"Here I am" 2-16-07

"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). Last night was an awesome night of ministry at our church. In one end, many people came seeking to know Your saving grace at Alpha. At the other, many came seeking to know Your healing power at Celebrate Recovery. And in the middle, many came seeking Your refuge and shelter from hunger and cold at Room at the Inn. You are the Answer to all our needs. Your grace is all we need. You answer when we call, coming in grace and power when we cry out to You. Thank You, Lord, for Your presence in our hearts and in the heart of our church. By Your grace, we are becoming the church You created us to be. "Is this not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and He will say, 'Here I am' " (Isaiah 58:6-9). Thank You, Lord, for being here with us. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us in prayer as He continues to build our teams to minister His grace to all who come seeking His face. I pray the same for you and your churches and ministries. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! tonight 2/16 -- 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. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and Center for Women in Racing will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. 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 .

Restoration and Recovery 2-15-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are good, Lord. And You are good to me. I come to You now in these first moments of the morning, seeking the goodness of Your grace and the glory of Your face. I watch and wait now, in the silence of surrender, for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "Thus says the Lord: In this place of which you say, 'It is a waste without human beings or animals,' in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without inhabitants, human or animal, there shall once more be heard the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord: 'Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!' For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 33:10-11). As my wife Tricia was saying last night, these are as the days of Jeremiah. Since the fall of creation, devastation and destruction have come upon the earth and its people throughout the generations from our choices of rebellion against Your ways and resistance of Your grace. Yet throughout the generations, You have never wavered in Your love and Your call to repentance and faith. You have never wavered in Your promise of restoration for the people and the land of all Your creation. Destruction may come, but so does restoration. Judgment may come, but so does mercy. All that has happened and all that will happen to the people and the land of Israel teaches us Your heart and Your ways. "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the end of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). As we turn to You and call on Your name in desperation from the destruction of creation "with eager longing," O God restore, O God heal (Romans 8:19-21). Free us from the forces of desolation. Let the voice of gladness and the songs of praise be heard again in Israel and throughout the lands of the earth. As You promised Israel, so You also promise all who are the children of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:29). "I am going to bring it recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against Me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against Me. And this city shall be to Me a name of joy, and praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it" (Jeremiah 33:6-9). Lord, I "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6). And I pray for the peace of my soul, the soul of my city, and the souls of all the cities of the earth. Let the voice of Your prophets, the prays of Your intercessors, and the cries of Your watchmen go forth until our hearts turn to You in repentance, that Your heart may turn to us in restoration. "Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, to that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through His holy prophets" (Acts 3:19-21). Let the voice of the bride and the voice of our Bridegroom be heard again throughout the earth. "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come' " (Revelation 22:17). Come, Lord Jesus, come! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we launch Celebrate Recovery tonight -- Thursday 2/15/07 at my home church, Centenary, in Lexington, Kentucky www.CRlex.com Please come if you can and pray for us if you can't. Each Thursday night, we will have a meal, worship, hear a teaching and testimony on recovery and healing in every area of life, have small group confidential discussion and sharing, and get to know one another at the Solid Rock Cafe. I'll be helping provide a pastoral presence at both Celebrate Recovery and our Alpha ministry on Thursday nights www.CentenaryLex.com . Tonight, I will be teaching on prayer at Alpha and most Thursday nights helping lead a small group called Breaking Free with my prayer partner, Dr. David Hager, at Celebrate Recovery. Please keep us in your prayers and spread the word if you are in our area. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 2/16 -- 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 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 .

Day of Love 2-14-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. "I love You, Lord. And I lift my voice to worship You." ... "I love You, O Lord, my strength" (Psalm 18:1). Throughout the earth, today is considered a day of love -- Valentines Day -- named after a saint of God, know for his love. And whatever is real and holy will always be distorted and defiled by the one who is false and unholy. But there is only a counterfeit, because there is the real thing. You are the Real Thing. You are Love. "Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8). So on this day of love, as we express our love to one another, let us not forget to express our love to You, the source and perfect expression of all love. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). I love You, Lord. And I believe in You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By Your grace You have lavished upon me through Your love, I will not perish, but I will live with You forever. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Happy Valentines' Day, my friends! Love and blessings from Messiah Ministries and me. 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! this Friday Night -- 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

