"Path to Life" 1-21-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Form Your thoughts in my mind; form Your desires in my heart. Make me more like You each day. ... "Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but one who rejects a rebuke goes astray" (Proverbs 10:17). Give me a teachable heart to heed instruction -- from You and from You through the teachers You choose. Give me a humble heart to receive needed rebuke and wise correction -- from You and from You through the leaders You choose. I want to walk in truth, not self-deception. I want to increase in godliness, not increase in worldliness. We are all on the path of life, but I want to be on the path to life. By Your grace, I choose to find my path in You. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 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

Covenant of Friendship 1-19-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to commit my thoughts and desires to You today. ... "Who are they that fear the Lord? He will teach them the way that they should choose. They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He makes His covenant known to them" (Psalm 25:12-14). Those who turn to You to be taught are those You teach. Those who fear You are those You befriend. Your blessings are for those who seek Your blessings by choosing to bring their lives under submission to Your ways and Your will. You teach us the way, but we must choose to walk in it. Obedience is a condition to this covenant of friendship: "You are My friends if you do what I command you" (John 15:14). Lord give me the wisdom and the grace to seek You and honor You in the fear of the Lord. I need Your leading and I need Your teaching. I want to know Your friendship and the blessings of Your covenant of friendship with me. So help me to know You and fear You, trust You and obey You. Help me be Your friend. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! Tonight 1/19 at 7 pm for our ministry's monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. We come together from many different traditions to worship in the Spirit and welcome the presence and power of God in our lives. 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

Conditions of the Covenant of Revival 1-19-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. At the leading of Your Spirit, I come humbly to Your feet and call boldly on Your name. You are my Lord and Savior. I submit to Your lordship and surrender to Your salvation in every area of my life -- as best as I can and all by Your grace. ... "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Some have called these words Your Covenant of Revival. We need Your forgiveness and healing in our hearts and in our land. We need Your revival every day -- a fresh breath of Your life in every weary and dead place of our souls. And You want to bring it. You have covenanted with us to bring it. But there are conditions to Your covenant. There is and "if" to the "then" of Your promise. You hear from heaven when there are cries from earth -- cries from the hearts of Your people humbled in repentance and persistent in prayer. O Lord, start a revival in my spirit today. As in the days of Ezekiel, speak new life to these dry bones. Let a fresh wind of Your Spirit blow through my soul and my land. Move in my heart to call on Your name. I want to be surrendered and saved, submitted and sanctified, cleansed in Your blood and filled with Your Spirit, more and more every day. You hear the humble and answer those who call in repentance and faith -- daily turning away from ourselves and toward You. These are the conditions of Your covenant of revival. Keep reminding me of Your conditions; keep calling me to prayer; and keep coming in the power of revival in my soul and my land. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us prayer yesterday as I joined pastors and ministry leaders having the broader vision of the Kingdom of God rather than only our own churches and ministries from Lexington and Wilmore on the campus of Asbury College. I couldn't help but speak on revival in this historic place where God has moved in the power of revival to transform hearts and lives in this land so many times. Together, we humbled our hearts in the unity of prayer for the healing of our land. I pray the same for you and your land. May the Lord God Almighty break through in revival power in every area of your life as you commit to the conditions of the His covenant of revival in humility and faith. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 1/19 at 7 pm for our ministry's monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. We come together from many different traditions to worship in the Spirit and welcome the presence and power of God in our lives. 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

Made Worthy and Welcome 1-17-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Humble my heart and cleanse me of sin, lift up my face and draw me within. Lead me down the path of surrender in prayer to a deeper place of intimacy where I've never been. ... "And Jacob said, 'O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, 'Return to your country and your kindred, and I will do you good,' I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that You have shown to Your servant ...' " (Genesis 32:9-10). If it depended upon me alone, I could never draw near to You or welcome You to draw near to me -- in Your holiness and in my un-holiness, in Your perfect worthiness and in my perfect un-worthiness. But by the sacrifice of Your love and the cleansing of Your blood, it doesn't depend upon me. So by Your Holy Spirit and through the blood sacrifice of Your Son, Lord God my Father, draw me close to You as I welcome You to draw close to me. In the mercy of Your grace, I can receive Your call and obey Your command in response to Your love: "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations" (Psalm 100:4-5). You have made me worthy and made me welcome. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I am excited to be invited by the Provost of Asbury College to speak there today for a Lexington Ministry Leaders' Luncheon. The Lord has moved in revival many times among the hearts of students hungry for His presence on this campus -- even as recently as last February, 2006. As ministry leaders, may we join them in the cry for revival in our hearts and throughout our land. Let's stand with one another in the agreement of prayer for God's revival of His people throughout the earth. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 1/19 at 7 pm for our ministry's monthly city-wide 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! Paul Cooper from Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship and I will be leading in prayer. 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

Persistent Pursuit of God's Pleasure 1-16-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I don't know where my choices today will lead me, but I want my first choice to be a good choice. I choose to look to You first, before any others, to call upon Your name first, before any others. ... "O Lord, remember in David's favor all the hardships he endured; how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, 'I will not enter my house or get into my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob' " (Psalm 132:1-5). David was tenacious and persistent in making Your pleasure his priority. I want that kind of tenacity and persistence. I want David's priority to be my priority. He was a man after Your own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). He opened his heart to be Your dwelling place. He sought You first, above everything else -- enduring the hardships of hardened hearts and misunderstood motives. He kept pressing in and pressing through. He was not perfect, but he was persistent in the pursuit of Your pleasure, in his tenacious desire to honor You with his life. Forgive me for all the times that my pleasure has been my priority, when my comfort has been my commandment. Forgive me when I've been complacent about Your presence. It's all about You. It's not about me. As I seek You first, all I need will be given to me (Matthew 6:33). As I honor You with a heart hungry for Your presence, You honor me with Your presence in my heart -- a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 1/19 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

