, always calling us to return to You (Hosea 11:10-11 and 14:1-3). This is the blessing of both "the kindness and the severity of God," as Your severity in the discipline of Your love leads us back into the arms of Your kindness (Romans 11:22). By Your grace, You help us renounce our pride and surrender our control to more fully trust Your unfailing love in every area of our lives. And in Your arms, we find the fullness of Your healing and restoration of our calling and destiny, for You are our God and we are Your people (Hosea 14:4-7). Thank You, Father -- for loving us when we fail to fully receive Your love, for bending down to us when we are not reaching up to You, for being faithful to us when we are not always faithful to You. You are the One who answers our prayers and satisfies our hearts, as Your Father's heart covers us "like an evergreen cypress" that restores us to faithfulness and obedience in the surrender of trusting love through the grace You freely give to the children of God (Hosea 14:8). "Those who are wise understand these things; those who are discerning know them" (v. 14:9). Lord, help me keep growing in wisdom and discernment of Your will and Your ways revealed in Your Father heart. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the area of western Kentucky or eastern Pennsylvania -- please come join me next week. I will be preaching a revival in Madisonville, Kentucky Sunday through Wednesday 11/5-8 and then an Aldersgate Regional Fellowship Retreat in Pennsylvania Friday through Sunday 11/10-12. Call Marilyn for details if you can come -- 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

"The Lord Who Heals You" 10-31-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my eyes toward You and entrust my spirit, soul, and body into Your care again this day. … "I am the Lord who heals you" (Exodus 15:26). You are a healing God. Sometimes You heal instantaneously in the moment of a miracle, when heaven meets earth in display of Your power for all to see. Sometimes You heal in the steady process of restoration to wholeness -- little by little and step by step. Sometimes You heal through the help of other people and other means of Your creation You bring into our lives to come along side us in Your healing process. Sometimes You heal by giving us the grace to persevere in faith no matter what we face. And sometimes You heal through the resurrection into the body of glory You have prepared for us in eternity. Sunday, I felt progressively worse until the doctor identified that I had contracted strep throat. Though You have used doctors and medicine and rest, You are the source of my healing for You are the Lord who heals me. You have "borne our infirmities and carried our diseases" (Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:17). By Your cross and through Your blood, You have taken our sins and shame, our sickness and pain, calling us to release them to You in agreement with Your will to live our lives whole and free. "He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). As I rise today in newness of life, I thank You for the power of You healing love to me. You are the Lord who heals me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your continuing prayers for complete restoration. I will be leading a revival in Madisonville, Kentucky Sunday through Wednesday 11/5-8 and then an Aldersgate Regional Fellowship Retreat in Pennsylvania Friday through Sunday 11/10-12. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Fall Back, Enemies of God 10-29-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my eyes to Your face and call on Your name. … "On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord; and he said in the sight of Israel, 'Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.' And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies" (Joshua 10:12-13). Today is the day we "fall back" and turn back our clocks for one extra hour of daylight. In a sense, the sun and the moon stand still for an hour today, as in the days of Joshua. On that day, You went before Your people and handed all their enemies into the hands of "the fighting force" with Joshua, "all the mighty warriors" (Joshua 10:7-8). Today, let our enemies fall back and be consumed at Your hand in this hour when time stands still. Our enemies are not flesh and blood; they are the spiritual forces of wickedness who seek to resist Your promises and purposes in our lives (Ephesians 6:12). "For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes to be glorified by His saints and on to marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of His call and will fulfill by His power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:6-12). When I see how the enemies of our souls seek to distort our image of God and defile the image our ourselves through unspeakable cruelty -- when I see them laugh and mock at the love and glory of my Lord -- when I see them terrorize and torment little children in inhuman abuse and each of us at the most vulnerable times of our lives -- I am ready to see the power and vengeance of God poured out in wrath until every evil spirit is utterly destroyed and consumed by Your flaming fire. "Out of the brightness before Him there broke through His clouds hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice" (Psalm 18:12-13). Come Lord Jesus, and consume our spiritual enemies this day, warring against them until they are utterly consumed and their power over our lives is broken by the power of Your love for us. "The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). Let the devil and the demons of his kingdom of darkness fall back today, as You destroy his works in our lives and throughout the earth. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Fall Back, Enemies of God 10-29-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my eyes to Your face and call on Your name. … "On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord; and he said in the sight of Israel, 'Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.' And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies" (Joshua 10:12-13). Today is the day we "fall back" and turn back our clocks for one extra hour of daylight. In a sense, the sun and the moon stand still for an hour today, as in the days of Joshua. On that day, You went before Your people and handed all their enemies into the hands of "the fighting force" with Joshua, "all the mighty warriors" (Joshua 10:7-8). Today, let our enemies fall back and be consumed at Your hand in this hour when time stands still. Our enemies are not flesh and blood; they are the spiritual forces of wickedness who seek to resist Your promises and purposes in our lives (Ephesians 6:12). "For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes to be glorified by His saints and on to marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of His call and will fulfill by His power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:6-12). When I see how the enemies of our souls seek to distort our image of God and defile the image our ourselves through unspeakable cruelty -- when I see them laugh and mock at the love and glory of my Lord -- when I see them terrorize and torment little children in inhuman abuse and each of us at the most vulnerable times of our lives -- I am ready to see the power and vengeance of God poured out in wrath until every evil spirit is utterly destroyed and consumed by Your flaming fire. "Out of the brightness before Him there broke through His clouds hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice" (Psalm 18:12-13). Come Lord Jesus, and consume our spiritual enemies this day, warring against them until they are utterly consumed and their power over our lives is broken by the power of Your love for us. "The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). Let the devil and the demons of his kingdom of darkness fall back today, as You destroy his works in our lives and throughout the earth. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Called in Righteousness; Sent in Power 10-28-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Give me humility to stop and wait for Your leading and give me courage to rise and follow where You lead. … "I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I give you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is My name; My glory I give to no other, nor My praise to idols" (Isaiah 42:6-8). Yes, Lord. I give all glory and honor and praise to You alone. You are righteous and holy, worthy of all worship and praise. And You have called me and all those who would answer Your call to a life of righteousness in You. Apart from You, there is nothing good in me, but I am not apart from You. You have taken me by the hand; You have kept me in You arms, all by Your mercy and grace out of Your unbelievable love for me and all Your children. Then You send me to shine Your light by Your grace to heal the blind and free the bound in the power of Your name. "So we are ambassadors of Christ, since God is making His appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). These are amazing words and amazing promises, but they are true and they are for me and all Your children. I receive them by faith as I rise today to follow You and join in the ministry of Your love and power to others by Your grace. You have called me to Your righteousness to send me in Your power -- all for the glory and honor and praise of Your name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Called in Righteousness; Sent in Power 10-28-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Give me humility to stop and wait for Your leading and give me courage to rise and follow where You lead. … "I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I give you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is My name; My glory I give to no other, nor My praise to idols" (Isaiah 42:6-8). Yes, Lord. I give all glory and honor and praise to You alone. You are righteous and holy, worthy of all worship and praise. And You have called me and all those who would answer Your call to a life of righteousness in You. Apart from You, there is nothing good in me, but I am not apart from You. You have taken me by the hand; You have kept me in You arms, all by Your mercy and grace out of Your unbelievable love for me and all Your children. Then You send me to shine Your light by Your grace to heal the blind and free the bound in the power of Your name. "So we are ambassadors of Christ, since God is making His appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). These are amazing words and amazing promises, but they are true and they are for me and all Your children. I receive them by faith as I rise today to follow You and join in the ministry of Your love and power to others by Your grace. You have called me to Your righteousness to send me in Your power -- all for the glory and honor and praise of Your name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Our Spiritual War 10-27-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Through the victory of the cross and the glory of the resurrection, You said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me" (Matthew 28:18). I willingly submit in trusting surrender to Your authority in my life again this day. … "For who is God except the Lord? And who is a Rock besides our God? -- the God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe. He made my feet like the feet of a deer, and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand has supported me; You help has made me great. You gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back until they were consumed. I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. For You girded