"Jesus is Lord" 2-13-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In this moment, I consciously choose to think of You alone and listen for Your voice alone. ... "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:8-9). The most ancient creed of all who are called Christians is the confession of faith, "Jesus is Lord." This is the heart and soul of our faith. Everything else is secondary. "But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15-16). "Lordship" is a relational term. If You are my Lord, then I am not. If You are in charge and in control of my life, then I am not. By Your grace, help me willingly choose to surrender and submit to Your will and Your ways in every area of my life. You don't want to be "Lord" in general or "Lord" of some of the specific areas of my life -- You want to be "Lord" of all. Are You? Have I surrendered and submitted every area of my life to Your Lordship? Have I yielded to Your control and put You in charge of my thoughts and desires, my will and ways, my hopes and plans? To the very degree that I have not, I am lord and You are not. To that degree, there is an idol on the throne of my heart -- and that idol is me. Convict me of my idolatry. Lead me to repentance and full surrender by Your grace through faith -- trusting, obedient faith. Help me "sanctify Christ as Lord" in every area of my heart. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). Be Lord of all. Let me confess it with my mouth and believe it in my heart because it is true. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would be glad to send you the PowerPoint of my teaching called "Preparing the Way of the Lord" with Scriptures and diagrams which are included in the dvd for my foundational teaching on spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance. Sanctifying Christ as Lord in every area of our lives is the key to this perspective of healing, wholeness, and freedom in our spirit, soul, and body. If you would be interested in the dvd or cd version of this teaching and prayer ministry from a healing prayer retreat I led at Cumberland Falls, Kentucky, please let us know. Scholarships are available to help cover the cost where needed. We want to make these available to everyone, as part of the calling of our ministry. 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! this Friday Night 2/16 -- 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

Well with My Soul 2-12-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I rise and go into a world of noise, let me first soak in the silence, as I wait on You in prayer. ... "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul" (3 John 2, NRSV). "I pray that you may prosper ... just as your soul prospers" (NKJV). The condition of my soul affects the condition of my body. What goes on inside manifests itself outside. In the same way, "The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). Lord, bring me to the place of peace and trust in You, that all anxiety, stress, worry, and fear is drawn into You and out of me. This is the rest that "restores my soul" (Psalm 23:3). This is "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Then I will prosper in all I do by Your grace, even as my soul prospers. Then I will say in spirit and in truth, "It is well with my soul." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night 2/16 -- 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. Spread the word and bring a friend, if you can. 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 .

Trees of Life 2-11-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of the kingdom of God. Come rule and reign in my heart and life today. ... "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.... For in Him the whole fullness of Deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in Him, who is the head of every ruler and authority" (Colossians 2:6-10). My life is like a tree and You are like the good soil in which I am planted. The more deeply I am rooted in You, the more I can be built up in You. I want to "come to fullness" as my roots grow deep in Your words of truth and life, while my branches stretch high in thanksgiving and praise. Let my life bear fruit for Your kingdom and Your glory. "You have heard of this hope before in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God" (v. 1:5-6). And I am not planted alone. You have established me in the faith as part of an orchard of many trees bearing many different kinds of fruit. Some are just saplings and others have grown into great maturity, being nurtured and strengthened through every season in accordance with Your purpose and plan. Together, You prune us and empower us to "live lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God" (v. 1:10). You are the Tree of Life, and as we live in You and You live in us, we become trees of Your life. Keep nurturing me, keep pruning me, keep growing me into maturity, as I come to fullness in You in the orchard of Your kingdom to display Your glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night 2/16 -- 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. Spread the word and bring a friend, if you can. 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 .

