“The Beginning of the Birth Pangs” - March 21

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me start this new day centered in Christ, embraced by the Father, and filled with the Holy Spirit. …

“When He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs’” (Matthew 24:3-8).

It seems that much of this world is laboring in the throes of birth pangs. We’ve experienced wars and rumors of wars and famines and earthquakes in this broken and fallen world for thousands of years, yet it does seem the contractions are growing with both frequency and intensity. No one knows but the Father, the day and the hour when this age will end and the new age of the new heaven and new earth will begin (v. 24:36; Revelation 21:1). Regardless, our focus is not be on the end of days but on You. We’re not to be filled with fear, but with faith.

Let no one lead us astray. No government, no religion, no stockpile of emergency rations or precious metals can be our savior or messiah. That place in our hearts and lives is reserved for You alone. No matter what we may endure, You will be with us “always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And as we abide in You and You abide in us, You will be helping and healing, loving and leading, through us, as the hands and feet of the Body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ in this world throughout this age.

The nations may war and the seas may roar, but we will keep turning to You, trusting in You to be our Security and Savior. “The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt; the earth heaves before Him, the world and all who live in it…. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He protects those who take refuge in Him, even in the rushing flood” (Nahum 1:5-7).

Today is the day for each of us to find our refuge in You, because none of know what wars or storms tomorrow may hold. This age may come to an end for any of us, so let our hearts not be filled with fear of what may happen to our mortal bodies, but with the faith that assures us of the certainty of what will happen to our eternal souls. Even let the beginning of the birth pangs bring as many as will choose to humble themselves in trusting faith to enter into the new birth by Your Spirit (John 3:5). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, thank you for praying for us at The Fountain this weekend. We had salvation, healing, and deliverance, with testimonies of God's love and power all night! Come join us whenever you can on the 3rd Friday Night of every month, with believers from the different streams of the River of God in our city, and please keep us in prayer when you can't. I pray the same for you and the moving of God in your city! God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the daily journey of prayer!

Please let me know if you'd like to talk with me about supporting my ministry trip to Africa this summer to preach the gospel and minister the healing love of God to thousands in Kenya: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org


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Lips and Life Aligned - March 18

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be with me, before me, behind me. Be within me, beneath me, above me. Be on my right and on my left. Be my breadth, length, height, and depth. Be all around me, yet always calling me to more surrender to Your will and trust in Your ways. Be Lord of all my life. …

“Because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in Your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, ‘No one who believes in Him will be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on Him. For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Romans 10:9-13).

I do call on Your name. I do put my hope and trust in You alone for my salvation. But also let every area of my heart align with the words of my lips. Let me not say one thing and do another; let me not live one way when I’m with some people and another way when I’m with others. Let me be grow in the authenticity of my faith. Let my words reflect with integrity the nature of my heart.

This is the fullness of salvation—to join in the journey every day of continuing to choose the way of Christ. “But in your hearts, sanctify Christ as Lord” (1 Peter 3:15). That’s not just a prayer one day in a desperate moment of nowhere else to turn—though it can certainly begin there. It’s living a lifestyle of continuing to call on the name of the Lord, continuing to believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that I willingly choose to completely belong to You, out the deepest desires of my heart. “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). Lord, let my lips and life be aligned in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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


Come to the Fountain This Friday Night! March 18th, our Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship with the family of God as one, from many different churches and traditions under the name of Jesus. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters, to be refreshed and renewed in the Presence of God, as we worship Him and welcome Him to heal us and free us in spirit, soul, and body. We meet monthly in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, Kentucky at 7 PM. We have various worship leaders from our area lead us in worship each month and I'll be leading in prayer as Jennifer Warren leads in worship this month. All are welcome!

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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St. Patrick’s Prayer and God’s Power - March 17

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy are You, Lord, and worthy of all my praise and all my trust, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I commit this day and my life into Your hands. …

“My speech and my proclamations were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

As You walked this earth, everywhere You went, You were proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God and demonstrating the power of God by the Spirit of God (Acts 10:38). And so we are to follow “in (Your) steps,” with the authority of Your name in our words and the authenticity of Your nature in our hearts (1 Peter 2:21). That’s how You spread the love and power of God revealed in the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God through the apostle Paul. That’s how You spread that same love and power through the life and ministry of Saint Patrick, the evangelist who lead all of Ireland to Christ, with signs and wonders and miracles in the name of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, while living daily under threats of violence and murder from the pagan kings and their druidic witches. And that’s how You continue spread Your good news to move the hearts of men and women to embrace Your grace and Your love in trusting faith today.

Last night was an exciting night of evangelism in the love and power of the Spirit of God. I was really excited be invited to share the Alpha Course talk on the question “Does God heal today?” with the group from Embrace United Methodist Church in Lexington. They meet Sunday mornings in the old Kentucky Theater down in the heart of the city. And their evangelism team holds their ten week Alpha Course, discussing questions of faith with those who don’t yet believe, next to the bar at Casanova’s Italian Restaurant downtown—literally meeting people where they are, welcome to come as they are. (The owner even let one of the women who works in the bar join our discussion!).

