The Words of God in a Dream - Dec 16

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I come with all the faithful to adore You, Christ the Lord.  …

“… [A]n angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ … When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her for his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a Son; and he named Him Jesus” (Matthew 1:20-25).

The angel of the Lord spoke with the authority of the Lord to Joseph. You speak to us in many ways. Sometimes You speak through Your written Word; sometimes You speak through the words of our friends, our family, and those we trust to speak into our lives; sometimes You speak through our circumstances; sometimes You speak through the moving of Your Holy Spirit in the thoughts of our minds and the desires of our hearts; sometimes You speak through dreams or visions or prophetic signs; sometimes You speak through angels and other messengers of God You send at critical moments in our lives and in the lives of Your people in the progressive journey of  Your plan for our world.

But whenever You speak and however You speak, You expect us to discern Your word to be truth. Because not every word we hear, every dream we have, every thought and desire formed in our mind and heart, or every spiritual encounter or experience is from You. You command us, “Test everything; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We are to “weight what is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29). But when we test it and weight it and discern it as from You, we are to trust You and obey You and the word You have spoken to us through whatever means You have chosen in Your sovereignty and wisdom to speak. That’s just as true even if it’s spiritual, supernatural, intangible, unmeasurable, unverifiable unrepeatable; even if it comes through an angel in a dream, rather than through black and white words on a paper. That’s why You call it faith—“the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Through the angel in the dream, You “commanded” Joseph to name his Son “Jesus.” “And Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him … he named Him Jesus” (Matthew 1:24-25). We don’t hear a lot about Joseph in the Bible. But we do hear this:  A very young man was chosen by God to be the one who named the Savior of the world. Though he didn’t receive a decree from Caesar, get a word from a prophet, or even a prayer from his pastor, he knew he heard God speaking to him. He was convicted in his heart of what he hadn’t yet seen with his eyes, and he chose to act in faith in obedience to the word he believed he heard.

A father’s words are a father’s blessing. And a father’s name for his son speaks of the purpose and calling and destiny for his life. Through this young man named Joseph, the Father named His Son “Jesus”—meaning “the salvation of God”—“for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). What an honor You gave to Joseph, this young man of such strong faith, who was willing to believe he heard the words of God in a dream and was willing to obey them, as best as he could and all by Your grace. Lord, let it be so in me, in response to however You choose to speak. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

To Comment or Reply:  TommyHays@aol.com

To Subscribe, Contribute, or Order Resources:  http://www.messiah-ministries.org/

Friends, please prayerfully consider Messiah Ministries in your year-end giving, as you join with us in our ministry to others. Your support and encouragement is truly needed and greatly appreciated. God bless you and Merry Christmas! – Tommy

Come to The Fountain This Friday Night! Dec 17 at 7 pm for our Messiah Ministries monthly, citywide gathering for Prayer, Praise & Healing Worship. All are welcome! Come drink deeply from the Living Water as we worship God in Spirit and Truth, welcoming His healing Word and Presence into our lives and the burdens on our hearts. This month, Jeff Green will be leading in worship and Linda Dulin will be leading in prayer, while I’m speaking at The Vineyard Church in Lexington for Celebrate Recovery. The Fountain is led by Messiah Ministries and hosted monthly in the Chapel at Centenary Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, KY 40502. If you’re in our area, please come with a friend and spread the word!

Joseph’s Mercy for Mary - Dec 15

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King and Lord of all the moments of my day.  …

“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with Child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, and angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins’ ” (Matthew 1:18-21).

Joseph was “a righteous man.” But his righteousness was revealed in his heart of mercy. His righteousness was not the self-righteousness of insisting upon the judgments of the law with harshness and legalism. His righteousness came from one who knew God more personally, more intimately; he was one who was “unwilling” to do what the law seemed to require and what he felt people seemed to expect. Rather, he was willing to express his love through his mercy, even though his heart was broken and his emotions were raw, in the face of his deep disappointment with this one he valued and trusted so much.