"Enemies of the Cross" 1-12-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I center my thoughts and open my heart to You. ... "For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ, I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:18-20). There are enemies of the cross of Christ who are not radical followers of another faith or fanatical persecutors of the Christian faith. There are enemies of the cross of Christ who actually claim the name of Christ. For these, it's not Christ they hate; it's the cross they hate. Somewhere along the way they have prayed the sinner's prayer, made a decision for Christ that the gospel is true, go to church on Sunday, and even have a Bible on display in their home. But down inside, they hate the cross of Christ. They hate the very idea of dependence on You, of obedience to You and Your Word, of standing apart from the ways of the world, of standing up for the way of the cross -- the way of death to self will and submission to Your will. Beneath the veneered surface of their hypocrisy, they are inwardly disgusted by very words of humility, meekness, sacrifice, and submission. Forgive me, Lord, where I have been an enemy of the cross of Christ. You continue to warn Your would-be disciples, "Whoever does not take up the cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:38). Give me the courage and humility to take up the cross and follow You -- not just hang one on my wall or wear it around my neck, or let someone keep it shiny and polished at the front of my church. Let it be a call to be crucified to this world, to come apart and take a stand -- in dependence on You and in defiance of the ways of the world. "Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (James 4:4). I don't want to be an enemy of God or Your cross. I don't want to submit my life to any God but You. So give me courage to embrace the cross and follow You as a faithful friend rather than a faking foe. Let my life be true and truly Yours. 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

Place of Provision 1-11-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the song says, "I bow down, I lay my crown, at the feet of Jesus. ... I cry 'holy, holy, holy' ... holy is the Lamb. ... "Isaac said to his father Abraham, 'Father!' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' He said, 'The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?' Abraham said, 'God Himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.' " (Genesis 22:7-8). Abraham committed his will to Your will in obedience and faith. His faith was revealed in his willingness to obey. In obedience, he was willing to surrender to You all that was important to him. And in faith, he was willing to believe that You would provide all he would need. His willingness to provide the lamb of his son in obedience to Your will and in faith of Your nature made the way for Your provision of the Lamb of Your Son on that very place -- the place he prophetically named Jehovah Jireh -- " 'The Lord will provide;' as it is said to this day, 'On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided' " (v. 22:14). At that place of Your provision that would later be called Golgatha, The Place of the Skull, Abraham committed his son to an altar of wood (v. 22:9). And so did You (John 19:16-18). In the nature of Your Son, You Yourself provided the Lamb -- our Creator humbling Yourself in an incomprehensible sacrifice of love for Your creation. Abraham had no idea that day all that his act of obedience in faith would mean. But his life affected my life that day. "And by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed My voice" (Genesis 22:18). And I have no idea how you will use my acts of obedience in faith by Your grace to touch the lives of others. But give me the courageous faith of Abraham to trust and obey Your nature and Your will. As I do, You Yourself will provide all I need. 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

Cleansed of "All" Unrighteousness 1-10-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse my soul by the blood of the Lamb, that I may draw near to You in worship and prayer, as a forgiven friend, faithful son, and willing servant through the promise and power of Your grace. ... "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery" (Luke 16:18). After nine years of marriage and three children, my first wife divorced me. I disagreed, but under our law it takes two people to choose to get married and only one to choose to get divorced. Though we both shared in many choices and circumstances along the way that may have led to that decision, ultimately it was a decision made without my consent and out of my control. Yet I also bore the sin of a broken covenant with You, no matter whose choice it was. And I bore the sins for all my failings along the way. For a long time, I bore the shame of the sin and carried the burden of the failure under the weight of rejection and regret. I was broken and crushed, feeling rejected and ashamed, but You were there through it all -- even in the times where it may have seemed like You weren't. You kept drawing me to You to draw out my sin, to lift off my burdens, and to cleanse my shame. You used the brokenness of those days to go far deeper in my soul to touch many places of sin and shame, woundedness and pain, bondage and oppression, in many areas of my life. Through my times of surrender and repentance in prayer with You and through the ministry of prayer from the others You sent who listened with me and prayed with me, You loved me through it all. Finally I came to the place of accepting and embracing the fullness of Your forgiveness and grace, refusing to reject it any longer. By Your amazing love and Your amazing grace, I knew I was accepted, forgiven, and cleansed "from all unrighteousness" -- from "all" unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). But even so, I continued to encounter the attitudes and understandings of Scripture of others who believed the sin of my divorce tainted me forever, cancelled my calling, hindered my leadership, and limited my options for ministry, for marriage, and for intimacy with You. I wrestled with Your Word and Your will, with the opinions of others; and like Jacob, I wrestled with You. But moment by moment through the hard journey of those days, it seemed You kept saying to me: "What part of 'all' don't you understand, My son. I have forgiven you and cleansed you of 'all' unrighteousness. My law is just and true, but it is for the purpose of bringing conviction of sin that leads to confession and repentance. Honest confession and true repentance always leads to My mercy and grace. There is no sin for which I will not convict You in My mercy and there is no confession of sin I will not hear in My grace. I delight in restoring and redeeming all who turn to Me with repentant hearts and trusting faith. Do not resist My grace and do not reject the sacrifice of My blood. Believe it and receive it and never let it go. What gift is more beautiful than the gift of My grace? What treasure is more valuable than the treasure of My mercy? It is freely available to you and to all who earnestly repent of their sins and call upon My name. I find joy in forgiving you and I find joy in restoring unto you the joy of your salvation." Yes, Lord. Through Your constant, consistent presence and leading, with breakthroughs and encounters of Your goodness and power along the way, I came to the place of grace and peace in the freedom of Your forgiveness and the healing of Your love. Then in time, I began to sense my heart moving toward another in love. Once again I went to Your Word and wrestled with Your Scriptures about marriage and divorce and remarriage. And once again, I seemed to sense Your Holy Spirit speaking to my human spirit: "What part of 'all' don't you understand? You now have clean hands and a pure heart through the power of My blood and unfailing promise of My mercy and grace. You are cleansed of 'all' unrighteousness. You have a clean slate and a fresh start. My grace means nothing if it does not mean this." Yes, Lord. Without repentance, remarriage would be sin. But by Your grace, I was not without repentance and I was purged of my sin. Though I'm sure many sincere believers would disagree, I believe this is all part of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ -- the gospel of the kingdom of God where there is no sin You will not forgive and no soul You will not cleanse through repentance and faith in submission to You. The only unpardonable sin is the sin of resisting the conviction of the Holy Spirit to admit it our sin and turn to You in repentance and faith. Divorce, whether chosen or not, is not the unpardonable sin. "For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far He removes our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:11-12). That's how far, O Lord, no matter what the accuser or anyone who agrees with the accuser has to say. As the praise song says: "Thank You for Your blood, Lord Jesus. Thank You for Your victory. Thank You, Lord, for loving me." So today, I can celebrate with joy my tenth anniversary of a new marriage from a fresh start. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who has faith" (Romans 1:16). The road of redemption and restoration has not always been easy these past ten years -- as we would all acknowledge, some days have been unbelievably hard and even impossibly doomed apart from the power of Your grace -- but we have never been apart from Your grace or Your power for a moment. Now I have the joy of a partner who willingly chooses to walk with me though the journey -- in sickness and in health, through selfishness and sin, sacrifice and patience, in good times and hard times, 'til death do us part, in complete dependence on Your grace. We also celebrate a blended family of five children -- who have seen the power of Your redeeming grace to cause all things, even divorce and remarriage, to work together for good for those who love You and who are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). Not everybody understands that kind of grace, that kind of a clean slate and fresh start, that kind of good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ -- but as for me and my house, we do. And we thank You on this day of celebration, thanksgiving, and joy. 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