This Slight Momentary Affliction 2-10-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You increase, as I decrease. Let me be filled up with You, as I am emptied of myself. You lead, as I follow. You speak, as I listen. ... "For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen in temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). This "slight momentary affliction" is my life on earth. It is the unending series of choices that make up the moments of my day, every day of my life, as I continually choose selfishness or selflessness, rebellion or obedience, taking or giving, pride or humility. Every choice is an opportunity to grow up in Christ -- or not; to be matured in faith -- or not; to be sanctified in spirit, soul, and body -- or not. These are Your means of preparing for me to display Your glory through my life, now and forever. "They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display His glory" (Isaiah 61:3). In the struggles of the day and the tyranny of the moment, I can become absorbed in what is seen, rather than what is unseen, in what is temporary, rather than what is eternal. But help me keep looking beyond natural realm into the spiritual realm -- not blinded to realities of today, but fully aware of the realities of eternity. As I keep my hope and focus on the things to come, I will not become discouraged and mired in the things that are. "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). Day by day, You desire to fulfill Your heavenly call in me, to conform me to the nature of Christ (Romans 8:29). This is the "eternal weight of glory beyond all measure." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the name of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you would like to hear more of my perspective on these matters, you might consider ordering my teaching "Preparing the Way of the Lord" in dvd or cd from the order page our web-site: www.messiah-ministries.org To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Old and New 2-9-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. By Your Holy Spirit, I come to the Father, through Jesus the Son. I give You the glory, great things You have done. As the old hymn says, I praise You, Lord, and I rejoice. ... "He also told them a parable: 'No one tears a piece from a new garment and sows it on an old garment; otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the old wine skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, 'The old is better " (Luke 5:36-39). Lord, You speak to me in many ways. Yesterday You were speaking to me in a very simple way through my new office chair. I have had my old one for nearly ten years, since the first days of our ministry. The old one was very comfortable, but it didn't really ever match the rest of my furniture. Of all the people who have come through my office for prayer ministry and spiritual direction through the years, I don't think anyone has ever commented about whether my furniture matched or not, and probably no one ever cared. But the honest truth is, I did. It mattered to me. But I always would think I should spend the money on other things, that my old chair was pretty comfortable, that I didn't have the time to spend trying to find something else, and on and on. Finally, after ten years, I ordered a new chair -- one that perfectly matches my new side chair, but amazingly also perfectly matches my old blue leather couch. As I sat back in it for the first time, I sensed a settled peace in the new beauty of my cozy little office. And it seems I heard You say to my heart: "My son, I am setting all things in order. I am blending the old with the new in the ministry I have entrusted to you, and it will match beautifully. Do not fear letting go of some of the old things that have served you well for their season, but gladly receive the new things I am bringing into Your life and ministry for My purposes. You are a prayer minister and a spiritual director. I am teaching you to serve and to lead. Keep seeking Me in prayer and teaching others to pray; keep seeking My direction and helping others find theirs'. And I will keep pouring the new wine of My Spirit into your spirit. And you will know the settled peace of My presence and My order, as I conform your heart and your ministry to Mine in ever increasing measures." Yes, Lord. Give me the courage to release the past where I need to, and the faith to embrace the future where You lead me. Conform every area of my life and ministry into the plans and purposes You have desired for me since "before the foundation of the world" to "accomplish all things" according to Your wise "counsel and will" -- all in accordance with Your perfect "plan for the fullness of time" (Ephesians 1:3-14). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be teaching on Spiritual Warfare dimension of prayer as one of the afternoon workshops for the regional missions conference my home church is hosting this Saturday, February 10 called "Gear Up! Reach Out!" All are welcome. Call Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington for registration details 859-269-2800 or www.centenarylex.org To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Wisdom, Access, Authority 2-8-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my eyes toward You, as I wait and listen to sense Your leading. ... "Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14). It seems I hear You gently speaking these words to my spirit over and over: "wisdom, access, authority." Yes, Lord. Help me listen and understand. ... It seems Your Holy Spirit is lifting these words from my spirit as thoughts in my mind: "My son, I am forming My wisdom in My people -- a wisdom they learn as I work My Word in the experiences of their lives. I am positioning My people in places of access and influence to share My wisdom with authority. This is my means of transformation of souls and cities. All who will hear and respond to the wisdom of My ways will be changed. They will be instruments of My grace to display My glory, shining as lights in the midst of the darkness. I desire to draw all people out of darkness and into My light, transforming them into My image and conforming them to My nature." Yes, Lord. Like all Your sons and daughters, I have come to "royal dignity" for just such a time as this. "Then the King will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world' " (Matthew 25:34). "For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith" (Galatians 3:26). "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called you out of darkness and in to His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). My Father God, keep working the wisdom of Your Word in my life. Position me in places of access and influence for Your plans and purposes, not mine. Empower me to pray and proclaim Your Word and Your will in the ways You choose to change souls and cities wherever You send me as an instrument of Your grace -- whether in the spirit in prayer or in person in the flesh. "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:10-11). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be teaching on Spiritual Warfare as one of the workshops for the regional missions conference my home church is hosting this Saturday, February 10 called "Gear Up! Reach Out!" All are welcome. Call Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington for registration details 859-269-2800 or www.centenarylex.org To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

