Power of Praise 11-2-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King and Lord of my life and this day. ... “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened” (Acts 16:25-26). As our praises go up, Your glory comes down. Our worship moves Your heart to release Your power. And when we worship You in our brokenness and praise You through our afflictions, how mightily is Your name exalted and how powerfully do You move in our circumstances. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all” (Psalm 34:19). The mountains move and the earth shakes. Our chains fall off and our spirits are set free! And by the end of the day, even the very ones who sought to oppress us and imprison us are falling on their knees before You, crying out, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Praise and worship changes the spiritual atmosphere around us. Not only our chains fall off, but so does everyone’s around us (v. 16:26). Your holy name is lifted up, Your Holy Spirit is welcomed in, hardened hearts are broken through, and prison doors are opened wide. And even whole households are saved and set free, rejoicing in the greatness and glory of our God (v. 16:32-34). “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!” (2 Corinthians 3:17) Thank You for the gift of worship and praise. Thank You that it is a means You have provided to lift our eyes off of our circumstances and on to our Creator. And it is also a mighty weapon of our warfare and a key of the kingdom of God, that breaks our chains and opens wide the prison doors (2 Corinthians 10:4). As we worship You and praise Your name, You fill us with Your Spirit and empower us for Your glory and the advancement of Your kingdom. Then even the gates of hell cannot prevail against Your people who are called by Your name and who call on the name of our King (Matthew 16:18). By the power of Your grace, I will worship and praise You this day through all circumstances that may come. In Jesus’ name I pray and in Jesus’ name I praise, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we've had a glorious weekend or worship and praise, healing and deliverance high on the mountain at Jumonville, Pennsylvania with the Western Pennsylvanian Fellowship of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries (www.jumonville.org) There's a giant cross on the top of this mountain that can be seen from cities and towns far away, even in three states! The Lord has changed the spiritual atmosphere of our hearts and in this region, we pray. I pray the same for your heart and your region as you worship and praise our King through all your circumstances. God bless you and thank you for joining me in the journey of prayer and praise! Please come join us for these upcoming Messiah Ministries' Events at our home base in Lexington, Kentucky (and please spread the word): Nov 12-14: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry -- Level II is a focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and a teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience, as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing prayer ministry than our Level I Course. Craig & Jenni Marsh, gifted by God with the spiritual gift of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:10) will be with us for the last two nights and a healing service. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistry-Level II Dec 4-6: Healing Prayer Weekend at Asbury Inn, Asbury Seminary, Wilmore, KY… NEW LOWER PRICE from Change in Location! Led by Tommy Hays with worship and personal prayer ministry teams, you'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. We’ve had wonderful testimonies from our last weekend: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances to Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterHealingRetreat Order our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Road to Life 10-29-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the One who leads me and feeds me and makes me more like You, as I give myself to You in this daily journey of life in faith. ... “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). When the road is hard And the way seems long When the battles grow fierce And hope is deferred How I need to know You are here For You are the One The only One Who’s always faithful as a friend So You lift me up And You fill me up You lead me on every day In the journey each day with You When darkness comes down And troubles rise up When others turn away You’re the One who always stays And You let me know You are here For You are the One The only One Who’s always faithful as a friend So You lift me up And You fill me up You lead me on every day In the journey each day with You Lord Jesus, You are the road that leads to life. You are the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6). You are the narrow gate that leads to the fullness of true and abundant life. And though it is narrow, it is open wide for all to enter and find rest for their souls and peace in their hearts. “I am the gate. Whoever enters by Me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief only comes to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:9-10). Thank You for abundant life of peace and joy, even the midst of the battles and troubles. Thank You for the safety of Your pasture and the security of Your presence, that cannot be stolen away from me or crushed out of me. You are with me and Your Spirit is within me. And though the road is hard and the gate is narrow, there’s joy in the journey because it’s a journey with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join us for these upcoming Messiah Ministries' Events at our home base in Lexington, Kentucky (and please spread the word): Nov 12-14: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry -- Level II is a focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and a teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience, as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing prayer ministry than our Level I Course. Craig & Jenni Marsh, gifted by God with the spiritual gift of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:10) will be with us for the last two nights and a healing service. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistry-Level II Dec 4-6: Healing Prayer Weekend at Asbury Inn, Asbury Seminary, Wilmore, KY… NEW LOWER PRICE from Change in Location! Led by Tommy Hays with worship and personal prayer ministry teams, you'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. We’ve had wonderful testimonies from our last weekend: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances to Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterHealingRetreat Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

First of All 10-28-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. These first moments of my morning will set the course for the moments of my day. So I give these first moments to the One who is first of all. ... “One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeking that He answered them well, he asked Him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord, our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength’ ” (Mark 12:29-30). Lord, You are the first The first in my heart The first in my life You’re the first of all things For You are my hope The hope of my heart The hope of my life You’re hope of all things that really matter to me So I give You my heart And I give You my life And I give You these moments As You set all things right once again in me As I seek You, You change me (2 Corinthians 3:18). As I seek You first, You order the steps of my day and make provision for all I need. “But strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). So I seek You first, and I love You fully. I commit my hope and my heart and my life into Your hands and Your will in these first moments and throughout the moments of my day. Not because You make me, but because I love You. Because You are first of all. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.comCome to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted at Southland Evangelical Methodist Church 2601 Clays Mill Rd (corner of Clays Mill and Hill n' Dale). Contact Doris & Bob at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Friends, please join us for these upcoming Messiah Ministries' Events at our home base in Lexington, Kentucky (and please spread the word): Nov 12-14: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry -- Level II is a focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and a teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience, as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing prayer ministry than our Level I Course. Craig & Jenni Marsh, gifted by God with the spiritual gift of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:10) will be with us for the last two nights and a healing service. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistry-Level II Dec 4-6: Healing Prayer Weekend at Asbury Inn, Asbury Seminary, Wilmore, KY… NEW LOWER PRICE from Change in Location! Led by Tommy Hays with worship and personal prayer ministry teams, you'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. We’ve had wonderful testimonies from our last weekend: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan.Hindrances to Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterHealingRetreat Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com-- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