"Understand and Know Me" 1-9-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and seek our Your face, as I narrow my thoughts and open my heart to You alone in these early moments. ... "Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do no let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know Me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 9:23-24). Help me understand You and Your ways. Help me know You and Your nature. I don't want to just understand You, I want to know You. And I don't just want to know You, I want to understand You. You perfectly manifest the balance and fulfillment of love, justice, and righteousness. And You seek that balance and fulfillment in me. You find no delight in my own wisdom or might or wealth -- I have none apart from You -- but You find delight in my desire to seek You and seek to live in the nature of Your love and justice and righteousness. "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends" (2 Corinthians 10:17-18). 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

Snatched Away 1-8-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me yield to Your will and walk in Your ways, in every area of my life. I have so far to go, but You are taking me there -- step by step and morning by morning. ... "When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea" (Acts 8:39-40). Philip was so yielded to You that Your Holy Spirit was able to literally snatch him away from one place of ministry and position him instantaneously in another. There are no restrictions of time and space to You. Help me become so yielded to You that there are no restrictions in me. I want to proclaim the good news in the preaching of the Word and in the authority of prayer, whether in the spirit or in the body, everywhere I find myself positioned by You. I want to be so available to You and Your will that You can even snatch me up and send me out in Your supernatural ways. Where You lead me, I will follow. Where You send me, I will go -- all by Your grace and all in Your power. 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

Breaking Free 1-7-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Lord and Savior, my Healer and Deliverer and Redeemer. I bow before You, worship and adore You, as I watch and wait now for You in these first moments of a new day. ... "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress; He brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind. For He shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron" (Psalm 107:13-16). This morning my pastor plans to begin a new series of messages for our church called "Breaking Free." And by Your grace and in Your power we will be breaking free from everything that holds us back for the fullness of our calling and destiny in You, personally and as a church. "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). But we must humble our hearts to acknowledge our need. You are the One who shatters our doors of bronze and cuts in two our bars of iron, who breaks our bonds asunder in the power and anointing of Your presence, but we must find the humility to admit we need it, to admit we need You. You save from distress those who cry out to You in their trouble. Help us be transparent in our troubles, open with our struggles, and desperate for deliverance from our darkness and gloom. "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). As never before, help us personally admit where we are broken and acknowledge where we are crushed, as we welcome You to draw near in Your power and presence. Come, Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus and steadfast love of our Father with the grace to forgive and the power to heal -- in my life and my church and as far as Your grace will go. 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

Impoverished and Empowered 1-6-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above all names. You are worthy of all praise. I praise Your name and seek Your face, entrusting my soul to mercy of Your grace. ... "He raises up the poor from the dust; He lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor" (1 Samuel 2:8). As I encounter the challenges of my life, I am increasingly aware of my poverty of power apart from You. As I encounter the pain and wounds, the bondage and shame of others crying out to You through the ministry of prayer for healing and deliverance, I am continually confronted with the knowledge of Your truth that I have absolutely nothing to give or say of any help at all apart from any gift of Your grace and power of Your word You choose to offer through me. Those words of wisdom You spoke long ago ring more true to me every day: "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). But as I acknowledge my poverty and humble my pride, You open wide the windows of grace over every problem and pain, every burden and barrier I entrust to You in the surrender of faith. My troubles and the troubles of those I come alongside in prayer don't always immediately vanish -- but they are vanquished in the power of Your promises and the peace of Your presence. Fear is overcome by faith and stress is overcome by the sense of security You impart to our souls. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). You humble the proud, but empower the humble. You empower the impoverished. "Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?" (James 2:5). Yes, Lord. I love You and I need You. Keep me poor in deepening dependence on You, that You many continually demonstrate Your power through my poverty. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, it seems lately the Lord and/or our baby have been waking me up early. Then I find myself concerned, even almost overwhelmed with concern for myself, my family, my clients, and my world. Sickness and disease, terrorism and hunger, Israel and Islam, earthquakes and hurricanes, lost souls and poverty, abortion, addictions, and preparing the way of the Lord and the coming of the King. As soon as I can, I try to allow the Lord to draw me to prayer and entrust it all to Him. Peace comes through prayer. His grace is sufficient for me. And it comforts me to know that by morning's light, you are joining me in prayer. Thank you and God bless you for joining me in the journey. I pray the Lord's peace through prayer in your journey. These are dark days, but the Light has never shined brighter for those with eyes to see and hearts to hear (Isaiah 60). The prayers of God's people led by His Spirit are some of the most significant ways His Light is shining in the midst of the darkness. (Now I can rest and get back to bed for a little "nap" before morning. Thanks for listening to this little extra prayer this morning. -- your friend and brother in the Lord, Tommy 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