It seemed every story I told seemed to touch some point in the life of one of the women there. I joined with her small group discussion table to pray for her after the talk. As in one of my stories, one of her legs was shorter than the other and she had lots of pain in her crooked hips and back. As we surrounded her in the love of God in prayer, she also began to release some deep emotional pain, as her muscles in her shoulders and back began to relax. In the hands of one of her Alpha friends, as we prayed for healing in the name of Jesus, her leg grew out! All her pain went away!

Though another man wasn’t healed last night from his double vision, his spiritual eyes were drawn closer to You, through the love of God he experienced through his friends, willing to risk disappointment, to pray for him. We’ll keep praying for him too, as Your Word compels us to pray for the healing of one another to be set free from suffering and sickness in the power and authority of Your name (James 5:13-18). I’m so glad we didn’t let disappointment keep us from continuing to pray last night or we would have surely missed the encounter and experience of Your joy as we prayed for the lady who’s leg grew out before our eyes.

So as all of the world join with the Irish to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day today, let them remember Saint Patrick as he truly was. He was a humble man filled with Your Holy Spirit, powerful faith, and a passion for Jesus, who led a nation to Christ, not merely with “plausible words of wisdom,” but with demonstrations of Your miraculous signs and healing power in the love of God. And so should we, in the ways You uniquely lead each of us and with the personality You’ve given each of us (John 20:21; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; John 14:12; Acts 4:30; etc.).

As Saint Patrick, Your healing evangelist and lover of people, passionately prayed: “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, my friends! Please keep my friends at Embrace Church, their evangelism team, and their Alpha Course in prayer with me, that every seeker would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior( www.facebook.com/EmbraceChurch ). Please pray for the Alpha Course at my home church, Centenary Church, as well. I'll be excited to give the talks on the Holy Spirit at the weekend retreat on their Course coming up soon ( www.CentenaryLex.org ).

Come to the Fountain This Friday Night! March 18th, our Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship with the family of God as one, from many different churches and traditions under the name of Jesus. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters, to be refreshed and renewed in the Presence of God, as we worship Him and welcome Him to heal us and free us in spirit, soul, and body. We meet monthly in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, Kentucky at 7 PM. We have various worship leaders from our area lead us in worship each month and I'll be leading in prayer as Jennifer Warren leads in worship this month. All are welcome!

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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Angels and Men Worshipping God - March 16

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today.  …

“For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten you?’ Or again, ‘I will be His Father and He will be My Son?’ And again, when He brings His firstborn into the world, He says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship Him.’ Of the angels, He says, ‘He makes His angels winds, and His servants flames of fire.’ But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of Your Kingdom’” (Hebrews 1:5-8).

I praise You, Lord, for Your holy angels. They move like the wind at the word of Your command and burn with fiery passion, releasing an atmosphere of worship and praise wherever they go. They are “spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (v. 1:14). They war in the heavenly realms against the spiritual forces of wickedness, that Your word and will may reach the hearts and minds of the sons and daughters of men (Daniel 10:13). They are near to Your throne, majestic in beauty, mighty in power, unseen by natural eyes, yet as real and present as the air we breathe.

But in all their beauty and power, they are not God. They bow down and worship the One Who is. They worship You in every dimension of Your being—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And out of their worship, they obey the King of Angels and the King of kings. You stretch forth Your scepter of righteousness and they go forth swiftly to battle for it in the earth, alongside the sons and daughters of God to display the righteousness of God in the earth (2 Corinthians 5:21). You send them forth to guard and protect those who are called by Your name and drawn near to Your Presence (Psalm 91:11-13).

Like the mighty angels, I worship You. We worship You and serve You together, as You send us forth at Your word and command to do Your bidding in the earth. As we minister and war together for You in the spirit on earth, so we will worship together before You in heaven forever and ever (Revelation 7:11). For “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

 

Come to the Fountain This Friday Night! March 18th, our Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship with the family of God as one, from many different churches and traditions under the name of Jesus. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters, to be refreshed and renewed in the Presence of God, as we worship Him and welcome Him to heal us and free us in spirit, soul, and body. We meet monthly in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, Kentucky at 7 PM. We have various worship leaders from our area lead us in worship each month and I'll be leading in prayer as Jennifer Warren leads in worship this month. All are welcome!

 

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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“By His Powerful Word” - March 15

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day centered in Christ, embraced by the Father, and filled with the Holy Spirit. …

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by the Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things, through Whom He also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and He sustains all things by His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

Lord Jesus, You perfectly reveal the Father’s heart in the Father’s Spirit, for You and the Father and the Holy Spirit are One (John 17:20-23). You sustain all things by Your powerful word. You created the worlds in the power of Your word. And You desire to speak Your word to our hearts to create our lives to be all You’ve intended them to be. We are to listen for Your leading, hear Your voice, and obey Your word (John 10:27). You are the Word of God (John 1:1).