“One Spirit with Him” 10-27-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done in me today. ... “But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.... Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:17-20). Unite my heart to Your heart, my mind to Your mind, my will to Your will. Let me become one spirit with You. Where Your thoughts are still higher than my thoughts and Your ways are still higher than my ways, change mine to align with Yours. Change my spirit to align with Your Spirit. It’s already done in heaven—“in the heavenly places,” in the heavenly realm, where I am already in Christ and Christ is in me, seated at the right hand of the Father, and I already have been blessed “in Christ with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3). Let it now be done on earth—in this earthly realm, where I live out my life day by day and choice by choice, in the grace that You give through the sacrifice of Your blood and the power of Your name—as it is in heaven. Be glorified in my body and my soul and my spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Encourage me when I walk in the ways that lead to life. Convict me when I don’t. Help me hear Your voice and sense the leading of Your Spirit, guiding my thoughts and desires in trusting surrender to Yours, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). By the mercy of Your grace and the power of Your love, I am not my own. I am Yours. I’ve been bought with a price, at the cross of Christ. You gave Your body for me so that I could give my body to You, as a temple of Your Holy Spirit to live forever in me, making me one spirit with You. Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus! Let me live this day and my life in the truth of Your Word and the power of Your Spirit to the glory of Your Name. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join us for these upcoming Messiah Ministries' Events at our home base in Lexington, Kentucky (and please spread the word): Nov 12-14: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry -- Level II is a focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and a teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience, as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing prayer ministry than our Level I Course. Craig Marsh, gifted by God with the spiritual gift of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:10) will be with us for the last two nights and a healing service. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistry-Level II Dec 4-6: Healing Prayer Weekend at Asbury Inn, Asbury Seminary, Wilmore, KY… NEW LOWER PRICE from Change in Location! Led by Tommy Hays with worship and personal prayer ministry teams, you'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. We’ve had wonderful testimonies from our last weekend: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan.Hindrances to Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterHealingRetreat

Made Ready 10-26-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You lead me beside Your still waters; You restore my soul; You feed me with Your Word; You fill me with Your Spirit; and You assure me of Your goodness and kindness that will follow me today and every day of my life. ... “Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7). Men and women alike, together we are Your bride, longing for the wedding day to come. We are longing for the day the two will become one in a way we’ve never known. As You said in Your Word through the apostle Paul, “Because we are members of His body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, and I am apply it to Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:30-32). Like a young woman who longs for the day of her wedding, we long for the consummation and fulfillment of this holy mystery of union with You and communion with Your Spirit. “Anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). Lord, let us not only long for You; let us also long to be ready. Let us “be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure” (Revelation 19:8). Let us embrace the purification of our souls and the holiness of heart and life You long to see in Your bride. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to Himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). We can’t make ourselves ready in our own effort or power. We can’t even long for it apart from the leading and stirring of Your Holy Spirit burning within our hearts to set us ablaze with a passion for Christ. So how does the bride make herself ready? How is Your bride made holy and without blemish, clothed with the fine linen, prepared for the day of our wedding with You? By saying, “Come, Holy Spirit. Come make me ready. Come make us ready. Come give us the heart the Lover of our souls longs to see in us—both personally and together as the body and bride of Christ. By saying, “Come, Holy Spirit. Make us hungry and thirsty for righteousness, for the Righteous One.” For then we shall be filled; we shall be fulfilled in the day of our celebration and consummation, the day of the marriage of the Lamb has come (Matthew 5:6). So between this day and that day, I say, “Come.” Together, with one spirit as one body, we say come. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ ” (Revelation 22:17) In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join us for these upcoming Messiah Ministries' Events (and please spread the word): Nov 12-14: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry -- Level II is a focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and a teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience, as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing prayer ministry than our Level I Course. Craig Marsh, gifted by God with the spiritual gift of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:10) will be with us for the last two nights and a healing service. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistry-Level II Dec 4-6: Healing Prayer Weekend at Asbury Inn, Asbury Seminary, Wilmore, KY… NEW LOWER PRICE from Change in Location! Led by Tommy Hays with worship and personal prayer ministry teams, you'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. We’ve had wonderful testimonies from our last weekend: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan.Hindrances to Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterHealingRetreat

All the Nations 10-23-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my heart, open up my spirit, and offer up my life to You today. ... “All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name” (Psalm 86:9). Followers of Christ from at least one hundred and twenty nations have come to join us to lift up our voices in praise and prayer to our King this week in Louisville, Kentucky at the Aglow International Conference. This morning we’ll see the procession of the flags of the nations of the world as a declaration of Your rule and reign over all the nations You have made. On behalf of the generations and the nations of Your creation, we bow down before You, we worship and adore You, we glorify Your name. And in the unity of Your Body and the communion of Your Spirit, as we gather from so many different tongues and tribes and nations and denominations, may You command Your blessing and pour out the oil of Your anointing and the manifest presence of Your glory (Psalm 133). “O that You would tear open the heavens and come down” to Kentucky and our nation and the nations of the earth (Isaiah 64:1). May Your great name be exalted here and in all the nations of the earth, until Your glory covers the earth as the waters cover the sea! (Habakkuk 2:14) In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join with us in prayer for awakening and breakthrough throughout the earth as we join for this International Conference of Aglow International being held in Louisville this week. www.aglow.org The evening sessions are open to all so please come! Mike Bickle, Graham Cooke, Asher Intrater, and Jane Hoyt Hansen will be speaking and leading us this weekend. Friends, please join us for these upcoming Messiah Ministries' Events (and please spread the word): Nov 12-14: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry -- Level II is a focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and a teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience, as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing prayer ministry than our Level I Course. Craig Marsh, gifted by God with the spiritual gift of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:10) will be with us for the last two nights and a healing service. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistry-Level II Dec 4-6: Healing Prayer Weekend at Asbury Inn, Asbury Seminary, Wilmore, KY… NEW LOWER PRICE from Change in Location! Led by Tommy Hays with worship and personal prayer ministry teams, you'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. We’ve had wonderful testimonies from our last weekend: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances to Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterHealingRetreat Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