Covenant of Salt 1-5-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. With the words of an old hymn, I lift up my heart in worship and prayer to begin this day with You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: "Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty. Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee." ... "All holy offerings that the Israelites present to the Lord I have given to you, together with your sons and daughters, as a perpetual due; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord for you and your descendents as well" (Number 18:19). In ancient times, salt was a mineral of great worth. It speaks of purity and preservation. The covenant of salt with the priests of God speaks of a calling to a persistent commitment of purity before You. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but You desire all to have a heart seeking holiness -- a persistent holiness of heart and life, lived out day by day by the grace of Your blood cleansing our sins and purifying our hearts. The priesthood of the Old Covenant is now fulfilled in Christ. And so now it is fulfilled by the Holy Spirit of Christ living through us, the priesthood of all believers (Romans 8:9). "To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever" (Revelation 1:5-6). Just as all the holy offerings the priests presented to the Lord were offerings You Yourself gave them to present, all I have to offer You is what You have given me to offer. All that I am and all that I have belongs to You. I am no longer my own, but "bought with a price" by the blood of the Lamb, now living in me as "a temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Anything in me that is holy and pure is only holy and pure by the cleansing of Your blood and the filling of Your Spirit. But through Your blood and by Your grace, I offer my life a living sacrifice in an eternal covenant of commitment to You, preserved forever in the power of Your love and commitment to me. In Jesus' name I pray. 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

Always Here 1-4-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak Your name, seek Your face, and listen for Your voice. ... It seems I hear You say, "I am here. I am always here, always near. Don't question that, don't doubt that. You don't have to do anything or say anything. I am always here. I never leave you. I never forsake you." Yes, Lord. Thank You for Your constant presence, here in my life and here in my heart. Thank You for the power of Your promise: "I will never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). Even in times when it seems You are distant or absent or indifferent, it is the limitation of my perception, not the reality of Your truth. As You said to Israel ever in a time of her rebellion and sin, so You say to each of us each day: "I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am,' to a nation that did not call on My name' " (Isaiah 65:1). Thank You for Your persistent grace and unfailing love. By Your grace, I want to persistently seek You and call on Your name. Without any limitations of false perceptions, I want to know that You are always near -- because You always are. 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 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://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

"Wait Quietly" 1-3-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I bow my head and my heart before You to listen for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (Lamentations 3:25-26). Before I rise and go about my day, I wait for You. Before I look at what lies before me today, I seek You. I quiet my soul in the silence of surrender, watching and waiting for the leading of Your Spirit. My flesh wants to get up and go, but my spirit says, "Wait." It humbles my pride and crucifies my flesh, but it brings my body into submission to my soul and my soul into submission to my spirit and my spirit into submission to Your Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Now the mind, will, and emotions of my soul will not lead, but will follow the lead of my spirit, in communion with Your Holy Spirit. Now I can better sense Your leading and better hear Your voice as I go about my day, discerning Your will to choice my way. This is a blessing of waiting quietly before You in the first moments of my morning. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of this blessing. 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 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://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

Unveiled Faces 1-2-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You into my heart so I can follow You into my day. ... "As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding Your likeness" (Psalm 17:15). Apart from You, I have no righteousness. But I am not apart from You. You are abiding in Me and I am abiding in You. By the cleansing of Your blood and the mercy of Your grace, You cause me to become "the righteousness of God" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). You have lifted the veil of my sin so that I may behold Your face. "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" (v. 3:18). As I awake this morning to seek Your face and behold Your glory, You are changing me into Your image. We become like what we worship. I worship You, that I many become more like You. Thank You for being patience with me as You transform me in this life-long process of sanctification "from one degree of glory to another." And thank You for blessing of incredible breakthroughs and baptisms of Your Holy Spirit in the moments of complete surrender and complete sanctification along the way. As I follow You in the journey, keep my heart sensitive to the conviction of my sin and hungry for the consuming of Your Fire. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you all for your prayers for Nanny. She's doing great now! I pray you are off to a great start this new year. No matter what circumstances we face, God is with us through them all! 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

Purged and Cleansed, Forgiven and Freed 1-1-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I celebrate the beginning of this new morning of this new year in the communion of prayer with You. ... "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that You have crushed rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:7-10). I woke up this morning with the desire to be purged and cleansed of all unrighteousness -- to begin this new year with clean hands and a pure heart. Almighty Father God, Creator of heaven and earth, by Your grace that comes through the cleansing of the Blood of Jesus and the purging of the Fire of the Holy Spirit, I commit and commend, I dedicate and consecrate my spirit and soul and body, my family and friends and relationships, my hopes and plans and dreams, my gifting and calling and destiny, my finances and possessions and resources, my past and present and future, my generations past and my generations to come, every dimension of every realm of my existence to You -- my Lord, my Savior, and my God. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I entrust myself to You and Your Lordship of my life in complete submission and trusting surrender. I confess and repent of all my sins. I want to be purged and cleansed, forgiven and freed, as I begin this year in the journey of faith. I pray for and I receive Your forgiveness and grace, Your healing of all wounds and deliverance from all evil -- that my flesh would be crucified with Christ, that my heart and soul would be purged and cleansed, that I would be filled with the fullness of Your Holy Spirit. I bring to the foot of the Cross and under the Blood of the Lamb all levels and layers of selfishness, self-centeredness, self glory, pride, presumption, insecurity, fear, doubt, unbelief, stubbornness, rebellion, rejection, self rejection, condemnation, shame, lust, impurity, immorality, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, greed, jealousy, laziness, sloth, gluttony, addictions, perversions, deviations, complacency, passivity, manipulation, control, deception, confusion, criticism, idolatry, excuses, self righteousness, self deception, defensiveness, hardness of heart, dullness of conscience, weariness of spirit, and everything else that Your Holy Spirit brings to mind now or in the days of this new year ahead. I choose to hold nothing back, but freely submit all that I am and all that I have to You. I renounce in the name of Jesus everything that would hold me back from being holy and whole by the power of Your love and plan for me and my life. And I choose to embrace Your will and Your ways by Your grace. You are worthy of my trust and I willing commit my life and this year into Your hands -- Your nail-scarred hands. This is my desire: "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:19-20). "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). "May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do this" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (v. 4:3). Yes, Lord. I ask You to do this and keep giving me the courage to keep asking -- step by step, layer by layer, morning by morning. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I invite you to continue to come along with me on the journey again this year, as I begin my fourth year of Morning by Morning. I pray these morning prayer will be a blessing and encouragement to you. Please forward these along to anyone who might be interested in starting off each day centered on Jesus in contemplative prayer. 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