Before Joseph ever knew the truth about Mary’s Child, the truth of his own heart was revealed. It was only after Joseph resolved in his heart to show mercy to Mary that the angel appeared to reveal the truth of all the facts that Joseph didn’t know. It’s the heart of mercy, not judgment, that draws the Presence of the Lord. It’s the heart of mercy, not judgment, that allows us to hear the truth and live in the way that honors God, as we honor those He brings across the path of our lives.

The heart of mercy, not judgment, is at the heart of God. And it’s to be our heart as well. “For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). Freely we have received Your mercy and freely we are to give (Matthew 10:8). You command us, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). You remind us, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7).

Lord, like Joseph, let me have a heart of mercy. Let me be unwilling to judge or condemn. Let me grow in Your righteousness, not my self-righteousness. Let me never assume I know all the facts and harden my heat in judgment, rather than opening my heart in mercy. And if I’m led to speak the truth in love, let it be Your truth spoken in Your love, only as You lead with Your heart to redeem and restore. After all, that’s what Mary’s Child has come to do for us. “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high has broken upon us!” (Luke 1:78) In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

To Comment or Reply:  TommyHays@aol.com

To Subscribe, Contribute, or Order Resources:  http://www.messiah-ministries.org/

Friends, please prayerfully consider Messiah Ministries in your year-end giving, as you join with us in our ministry to others. Your support and encouragement is truly needed and greatly appreciated. God bless you! -- Tommy

Come to The Fountain This Friday Night! Dec 17 at 7 pm for our Messiah Ministries monthly, citywide gathering for Prayer, Praise & Healing Worship. All are welcome! Come drink deeply from the Living Water as we worship God in Spirit and Truth, welcoming His healing Word and Presence into our lives and the burdens on our hearts. This month, Jeff Green will be leading in worship and Linda Dulin will be leading in prayer, while I’m speaking at The Vineyard Church in Lexington for Celebrate Recovery. The Fountain is led by Messiah Ministries and hosted monthly in the Chapel at Centenary Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, KY 40502. If you’re in our area, please come with a friend and spread the word!

Filled with Joy! - Dec 14, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I give You the offering of my first thoughts of my first moments of this new day.  …

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there was be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord’ ” (Luke 1:41-45).

Spirit to spirit, heart to heart, deep to deep (Psalm 42:7). The child in Elizabeth’s womb and the Child in Mary’s womb were filled with the Spirit of God. And the stirring of Your Spirit stirred up the expression of joy. “In Your Presence there is fullness of joy! (Psalm 16:11)

We need Your joy in our world today. I need Your joy in my world today. The expression of joy is an evidence of presence of the Kingdom of God within us. “For the Kingdom of God is … righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Fill me afresh with Your joy today—not joy that everything around me is perfect and wonderful, but joy that the Spirit of Your Presence abides within me and flows out from me.

Let the Spirit of God within me leap for joy with the Spirit of God with my brothers and sisters of the family God everywhere I go today. Let us rejoice, even in the midst of a world that doesn’t feel like rejoicing. Let us not be overcome by the doom and gloom of the world around us, but let us overcome that doom and gloom with the joy of the Lord flowing our of our hearts. You speak to our hearts, encourage our souls, and stir up our spirits “that (our) joy may be full” (1 John 1:4, KJV). Fill us with the fullness of Your joy today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

To Comment or Reply:  TommyHays@aol.com

To Subscribe, Contribute, or Order Resources:  www.messiah-ministries.org

Friends, please prayerfully consider Messiah Ministries in your year-end giving, as you join with us in our ministry to others. Your support and encouragement is truly needed and greatly appreciated. God bless you! -- Tommy

Come to The Fountain This Friday Night! Dec 17 at 7 pm for our Messiah Ministries monthly, citywide gathering for Prayer, Praise & Healing Worship. All are welcome! Come drink deeply from the Living Water as we worship God in Spirit and Truth, welcoming His healing Word and Presence into our lives and the burdens on our hearts. This month, Jeff Green will be leading in worship and Linda Dulin will be leading in prayer, while I’m speaking at The Vineyard Church in Lexington for Celebrate Recovery. The Fountain is led by Messiah Ministries and hosted monthly in the Chapel at Centenary Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, KY 40502. If you’re in our area, please come with a friend and spread the word!