As I wait on Your Spirit to speak Your word, it seems I hear You say: “My son, My son, you are a son of God, created to display My glory through your life. This is My heart for all My children. I in you and you in Me, one in the Spirit, one in the Lord. Yield your will to My will and I will cause your ways to align with My ways. Listen for My voice throughout the moments of your day, and I will say to your heart, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’”

Yes, Lord. Make me more sensitive. Help me take time to be more quiet and help me continue that quietness of spirit, attuned to Your Spirit, as I go about my day. I want to follow You, yielded to Your will, walking in Your ways. Correct me when I’m wrong, convict me when I sin, redirect me when stray. I want my journey through this time You’ve given me on earth to honor You and fulfill me.

Only by Your grace can I ever dream to “display (Your) glory” through my life, given all my sins and failures and insecurities along the way (Isaiah 61:3). But I praise God that I have Your grace to cover my sins, redeem my failures, and heal my insecurities as You choose to walk with me through this journey. So I choose, as best as I can and all by Your grace, to listen for Your powerful word and walk in the way that leads to the life You’ve intended for me and continue to create through me—step by step, morning by morning, day by day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Come to the Fountain This Friday Night! March 18th, our Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship with the family of God as one, from many different churches and traditions under the name of Jesus. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters, to be refreshed and renewed in the Presence of God, as we worship Him and welcome Him to heal us and free us in spirit, soul, and body. We meet monthly in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, Kentucky at 7 PM. We have various worship leaders from our area lead us in worship each month and I'll be leading in prayer. All are welcome!

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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All Changed in a Moment - March 11

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Rock, my Refuge, and my Redeemer. My hope and security is in You alone. …

“Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

Our world could all change in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Like the people of Japan, for whom our hearts grieve in the midst of their devastation, everything in our lives could suddenly be shaken to its core and washed away in a flood of overwhelming circumstances. Whether it’s a tear in the earth that unleashes a tsunami of water or a tear in our hearts that unleashes a tsunami of pain, whether it’s a meltdown of nuclear reactors or a meltdown of our hopes and dreams, our world can suddenly change without a moment’s notice.

But rather than withdraw in worry and fear or idly stand by, paralyzed in passive complacency, You call us to set things right now. Love well today, for there may not be a tomorrow. Give our hearts to You now, in humility and faith, for there may not be another chance. Let every moment of every day count, because our days may be shorter than we think and our time to make a difference may be running out faster than we imagine.

And each of us can make a difference wherever we are and whatever our circumstances. Each of our lives can count in what counts the most—for “the only thing that counts is faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). One day, our world as we know it, will end in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. So let us be found full of faith and full of love. Let us not shrink back in fear, but keep pressing on and pressing in with the time we have. Let us not hold back, but keep giving You all we have, as best as we can and all by Your grace. By the power of the love of God living through us, the moments we have can matter and our lives can count for the things that really matter. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, thank you for keeping us in prayer at our School of Spiritual Ministry last week. The Lord's Presence with us was incredibly thick, as the Holy Spirit moved mightily among us in deep healing and freedom, as well as equipping and anointing for ministry to others. We had many testimonies of great breakthroughs, especially in deep places of inner healing from wounds and bondage of the past.

DVDs are available for you to experience the teaching and ministry from our Schools and Healing Prayer Weekends if you're not able to join us here in Lexington. And you can make plans not to come join us for our upcoming schools in May and August, or our monthly healing service, The Fountain, on the 3rd Friday Night of every month:
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

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Turn-around God - March 11

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be glorified in my heart and through my life today. …

“Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as He is doing today” (Genesis 50:20).

You are the turn-around God. You turn all things around for good if we will entrust them to You. What people intend for harm, You will use for good. What the devil intends for evil, You will use for good. Even the heartaches and sufferings, the sins and failures of our broken lives, You will cleanse in Your blood, refine in Your fire, and shape with Your hands to create beauty from the ashes and treasure from the trash.

That’s all part of how You cause all things to work together for good, if we’ll humble ourselves to call upon Your name and entrust all things to Your care (Romans 8:28). You don’t will all things—You never will the sin, the evil, the injustices, the cruelties of this broken and fallen world, suffering under the oppression and rage of the one You called “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31). But You will use all things—even using the very injustices and sufferings we endure to prepare us and purify us to rule and reign with You as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” in Christ (1 Peter 2:9). That’s part of how Your conform us to the nature of the kingdom of God, as Your kingdom comes in us and Your will is done through us, that kingdoms of this world may become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15).