"I Come to the End" 12-31-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. You are my All in All. I watch and wait in surrender and silence for the leading of Your Spirit into the arms of my Father. ... "In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. How weighty to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them -- they are more than the sand; I come to the end -- I am still with You" (Psalm 139:16-18). I have come to the end of another year of the journey of faith in prayer with You. Morning by Morning, I have settled in to my chair, opened my journal and my heart, lifted my face and spirit, and called on Your name to watch and wait in the silence of surrender for the leading of Your Spirit. "I come to the end -- I am still with You." I come to the end, and You are still with me. You never leave me, nor forsake me. All that I endure, You have endured with me and within me by unending presence of Your Holy Spirit abiding in me as I abide in You. Though You have not willed all that I have experienced this year, You have used it all as a means of Your grace to continue Your labor of love to conform me into the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-30). You have known every challenge that would come, every choice that would be made, and Your power to redeem all that would happen, no matter the source. I need not fear any of the things that are written in Your book of my days, because I know by faith the assurance of Your peace that my name is written in Your "book of life" (Revelation 20:12 and 21:27). Thank You for walking with me through this year. Thank You for being there to walk with me through the next. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends, thank you for joining with me in the journey this year. I pray these morning prayers have been a blessing and encouragement to you as we have sought to surrender our lives into the hands of God every day, as He has led us in His journey for us -- making us more like Him every day, by His grace and in His power. I would appreciate your prayers for my grandmother, Edna Hays. She is 87 years old and we call her "Nanny." She came up to Kentucky from Texas to spend Christmas with us. But Friday night she suddenly had severe shortage of breath and had to go into the hospital, struggling with congestive heart failure. She is very peaceful now and should be back with us in a couple of days. She is a strong woman of prayer and faith, and I know the Lord has many more years for her to pray "on site with insight" here on earth with us through these last battles of these exciting days. We need one another's prayers. And I pray for you and all those you love to pray through and press on to the end of our calling for our generation to the glory of our King and His Kingdom. God bless you, my friends! 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

Legacy of Faith 12-28-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I rise in my spirit to take Your hand and walk another day of the journey of faith with You. ... "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you" (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy lived a legacy of faith, passed down to him through the generations, as his grandmother and mother lived out that faith before him and taught him how to live out that faith for himself. As we celebrated the life of Dora Caldwell yesterday with her family, we saw the power and witness of a legacy of faith passed down and lived out through those she loved. She was a woman of prayer. And yesterday she must have been so pleased to see her prayers answered and her legacy live on as the name of her Savior and Best Friend was proclaimed from the lips and hearts from those she loved so much. Lord, give me Your grace to live a life of prayer and faith that will live on in a legacy of faith in those I love. Let me not just live for today, but live for You. Her family said Mrs. Caldwell lived a life of "JOY" -- Jesus first; Others second; Yourself last. Help me learn to live that way. Let Your legacy and hers live on in me. 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

A Life Lived in Christ 12-27-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and honor You. I entrust my life and this day to You. ... "Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, there will My servant be also. Whoever serves Me, My Father will honor" (John 12:26). Today we will celebrate and mourn the passing of one of Your servants and saints, Dora Caldwell. To her last day, she prayed with others and saw Your hand in her life. She knew You well and You knew her well. She followed You and served You in the grace and the light You freely gave her. On these days when we pause and look at the lives of others, it causes me to pause and look at my life as well: When all is said and done, When at last my race is run, What will You think of me? When there's no room for regrets, When there's no time for amends, What will You think of me? When it doesn't matter what others say, When I won't have another day, What will You think of me? I'll be embarrassed of some things, I'll be glad of other things, But the most important thing, Will be what did I think of You. Did I trust You with my life, Did I receive Your sacrifice, Did I live my life for You? I can know this very day, What You'll think of me on that day, As I entrust my life to You. You'll see me through Your blood, You'll know me by Your love, And I'll spend my eternal life with 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

"No Returns, Please" 12-26-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. With a thankful heart, I receive the gift of the grace of Your presence abiding in me and I abide in You. ... "Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet 'in a little while, the One who is coming will come and not delay; but My righteous one will live by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.' But we are not among those who shrink back and are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved" (Hebrews 10:35-39). On the day after Christmas, the stores will be filled with people taking back their gifts. They may have expressed joy in the moment of unwrapping the gift, but down inside they did not really ever receive it. They may have appreciated the thought of the giver, but took no thought for the gift. So the gift is returned -- once accepted, but no longer received. But all Christmas gifts speak of the one true Gift. As God the Father, You humbled Yourself as God the Son, to be conceived in human flesh by God the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). You gave to us the greatest Gift we could ever receive, longing we would embrace Your Gift of Grace with the joy of children on Christmas morning. "He came to what was His own, and His own people did not accept Him. But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God" (John 1:11-12). Father, thank You for Your Gift of Your Son through Your Spirit. I receive Your grace to embrace Your Gift -- to never return it, never spurn it, never try to earn it -- but simply to receive it with child-like faith and Christmas morning joy. 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