The Mercy Seat 2-7-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I bow before You, love and adore You. As Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are my Lord and my God; You are my Father, my Savior, and my Best Friend. Now, in the way You are teaching me, I wait in the silence of surrender for the leading of Your Spirit, focused on You alone, as You draw me into Your presence through the blood of the Lamb. ... "But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He has loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved -- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7). By the great love and kindness of Your mercy and grace, I am already seated with Christ in the heavenly dimension of the spiritual realm, even though, at the same time, I am also seated here in this earthly dimension of the physical realm. I am grounded on earth, but I am also soaring in heaven. Time is unfolding day by day in this earthly dimension of time and space, but time has already unfolded in the heavenly dimension of eternity where You hold all time and space present in Your hands and see the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. By Your Holy Spirit, You are in me and I am in You (John 14:20). Somehow by the mercy of Your grace and the mystery of faith, You are seated here with me on earth and I am seated with You in heaven -- I am "alive together with Christ" (v. 2:5). "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). Holy Lord, teach me how to live my life with my feet grounded in this world and with eternity soaring in my heart. Help me humbly know my place on earth and faithfully receive my place in heaven. My seat in Christ "in the heavenly places" is "the mercy seat," because it is only by Your mercy and grace that I am seated there in You and You are seated here in me. Of this seat of mercy, now fulfilled in Christ, You have promised: "There I will meet with you" (Exodus 25:22). Thank You, Lord, for humbling Yourself to meet with me and lifting me up in Your presence by Your grace to meet 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 . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

The Lamb's Burdens 2-6-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord. And I thank You for loving me. ... "The people of Israel said to Samuel, 'Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, and pray that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.' So Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him" (1 Samuel 7:8-9). The needs of the people for deliverance from their enemies were great, and so was the burden of prayer on Samuel's heart. As he cried out to You, he offered the lamb. As I cry out to You for the deliverance of myself and others, I offer the Lamb -- I plead the blood of Jesus, the holy Lamb of God who takes away our sins and shame, heals our hurts and wounds, and delivers us from our enemies of darkness and destruction. "How much more will the blood of Christ who through the Holy Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God" (Hebrews 9:14). Your Word calls us to "bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). The burdens are heavy, but I bear them to You, entrusting their needs and mine to Your care and Your power. You chose to be the Lamb led to slaughter for burdens and needs (Isaiah 53:7). And through Your sacrifice of love, all the burdens that should be upon us have been laid upon You, that we might be made whole (v. 53:4-5). Thank You for lifting these burdens now, as I release them to You, knowing Your answer and Your peace will come in Your timing and Your way by Your grace. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be teaching on Spiritual Warfare as one of the workshops for the regional missions conference my home church is hosting this Saturday, February 10 called "Gear Up! Reach Out!" All are welcome. Call Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington for registration details 859-269-2800 or www.centenarylex.org To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Snow Day! 2-5-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. With fire in Your eyes and a sword in Your hand, You are mighty in battle, O King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:11-16). Come enforce the victory of Your cross in my soul and throughout the earth. ... "O God, when You went out before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness, the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.... The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee! ... When the Almighty scattered kings there, snow fell on Zalmon" (Psalm 68:7-14). The horse farms and fields of central Kentucky are covered again in a fresh blanket of snow, while the plank fences and rock walls are dripping with sickles of sparkling ice. I can almost hear the shouts of joy ringing through the crisp morning air as the school children tremble with delight and proclaim to the heavens, "Snow Day!" Though their parents will scurry to reschedule and some will curse the scourge of winter's troubles, the joy of the children will prevail. And beyond the beauty of our physical senses, there is war in the heavenly places. The earth responds to the movement of the Spirit in the heavenly dimension around us. The trembling of the earth and the falling of the snow is sign of the majesty and power of our God driving out principalities and powers in response to prayer. But the battle is real; and the enemy fights back, knowing "his time is short" (Revelation 12:12). Though he is defeated, You continue to enforce the victory of Your cross through the prayers and proclamations of Your people, living into Your victory as we believe and declare the promises of Your Word. "Summon Your might, O God; show Your strength, O God, as You have done for us before" (Psalm 68:28). As the snow falls, let our enemies fall. Let our God arise and our enemies be scattered. Let us tremble with delight as we persevere in the fight through proclamation and prayer. "Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord. O Rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens! Listen, He sends out His voice, His mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God in His sanctuary, the God of Israel; He gives power and strength to His people!" (v. 68:32-35). In the name of Jesus, the conquering King and coming Lord, I proclaim by faith: This snow day is a bad day for the enemy of our souls. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be teaching on Spiritual Warfare as on of the workshops for the regional missions conference my home church is hosting this Saturday, February 10 called "Gear Up! Reach Out!" All are welcome. Call Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington for registration details 859-269-2800 or www.centenarylex.org To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Attitude of Gratitude 2-4-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for the gift of another day. ... "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world" (Romans 1:8). Lord, I am so thankful to You for all Your goodness and grace in my life. "Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of change" (James 1:7). But help me also be more thankful of others. Open my eyes to see all the ways You touch me and help me and encourage me through the people You bring into my life. Give me more of an attitude of gratitude. And give me more of a desire to express my gratitude to those who allow their lives to enrich mine. I am a blessed man -- blessed by You and blessed by others. Help me learn to better express my gratitude with a thankful heart to You and to others. 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