Turn-around God, turn around my life. Turn around my heart, my attitude, my perspective from everything that’s anything less than all You intend for me. Keep turning me away for the world, the flesh, and the devil and keep turning me to You, every moment of every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer the next 4 days for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry – Level 1, that I’ll be leading on behalf of Messiah Ministries at our home base city of Lexington, Kentucky ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). Please make plans to join us for the next one! DVDs can be ordered from our web site of our School and other events.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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Spirit of Humility - March 10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as You guide my steps throughout my day. …

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, Who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born of human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

You humbled Yourself. You became obedient to the point of death. As the Son of Man, in human form, You only did what the Father told You to do; You only said what the Father told You to say. You surrendered Your will to the Father’s will and Your ways to the Father’s ways. You willingly chose to be desperately dependent upon God alone. That’s our living example of true humility.

Only Your Spirit can give us that spirit. Everything in us resists humility. Everything in us, apart from You, wants our will and our way and our time. Which is the living example of human pride. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). And how we need the power of Your grace in every area of our lives.

We can’t afford the price of pride—the heart of pride that says, “I’m gonna do what I wanna do, when I wann do it and however I wanna do it. I’m gonna do whatever I think I need to do to take care of myself because I’m not trusting God or anybody else to take care of me. It’s all up to me.”

Pride blocks Your grace. Pride leaves us to fend for ourselves. And Your spiritual principles have a way how well that’s working for us. Pride goes before a fall. And sooner or later, we find ourselves falling to our knees, humbled again in the sight of the Lord. But in Your steadfast love and tender mercy for each one of us, You even turn that around to work for our good. Because it’s when we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord that You lift us up (James 4:10). Lord, give me grace to embrace Your Spirit of humility, to have this mind that was in You, Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer the next 4 days for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry – Level 1, that I’ll be leading on behalf of Messiah Ministries at our home base city of Lexington, Kentucky ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). With our other students, we’re very excited to have with us a team of leaders from The Refuge for Women, a local ministry we’ve partnered with for healing prayer ministry to women being rescued from the adult entertainment industry ( www.refugeforwomen.org ). Please keep their ministry in your prayers as well.

DVDs can be ordered from our web site of our School and other events.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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Forty Days of Preparing the Way of the Lord - March 9

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I give all that I am to all that You are. …

“In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke, when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight’ ” (Matthew 3:1-3).

These are days of preparation. Today begins a season of forty days between Ash Wednesday and Resurrection Sunday, not counting the Sabbath days, in a traditional spiritual journey of the Body of Christ since the beginning days of Your Church. As the Holy Spirit led You into the wilderness for forty days between Your baptism in the Holy Spirit and the beginning of Your ministry in the power of the Spirit, so Your Spirit leads us into seasons of purging, purification, and preparation (Matthew 3:13 through 4:17; Luke 4:1-21).

These are days to be emptied of ourselves and filled with You. These are days of preparing the way of the Lord in “spirit and soul and body,” that we may “be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” as Your Spirit sanctifies and fills our hearts to the degree that we sanctify and set apart our lives to Your will (1 Thessalonians 5:23). “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” ready to take hold of our hearts to the degree that we offer our hearts to You, “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

In these days of fasting and prayer and preparation, let it be more than ritual or tradition. Let it be a deeper surrender of our hearts to Your heart—rending our hearts and not our garments—making room for more of You and less of us, more of Your will and less of our will, apart from Your will for our lives (Joel 2:13). Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done in a deeper way, to a deeper degree, than ever before in our own hearts and in the heart of the Body of Christ. Prepare the way of the Lord in us. Prepare the way of the Lord in me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

My friend, I pray this will be a holy time throughout these next forty days until the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Let's pray for one another and for the Body of Christ to grow and grace and depth of spiritual maturity, choosing to be more deeply surrendered and committed to the way of the Lord in our lives than ever before. Thank you for joining with me in the journey of prayer. God bless you!

Friends, please keep us in prayer the next 4 days for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 1, that I'll be leading on behalf of Messiah Ministries at our home base city of Lexington, Kentucky ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). With our other students, we're very excited to have with us a team of leaders from The Refuge for Women, a local ministry we've partnered with for healing prayer ministry to women being rescued from the adult entertainment industry ( www.refugeforwomen.org ). Please keep their ministry in your prayers as well.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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To Give to the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute

Mardi Gra and Much Grace - March 8

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Bright Morning Star, point the way, as I set the course for my day in this morning time with You. …

“The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to His disciples, saying, ‘Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus, answered, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.’ Then they said to Him, ‘John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but Your disciples eat and drink.’ Jesus said to them, ‘You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and they will fast in those days’ ” (Luke 5:30-35).