me with strength for the battle; You made my assailants sink under me. You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed. They cried for help but there was no one to save them. I beat them fine like dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets" (Psalm 18:31-34). By Your Spirit, I taught on spiritual warfare at our Alpha Course at church last night. Our faith is not a feeble faith, and the battles of our faith are not won through passivity, complacency, or ignorance in denial of spiritual truth. We have a real enemy who is like a roaring lion seeking to devour our souls; he is the ancient serpent who comes to "make war" against the children of God who "hold the testimony of Jesus" (1 Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 12:17). But we are commanded to confront him and his kingdom of darkness in the authority of Your name and in the power of Your blood, steadfast in our faith to overcome the enemy of our souls (Matthew 10:7-8; Revelation 12:11). As we do, the gates of hell cannot prevail against You and Your people who fight for the freedom of those who were bound by the darkness but are set free in Your light (Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:11-14). Our enemies are not flesh and blood; they are the spiritual forces of wickedness of this present darkness (Ephesians 6:12). But they are defeated by the victory of the cross, and You call us to enforce that victory in every area of our lives in the lives of others in the power and authority of Your name (Colossians 2:8-15). This is "the good fight of the faith" we are called and empowered to wage as we pursue our spiritual enemies without mercy until they are beaten fine like dust and crushed under our feet in the name of Jesus, before whom all things must bow and submit to Your Lordship and Your authority (1 Timothy 6:12; Philippians 2:9-11). As we do, You have promised, "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (Romans 16:20). Thanks be to God! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To order my DVD and CD set of teaching on biblical principles of spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please see our resources page at www.messiah-ministries.org or send us a note at MessiahMin@aol.com . The Lord is preparing our hands for war as He advances His kingdom of light in the midst of the darkness of these days. Also, I am attaching my power-point presentation from my week of teaching at Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas a couple of years ago called "Holy War -- Fighting the Good Fight of the Faith." I will be teaching on this topic of spiritual warfare at the Minister's Conference for the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church in Lake Junaluska, NC on July 11-12 this summer -- please come if you can: www.sejumc.org To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Two Become One 10-26-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Abide in me and I abide in You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. … "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner' " (Genesis 2:18). In the beginning, You created the heavens and the earth and all that dwell within them. You looked upon all You had made and said "it was very good" (Genesis 1:31). Yet even in the sinless perfection of creation, undefiled before the fall of man through sin, You looked and saw that it was "not good" for man to be alone. You created us to need You and also to need a partner. Even when we might say, "God is all I need," that does not mean that we don't also need one another. You love us directly, and at the same time, You love us through one another. So from the foundations of the earth, You have created us to experience life with a helper as our partner in the journey. "Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). Last night I ministered the covenant of marriage to a young couple I've come to know and love through their ministry of healing and love in leading others in worship of You. They've walked their journeys alone, until last night, in the fullness of time and the perfection of Your timing, You joined the two as one. One gifted with passion, one gifted with perseverance; one gifted with tenderness and mercy; one gifted with boldness and strength -- You knitted their hearts and lives together as helpers and partners of one another. You sealed their lives and destinies together eternally in the holy covenant of marriage, bound together in the power of the bond of Your unfailing love. "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. It's flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it" (Song of Solomon 8:6-7). "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate" (Matthew 19:6). Lord, bless them and all of Your children with the helper and partner You have chosen for the joy of the journey together. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Politicians or Prophets 10-25-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the "King of kings and the Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). Be my King and be my Lord this day. … "Samuel said to all Israel, 'I have listened to you in all you have said to me, and have set a king over you. See, it is the king who leads you now; I am old and gray but my sons are with you. I have led you from my youth until this day" (1 Samuel 12:1-2). This is the season of politics in our country, with national and local elections in just a couple of weeks. I'm reminded of the pleading of Israel to be led by a politician rather than a prophet, by an earthly king rather than the heavenly King. The prophet Samuel declared to the people, "You shall know and see that the wickedness you have done in the sight of the Lord is great in demanding a king for yourselves" (1 Samuel 12:17). Their demand for the leadership of a king was a rejection of the leadership of