“Nothing will be Impossible with God” - Dec 13

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I center my thoughts and open my heart to You, my God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  …

“The angel said to her, ‘ ... nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word’ ” (Luke 1:37-38).

The angel first spoke of the plans of God. Then the angel spoke of the power of God to make possible His plans for her life. When Mary believed, that’s when Mary said, “Here I am.” When Mary believed the truth that nothing is impossible with God, she was willing to entrust all the possibilities of her life to her God, the God who has the power to do the impossible.

And the miracle Child conceived in her womb, when the God of the impossible changed her world and ours’ through the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, would “increase in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor” (Luke 2:52). Then one day, this Child would be a Man, who would proclaim this same Truth:  “The things that are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23, NKJV).

Mary believed, and the God of the impossible made all things possible. Mary believed, and the plans of God were made possible by the power of God for her life. So even though You are the God who can do all things and there is nothing impossible for You, You desire a people who will choose to believe You. You desire a people who will choose to trust You, love You, and obey You because they believe You. It’s when we truly believe that we’re willing to truly trust and obey with all our hearts and with all our lives.

Help me believe You more. Help me trust You and love You and obey You more and more each day because my belief in You increases more and more each day. You are the God who has the power to make all Your plans for my life come true. By the grace of God, I believe it. And nothing will be impossible for You in my life and through my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

To Comment or Reply:  TommyHays@aol.com

To Subscribe, Contribute, or Order Resources:  http://www.messiah-ministries.org/

Come to The Fountain This Friday Night! Dec 17 at 7 pm for our Messiah Ministries monthly, citywide gathering for Prayer, Praise & Healing Worship. All are welcome! Come drink deeply from the Living Water as we worship God in Spirit and Truth, welcoming His healing Word and Presence into our lives and the burdens on our hearts. This month, Jeff Green will be leading in worship and Linda Dulin will be leading in prayer, while I’m speaking at The Vineyard Church in Lexington for Celebrate Recovery. The Fountain is led by Messiah Ministries and hosted monthly in the Chapel at Centenary Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, KY 40502. If you’re in our area, please come with a friend and spread the word!

“Make Ready a People Prepared for the Lord” - Dec 10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You’re One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit; come be One within me through the communion of prayer, the mercy of grace, and the mystery of faith.  …

“But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before Him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:13-17).

Before Your first coming, You sent Your Holy Spirit to fill the heart of Your messenger “with the spirit and power of Elijah” to set things right and make people ready. And so it will be before Your second coming. As You promised and prophesied in the last words of the last book of the Old Testament: “Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of the children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6). “With the spirit and power of Elijah,” You’re still anointing Your messengers to be filled with Your Holy Spirit to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).

One day You will come again in the clouds of heaven, with the sound of the trumpet and the cry of the archangel (1 Thessalonians 4:16). For Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again! (Revelation 1:8) But every moment of every day between now and then, You want us to be a people prepared for the Lord. And you want each of us to be anointed and empowered, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” to be Your messengers, in all the unique and diverse ways You’ve created and called us, to help prepare the way of the Lord in the hearts of those You bring into our lives. We can only be Your messengers to the degree we’ve embraced Your message and allowed Your Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord in our own hearts first.

Lord, let these days of preparation for Christmas, be days of preparation of our hearts for the coming of the Lord—not just Your second coming at “great and terrible day of the Lord,” but also for Your coming in our hearts every day. Empty us of every false and substitute thing we’ve filled ourselves with in the past, so we can make room for the true filling of Your true Spirit now. We are Your children. Turn our hearts again to our Father, that we might receive the abundance of Your blessings and grace in this season of “joy and gladness,” rather than enduring the judgment of the curse of the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). Let us be “ready;” let us be “a people prepard for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, please keep Messiah Ministries in mind during your year-end giving. We're grateful for God's provision through the hearts He moves with joy to join with us in prayer and provision to fulfill our vision and calling -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God."