Around the world, this day is known by such names as Mardi Gra, Fat Tuesday, Carnival. It’s the day before Ash Wednesday, the day before the season of fasting and preparation during the days of Lent to remember Your journey to the cross. Many will celebrate wildly throughout this day and night, with much eating and drinking, loosely based on the historical idea that there’s a day tomorrow for repentance in ashes for the deeds of the flesh done tonight. It’s the idea that there’s much grace for all the sins of Mardi Gra. And I find myself thinking of things I may want to enjoy for the last time for a long time during the next forty days of fasting and prayer, leading to the holy days when we remember Your sacrifice and celebrate Your resurrection.

For most, the extravagant indulgences of this day in the flesh will have nothing to do with a season of sacrifice in preparation of the spirit. It’s just another excuse for a good party. But even for those who are called by Your name, how often do we also presume upon You grace? How often do we sin like the world and live like the devil, presuming upon the promise that our salvation is secure, so we can do as we please with no fear of the Lord?

How often do we lean upon the premise that “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound?” (Romans 5:20, KJV) And in our hurry to embrace the extravagance of Your grace, we forget Your answer to that question: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?… [W]e also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1-4, KJV).

Lord, thank You for Your steadfast love and all Your mercy. Thank You for Your cross that cleanses my sin in the blood of Your sacrifice. And thank You for Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of Christ within me, Who honestly reveals to me my temptations, Who loving convicts me of my sins, Who faithfully leads me to my Savior, and Who persistently points me in the way that leads to newness of life.

I’m so glad that Your “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). But free me each day from the temptation to presume upon Your mercy and love. It’s out of that love that You died for us that we might live for You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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


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Deep to Deep March 7

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me into the deep place of communion in prayer, as I begin my day with You. …

“Deep call to deep …. By day the Lord commands His steadfast love, and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life” (Psalm 42:7-8).

Down deep within, I hear Your Spirit forming a prayer and singing a song to the God of my life. ...

Deep to deep
Draw me in
Fill me up
Awake my soul

Look inside
Search me out
Lift me up
Make me whole

I am Yours
You are mine
Another day
Here we go

Take my life
A sacrifice
Living light
Let it show

Fall like rain
Well up in me
Living Water
Let It flow

Yes to You
With all I am
But to the world
I say no

Speak Your word
And it is done
I have no doubt
It is so

My deepest prayer
My deep desire
To know Your love
And let it grow

For You are God
And I’m Your child
You abide in me
Forevermore

Deep to deep
Draw me in
Fill me up
Awake my soul


Thank You, Lord, for this new song You’ve written on my heart and stirred in my spirit. As You move in the deep places of my heart, You take me into deeper places in You. As I abide in You, You abide in me (John 15:4). This is Your deep desire (John 17:20-26). A
And by the power of Your grace and the mystery of faith, I know You are with me this day and forevermore. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Thank you for joining with me in this daily journey of prayer. May we grow more deeply in the knowledge of God's mercy, truth, power, and love every day. May He use our lives to draw those around us into that deep place of His Presence so they can also abide forever with Him. God bless you, my friend!


To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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“Blessed Hope” - March 4

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Show me the way to live my life in Your truth today. …

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is He Who gave Himself up for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:11-14).

If I’m really honest with You and honest with myself, I have to admit there’s still much in me that’s not yet like You. In my thoughts and desires, there remains much of the impieties and passions of this world. But at the same time, I can honestly say that I do desire to be more like You each day. So I am asking You to put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. I want to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

In the power of Your grace, I want to be “zealous for good deeds” that comes out of a heart that’s been changed and a mind that’s been renewed—not just trying to do good deeds because I’ll feel good if I do and bad if I don’t, but because that’s become my nature. “For it is God Who is at work in (me), enabling (me) both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). I want to be one of those redeemed by Your blood and purified by Your fire, shining as one of Your lights in the midst of the darkness of this broken and fallen world (Philippians 2:15). That’s my “blessed hope” in the power of the grace of God.

I have far to go, but at least You’ve set my heart and my feet upon this journey. Keep me from turning back or turning aside. Keep me from being a hypocrite that prays one thing in the morning and then does another thing when I come out of my prayer closet and into the world. Keep me “holding fast to the Word of Life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” (Philippians 2:16). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, yesterday we prayed for God's healing and deliverance with a young man entering rehab today from heroine addiction and self-destruction. I was humbly reminded how we all need Jesus--no matter how much our lives have fallen apart or how much we think we're holding it together. Each of us could say, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." I pray for the fullness of God's salvation and grace in your life today, in Jesus' name. God bless you and thank you for joining with me on the journey of prayer.


The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Equipping, Training, Impartation for Healing Prayer Ministry
Friends, please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive School of Ministry that I'll be leading in March in Lexington ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). Scholarships are available as needed.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home - bottom left corner

Stir the Waters - March 3

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit—help me start this day well and live this day well, all in the power of Your grace. …

“Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Bethesda, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed, (waiting for the stirring of the water; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well from whatever disease that person had). One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus say him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well? The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk” (John 5:2-9).