Hand of God 2-3-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me abide in You as You abide in me. By the cleansing of Your blood and the filling of Your Spirit, I am in Christ and Christ is in me. You are my Father and I am Your son. ... "Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them" (Exodus 15:11-12). The earth and sea obey Your command. By Your mighty right hand, the power of God destroyed the army of the enemies of Your people. And at the same time, You stretched out Your right hand to open the Red Sea through the hand of Moses (v. 14:21). Then You stretched out Your right hand to close the Red Sea over Pharaoh's army through the hand of Moses again (v. 14:27). There is a connection between our physical acts and Your spiritual power released through obedience to Your command and faith in Your word. "But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual" (1 Corinthians 15:46). You said to Peter all who would obediently stand firm on the rock of faith and obedience, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). Lord, teach me how to turn the keys of the kingdom You have placed in my hand. Teach me how to stretch out my hand in obedience to Your command and in faith of Your nature to protect and provide for Your people. Let me not act in presumption, nor fail to act in disobedience. Mother Teresa said You have no hands but our hands. Teach me how to let my hand be an instrument of Your hand -- as You release Your will in the physical realm as it is in the spiritual realm, as Your kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. 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

"Partners of Christ" 2-2-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Source of my strength. Fill me afresh today with the peace of Your presence and the power of Your Spirit. ... "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. ... Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left" (Exodus 14:15-22). In Your sovereignty, You often choose to demonstrate Your power through Your people. You delivered the Israelites from their pursuing enemies by driving back the sea, yet You chose to do it through the hand and staff of Moses. Moses was crying out to You to deliver the people, but You empowered Moses to be the means of Your power. You said, "You speak to the people. You command them to go forward. You lift up your staff. You stretch out your hand." Only at the point of his obedience did You move to demonstrate Your power. It was not Moses' power that drove back the sea, but Yours. Yet You drove back the sea through him. This was not an affront to Your sovereignty and omnipotence; it was obedience to Your will and command. When You fed the five thousand, You said to Your disciples, "You give them something to eat" (Matthew 14:16). As they obeyed Your command, You multiplied the loaves and fishes as You "gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds (v. 14:19). When You sent out Your disciples to minister healing and deliverance, as they proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God in Your name, You "gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases" (Luke 9:1-2). And when You restored Peter from his sin and commissioned him to share the good news of Your gospel and shepherd Your people, You didn't just say, "Watch Me feed My sheep." Instead, You commanded him, "Feed My sheep" (John 21:17). Lord, teach me my part in cooperation with Your power in this mystery of the partnership of ministry, where You choose to demonstrate Your power through Your people for Your glory. Give me the humility and wisdom to always know You are the Source of all power; and give me the courage and faith to always know You desire to manifest Your power through Your people. Through the mercy of Your grace cleansing our sins and the power of Your Spirit living in our hearts, we are "holy partners in a heavenly calling" (Hebrews 3:1). We are "partners of Christ" (v. 3:14). In the astonishing mystery of faith, the same power of the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in me (Romans 8:11). Your power is made perfect through my weakness, "so, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). In both humility and in faith, teach me how to lift up the staff of Your authority and stretch out my hand in Your power, in submission and obedience to Your command. And to God be the glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . 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

"Keep Still" 2-1-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You know how many moments I have in this day, how many burdens are on my heart, and how many responsibilities are on my plate. Before I think about any of that, I turn my thoughts to You alone. You are my strength, my wisdom, my peace, and my joy. You are the Answer to every need I have. ... "But Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians who you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still' " (Exodus 13:13-14). Lord, I need You to fight for me. Deliver me from the horses and chariots that are trying to run me down and wear me out. Let me "stand firm" in Your faith, unafraid and unashamed to be completely dependent on You. As hard as it is, I choose to "keep still" in the silence of surrender, listening for the leading of Your voice, waiting on Your wisdom, until I hear Your command to "go forward" (v. 13:15). As I do, I know You will be throwing the armies of the enemy of my soul "into panic" at the sight of Your power (v. 14:24). And from the other side of the sea of Your deliverance, "I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously!" (v. 15:1). 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