“The Most High Uttered His Voice!” 10-22-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. To You—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—belong all glory and honor and praise. Into Your will, I commit my life and this day. ... “The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice.... He reached down from on high, He took me; He drew me out of mighty waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were to mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me” (Psalm 18:13-19). O Lord, utter Your voice from the heavens when I have sinned against You, that I may be pierced to the heart and convicted of sin, so I can quickly repent and be restored to the place of spiritual intimacy and communion with You. O Lord, utter Your voice from the heavens when I need Your word of encouragement and confirmation of Your Spirit within me and Your anointing upon me to accomplish Your purpose and will for me. And O Lord, utter Your voice from the heavens when the enemy of my soul seeks to attack me and distract me and steal from me the peace and joy and love that You have poured into me. “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice and my cry to Him reached His ears” (v. 18:6). You always near, always ready to hear our cry and utter Your voice to move mightily in our defense against every spiritual foe. “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quacked because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His wrath; glowing coals flamed forth from Him. He bowed the heavens, and came down...” (v. 18:7-9). Praise You, Lord God Almighty! Your steadfast love endures forever; Your mercy never ends; Your judgments are faithful and true. And You love us more than we can ever imagine. You fight for us in ways we can’t always see. But You deliver us because You delight in us (v. 18:19). And if God be for us, who can be against us. “Then my enemies will retreat in the day when I call. This is know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?” (Psalm 56:9-11) Yes, Lord. Let Your Spirit arise in my heart, with fresh faith and courage in Christ for every battle, with thanksgiving and shouts of praise for every victory. “Let God rise up, let His enemies be scattered... But let the righteous be joyful (righteous only through the cleansing blood of the Righteous One); let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!” (Psalm 68:1-3) “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies” (Psalm 18:3). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join us for these upcoming Messiah Ministries' Events (and please spread the word): Nov 12-14: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry -- Level II is a focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and a teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience, as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing prayer ministry than our Level I Course. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistry-Level II Dec 4-6: Healing Prayer Weekend at Asbury Inn, Asbury Seminary, Wilmore, KY… NEW LOWER PRICE from Change in Location! Led by Tommy Hays with worship and personal prayer ministry teams, you'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. We’ve had wonderful testimonies from our last weekend: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan.Hindrances to Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. Info/Register Online: Information/RegisterHealingRetreat Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

More than Conquerors over Counterattacks 10-21-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are alive. And You are alive in me. May the life I live today be by the faith of the Son of God living through me. ... “And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven” (Revelation 12:7-8). After every significant spiritual victory, it seems there is always a spiritual counterattack. Yet even that is so encouraging! The enemy of our souls takes note of the advancement of the Kingdom of God and the consequent destruction of him kingdom of darkness. The victory of Christ, being enforced in the Spirit of Christ through the Body of Christ, enrages him “with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:12). But the victory is already won! “(God) has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). So the enemy’s attacks only become opportunities to strengthen our faith, as we gain in wisdom, grow in maturity, and You even us them to promote us in rank in the battles for the kingdoms of this world. “No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, no powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Romans 8:37-39) So I praise You even for the battles and through the counterattacks. Your first disciples were undaunted by the opposition to the advancement of Your Kingdom, even when there were earthly consequences for their heavenly faith and obedience to Your calling. “They rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of (Your) name. And every day at the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as Messiah” (Acts 5:41-42). By Your grace, we can do no less. And we can expect that same joy and peace, even in the midst of the battles and counterattacks. “Therefore, let all who are faithful offer prayer to You; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them. You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with glad cries of deliverance! ... Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:6-11). Mighty are You, O God. And faithful are You to defeat the threats and assaults of our enemy, Your adversary. Thank You for Your promise and declaration: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Romans 16:20). Thank You, Lord. Praise You, Jesus. Hallelujah! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep covering the leaders and people of Estonia in your prayers, as the Lord continues to build His spiritual army and enforce His mighty victory in their land and ours. Together we stand in the grace of Christ, as He crushes the head of our enemy under our feet. We overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, not holding to life, but laying our lives down for the sake of Christ (Revelation 12:11). Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Mutually Encouraged 10-20-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Live in me, live through me today. ... "For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you -- or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine" (Romans 1:11-12). I made it home last night from two weeks of ministry with the people of the nation of Estonia, across the Baltic Sea from Finland and bordering Russia. As I settle back into home, I also feel like part of my heart is still back there. And rightly so, for we are one Body, in one Spirit, with one Lord. As so often happens, I received as much as I gave; I learned as much as I taught; and I was blessed as much as I was a blessing. We were truly "mutually encouraged by each other's faith." Something happens when we worship and pray together from the diverse tribes and tongues and nations of this earth. As we look to You together, we become more like You together. You share and impart our spiritual gifts and spiritual wisdom one to another, as we grow together in "the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). I shared with them my faith and witness of Your healing power in spirit, soul, and body as Your Holy Spirit frees us and heals us to be the Body and the Bride of Christ for the coming of the King and Your Kingdom. And they shared with me their faith and witness of a people who have endured unspeakable cruelty and oppression through Nazi terror and Communist persecution. Many of their leaders were martyred for their faith, and Your Church remained in the hearts of Your people throughout the years of their torment. I was honored to worship and pray with them, and I was humbled to be allowed to teach and minister among them. And I know I am different now. My faith is stronger, my conviction is firmer, my passion is greater. And I pray in some way it's true of each of them -- my friends and my family in this land that is so distant on earth, but not in heaven. Because we've encountered Your Presence together, we'll never be the same. Lord, let it be so among all Your people of all Your nations of the earth. Let us be one in unity, but so diverse in Your creativity, growing up together as one Body into Christ who is our Head. "So we, who are many, are one Body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another" (Romans 12:5). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for joining with me in prayer for this time of ministry abroad. There is a great hunger and thirst for more of the Lord and His Presence burning in the hearts of the people of this land. I'm so excited to be allowed to be a part of the awakening and breakthrough of revival this is beginning to take place as the Holy Spirit is Preparing the Way of the Lord. I could never be used by the Lord in this kind of ministry without those who join with me in prayer, encouragement, and support in so many ways. God bless you and may the Spirit of the Lord continue to burn in your heart! I'm excited to find out that Randy Clark of Global Awakening Ministries (He is the evangelist the Lord used to ignite the Toronto Revival, especially characterized by the spiritual renewal of pastors and leaders from around the world) just wrote his endorsement for my new book on healing and deliverance, Free to Be Like Jesus! (www.globalawakening.com). You can order it from our web site (www.messiah-ministries.org) or through www.amazon.com May it be an encouragement an inspiration to you in your own journey of healing in spirit, soul, and body and in your ministry of God's healing love to others. Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Present with Power to Heal 10-17-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are mighty to save, mighty to heal, mighty to move the mountains of our lives and cast them into the sea of surrender to Your will and Your kingdom. Be the Mighty One in my life today. ... “One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with Him to heal” (Luke 5:17). Thank You for those times when Your power is present to heal, when Your presence is so evident to all, when the love of God fills our hearts and saturates the spiritual atmosphere with longing hunger and thirst for more of You. Thank You for the times You touch the deepest hurts and needs of our souls, drawing out our pain and our shame and replacing it with Your love and Your peace. Like the woman at the well, You are the God who knows everything about us and still You love us and touch us in the healing power of Your mercy and love (John 4:29). And when You do, we can’t wait to go and tell everyone we know about the unfailing, steadfast love of our mighty God, who comes among us with the grace to forgive and the power to heal. We welcomed Your Word and Your Spirit at our healing service last night, praying ‘til long into the night in the atmosphere of Your abiding Presence. The tears and laughter were signs of Your healing hands touches the deepest parts of our souls, as You restored and renewed, healed and freed Your people who were hungry for Your Presence. Lord continue today, as You empower and equip Your people to be as Your hands and heart to minister Your healing love across this land. Impart to us Your Spirit and Your gifts, that You may love and heal through Your Body in You’re the authority and power of Your name (Romans 1:11; 1 Timothy 4:14). When we lift up Your name and expect You in faith, You are present with the power of heal. And our lives are forever changed. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your covering our healing service at the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary in Estonia last night. God was moving deeply in our hearts, ministering His healing love to spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Please cover us in prayer today as we continue our conference on healing prayer ministry with pastors, students, and people hungry for the presence and power of God to move in their land from across the nation. May this be a strategic time of preparing the way of the Lord for all He desires to do in this land. Thank you for agreeing with me and our ministry in prayer for the people of Estonia and I agree with you in prayer for the people of your land and on your heart. God bless you! I'm excited to find out that Randy Clark of Global Awakening Ministries just wrote his endorsement for my new book on healing, Free to Be Like Jesus! (www.globalawakening.com). You can order it from our web site (www.messiah-ministries.org) or through www.amazon.com May it be an encouragement an inspiration to you in your own journey of healing and in the ministry of God's healing love to others in spirit, soul, and body. Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com-- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Walking, Leaping, and Praising God 10-16-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Savior, Healer, Master, and Friend—You are Lord of my life, Lord of this day, and Lord of all. ... “But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood up and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.... While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, ‘You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified His servant Jesus...’ ” (Acts 3:6-13). Lord Jesus, You are glorified when we speak in Your name and obey Your will to be as Your heart and Your hands in Your healing of the brokenhearted and freedom of the bound. And our Father in heaven, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is glorified as well when we glorify Your name through our obedience and prayers to continue Your ministry of healing and love: “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father will be glorified in the Son. If in My name you ask Me for anything, I will do it” (John 14:12-14). For the next two days, You’ve called me here to teach Your Word and minister Your love at the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary of Estonia. As stretch out Your voice to teach and stretch out Your hand to heal, for the students and others who come, may Your name and our Father be gloried. Release the power of Your healing love into their spirits and souls and bodies, as You prepare a people who are whole and free, filled with Your Spirit, to display Your glory throughout this land and everywhere You send them, until the day of Your coming in the fullness of Your Kingdom: “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do this” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Lord, let there be an awakening and breakthrough of revival in our hearts and this land and throughout the nations of the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). And blessed are those who humble themselves in the sight of the Lord, for they will be lifted up into Your arms, into the glory of Your presence, and in the power of Your love, as You heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free (James 4:10). It will be clear to all that it’s not by our own power or piety, but by the power of God and the authority of Your name that those You touch will be walking and leaping and praising God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer for this conference on healing at the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary in Estonia (www.emkts.ee). Many have been planning, praying, and fasting for these days for a long time. I'm thrilled and honored to be here and to join in what God is doing in this land. And I join you in praying for awakening and the breakthrough of revival in your heart and your land, as you pray for mine. God bless you! I'm excited to find out that Randy Clark of Global Awakening Ministries just wrote his endorsement for my new book on healing, Free to Be Like Jesus! (www.globalawakening.com). You can order it from our web site (www.messiah-ministries.org) or through www.amazon.com May it be an encouragement an inspiration to you in your own journey of healing and in the ministry of God's healing love to others in spirit, soul, and body. Come to The Fountain! tonight at our home ministry base in Lexington, Kentucky and 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. Pastor Linda Dulin will be leading in prayer. 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 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Peace. Be Still. 10-15-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, Your name be exalted throughout the earth and throughout my day. ... “On that day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ After leaving the crowd behind, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. Other boats were with Him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him up and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased and there was a dead calm” (Mark 4:35-39). This has been a week full of adventure and ministry with You. In so many different settings of preaching, teaching, and praying among so many different people in so many different parts of this country to Estonia, I’ve seen You move in the power of Your love for these people and for me. It has been exciting and it has been exhausting. But thank You for the gift of an adjustment in my schedule to rest a couple of days away in the boat with You. And thank You for the friends along the way who also take some time to make me be still as they pray for me. Thank You for speaking Your word through their prayers, ‘Peace. Be still.’ Yesterday, in one of those unplanned moments not written into my schedule, You poured Your peace down deep into my soul in ways I didn’t even know I needed. You made my heart tender in a way I didn’t even know it had become harder, so that I could hardly bear to hear the worship music without weeping uncontrollably. You were cleansing me and healing me and touching me deep down in a place I don’t think I’ve ever allowed You to go before. You sent back the crowds and pushed back the storms and did not hold back from powering the gentle power of Your healing love down deep into my soul. And then, in an eruption of joy, Your Spirit came bubbling up out of me in a fountain of newness of life. “Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation” (Psalm 51:12, KJV). I saw in my spirit the last dead leaves of the last season of my life falling to the ground to die—but only making room for the resurrection life of the next season to come. You do all things well, in Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way. And I can say still say this morning, after all the emotions of such an encounter with You have steadied and settled, ‘It is well with my soul.’ Today, my little boat will make it to the other side of this little country. And the next adventure will begin with You and the crowds You bring to touch in the power of Your love. But I will ministering out of a place of peace, tenderness of heart, and joy of life that I’ve not known before. Thank You that You never stop filling those who keep hungering and thirsting for more of You. Thank You for the gift of our time away to rest and be refreshed in these ways I’d never planned and never dreamed and now will never forget. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this weekend as I speak and minister on inner healing at the Baltic Theological Seminary in Tallinn, Estonia. It will be a course for the students, but also open to the public, and people are planning to come from all over. We're expecting great things of God! Thank you for your prayers. I couldn't minister in this way without your covering of prayer. God bless you! Thank you for your prayers as I minister for 2 weeks in the nation of Estonia. I'll be preaching, teaching, and ministering the Lord's healing and freedom to His people in many places and a variety of settings throughout the country. I want to be part of the Lord's awakening and breakthrough revival in my own heart and in the nations of the earth. "And this good news of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). Please send an email to Carol Arban if you're led to join our Intercessory Prayer Team praying in more detail for my ministry abroad this fall (Estonia in October; Pakistan in December): csarban2@gmail.com God bless you and I pray for God's Awakening and Breakthrough Revival in your heart and nation. Thank you for praying for mine! Order my new book Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance online at www.messiah-ministries.org or at www.amazon.com Proceeds go to support the vision and calling of the Lord through Messiah Ministries. Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Same Pain, Same Savior 10-12-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up Your name as I open up my heart and welcome Your Spirit into my day. ... “May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy” (Psalm 126:5). Pain is the same throughout all the earth. Circumstances and languages may be different, but the pain of wounded hearts and broken dreams is the same. As so is Your mighty right hand, mighty to save, to draw up the pain and pour in Your love. You give us courage to open up our hearts to Your healing hand. And there in the place of honesty and openness, admitting our need and trusting Your grace, You come in the gentleness and the power of Your healing love. Then You turn our sorrow into singing and our tears into joy. From the very young to the very old, we saw Your healing words release the power of Your healing love, as Your people gathered to pray and seek Your face. Pain is the same all over the world, but so is the Savior. No matter the nation or culture, You are the God who heals the brokenhearted and sets the captives free. And then there is no greater witness than the witness of joy that rises and flows from the fountain of a healed heart. The waters of tears become a fountain of life. “How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your life we see light” (Psalm 36:7-9). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers as I minister for 2 weeks in the nation of Estonia. I'll be preaching, teaching, and ministering the Lord's healing and freedom to His people in many places and a variety of settings throughout the country. I want to be part of the Lord's awakening and breakthrough revival in my own heart and in the nations of the earth. "And this good news of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). Please send an email to Carol Arban if you're led to join our Intercessory Prayer Team praying in more detail for my ministry abroad this fall (Estonia in October; Pakistan in December): csarban2@gmail.com God bless you and I pray for God's Awakening and Breakthrough Revival in your heart and nation. Thank you for praying for mine! Order my new book Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance online at www.messiah-ministries.org or at www.amazon.com Proceeds go to support the vision and calling of the Lord through Messiah Ministries. Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Burning Words of Spirit and Life 10-11-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. God of all creation, Lord of every nation, You are my Lord and my God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... “The Lord has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning, He wakens—wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught” (Isaiah 50:4). Lord, thank You for the words of “spirit and life” You have spoken to me in so many ways through so many people (John 6:63). Thank You for giving me a heart to hear Your words and recognize Your voice. And forgive me for the times You were speaking and I didn’t hear or I didn’t recognize the words were Your words or I didn’t embrace the gift You’d given me and allowed the word to be snatched away. At the same time, I praise You for the ways You’ve chosen to speak to my heart so that I could speak into the hearts of others. Teach me how to be bold, but not presumptuous; to be encouraging, but not controlling; to be confident, but not prideful. Teach me how to be a good steward of all You have entrusted to me for others and to others for me. “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 belong the glory and the power forever and ever” (1 Peter 4:10-11). It’s just settling in to my spirit what grace You’ve given me in ministry these past few days. You brought me together in an incredibly beautiful setting tucked away in the woods and next to the lake in the Estonian Autumn with almost all the Methodist pastors of this nation. By Your grace and in the power of Your words, they encouraged me and I believe You used me to encourage them. We prayed for one another, exhorted one another, and now will remember one another as You disperse the glowing embers of our burning hearts to the people of this land. Lord let the fire of Your words of spirit and life keep burning in me, burning in them, and in all that they touch in the days to come. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for all of us in Estonia! God bless you! Morning by Morning, Friday 10-9-09 – “The Spirit of the Lord God is Upon Me” Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name. Lord, I lift high Your name in the praises of my heart. ... “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display His glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:1-4). You declared these words at the beginning of Your ministry as Son of Man, anointed by the Spirit of God, to display the Father’s heart to the people of a broken and fallen world. With both deep humility and also a secure sense of Your identity and destiny, You said these words of the prophet Isaiah were fulfilled in You (Luke 4:16-21). And then at the end of Your ministry of the Father’s heart on this earth as the Son of Man, after Your resurrection and before Your ascension, You prophetically declared the releasing of Your Holy Spirit upon Your disciples and sent them in Your power to continue Your ministry: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.’ When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit...’ ” (John 20:21-22). This was a fulfillment of what You had already declared for Your first disciples and for all Your disciples to come: “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes in Me will do the works that I do and, in fact, will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:12-13). You want to heal us and free us. You want to empty us of everything that is not like You, as Your fill us with Your Holy Spirit to make us more like You each day. You want to anoint us, equip us, and send us to be as the hands of Jesus with the heart of the Father in the power of Your Holy Spirit to the people of a broken and fallen world, longing to know the love of God poured into our hearts by Your Spirit (Romans 5:5). You want to first do that in us, so You can do that through us in the lives of others—each in the unique way that You’ve created us and strategically positioned us to display Your glory through our lives. When I declared these words of our calling as Your disciples—to teach what You taught, to do what You did, in the power You had—at Chapel in the Methodist Seminary of Estonia yesterday morning, one of the ministry students said, “That’s what I need.” And as we prayed through a deep cleansing of her soul, and a releasing of the pain and shame of her past, You set her free to be like Jesus. Before our eyes, You changed her sadness into joy and her torment into praise! You were comforting those who mourn, giving them beauty instead ashes, the garments of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. Freely have You given to her, and now she will freely give to others (Matthew 10:7-8). What she has received, she will give to others in the authority of Your name and the power of Your Spirit. You are anointing her to bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free, restoring the devastation of generations and repairing the ruined cities, because Your Kingdom is within her and will be advancing through her everywhere You send her. I believe that’s Your heart, according to Your Word, for all of us, in the unique way You desire to express Yourself through each of us. “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness” (Romans 12:4-8). So let us think of ourselves as You think of us; let us see ourselves as You see us—no more and no less. Then with both deep humility and a secure sense of our identity and destiny in Christ, let us go forth and proclaim the coming of Your Kingdom—in us first, and then everywhere You send us. “Here I am, Lord... Send me” (from Isaiah 6:8). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers as I minister for 2 weeks in the nation of Estonia. I'll be preaching, teaching, and ministering the Lord's healing and freedom to His people in many places and a variety of settings throughout the country. I want to be part of the Lord's awakening and breakthrough revival in my own heart and in the nations of the earth. "And this good news of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). Please send an email to Carol Arban if you're led to join our Intercessory Prayer Team praying in more detail for my ministry abroad this fall (Estonia in October; Pakistan in December): csarban2@gmail.com God bless you and I pray for God's Awakening and Breakthrough Revival in your heart and nation. Thank you for praying for mine! Order my new book Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance online at www.messiah-ministries.org or at www.amazon.com Proceeds go to support the vision and calling of the Lord through Messiah Ministries.Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

“The Spirit of the Lord God is Upon Me” 10-9-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name. Lord, I lift high Your name in the praises of my heart. ... “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display His glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:1-4). You declared these words at the beginning of Your ministry as Son of Man, anointed by the Spirit of God, to display the Father’s heart to the people of a broken and fallen world. With both deep humility and also a secure sense of Your identity and destiny, You said these words of the prophet Isaiah were fulfilled in You (Luke 4:16-21). And then at the end of Your ministry of the Father’s heart on this earth as the Son of Man, after Your resurrection and before Your ascension, You prophetically declared the releasing of Your Holy Spirit upon Your disciples and sent them in Your power to continue Your ministry: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.’ When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit...’ ” (John 20:21-22). This was a fulfillment of what You had already declared for Your first disciples and for all Your disciples to come: “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes in Me will do the works that I do and, in fact, will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:12-13). You want to heal us and free us. You want to empty us of everything that is not like You, as Your fill us with Your Holy Spirit to make us more like You each day. You want to anoint us, equip us, and send us to be as the hands of Jesus with the heart of the Father in the power of Your Holy Spirit to the people of a broken and fallen world, longing to know the love of God poured into our hearts by Your Spirit (Romans 5:5). You want to first do that in us, so You can do that through us in the lives of others—each in the unique way that You’ve created us and strategically positioned us to display Your glory through our lives. When I declared these words of our calling as Your disciples—to teach what You taught, to do what You did, in the power You had—at Chapel in the Methodist Seminary of Estonia yesterday morning, one of the ministry students said, “That’s what I need.” And as we prayed through a deep cleansing of her soul, and a releasing of the pain and shame of her past, You set her free to be like Jesus. Before our eyes, You changed her sadness into joy and her torment into praise! You were comforting those who mourn, giving them beauty instead ashes, the garments of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. Freely have You given to her, and now she will freely give to others (Matthew 10:7-8). What she has received, she will give to others in the authority of Your name and the power of Your Spirit. You are anointing her to bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free, restoring the devastation of generations and repairing the ruined cities, because Your Kingdom is within her and will be advancing through her everywhere You send her. I believe that’s Your heart, according to Your Word, for all of us, in the unique way You desire to express Yourself through each of us. “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness” (Romans 12:4-8). So let us think of ourselves as You think of us; let us see ourselves as You see us—no more and no less. Then with both deep humility and a secure sense of our identity and destiny in Christ, let us go forth and proclaim the coming of Your Kingdom—in us first, and then everywhere You send us. “Here I am, Lord... Send me” (from Isaiah 6:8). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers as I minister for 2 weeks in the nation of Estonia. I'll be preaching, teaching, and ministering the Lord's healing and freedom to His people in many places and a variety of settings throughout the country. I want to be part of the Lord's awakening and breakthrough revival in my own heart and in the nations of the earth. "And this good news of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). Please send an email to Carol Arban if you're led to join our Intercessory Prayer Team praying in more detail for my ministry abroad this fall (Estonia in October; Pakistan in December): csarban2@gmail.com God bless you and I pray for God's Awakening and Breakthrough Revival in your heart and nation. Thank you for praying for mine! Order my new book Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance online at www.messiah-ministries.org or at www.amazon.com Proceeds go to support the vision and calling of the Lord through Messiah Ministries. Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Aglow Int'l Conf in Louisville, KY October: Mike Bickle, Graham Cooke, Asher Intrater

Dear Friends, We are extremely excited and honored in Kentucky that the World Conference of Aglow International will be in Louisville, Kentucky this year, October 22-25, 2009! www.aglow.org World-renown speakers will be: Mike Bickle, Director International House of Prayer; Graham Cooke, Internationally Known Prophetic Voice; Asher Intrater, Director Revive Israel Ministries; and Jane Hansen Hoyt, President of Aglow. I'm honored to serve as an Area Advisor for our region and hope you'll join us. Pastors and their spouses receive free registration, so please let your pastor know and spread the word. I'll include a note below from the Pastors Liason Committee. The Lord is bringing the world to Kentucky this year through this International Conference, the World Equestrian Games, and so much more in this season. Let's be in prayer together for the great Awakening Revival and Breakthrough which is coming in our midst! Please forward this information on to everyone you know. See you in Louisville, Kentucky this fall! God bless, Tommy Hays www.messiah-ministries.org For More Information, please contact Chris Henderson in Lexington with our Aglow Area Leadership Team: hende2000@aol.com Dear Pastor, You and your spouse are invited to attend the Aglow International 2009 Worldwide Conference, October 22nd through the 25th at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Thousands of men and women from all around the world are coming together with one purpose: to worship Jesus Christ. In addition to Aglow International’s President, Jane Hansen Hoyt, speakers include: Mike Bickle, Director International House of Prayer; Graham Cooke, Internationally Known Prophetic Voice; and Asher Intrater, Director Revive Israel Ministries. Thursday night the festivities begin with a Worship Encounter featuring Julie Meyer, International House of Prayer worship leader, with Brian Ming and Charles Barnett. We would consider it an honor for you to join us as our guest. Complimentary passes will be provided to you upon request. (These passes are available to pastors in Kentucky as the hosting state of this year’s conference, and also those in the same area as Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs.) Please contact me as soon as possible via U.S. mail, phone, or email to advise me of your decision. I am enclosing a conference flyer for your information. Aglow began in 1967 with 4 women who expressed a desire to meet together without denominational boundaries. Forty-two years later, it has grown into one of the largest Christian women movements in the United States. Aglow is in nearly 170 nations around the world and is made up of over 5,200 fellowships. Many women have been touched through these fellowships as they focus on prayer, evangelism, relationships and reconciliation. For additional information about Aglow, visit www.aglow.org. I sincerely hope and pray that you will be able to join us as we come together to celebrate Jesus Christ and His ministry through Aglow International over the past 42 years.