Many wait for the stirring of the waters, longing to be healed. Many seek angels, miracles, medicines, charms, or whatever means men and women may find to give them hope of change. But You are the One who stirs our heart and awakens our spirit. You call us to rise and be made whole, to be set free.

One moment in Your Presence can change us forever. But it’s the promise of Your Presence with us every moment of every day that give us the hope to rise and walk in faith through a world filled with injustice and indifference. You are with us always (Matthew 28:18). You abide in us, as we abide in You (John 15:4). You fill us with Your Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). And You empower us for our journey (Luke 9:1). As You forgive us and heal us and free us, You send us to share the hope in our hearts to stir up that hope for change in the hearts of others (Matthew 10:8).

Lord, stir the waters of my heart today. Thank You for all the forgiveness, healing, and freedom in my life. Thank You for encouraging me and empowering me to share Your hope and the power of Your love wherever You send me, as I rise up and walk out my journey today and every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, for those who can’t join us in Lexington next week for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry, you can order it from our web site in DVD or CD format, for personal or group study ( www.messiah-ministries.org/resources ). This 4 day School is based on the spiritual principles and practical applications from my book Free to Be Like Jesus – Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance, Holy Fire Publishing ( www.messiah-ministries.org/resources ). Come join us for Level 1 or Level 2 whenever you can or join us by dvd if you can’t. Please keep us in prayer next week, as the Holy Spirit equips the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11). God bless you!

The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry – Equipping, Training, Impartation for Healing Prayer Ministry ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ).
Friends, please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive School of Ministry that I’ll be leading in March in Lexington. Scholarships are available as needed, so all can attend.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home – bottom left corner

“Brighter and Brighter Until Full Day” - March 2

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be Thou my Vision, O Lord, my God. …

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day…. My child, be attentive to My words; incline your ear to My sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:18-23).

If I’m walking in Your path, my way will become brighter and brighter. If I’m attentive to Your words, my choices will become clearer and clearer. If I’m listening for Your voice, my distractions will grow fewer and fewer. So help me keep my heart turned to You, guarding it with all vigilance by offering it with all diligence. Then Your Spirit of Life, like springs of life and rivers of living water, will flow from my heart freer and freer.

My will is mine, but my heart is Yours
So take my will and make it Yours
My life is my own, but I give it to You
So take my life and make it Yours
Morning by Morning, moment by moment
May I learn to walk in the will and the way of the One Who is my Life
Until the Light of my dawn shines like the sun at full day


In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

For those who can't join us in Lexington next week for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry, you can order it from our web site in DVD or CD format, for personal or group study ( www.messiah-ministries.org/resources ). This 4 day School is based on the spiritual principles and practical applications from my book Free to Be Like Jesus - Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance, Holy Fire Publishing ( www.messiah-ministries.org/resources ). Come join us for Level 1 or Level 2 whenever you can or join us by dvd if you can't. Please keep us in prayer next week, as the Holy Spirit equips the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11). God bless you!

The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Equipping, Training, Impartation for Healing Prayer Ministry
Friends, please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive School of Ministry that I'll be leading in March in Lexington ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). Scholarships are available as needed.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home - bottom left corner

“Ready to Be Sought Out” in Love - March 1

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord and Savior, Healer and Deliverer, Mighty God and Best Friend. …

“I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here I am, Here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on My name. I held out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; a people who provoke Me to My face continually…” (Isaiah 65:1-3).

You created us for relationship. It’s Your nature to love us, to call out to us, to want to spend time with us, “for God is love” (1 John 4:8). And love requires relationship. A relationship of love requires the freedom to accept that love or reject it, to embrace the love that’s offered or rebel against it. Love is willing to risk the pain of being spurned for the sake of the joy of being accepted. Love can do no other and still be love.

I know every morning, You wait for me to seek You ought. I know throughout my day, You long for me to call on Your name and follow the leading of Your voice. I know when I come to the end and lay down to sleep, You listen for me to confess my sins and celebrate my joys with the One Who’s been with me through every moment but wants me to acknowledge Your Presence.

Forgive me when I’ve turned away in rebellion or looked away with indifference. Forgive me when I’ve chosen to walk in my own ways and follow my own devices, instead of Yours. Forgive me when provoked You or spurned You or just failed to fully honor You and acknowledge You in all my ways. Forgive me and my nation, especially all who are called by Your name and have received the gift of Your salvation without remembering to thank the Giver for all Your blessings of mercy and grace. Forgive me and my nation where we’ve taken our inheritance and our heritage for granted.