Happy Birthday, Jesus 12-25-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Happy Birthday! ... "Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:10-14, NKJV). Though the Word of God is from everlasting to everlasting, on this day we celebrate that "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14, NKJV). Lord Jesus, You are the Word of God -- eternal as One with the Holy Spirit and the Father, yet at the same time, humbling Yourself and "coming in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7, NKJV). Truly this was a miraculous sign and wonder -- the Creator of heaven and earth humbling His Self to be born as a Babe in a manger. "Fall on Your knees! On hear the angel voices!" I humble myself before You this day, Christ the Lord, my Savior. I praise You with all the heavenly host and all who call on Your name throughout all generations to celebrate the One who is "full of grace and truth." Glory to God in highest! And on earth, peace and goodwill toward men! 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

Prepare Him Room 12-24-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I make room for You in my heart and welcome You into every area of my world this day. ... "With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before Him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). In the Christmas hymn Joy to the World, we sing, "Let every heart prepare Him room." Christmas Eve marks the time we prepare our hearts with great anticipation of Your coming. Like John the Baptist who came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way of the Lord, come Holy Spirit, and prepare the way of the Lord in my heart today. Fill me with anticipation and excitement to receive my Father's Christmas Gift -- the gift of Christ the Lord into the world and into my heart. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Merry Christmas, my friends! May the Lord fill you with the fullness of His joy in this season of anticipation and hope. 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

Blessed by Believing 12-23-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I face the stress of the season today, I wait in the silence of surrender before You now. ... "Blessed is she who has believed that there will be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord" (Luke 1:45). Mary believed and received Your words of calling and destiny for her life. She was blessed, and in her obedience of faith, she blessed You. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Mary pleased You because she believed You. Let my life please You. Give me grace and faith to believe You for the fulfillment of all You have spoken to me by Your Word and by Your Spirit. Like Mary, let me "accomplish all things" in Your power, according to the purpose and plan You have set for my life "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:3-14). 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

Holy Habitation in Zion 12-22-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Lord and my Savior. I bow before Your heavenly throne and welcome You here on to the throne of my heart. ... "For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation: 'This is My resting place forever; here I will reside for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread. It's priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy. There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed One. His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on Him, His crown will gleam" (Psalm 132:13-18). In this season of the celebration of Your first coming as the Christ Child, all the eyes of the world are turned toward Zion -- the mountain of the city at the center of the land of Your birth, Your ministry, Your death, Your resurrection, and Your return. "Thus says the Lord God: This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the center of the nations, with countries all around her" (Ezekiel 5:5). As we think of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, Galilee and Nazareth, let us remember to pray for this land and its people at the center of the earth. Though there has been great rebellion, there will be great renewal. Though there has been great violence, there will be great victory. Though there have been great threats of great destruction, there will be great restoration. So, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as Your Word commands us: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you" (Psalm 122:6). I pray for the people of "the city of God" to turn their eyes to You and behold their Messiah (Psalm 46:4). I pray for the day of peace that will come on the day of Your return to Your "resting place forever" as Your people declare, "Blessed in the One who comes in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:39). On that day, I will join all its faithful to "shout for joy" when Your "crown will gleam" by the praise of Your people. 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

The Messiah of Bethlehem 12-21-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I center my thoughts on You as I lift up my heart in prayer. ... "But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you will come forth for Me One who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.... and He shall be the One of Peace" (Micah 5:2-5). From everlasting to everlasting, You are Lord. You are the Messiah who has come forth to establish Your eternal throne in the hearts of all people (Revelation 11:15). You are the fulfillment of every prophecy of Your coming (Acts 3:18; 18:28). You are the "Ancient of Days" (Daniel 7:9). You are the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). You came in humility on the hay of a manger in Bethlehem and You are coming in glory in the hearts of Your people -- all people who call upon Your name. Come and rule in Israel. Come and rule in me. 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

"Messiah is Coming" 12-20-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You, Lord God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- into my heart and my day. ... "The woman said to Him, 'I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). 'When He comes, He will proclaim all things to us.' Jesus said to her, 'I am He, the One who is speaking to you' " (John 4:25-26). Lord Jesus, You are the One who proclaims all things to us. You are Yeshua HaMoshiach -- Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. You are "the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). You are still coming, still speaking, still proclaiming Your Word of truth and life to us. You are the Word made flesh -- both exalted as Son of God and humbled as Son of Man -- having no beginning and no end as Son of God, yet at the same time conceived by the Holy Spirit in the human womb of a virgin girl (John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-11). " 'She will bear a Son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall name Him Emmanuel,' which means, 'God is with us' " (Matthew 1:21-23). Thank You for coming, and thank You for coming again soon. And in between these two great days, thank You for being with us, for being with me -- this day and every day. 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

"Our Great God and Savior" 12-19-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with the hope and anticipation of Your presence in my life today. ... "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave Himself up for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:11-14). Lord Jesus, You are "our great God and Savior." I wait for "the blessed hope" of the manifestation of Your glory. Keep redeeming me from all iniquity, keep purifying me from all defilement of my sin and the sins of others against me, keep training me to renounce impiety and worldly passions. By Your grace and in Your power I want to live my life in a way that honors You -- self-controlled, upright and godly. This is why You have appeared in the flesh, "bringing salvation to all." Help me embrace the fullness of Your salvation for me through the cleansing of Your blood and the power of Your Spirit to the glory of our Father. 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

Mighty Warrior God 12-18-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Strengthen my spirit in these morning moments of prayer. Gird up my heart in faith to face the battles I will face today for the sake of Your name. ... "The Lord is my strength and my might, and He has become my salvation; this is my God and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name" (Exodus 15:2-3). Moses and the people sang this song of praise as they stood in wonder at the shores of the Red Sea. Their enemies charged against them, shouting taunts of terror to melt their hearts in fear: "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them" (15:9). But it was Your hand that drew the sword of Your Word. "You blew Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters" (15:10). You defeated the enemies of Your people in the face of certain destruction. Then their hearts could not contain the songs of praise and shouts of joy for the strength and power of Your salvation. "Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power -- Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy!" (15:6). You are my strength and my might. Come in power to defeat the enemies of my soul. Stretch out Your mighty right hand, O Lord. Deliver me from destruction and establish me in the victory of Your salvation. You are love, but You are also a warrior -- a mighty warrior who's love for Your people consumes our enemies and silences their taunts. Arise in Your power and let Your enemies be scattered. "This is my God and I will praise Him!" 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