Spiritual Leadership 1-31-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me beside Your still waters today, no matter how turbulent the challenges of this day may be. ... "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith" (Hebrews 13:7). For these two days, You have called me away to learn more of Your principles of spiritual leadership. Someone reminded us last night that a good leader is not so much like "a sage on a stage," but more like "a guide by our side." Thank You for the guides You have brought along my side throughout my life, teaching me and leading me by their way of life as much as their words of mouth. When You desire to lead me through others, give me discernment and humility to follow those who are following You, learn from those who are learning from You, and be guided by those who are guided by You. "If we live by the Spirit, let us also by guided by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). You are my Spiritual Leader, "for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to the springs of the water of life" (Revelation 7:17). 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

Humble; Hungry; Hidden 1-30-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Awaken my soul to arise into the communion of prayer in these first moments of the morning with You. ... "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:10). Sunday, You opened the door for me to speak to the young adults of our church seeking a deeper personal prayer life. Out of the vast topic of prayer, I wanted to give them a few key thoughts that would be centering thoughts and easy to remember. You gave me three words: humility, hunger, hidden. Humility. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:10). As we humble ourselves before You, we turn our focus from ourselves to You. We give You first place with the first fruits of our thoughts and desires. You long to lift us up high into the heavenly realm of our spiritual dimension as welcome children of God, but we must first bow low in the attitudes of our hearts, acknowledging You for who You are as our God and King. You resist the proud, but give grace to the humble (v. 4:6). You increase, as we decrease (John 4:30). Hunger. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). You are our righteousness. Your Holy Spirit moves in our human spirits, causing us to hunger and thirst for more of You. You want us to ask for this hunger -- a yearning in our bones for the sense of Your presence. You want us to know You are there whether we feel You or sense You or not, but You also want us to experience You. And You will use those times when we don't sense Your presence to draw us deeper, to take us higher, to fight for time to spend waiting on You with a desperation and determination to settle for nothing less than the fullness of Your Spirit abiding in us as seek to abide in You (John 15:4. Hidden. "But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees you in secret will reward you openly" (Matthew 6:6). You desire our focused attention, to honor You with the priority of our time. You call us to come away with You, away from the crowds, up to the mountain of prayer. You want us to shut the door to all distractions, as we seek Your face and embrace Your grace in the silence of surrender, waiting on You to fill us with the peace of Your presence. Here in the hidden place, You begin to form Your thoughts in our minds and Your desires in our hearts. Here in the secret place of the Most High, You lift us up and hold us in Your arms, safe and secure, strengthened and encouraged, as You order the steps of our day (Psalm 91; Proverbs 3:5-6). Yes, Lord. Help me learn to be humble and hungry and hidden. Draw me deeper into relationship with You through the journey of prayer. Awaken my soul each day to arise into Your presence in the communion of prayer, abiding in You as You abide in me. Keep me there in that place of peace, as You lead me out into my day with Your hand in my hand and Your Spirit in my heart. 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

The Lord of Hosts 1-29-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of the kingdom of God -- King of kings and Lord of lords. I bow before Your throne of grace, submit to the lordship of Your ways, and seek Your holy face. ... "The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, O you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, obedient to His spoken word. Bless the Lord, all His hosts, His ministers that do His will. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul" (Psalm 103:19-22). You are the "Lord of hosts" -- the Lord of the armies of God. You are "the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel" who wars for the protection of Your people and wars against for the forces of wickedness -- throughout the nations of the earth and here in our own hearts (Isaiah 1:24). This morning, You have drawn my attention to this title of Your name and Your nature. Throughout Your Word through the prophet Isaiah, You call Yourself by this title at least fifty-three times -- declaring the might of Your power over the wickedness of sin and rebellion against the rule of Your authority and will. "Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land was burned, and the people became like fuel for the fire; no one spared another" (Isaiah 9:19). "Listen, a tumult on the mountains as of a great multitude! Listen, and uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The Lord of hosts is mustering an army for battle. They come from a distant land, form the end of the heavens, the Lord and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole earth" (v. 13:4-5). "Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of His fierce anger" (v. 13:13). Yet out of the fierceness of Your burning anger against the wickedness of the earth and of our souls, You redeem Your people -- purged through the fire of Your judgment and wrath. "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides Me there is no god" (Isaiah 44:6). "In that day the Lord of hosts will be a garland of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of His people; and a Spirit of Justice to the one who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate" (v. 28:5-6). Lord of hosts, cleanse me and purify me, war to protect me and purge me. Come like a burning fire to consume the wickedness of my spiritual enemies and the wickedness of the sin of my soul. Let me be found among the remnant of the faithful who cling to You through judgment and wrath, as You establish Your glory in the hearts of Your people throughout the earth. Let glory and honor and praise rise from my heart -- cleansed in Your blood and purified through Your fire -- along with all the hosts of heaven: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isaiah 6:3). 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