God. "But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and distresses; and you have said, 'No, but set a king over us' " (1 Samuel 10:19). Their choice set in motion a pattern of politics and government that has continued in one form or another throughout the generations to this day. Though it broke Your heart to know all that would come to pass as the hearts of Your people turned to their king to be their savior and deliverer rather than the Lord their God, You honored the choice of their will. But even so, You did not abandon them or reject them. Even in their sin of choosing a king to lead them rather than the voice of the Lord through Your prophet, You gave them grace to cover their sin if they and their king would seek Your face and obey Your voice. "If you will fear the Lord and serve Him and heed His voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord, it will be well; but if you will not heed the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king" (1 Samuel 12:14-15). Lord, I pray for those who have been given authority to reign over us. Though we may call them senators, representatives, mayors, governors, presidents, or prime ministers rather than kings, they have been entrusted to rule and reign in the governance of our lives. The voices they heed and the decisions they make affect us all. Though this was not Your first choice of government for Your people, You meet us where we are in the choices we have made throughout the generations, giving us grace as we seek to follow You in the system of government we have. "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God" (Romans 13:1). So we are to pray "for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Lord, establish those in authority who will seek Your face and obey Your voice. And remove those who will not. Purge and cleanse from our governments those who will not lead us in "all godliness and dignity" by heeding the voice of the Lord. Give us humility to seek and courage to obey Your will and Your ways in the choices we make about the kings we anoint with authority to reign in our lives. Only as we follow You -- both ourselves and our kings -- will it "be well" with us. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's 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

Transformation from Humiliation to Glory 10-24-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As a worship song of trusting surrender says, "Take my heart and form it; take my mind, transform it; take my will, conform it … to Yours, to Yours, O Lord." … "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 enables Him to make all things subject to Himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved" (Philippians 3:20-4:1). Transformation is the steady process of conformation into the image of Christ. As I continue to stand firm in You by grace through faith, You stand firm in me. From humiliation to glory, You are changing me -- my thoughts, my desires, my will, and my ways -- little by little and day by day as I look to You and yield to Your nature. "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Lord in Your power, keep transforming me, keep conforming me, as You make all things -- including my heart and soul -- subject to Yourself. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 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 ministry's 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

"Your Steadfast Love in the Morning" 10-23-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch and wait for You and welcome Your Spirit and Your Word in my heart and throughout my day. … "Let me hear of Your steadfast love in the morning, for in You I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8). I was speaking with a woman who has walked in faith through many adversities and afflictions throughout her life. We were sharing with one another how important we have found it to be for us to begin our days with our thoughts and hearts turned to You before anything else. She begins each day by speaking out these words of dedication and trust to You from Psalm 143. Yes, Lord. As I choose to put my trust in You each morning, You speak to me of Your steadfast love. As I choose to lift up my soul to You each day, You teach me the way I should go. As I wait for Your manifest presence and watch for Your faithful leading, You are my Teacher and Guide. As I lift my eyes to Your face, You open my eyes to see You. As I open my ears to Your voice, You open my ears to hear You. "You Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it'" (Isaiah 30:20-21). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Filled with Joy and the Holy Spirit" 10-22-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. Lord, You are One and You are Holy. Help me know You and embrace You in every Dimension of Your Being more fully each day as my Lord and my God. … "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 13:52). This weekend was our "Holy Spirit Weekend" on the Alpha Course we run at our church to teach the foundational principles of our faith to lead people into a relationship with Christ -- either a new relationship or a deeper relationship. On this weekend we get away to learn more specifically about the nature and ministry of the Your Holy Spirit and many prayed for the first time to be filled and refreshed and renewed in the love and peace and joy of Your infilling presence. Thank You for Your desire to fill us with Your presence and conform us to Your nature. Thank You for giving us a hunger and thirst for more of You. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Lord, keep filling me afresh every day with Your Holy Spirit. This is a deep part of the joy in the journey with You. Thank You for the gift of helping lead others along in the joy of the journey together. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com