O Lord, let us remember “the God of faithfulness” and be faithful to You alone, with all our hearts, once again (Isaiah 65:16). Let us not be among those “who have abandoned the love (we) had at first” (Revelation 2:4). Let us not be among those whose love “will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). You are here, with us always, saying, “Here I am. Remember Me. Turn to Me. Welcome Me. Embrace Me. Follow Me. Love Me, for I love you.” Lord, I love You too. And by Your grace, let my life express my love. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, I praise God for the encouraging news we received yesterday that a ministry in Australia ordered 100 of my books, Free to Be Like Jesus - Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance! This book is my expression of the spiritual principles of healing prayer ministry and living life as a disciple of Christ from my first 13 years of ministry. You can order my books and the other CDs, DVDs, and resources for spiritual transformation at www.messiah-ministries.org/resources All proceeds go toward the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries--"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God

The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Equipping, Training, Impartation for Healing Prayer Ministry
Friends, please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive School of Ministry that I'll be leading in March in Lexington ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). Scholarships are available as needed.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home - bottom left corner

“March On, My Soul, with Might!” - Feb 28

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Great and awesome are You, O God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Mighty is Your name and worthy of all praise. …

“Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the Lord I will sing, I will make melody to the God of Israel. Lord, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the region of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens poured, the clouds indeed poured water. The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel” (Judges 5:3-5).

I awoke this morning to the earth trembling, to the heavens pouring. As I rise to pray and look out over the woods, I see flashes of lighting and rolls of thunder. I think of Your mighty power, as creation displays Your glory. As the windows rattle, I’m stirred in the fear of the Lord, even as Your Holy Spirit is drawing me near and deep into the communion of prayer in the intimacy of the Lord. Mighty are You, O Lord. Holy is Your name.

As kings go out to war, so the majesty of Your Word and the power of Your Presence go forth unto battle, marching against the forces of darkness. Let the forces of hell tremble at Your Presence, the forces of flesh bow at Your Word. Let men and women turn to You and call on Your name, holding fast to the One Who cannot be shaken, Whose Kingdom has no end.

Though the heavens may tremble and the earth may shake, I will fear neither the fallen creation nor the dark “ruler of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). I will fear You alone, O Lord, my God. You’ve not given me a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of love and power and sound a mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

And as You arise to march out to battle, may Your Spirit arise in me and in the people of God this day, as we praise You and follow You into the battles in the Spirit You’ve purposed for us to fight and win today. “My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the Lord! … Tell of it…. To the sound of musicians … there they repeat the triumphs of the Lord… Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord” (Judges 5:9-11).

Together in the Spirit, we gather in prayer and we go forth, each in the way that You would lead, into the victories of God decreed for our day. “March on, my soul, with might!”—the mighty power of the Lord, stirring in me and in the people of God (Judges 5:21). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, I'm excited that several leaders from the Refuge for Women will be joining us for our School of Spiritual Ministry next week in Lexington ( www.refugeforwomen.org ). You're welcome to join us as well! for this 4 Day School to known our identity and authority in Christ, preparing for minister in the love and power of the Lord in the opportunities He brings across our paths.


The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Equipping, Training, Impartation for Healing Prayer Ministry
Friends, please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive School of Ministry that I'll be leading in March in Lexington ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). Scholarships are available as needed.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home - bottom left corner

Fresh Hot Bread - Feb 25

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up, here in my heart and throughout the moments of my day. …

“David came to Nob to the priest Ahimelech …. ‘Now then, what have you at hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.’ The priest answered David, ‘I have no ordinary bread at hand, only holy bread ….’ So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day that it is taken away” (1 Samuel 21:1-6).

David was on the run for his life. His enemy was a powerful king, once anointed by God, but now turned away from ruling in righteousness to wickedness and evil, in rebellion against God and in hatred of the servant of God (1 Samuel 18:8-11). And David ran to the Tabernacle to find bread to strengthen himself and his men to continue their journey and their fight for survival in a kindgom that was set against them until the day You restored order to the land and established David in his rightful place of authority. In the Tabernacle of Your Presence, David found bread and a sword (v. 21:8-9).

As with David, so we are also in a battle for survival in a foreign land, held “in bondage to decay” by a wicked ruler Your Word calls “the god of this age” and “the ruler of this world” (Romans 8:21; 2 Corinthians 4:4; John 16:11). And in the unfolding sovereignty of Your will, through Your servants of the faith, You are restoring order to the land and establishing Your sons and daughters in their rightful place of authority, with the Spirit of Christ in our hearts and the calling of God upon our lives (Revelation 11:15; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Corinthians 6:3).

In this process of transformation of the kingdoms of this world into the kingdoms of our God and Christ, “until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through His holy prophets,” we need strength for the journey and weapons for our warfare (Acts 3:21). You are “the Bread of Life” (John 6:35). And Your Word is our “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17).

Every day of this journey, every day of this spiritual fight, we need Your Fresh Bread. And as we take and eat, It is continually replaced. You keep making us hungry for more—more of Your Word, more of Your Presence, more of You. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Let me be filled today and every day of this journey with Your Fresh Hot Bread. Let Your Word be my weapon, as You daily strengthen me for battle in the advancement of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, Tonight I’ll be preaching the monthly healing service at Pfrimmer’s Chapel United Methodist Church, led by my great friend Pastor Tim Johnson. Please pray for us and come join us if you’re in the Louisville, KY/Southern Indiana area ( www.pfrimmerschapel.org ).