Tremble at the Word 12-17-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me wait for Your Word and listen for Your leading. ... "Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool; what is the house that you would build for Me, and what is My resting place? All these things My hand has made, and so all these things are Mine, says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My Word" (Isaiah 66:1-2). Lord, let me never cease to tremble at Your Word. Though it may be written down into a book, though it may be packaged and sold in bookstores, though it may fill the shelves of my book cases, it is still the Word of God. It is holy and to be treated with reverence and awe in the fear of God. They say familiarity breads contempt. Forgive me for any way my sensitivity to the privilege and honor of knowing You and hearing Your Word has grown dull. The sons of Eli were priests who failed to tremble at Your Word. "They treated the offerings of the Lord with contempt" (1 Samuel 2:17). And they were judged for their sins with their lives. Lord, keep me mindful of the mystery of Your Word, revealed to us through Your Scripture and through Your Person. You are the Word of God (John 1:1, 14). By Your grace, I tremble before You. I welcome You to make my heart Your home, as I honor You and Your Word. 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

A Humble God 12-16-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the Christmas song says, "O come, let us adore Him." I come this morning to adore You with the offering of my first thoughts and prayers this day. ... "Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and expecting a Child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in bands of cloth, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" (Luke 2:4-7). Lord Jesus, though You were "in the form of God," You humbled Yourself beyond our imagination and capacity to fully comprehend, "being born in human likeness" (Philippians 2:5-8). Not only humbling Yourself in human flesh, but being born to an unwed mother, displaced from her home, rejected from a place of security and shelter. You chose to be born in a stall made for animals, not even the poorest of humans. You are an awesome and a humble God (v. 2:8). You continue to seek to dwell among the humble places -- hearts humbled of our pride to seek You and welcome You as Lord of our lives. "For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite" (Isaiah 57:15). By Your grace, let my heart be a humble place for You to dwell. 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

Commitment 12-15-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I rise and go about my day, I choose to first stop and wait and pray. ... "Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God" (Psalm 31:5). As I begin this new day, I have a choice. I can take this day into my own hands or I can commit it into Yours. Lord, You are faithful and worthy of my trust. So by Your grace, I commit myself and this day to You. I ask You to order my steps and guide my thoughts. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. I surrender all and entrust all to You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain Tonight-- Friday 12/15 at 7 pm for our ministry's monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. All are welcome! 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

Proclaim the Mighty Acts of God 12-14-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. O Lord, my God, I praise You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you might proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10). Through faith, You have called me Your own. But I am called with a purpose -- "to proclaim the mighty acts" of God. You have saved me and raised me up with You to be part of the people of God and to proclaim the power of God, by living a life transformed by God. Let me live my life this day by Your grace to display Your glory as one who has been touched and changed by the power of Your love. "To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever" (Revelation 1:5-6). Let my life be a witness of the mighty acts of God this day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the area, please come join us at The Fountain this Friday night, December 15 for a time of Spirit-led worship, praise, and prayer in one of the ways the Lord displays the unity of His city-wide church in our community. All are welcome from the many different streams and traditions of the body of Christ as we proclaim Jesus as Lord together. Brooke & Shannon from The Church on the Rock will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. in Lexington, on the 3rd Friday night of every month. Please spread the word and cover us in prayer. 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

Hope Regifted 12-13-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and listen for the leading of Your voice. ... "Guard what has been entrusted to you" (1 Timothy 6:20). Thank You for entrusting to me the gift of a sure hope and confident faith in Your goodness and grace. "We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul" (Hebrews 6:19). You are faithful and true, worthy of all my trust. "Let us hold fast to this confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful" (v. 10:23). This gift of hope is for me, but not for me to keep for myself. It is a gift to be given away -- to be "regifted." Let me always be ready to share with others this gift of hope that is within me (1 Peter 3:15). I am both a child of the King and a servant of this gospel of hope in the good news of Your kingdom. Give me grace to both guard it in my heart and give it away for the hearts of others. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Please come join us at The Fountain! this Friday Night (the 3rd Friday night of every month) for our ministry's ecumenical gathering of the body of Christ in our community 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 .

Needing Healing 12-12-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek You and I need You. I worship and adore You, then lay my needs before You. ... "As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on each of them and cured them" (Luke 4:40). Lord, I bring my youngest sons, Elijah and Josiah, to you. They are struggling with sickness that is stealing their peace and rest and ours. I'm asking You to lay Your hands on them and heal them. Drive all infirmity from them and restore them to health in Your created order, redeemed by Your blood and filled with Your Spirit. I praise You and thank You now for healing my children. It is already done in heaven, and it is in the process of being done here on earth as it is in heaven. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits -- who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases" (Psalm 103:2-3). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Feel Like It's Always Winter, But Never Christmas? (taken from The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe) To some the "winters" of life bring harshness, discouragement and even depression... It never "feels" like the joyous picture of what Christmas should be... Bondages and burdens keep them from experiencing the freedom they were created for... But "Aslan is on the move"... our Awesome and Almighty God is at work... binding up the brokenhearted and setting the captives free (Is. 61). So, ... Come to The Fountain! this Friday night at 7 pm for our ministry's monthly, ecumenical gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. All are welcome! I will be leading in prayer, while Brooke and Shannon Barrett will be leading in worship. Call us for information at 859-317-1591

Simply Yours 12-10-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I simply come and seek Your face. ... I simply come and seek Your face, I simply bow and need Your grace. I simply praise Your name my King, I simply say You are my everything. "One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple" (Psalm 27:4). In all the busyness of this season, keep reminding me of the one thing that really matters most -- my personal relationship with You. You are the "One Thing" I need most. As I seek you and seek You first, everything else comes into place. Then, everything else is covered by Your grace. Help me keep it simple. As I choose to be simply Yours. 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