We welcome your tax-deductible contributions of any amount to "Messiah Ministries" by mail at 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 or on-line at www.messiah-ministries.org or by credit card over the phone at 859-317-1591 or through the Kentucky Christian Foundation at http://www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org/ I'll be happy to talk with you about our vision, our calling, and our needs:  tommyhays@aol.com  Please give generously and joyfully as the Lord may lead!  Thank you and God bless you!

Reply to Tommy Hays:  tommyhays@aol.com

Subscribe for Prayer:     www.messiah-ministries.org

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries ...

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Special Music with Paula Stefanovich!  

( http://www.omegachristianmusic.com/ )

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God's glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision--

"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591

www.messiah-ministries.org

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

Both Blameless and Barren? Dec 9, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, help me begin this day and every day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  …

“In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendent of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years” (Luke 1:5-7).

Is it possible to be both blameless and barren? Is it possible to be righteous before God, to know all the right things and do them, according to all the rules, commandments, and regulations of the Lord and still be lacking the longing of your heart? Can bad things happen to good people? Can hard times and tough seasons, deferred hope and shattered dreams, unfulfilled expectations and discouraging disappointments touch the lives of those who love God and are called according to Your purposes?

Look at Zechariah and Elizabeth. They loved You; they lived for You and lived blamelessly before You. They were created and called by You with tremendous purpose and calling and destiny—they would be the earthly father and mother of John the Baptist, who would prepare the way of the Lord in the spirit of Elijah for the coming of Christ. Yet, they suffered sadness and maybe even sensed a measure of rejection and confusion about Your promises and provision for abundance and blessing in their lives. They were getting on in years, yet the hopes and dreams of their hearts were still unfulfilled.

And even if the season of barrenness would be broken and the birth of a miracle child was to come, what of all the years before? What of all the tears before? What of all the questions and struggles in their hearts, and what of all the questions and judgments of their neighbors and s0-called friends through all the days of their journey of faith until the day of rejoicing when the miracles and power and provision of God was to come?

No wonder Zechariah had a few questions and even a bit of an attitude with the angel of the Lord when the glorious promises and breakthroughs of God were announced (v. 1:18). No doubt Elizabeth must have had a few questions of her own. Yet Your Word went forth and the miracle child was conceived (v. 1:24). Years of disappointment, seasons of enduring disapproval and doubts of others, and decades of being tempted to settle for something less than the fullness of the desires of their hearts were wiped away in a moment. Elizabeth embraced the gift and grace of the miracle of God in her womb, declaring to heaven and to anyone who would hear, “This is what the Lord has done for me when He looked favorable on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people!” (v. 1:25)

You are the God who says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act” (Psalm 37:3-5). We’re not responsible for the results or the timing. All of that is in Your hands. Our part is to keep on trusting, keep on doing good,  keep on committing our way to the Lord—as best as we can and all by the mercy and power of Your grace. And good things will come, our purpose and calling in our lives will be fulfilled, and there will be great days of “joy and gladness” with rejoicing in our hearts and all around us on the day when You act—all in Your time and all in Your way (Luke 1:14). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend with me in the journey of faith and prayer, I am praying for you right now for breakthrough in all your unfulfilled hopes and desires. I'm rejoicing with you in the Spirit now for the day that will come when joy and gladness fill your heart and the promises and provision of God overtake your life. May discouragement, disappointment, and doubt flee away, as persevering faith and enduring hope fill your spirit as we agree in prayer in the name of Jesus. Thank you for praying the same for me. God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey!

Friends, please keep Messiah Ministries in mind during your year-end giving. We're grateful for God's provision through the hearts He moves to join with us in prayer and provision to fulfill our vision and calling -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God."

We welcome your tax-deductible contributions of any amount to "Messiah Ministries" by mail at 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 or on-line at www.messiah-ministries.org or by credit card over the phone at 859-317-1591 or through the Kentucky Christian Foundation at http://www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org/ I'll be happy to talk with you about our vision, our calling, and our needs:  tommyhays@aol.com  Please give generously and joyfully as the Lord may lead!