Full of Gladness 1-28-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come Holy Spirit, draw me into the arms of my Father. ... "You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence" (Acts 2:28). This is the way of life I choose -- to seek to be filled with the fullness of Your presence moment by moment and day by day. As I do, You make my heart glad; You make me full of gladness with Your presence. "May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation say continually, 'Great is the Lord!' "(Psalm 40:16). Thank You for making this way of life known to me. Thank You for the grace to be able to choose to live it each 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 . 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

My Father is the Judge 1-26-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I humbly seek Your face and come boldly to Your throne of grace. ... "Then the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and totally destroyed. The kingship and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them" (Daniel 7:26-27). There is an adversary of the kingdom of God rising to power in the last days seeking to "devour the whole earth" (Daniel 7:23). And he seeks to devour the people of God. You have revealed and unsealed his strategy of wickedness: "He shall speak words against the Most High, shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and shall attempt to change the sacred seasons and the law" (v. 7:25). Our adversary is not an enemy of flesh and blood, but a spiritual enemy using spiritual means to bring destruction and despair (Ephesians 6:12). His spiritual means are the words of blasphemy against Your nature, challenging the timing of Your sacred seasons and the justice of Your law. He seeks to delay Your promises and pervert Your principles, while seeking to "wear out" Your saints. And for a time, his strategy shall seem to prevail, through his discouragement and deception and distraction of the holy ones of God (vs. 7:21 and 25). But You are the Just Judge. And You will hold court and "sit in judgment." You will render Your verdict, which means in Latin "to decree the truth." The dominion of our enemy "shall be taken away" and "shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High." Through the sacrifice of the blood of Your cross, You have reversed the curse, fulfilled the law of Your justice, and declared Your judgment of pardon of Your people who willingly humble themselves in repentance and faith before heavenly court. By Your grace, the bench of justice has become the seat of mercy. And the accuser of the brethren is silenced and sentenced. He will altar Your seasons and pervert Your law no more. His cruel strategy of wearing out the saints and making our hearts sick through hope deferred will be exposed and broken. Then the "times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" in "the time of universal restoration" (Acts 3:19-21). "The Lord! His enemies shall be scattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; He will give strength to His king, and exalt the power of His anointed" (1 Samuel 2:10). Your kingdom "shall be an everlasting kingdom" and dominion shall be "an everlasting dominion" (Daniel 7:14 and 27). It "shall not pass away" and "never be destroyed" (v. 7:14). Lord, You are holding court in the heavens on my behalf. Let my adversary tremble at the justice of my God and the judgment of my Judge. My Savior is my Advocate and my Father is the Judge. All rise and praise Your holy name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Judgment is Decreed 1-25-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above every name. Be exalted, O Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- in my heart and in my life. I bow in my soul and confess with my mouth that You are Lord of me and Lord of all. ... "As I looked, this horn made war with the holy ones and was prevailing over them, until the Ancient of Days came; then judgment was given for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy ones gained possession of the kingdom" (Daniel 7:21-22). By the blood of Jesus through the sacrifice of the cross, I am a holy one of the Most High (1 Peter 2:9-10; Colossians 1:22). The evil one has been making war with me all of my life, seeking to prevail over me, seeking to establish his kingdom in my soul and in the souls of men and women throughout the earth and throughout all generations (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 12:17). But You are the Ancient of Days. Your kingdom is without end, from everlasting to everlasting. You are the King of the kingdom and You have come and established Your kingdom in my soul (Luke 17:20-21). By Your grace and in the authority of Your name, I have "gained possession of the kingdom" You have promised and entrusted to me as an inheritance of the sons and daughters of the King, the holy ones of the Most High. The verdict is in. You held court and "sat in judgment" (Daniel 7:10). You have ruled and over-ruled, eternally decreeing Your judgment in my favor. My adversary is getting the justice he deserves, and I am getting the mercy I don't, because of the sacrifice of Your love by Your blood for me. Lord, these are eternal truths, already established in the eternal, heavenly dimension where all time and space is already present to You. In that eternal dimension, everything that will ever be true is already true. I choose by Your grace to bring my life into agreement with Your truth. In the name of Jesus, I agree with the judgment You have eternally decreed in my favor against my adversary. He will not prevail, for "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). Let Your kingdom come; let Your will be done, in me and throughout the earth. Come reign in me now and forever, O Ancient of Days. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Vision and Provision 1-24-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. "Be thou my vision, O Lord, my God." ... "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 very little while, the One who is coming will come and will not delay; but My righteous one will live by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in any one who shrinks back.' But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved" (Hebrews 10:35-39). At my home church, the pledges of our provision have not matched the vastness of our vision. But as many of us gathered last night on our knees in prayer to cry out to You in both desperation and in faith, Your Spirit was reminding us that it's not our provision, any more than it is our vision. It is Your vision and You will make provision. So our most important step of discernment is to first determine whether is it Your vision or our own that is in our hearts. If it is Your vision, it would be the sin of faithlessness to shrink back. If it is not Your vision, it would be the sin of presumption to proceed. So in humility and faith, we turn to You in determined desperation and trusting dependence. We have no confidence apart from the faith You stir up in our hearts and the peace You settle in to our souls. We have no righteousness apart from the cleansing of Your blood and mercy of Your grace. But as we look back upon the move of Your Spirit in our midst, we see the name of Jesus being exalted and the Word of God being proclaimed; souls are being saved and lives are being changed; we are being transformed into Your image a little more each day. What we have discerned as faith in Your vision seems to be bearing fruit for Your kingdom. There is more excitement and anticipation for what You are doing and for what You are going to do in our hearts and church and community than ever before. You seem to be crucifying our flesh and filling us with Your Spirit. Lord, give us courage and endurance in the confidence that comes from knowing we are looking to You alone as our vision maker and our provision provider. Great will be our reward as we are filled with the joy of those who "live by faith" and who "have done the will of God." You are our Reward and You are all we 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