“One New Man” 10-6-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of all the earth, be Lord of all I am. ... “Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’ ” (Zechariah 8:22-23). I love divine appointments. As left Lexington this morning for Chicago and on to Tallinn, Estonia for my ministry engagements there the next two weeks, I had no idea what a great blessing You had arranged for me. The businessman next to me was a Jew, who came to believe in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, in a little church in our city many years ago. He’s now in full time ministry, arranging financing to the poor and oppressed in the nations of the world, not just giving them fish, but teaching them how to fish, in their own small businesses—breaking the curse of poverty and finding the security and peace of Your provision as they grown in their sense of self-worth and dignity as children of God. As we shared one another’s stories, I discovered that he fought in Six Day War of 1967 and the liberation of Jerusalem. Then I learned that his father, now a ninety-nine year old citizen of Lexington, and his mother were Jewish survivors of the Nazi holocaust in Poland during World War II. His father also is now a completed Jew—one who has received Jesus as Messiah, fulfilling the Hebrew Scriptures. I was thrilled to hold his Hebrew Bible as he read from passages, declaring the promises of God and the fulfillment of prophecies declaring the coming of Christ, such as Isaiah 61 and Psalm 2. As my new friend and I went our ways, I sensed Your overwhelming favor and goodness to me to arrange this time of such encouragement and joy. Something stirred deeply in my spirit as my friend spoke the words, “I’ll be praying for you and your ministry, Tommy. God bless you.” I said, “Thank you for that blessing. I don’t take that lightly,” thinking of the time to come when people of all nations will eagerly look for a Jew who has come to know You, and take them by the sleeve to go up to Mount Zion to seek Your face and Your ways (Zechariah 8:23). “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths” (Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2). What an honor I had, as I said to him, just to sit next to him and talk of the glories and favor of God. And as I hurried on to my next flight, I thought of what a prophetic picture we were of Gentile and Jew united in Christ as “the one new man” (Ephesians 2:15, NKJV). Thank You, Lord, for letting me go up to the mountain of Your Presence and know the favor of Your grace upon my life through this divine appointment You arranged for me today. Now as best as I can and all by Your grace, let me live in Your ways and walk in Your paths. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays I have two ministry trips abroad by year's end (Estonia in October and Pakistan in December), where I'll be sharing my teaching and my heart for prayer and healing. If you'd like to join our intercessory prayer team, connected by email, please let me know. We have great anticipation for my time in Estonia. And since this will be my first ministry engagement sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and ministering the healing love of God in the Muslim nation of Pakistan, I'm sensing the need for an especially strong and committed covering of prayer: TommyHays@aol.com (Please copy Carol Arban arbansc@yahoo.com on your note, who will help coordinate updates while I'm away). I would be thrilled for you to order my new book for yourself or someone who may enjoy it with my perspective on healing and God's heart for restoration in the process of the journey, with mighty breakthroughs along the way: Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance: www.messiah-ministries.org or at www.amazon.com Proceeds go to support the vision and calling of the Lord through Messiah Ministries. Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Going with God's Heart and Power 10-5-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I start this new day, let me start it well -- centered in Christ, embraced by the Father, filled afresh with the Holy Spirit. No as I worship You and wait on You, help me listen for Your leading. ... "When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you with lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom but on the power of God" (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Today is a preparation day, to pack and prepare to go out in ministry to the people of the nation of Estonia tomorrow. No doubt I'll need warm clothes to venture into a land bordering northwest Russia and just across the Baltic Sea from Sweden and Finland. But above all, I'll need Your warm heart, burning with a passion for Jesus and love for Your people. I'm excited to be invited by the Superintendent of the United Methodist Church, who oversees the spiritual life and churches of the people of Estonia, to be teaching and preaching at their seminary, a pastor's conference, a student retreat, the university, and at churches and homes throughout the country on prayer, spiritual life, and healing. And as much as You will use me to pour into them, I know You will be using them to pour into me -- sharing the love of God, the grace of Christ, and communion of the Holy Spirit with one another in our bond of the Body of Christ that knows no borders. And I'm especially looking forward to the warm embrace and bond of prayer with old friends from my earlier ministry journey there. Lord, let me not be filled with knowledge, but filled with Your Spirit. Let me not go with lofty words to impress their minds, but with the depth of Your Spirit to encourage their hearts. May You move in power to encourage, inspire, comfort, heal, and free. May we all be changed as we encounter You together, so that none of us are ever the same. Let revival and awakening be released in their spirits and in mine, "with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power" -- "the power of God," made perfect through our weakness and Your wisdom (v. 2:6-16). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for us at the Healing Day Apart this past weekend in Tennessee at the Aldersgate Renewal Center. We heard wonderful testimonies of God's healing grace in spirit, soul, and body. And I just heard last night of a man's physical healing of his knees. Consider registering on-line now for a 30% discount for next summer's National Conference on Spirit-filled Living: http://www.aldersgate2010.org/ I'll be there teaching equipping sessions on emotional healing. Randy Clark of Global Awakening will be the Keynote Speaker, along with Terry Teykl and Tom Albin of the UMC. I have two ministry trips abroad coming up (Estonia in October and Pakistan in December), where I'll be sharing my teaching and my heart for prayer and healing. If you'd like to join our intercessory prayer team, connected by email, please let me know. We have great anticipation for my time in Estonia. And since this will be my first ministry engagement sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and ministering the healing love of God in the Muslim nation of Pakistan, I'm sensing the need for an especially strong and committed covering of prayer: TommyHays@aol.com I would be thrilled for you to order my new book for yourself or someone who may enjoy it with my perspective on healing and God's heart for restoration in the process of the journey, with mighty breakthroughs along the way: Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance: www.messiah-ministries.org or at www.amazon.com Proceeds go to support the vision and calling of the Lord through Messiah Ministries. Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Healing of Namaan, Inside and Outside 10-2-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I wait before You in the first moments of a new day, speak to my heart and lead my mind. ... "Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.... So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, 'Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean' " (2 Kings 5:1-10). You can be the best at what you do and still need healing. You can be a great man, a mighty warrior in the battles of this world, full of favor and fame, and still have the sickness and sin of a broken, fallen world eating away at you -- whether on the inside or the outside. But it's hard to ask for help; it's hard to slay our pride. It's hard to admit we need it, even if it's so obvious to everyone around us. We often prefer to suffer in silence rather than admit we can't heal ourselves. We often give in to the lie that "time heals all wounds," when only the power of the blood of Jesus heals all wounds (1 Peter 2:24). And even when we come to the place of admitting our need and that we are powerless in ourselves to do anything about it, with any lasting value, out of our own self will and self help, it's still hard to humble our pride before God and Your timing and ways. When Naaman heard Your plans for his healing, he "became angry and went away.... He turned and went away in a rage" (2 Kings 5:11-12). He literally wanted