Thank you and God bless you!

Reply to Tommy Hays:  tommyhays@aol.com

Subscribe for Prayer:     www.messiah-ministries.org

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries ...

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Special Music with Paula Stefanovich!  

( http://www.omegachristianmusic.com/ )

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God's glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision--

"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"

 

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591

www.messiah-ministries.org

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

 

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

Jesus Messiah, the Salvation of God - Dec 8, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I wait on You and watch for You and welcome You into my morning and into the moments of my day.  …

“She will bear a Son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Sometimes we forget the simple focus of why You came to this earth, to be born as a child and live among us as a man. Sometimes we forget the simple idea that You were given a name that reflected Your nature and identified Your purpose. You were named Jesus, Yashuah in the Hebrew language of Your earthly language and culture. And Your name means the Salvation of God. You came to save Your people from our sins. You were Emmanuel, God with us, making a way for us to be with God.

Everyone sins. And everyone needs forgiveness. Everyone needs the salvation of God. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all sin. Whether it’s the sin of falling short of Your perfect will in some way, whether we meant to or not, or whether it’s the sin of deliberately choosing our own way in conscious rebellion against Your way, sin is less than Your will for our lives. And sin separates us from the fullness of Your Presence in our lives.

And down inside, whether we’re willing to admit it or not, we know in our hearts when we have sinned. We can try to rationalize it, justify it, excuse it, explain it, deny it, or even glorify it, but deep down inside, in the conscience of our human spirit You’ve created within us all, we know it. And You know it. But deep down inside Your heart, full of the mercy and love of Your nature, You’re always reaching out to us, revealing our sin to us, so that You can forgive us and be with us, with nothing separating us. This is the heart of Emmanuel, the Presence of God with us. This is the heart of Yashuah, Jesus the Messiah, the Salvation of God for us.

Thank You, Lord God, for humbling Yourself to come to this earth as a child, to live on this earth as a man, so that through Your life and death and resurrection, You could save me from my sins. Through Your forgiveness, through the means of salvation You have chosen in Your wisdom and sovereignty as my Creator and Savior, You can always be with me and I can always be with You. You are my Emmanuel, my Yashuah, my Jesus the Messiah, my Salvation of God. And I’m so grateful for all Your mercy and love for me and for all You came to save from our sins. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, please keep Messiah Ministries in mind during your year-end giving. We're grateful for God's provision through the hearts He moves to join with us in prayer and provision to fulfill our vision and calling -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God."

We welcome your tax-deductible contributions of any amount to "Messiah Ministries" by mail at 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 or on-line at www.messiah-ministries.org or by credit card over the phone at 859-317-1591 or through the Kentucky Christian Foundation at http://www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org/ I'll be happy to talk with you about our vision, our calling, and our needs:  tommyhays@aol.com  Please give generously and joyfully as the Lord may lead!

Thank you and God bless you!

Reply to Tommy Hays:  tommyhays@aol.com

Subscribe for Prayer:     www.messiah-ministries.org

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries ...

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Special Music with Paula Stefanovich!  

( http://www.omegachristianmusic.com/ )

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God's glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision--

"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"

 

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591

www.messiah-ministries.org

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

 

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

Overshadowed and Empowered by the Holy Spirit - Dec 7, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open up my heart to welcome You in to every moment of my day.  …

“The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God’ ” (Luke 1:35).

When Your Holy Spirit comes upon us, the power of the Most High overshadows us. When the power of the Most High overshadows us, Your holy purposes are birthed and empowered within us. The purposes of God through the lives of the sons and daughters of God are performed by the Spirit of God moving upon us and stirring within us in the power of God. As You said to Your first disciples, so You continue to speak to all Your disciples:  “See, I am sending upon you what My Father has promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Lord, I need to be empowered with Your Holy Spirit every moment of every day. I need the power of the Most High to overshadow me and overwhelm me with Your word and Your will for my life, to clothe me and anoint me with Your Spirit of Life and Truth to be Your witness in my world. Come, Holy Spirit—You are the promise of my Father; You are the Spirit of Christ in me, forming the nature of Christ within me, equipping and empowering the ministry of Christ through me. This is the blessing, the calling, and the promise of all the sons and daughters of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Reply to Tommy Hays:  tommyhays@aol.com

Subscribe for Prayer:     www.messiah-ministries.org

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries ...