God said, "See" 1-23-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my ears to hear what You are speaking and open my eyes to see what You are showing for me and my life this day. ... "God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.' God said, 'See, I have given you every plant ... every tree ... every beast ... every bird ... everything that has the breath of life, I have given ....' And it was so" (Genesis 1:28-30). Father God, You are our Creator. And in Your sovereignty and wisdom, beyond our understanding, You chose to entrust the dominion of Your creation to us. Though we have stumbled and fallen in the rebellion and pride of sin, You made provision for our selfishness in the self-less sacrifice of Christ "through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20). Now, by Your grace, You continue to call us to "have dominion" over Your creation, but to exercise our dominion in submission to Your will and Your ways, as Your children in the name of Your Son and the power of Your Spirit (Romans 5:1-21). "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29). As You entrusted dominion of Your creation to Your people in specific ways at specific times, You also taught them the spiritual principle of vision. You told them to "see" what You had given them. When You spoke to Abraham of the gifts and calling You were giving him through Your covenant, You said, "Raise your eyes now ... all the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever" (Genesis 13:14-15). You call us to see with the eyes of Your Spirit that You are redeeming and restoring all things. "See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them" (Isaiah 42:9). We are blessed to be born in this age of Your grace and power when we can see Your Word coming to pass. "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it" (Luke 10:23-24). Lord, open my eyes to see with the eyes of Your Spirit. To look and see not only the reality of things as they are, but the reality of things as they shall be -- redeemed and restored, healed and free, in the dominion of Your kingdom forever. "When you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:31). Teach me to see as You see and to hear what You say, that I can fulfill my purpose in the nature of Your name and the power of Your Spirit. "This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you may both see and hear" (Acts 2:32-33). Lord, let me see and hear as I trust and obey. 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

Misunderstand like my Master 1-22-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me lay the foundation for my day as I centered my heart and thoughts on You first and on You alone. ... "The Jews answered Him, 'Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?' Jesus answered, 'I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me' " (John 8:48-49). At times You were misunderstood. And at time, so am I. "Servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them" (John 13:16). People tend to see others in the same way they inwardly see themselves and judge others in the same way they inwardly judge themselves. Wounded people wound people, and rejected people reject people. So the ones who desperately need help often desperately push away the ones who want to help. Lord, forgive me when I've done that to others. Help me forgive those who have done that to me. Help me keep my heart tender and open even toward those who may misunderstand me and wound me. I know it makes me vulnerable and I know there will be times when I need Your healing love to redeem the pain and wounds that come. But this is the example You've set before me and the path You've called me to follow, if You are to be my Teacher and I am to be Your disciple. You endured the suffering of Your ministry for the sake of the joy set before You to come (Hebrews 12:1-2). And so must I, in Your power and by Your grace, in response to Your call. 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

"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