Invocation 12-9-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. By the Holy Spirit of the Living God living in me, I come to You, Father, through Jesus, Your Son. ... "Be attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips" (Exodus 23:13). I invoke Your name, Lord Jesus. Your name is "the name that is above every name" (Philippians 2:9). Your name speaks of Your nature, and Your name means "the salvation of God." Thank You for saving me -- saving me from the law of sin and death, saving me from the nature of my flesh and pride of self-centeredness, saving from the eternal torment of hell apart from You. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). As I invoke Your name, I welcome Your Holy Spirit, "the Spirit of Christ" living in me (Romans 8:9). Fill me Holy Spirit, possess me, Lord. Make me more like Jesus each day, conforming me into the image and nature of Christ (v. 8:29). The Father and the Son are One, coming to abide in me and all the children of God by the Holy Spirit of the Living God. Your Spirit of Truth and Life comes to dwell in us, as Your life becomes our lives and we embrace Your possession of our lives each day. "Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you" (John 14:19-20). 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

"Truth is in Jesus" 12-8-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my face and center my thoughts on You this day. ... "For surely you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as truth is in Jesus" (Ephesians 4:21). As I rise and go out into the world today, I will hear and see many things. Let me filter it all through the cross and the blood of Jesus, as "truth is in Jesus." Sharpen my discernment. Sensitize my spirit. Give me Your wisdom to know to remember Your Word. Then I will not be deceived or confused, because I will be rooted and grounded in Your truth. 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

Divine Jealousy 12-7-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are faithful and true. Help me be faithful to You. ... "Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, because the Lord your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God" (Deuteronomy 6:14-15). Thank You for loving me with a divine jealousy -- unwilling to allow me to share my heart with any god but You. The gods of many forms around me may try to lure me away, seeking my attention and demanding my worship, even settling for part of my heart, but You will not yield in this. You are jealous that I would love You with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength (v. 6:5; Mark 12:30). Give me grace to honor You with my faithfulness to You alone -- uncompromising and unadulterated. I choose again this day to have no other gods before 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

"Extraordinary Miracles" 12-5-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I offer my life a sacrifice. Fill me with Your Spirit, lead me in Your ways, send me in Your will. ... "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul" (Acts 19:11). Paul was just a man, made of flesh and blood. Yet he came to the place of trusting faith, brokenness and humility, delivered from pride of self, until he was "crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:19). Then his life truly became a living sacrifice. Then he could truly say, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (v. 2:20). The more he was conformed to the nature of Christ, the more he was entrusted with the authority of Christ. Not Paul's authority, but Your authority being released through him as he learned to abide in You and allow You to abide in him. Then he saw You do extraordinary miracles. You did the miracles, but You did them through Paul -- a yielded vessel, an obedient instrument of Your grace and Your power made perfect through his weakness. In humility and in faith, Paul knew the source of the power being released through his life, as he acknowledged before heaven and earth, "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Lord, I pray You would continue to break my pride and crucify my flesh. Conform me to Your nature. Teach me to abide in You and allow You to abide in me, more and more every day. I am just a man of flesh and blood, but so was Paul. I want to be part of the body of Christ who is so filled the Spirit of Christ that we see the fulfillment of Your promise in our day: "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:12-13). I am asking to see Your extraordinary miracles released through my life for Your glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we are planning to send out our quarterly newsletter, Messiah's Messenger. If you have changed addresses or would like us to add yours, please send us a note with your regular mailing address, and we'll send one to you. 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 . 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

Now is the Day of Salvation 12-4-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn to You and call on Your name. ... "As we work together with Him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For He says, 'At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.' See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)! Salvation is the fullness of life You give us by the grace of Your love -- now in this age and in the age to come, throughout eternity. It includes eternal life, and eternal life includes today. Each moment of each day is the time to choose by Your grace to embrace Your salvation and the fullness of life in Christ or not -- lest we have received it in vain. "Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which you also stand, through which you also are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you -- unless you have come to believe in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). I embrace the grace of this day of salvation. Each day is a new day in the journey of faith. So I choose this day to stand in faith on Your promises, holding firmly to the message of the good news of Your unfailing love and incredible mercy as I am "being saved" by Your grace. As You said to Your first disciples, "The one who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22 and 24:13). Throughout the moments of this day, let me call upon Your name with every breath, trusting in You alone and trusting in You continually for my peace and provision. "For, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved' " (Romans 10:13). 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

Pondering God's Words 12-3-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me settle down into the stillness of the morning to wait and listen for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). Lord, I want to treasure the words You speak to me. I want to ponder them in my heart. Your words "are spirit and life" (John 6:63). Let them soak me and seep into me until they become truth to me. "Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in them" (Proverbs 30:5). Let me hear Your words and believe them, then let me obey them and live them. 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

"In the Love of Jesus" 12-2-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You. ... "For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' " (Galatians 5:14). As I have sent out these morning prayers for almost three years now, I have felt Your leading to sign them off with the note "In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays." Recently the thoughts were coming to me that I shouldn't do that -- that it's not manly enough, too awkward, it might make people feel uncomfortable, and on and on. But You began to show me the source of those thoughts, and that the source is not You. You are love, and love is to be at the heart of my relationship with You and with others. "Whoever does not love does not know God, God is love" (1 John 4:8). The cultures of our world want to make love seem weak and foolish, even unnecessary and unattainable. You warned us that in these last days "the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12). That's because the enemy of our souls hates love and hates You, because You are love. And love overcomes our enemy. To grow in spiritual maturity is to grow in love -- love for You and love for one another. We cannot grow without growing in love. So give me grace to keep loving You and loving others. Give me courage to "declare Your steadfast love in the morning" (Psalm 92:2). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we are planning to send out our quarterly newsletter, Messiah's Messenger. If you have changed addresses or would like us to add yours, please send us a note with your regular mailing address, and we'll send one to you. 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 . 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