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God's glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision--

"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"

 

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591

www.messiah-ministries.org

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

 

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

“Do Not be Afraid” - Dec 3, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit in the silence of surrender, deep in the communion of prayer.  …

“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God’” (Luke 1:30).

For several days now, Your Holy Spirit keeps drawing me back to this spiritual encounter between the angel Gabriel and Mary. I find myself wondering if this angel just showed up one day just out of the blue. And I’m sure that’s possible. You are the God who often does “awesome deeds we did not expect” (Isaiah 64:3). You are the sovereign Lord, ultimately holding all timing of all things in Your hands. And Your Word doesn’t really tell us anything in Mary’s life that may have led up to this life-changing, spiritual experience.

But I find myself wondering this morning about Mary’s prayer life. Was she a seeker? Was she a “God chaser?” Was she one who hungered and thirsted for more of You, more of Your Presence, more of Your love, more of Your power in every moment of her life? I find myself this morning with an image in my mind of a young woman with a very deep and passionate prayer life. I can almost hear her prayers:  “O God, how long must my people continue to suffer? When will You fulfill Your Word and send Your Messiah, our Deliverer, our Savior? O Lord, how long must I wait to know my purpose in this world? When will Your fulfill Your Word to me that You know the plans You have for me—plans for my good and not my harm, plans for a future with hope, to fulfill this sense of destiny in my soul that I was created for more? I’m thankful for all You’ve done and all that You are in my life, but I want more—more of You, more of Your Presence, more of Your love, more of Your power—here in my life, here among my people, here in my land!”

Was Mary an intercessor? Was she a watchman on the wall of her city? Was she one who was often accused of being so heavenly minded that she was hardly any earthly good? Was she a passionate pursuer of the things of God? Was she created for destiny, yearning for destiny, being prepared in her spirit and heart for destiny, or did she just look up one day to find an angel standing in her bedroom to inform her that destiny was now thrust upon her?

I don’t know. I don’t know whether that day came unexpectedly and all of a sudden or whether that day was the next step in the course of her spiritual journey and the unfolding of Your plan for her life. But what I do know is that when that day came, Mary was “afraid” (v. 1:30). We better be careful what we ask for, what we pray for, because we might get it. We better be careful when we pray for visitations from angels, they might come. We better be careful when we ask to hear the word of the Lord for our lives, we might hear it. We better be careful when we say in our hearts we’d be willing to do anything , to go any place, to suffer any price—You might ask it of us. That might be the destiny we find thrust upon us.

But even when that day comes, and even if we are afraid at first, You will be there with us. You will be quick and ready to say, “Fear not. Do not be afraid. For I am with you. I will not send you where My grace will not sustain you. I will not call you to My purpose without supplying for you My provision. You’ve prepared the way of the Lord in your heart and I have prepared the way of the Lord in your life. Don’t be afraid. Don’t turn away. Don’t hold back. Just find the courage and faith in your heart by My grace to say, ‘Yes, Lord. Here I am, the servant  of the Lord; let it be with me according to Your word’ ” (v. 1:38).

So with Mary and with all those throughout the ages who have journeyed in faith and prayer, passionately pursuing Your purpose and plan for our lives, I say by Your grace, “Yes, Lord. Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to Your word.” By the power of Your grace, I will not be afraid. By the power of Your grace, I will trust You and obey Your calling and destiny for my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

 

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

To Reply to Tommy Hays:  TommyHays@aol.com 

To Subscribe or Contribute to Messiah Ministries:  www.messiah-ministries.org

 

Favored Ones, Faithful Ones - Dec. 2, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of heaven and earth, by Lord of my steps and my decisions throughout my day.  ...