someone who knew God better than he did to simply "wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy" (v. 5:11). It's true that sometimes, in Your sovereign mercy and grace, You stretch out Your mighty right hand through the hands of Your disciples to release Your power for an instantaneous miracle though "signs and wonders" (Acts 4:30). And it seems You are increasing Your miracles throughout the earth in our day. But at the same time, healing is more than the miraculous. Healing is wholeness. It's Your process of restoration, bringing all things back into alignment with Your will for our lives through the redemption of Christ. We're created by God to long for the "restoration of all things" -- in our own lives and in all creation (Acts 3:21, NKJV). This is Your will, revealed by Your Word, made available through the sacrifice and sufferings of Christ for each of us: "Surely He was borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted Him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5, fulfilled in Christ, Matthew 8:17). Naaman's disease in his body was only a manifestation of a disease in his soul -- the sickness of self-centered, self-sufficient pride. And though You were compassionate to heal his body, You were passionate to heal his soul. So You spoke to him again, even as he turned away in rage from the word, the will, and the ways of God, through the voice of those who cared about him (2 Kings 5:13). Through their words of encouragement and compassion, You gave him the grace he needed to be able to repent, to turn back to You and Your will for his healing. He humbled himself in the sight of the Lord. He allowed himself to be washed in Your living waters. And he rose up out of those waters a new man -- healed of his pride and his shame, healed of his sickness both on the inside and the outside (v. 5:14). Namaan came to know the one, true God that day, that there was "no God in all the earth" but You (v 5:15). The day of Naaman's humility was the day of his healing and salvation, the day of redemption and restoration for his "spirit and soul and body" (1 Thessalonians 5:23). It was the day of fulfillment of Your Word to him and to us all: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:10, NKJV). Lord, let it be so in my heart and in the hearts of all Your people in all the earth. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer at Aldersgate Renewal Ministries' Day Apart for Healing tomorrow and the community healing service I'll lead tonight at their "ARC" (Aldersgate Renewal Center) in Goodlettsville, TN near Nashville (www.aldersgaterenewal.org). I have two ministry trips abroad coming up (Estonia in October and Pakistan in December), where I'll be sharing my teaching and my heart for prayer and healing. If you'd like to join our intercessory prayer team, connected by email, please let me know. Since this will be my first ministry engagement sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and ministering the healing love of God in a Muslim nation, I'm sensing the need for an especially strong and committed covering of prayer: TommyHays@aol.com I would be thrilled for you to order my new book for yourself or someone who may enjoy it with my perspective on healing and God's heart for restoration in the process of the journey, with mighty breakthroughs along the way: Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance: http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ or at http://www.amazon.com/ Proceeds go to support the vision and calling of the Lord through Messiah Ministries. Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

"It is Alright"--All is Well with My Soul 10-1-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is my first word of this new day -- the name above all names (Philippians 2:9). ... "When the man of God saw her coming, (Elisha) said to Gehazi his servant, 'Look, there is the Shunammite woman; run at once to meet her, and say to her, Are you alright? Is your husband alright? Is your child alright?' She answered, 'It is alright.' When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away. But the man of God said, 'Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress; the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me' " (2 Kings 4:25-27). The woman's child was not alright; he was dead. And she was in bitter distress, beside herself in overwhelming floods of grief and loss. But not despair. Fully alive to all her emotions of anguish and pain, she knew she had to get to God. And for her, that meant getting with someone she knew believed God and the power of His love, His mercy, and His word. Even as she left her dead son at home and pushed past the doubt of her husband, she declared the faith that filled her heart as much as her pain -- "It will be alright" (v. 4:23). When she came to Elisha's servant, still reeling in the wake of shock and sorrow, she continued to declare in faith, "It is alright." What was "alright?" What would "be alright?" Was she in denial? Or was she so full of faith that she knew God would raise her son from the dead? I'm not sure. But I do know she was persistent and tenacious in her pursuit of God and in her pursuit of someone to stand with her who believed in the goodness and power of God. Something rose up in her that wasn't willing to take no for an answer (v. 4:30). But even in the midst of all she was going through, that felt so far from the will and the heart of God, she knew down inside "It will be alright." Maybe she had faith for a miracle. Or maybe she just knew deep down inside, "It is well with my soul." Maybe it was her way of saying to everyone around her, to all of the spiritual realm, and to her own soul, "I'm trusting God to get me through this, one way or the other." As my spiritual mother and mentor in prayer, Margaret Therkelsen, likes to say in a flourish of her Kentucky wit and faith, "Come hell or high water, I'm goin' on with God!" I think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego about to go through the fiery furnace, trusting God whether You delivered them from the fire or not, knowing You would go with them through the fire no matter what (Daniel 3:17). I remember Job's words, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15, NKJV). And I hold fast to Your promise through Isaiah, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the waters, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you" (Isaiah 43:1-2). With the faith of David, I declare with the faith of this grieving mother, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4, KJV). You heal in many ways: Sometimes instantaneously in the miracle of a moment; sometimes in the process of restoration, little by little, step by step, and day by day; sometimes through the help of others and truths You've given us in the science and truths of Your creation; sometimes by the grace to persevere until the day Your Kingdom comes in its fullness and all are healed all the time; and sometimes through the healing of the resurrection when we pass through death into the fullness of eternal life in Christ. I don't know if the Shunammite woman knew by faith how You would heal her son and her heart. But I believe she knew she wasn't about to try to go that that grief alone. I believe she had come to know the God who never leaves us nor forsakes us, who is always redeeming us and all things, even the things that break our heart and Yours (Hebrews 13:5). And it's clear that that kind of persevering faith, in the midst of such heartbreak and loss, moved the heart of the man of God and moved the heart of the God of man (2 Kings 4:35). It was alright, just as she had said, just as she believed, because her heart was right with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I join with you in the agreement of prayer for healing and breakthrough in the things that bring grief and sorrow to your life. Thank you for praying in faith and agreement for me. We know our Redeemer lives, and will cause all things to work together for good in its season, in due time. Our part is to trust Him through it all. I would be thrilled for you to order my new book for yourself or someone who may enjoy it with my perspective on healing and God's heart for restoration in the process of the journey, with mighty breakthroughs along the way: Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance: http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ or at http://www.amazon.com/ I have two ministry trips abroad coming up (Estonia in October and Pakistan in December), where I'll be sharing my teaching and my heart for prayer and healing. If you'd like to join our intercessory prayer team, connected by email, please let me know. Since this will be my first ministry engagement sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and ministering the healing love of God in a Muslim nation, I'm sensing the need for an especially strong and committed covering of prayer: TommyHays@aol.com Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --mailto:--MessiahMin@aol.com-- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502