 

"And (the angel Gabriel) came to (Mary) and said, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.' But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.' Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God" (Luke 1:28-35).

 

Mary was "much perplexed" by the word of God's will for her life. "How can this be?" "This doesn't make sense?" "Are you sure?" "How can I be sure?" Before Mary could come to place of saying, "Let it be with me according to your word," she first had a few questions to ask (v. 1:38). She first had to wrestle with this word, seek to discern it's accuracy, it's meaning, it's implications for her life. Yet there was something in her heart that moved her to trust that You had a plan for her life that was far different from the plans she had thought and the plans she had made.

 

Through the angel, You called her, "favored one." You said she had "found favor with God." Yet her "favor" didn't really seem like You were doing her any "favors" at all. She was to be a pregnant teenager. She was to be a virgin with child. She was to be faithful to a word from the Lord that would be very contrary to the normal ways and expectations of the people she valued and trusted in her life. Lord, could You have been any more divisive? Could You have been any more scandalous? Could You have been any more challenging to the attitudes, wisdom, doctrines, and traditions of the religious law and culture it seems You established?

 

Mary's own beloved and betrothed, Joseph, to whom she was deeply committed and willing to trust with the rest of her life, would reject her at first. He couldn't bring himself to believe her--out of his own thoughts apart from Your thoughts, out of his own ways apart from Your ways--until he, too, would hear the word of the Lord for himself (Matthew 1:19-25). He would have to come to a place to trust that Mary didn't choose this path out of her own will or imagination. He would have to come to believe that the course for Mary's life was being set, in part, by circumstances beyond her control, but that God was in it. It was as much a challenge to Joseph's faith as it was to Mary's. Yet in time, they both chose to trust and obey, despite the high cost they would pay in facing the judgments and opinions of those they trusted and loved, who would find their faith and passion for faithfulness hard to believe.

 

Lord, so often, Your thought are not our thoughts and Your ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). You call us to seek You every moment of every day. You call us to listen for the leading of Your voice, saying, "This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21). The children of God are to be led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). And so often, we feel we have to explain it, justify it, defend it, call our witnesses to support it. When really, we just need to know that as best as can and all by Your grace, we have sought You, trusting You to put Your thoughts in our minds and Your desires in our hearts to guide the steps of our days according to Your plan for our lives.

 

There will be other plans and other lives that will be factors and influences beyond our control, but we can't live our lives under the worry and fear about that or the judgments and opinions of those who can't fully know our hearts and haven't ever had to walk in our shoes. So there are times when it's better to remain silent, to let You be our Advocate, trusting that somehow in Your timing, Your way, and Your mercy, You are at work, causing all things to work together for good according to Your purposes and plans for our lives, as we choose to keep loving You and trusting You--moment by moment, morning by morning, one day at a time.

 

Sometimes, we'll get it wrong. Sometimes, we'll do it wrongly. "None are righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). So we all need Your mercy and grace to redeem the brokenness and failures of our lives. And we all need faith and hope and love to keep seeking You, listening for You, trusting and obeying You, as best as we can and all by Your grace. And I believe that if we do, no matter what, no matter whose fault or failure, You're still God and You still have a plan and a purpose for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).

 

Maybe the favored ones are the faithful ones. I don't mean faithful to always be right, to always be righteous or self-righteous, for none of us can be, but to be faithful to keeping seeking You to lead us and redeem us, to make beauty out of our ashes, to trust You to keep giving us hope with a future, bringing the fullness of salvation to ourselves and to others even out of the sinfulness and brokenness of our lives.  After all, it's only those who are forgiven much who can truly love much (Luke 7:47). And I want to spend my life loving much. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

 

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays   

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries ...

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God's glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision--

"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"

 

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting               859-317-1591      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

www.messiah-ministries.org

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

 

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries
"Preparing the Way of the Lord
... Ministering the Healing Love of God"
2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY 40502, USA
www.messiah-ministries.org