The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry – Equipping, Training, Impartation for Healing Prayer Ministry
Please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive School of Ministry that I’ll be leading in March in Lexington ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). Scholarships are available as needed.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home – bottom left corner

“A Little Lower than God” - Feb 24

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day and every day centered in Christ, embraced by the Father, and filled with the Holy Spirit. …

“When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars that You have established; what are human beings that You are mindful of them, mortals that You care for them? Yet You have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under their feet…. O Lord, Our Sovereign, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:3-9)

In Your sovereignty, You’ve created us in Your image. In Your grace, You’ve called us Your children. In Your mercy, You’re mindful of every thought in our minds and every desire in our hearts. In Your humility, You’ve entrusted dominion over the works of Your hands into our care. In Your audacity, You’ve made us “a little lower than God.”

How majestic is Your name; how marvelous are Your ways; how amazing is Your grace?

Though “all our righteous deeds are as a filthy cloth” compared to the glory and goodness of Your nature, You have chosen to crown us “with glory and honor” (Isaiah 64:6). Though we sin so often and fall so short of the glory of God, You continually forgive us and cleanse us and call us “the righteousness of God” through the blood of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Though You know our struggles with selfishness and pride, with false humility and self-righteousness, with insecurity and control, You impart to us Your “power and authority” to “proclaim the Kingdom of God” and to be Your “ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us” (Luke 9:1; 2 Corinthians 5:20).

O Lord, give us the power of Your grace and the mercy of Your love to live up to Your expectations. Forgive us when we fail. Encourage us when we doubt. Remind us when we forget. This is Your heart—for us to see ourselves as we are, as You have created us to be. “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom He predestined He also called; and those whom He called He also justified; and those whom He justified He also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30).

In the purposes of Your plans and the sovereignty of Your will, we are all called by grace, created for glory, and predestined for greatness (John 3:16; Romans 11:32; 2 Peter 3:9). All is available for “whosoever will” (Revelation 22:17, KJV). “We are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:16-17). O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, Friday Night I'll be preaching the monthly healing service at Pfrimmer's Chapel United Methodist Church, led by my great friend Pastor Tim Johnson. Please pray for us and come join us if you're in the Louisville, KY/Southern Indiana area ( www.pfrimmerschapel.org ).

The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Equipping, Training, Impartation for Healing Prayer Ministry
Please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive School of Ministry that I'll be leading in March in Lexington ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). Scholarships are available as needed.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home - bottom left corner

Break Out and Break Through - Feb 23

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. I welcome You, Lord God, in every dimension of Your Being into every dimension of my being. …

“I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob, I will gather the survivors of Israel, I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture; it will resound with people. The one who breaks out will go up before them; they will break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king will pass on before them, the Lord at their head” (Micah 2:12-13).

Your covenants are forever; Your promises are everlasting. Despite our sins that would divide us from Your blessings, You are constantly calling us back, calling us near. Like Israel, there will always be a remnant who will turn to You, receiving Your mercy, and embracing Your love. Like Israel, there will always be those who survive the consequences and devastations of our own sins and the sins of those around us to be gathered again into Your arms through the gate of repentance.

Lord, give me a repentant heart—a heart continually turning away from my sin and toward Your holiness. When I’m overwhelmed or overcome by the temptations and pressures of the world, the flesh, and the devil, let me hear Your voice calling me near. Let me break out of the snare of the enemy and the bondage of sin. Let me break through the walls that would divide me from Your will and go out through the gate You’ve opened up in the walls by the power of the blood of the Lamb, preparing the way of escape.

You’re not only on the other side of that wall, calling me back, You’re also on this side of the wall leading me through. You are the King who leads Your people home, passing on before them. You are the Lord who leads us through the gate of repentance and grace. You are the Gate itself. As You said long ago, “I Am the Gate. Whoever enters by Me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:9-10).

I want to be among Your remnant, among Your survivors, who live to fight another day, who live to die to themselves another day. I want to be among those who hear Your voice and turn from their sins and enter through Your Gate into the pastures of Your will. I need Your mercy and grace that flows out of Your steadfast love to all who will allow You to gather them up and bring them close. So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to rise up and break out and break through, following You, my King and my Lord, through the Gate of the One who’s made a way through Your mercy and love. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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


The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Equipping, Training, Impartation for Healing Prayer Ministry
Friends, please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive School of Ministry that I'll be leading in March in Lexington ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). Scholarships are available as needed.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home - bottom left corner

“With My Whole Heart” - Feb 22

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and wait on Your Spirit to move in my heart in prayer. …



“I give You thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing Your praise; I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness; for Your have exalted Your name and Your word above everything (Psalm 138:1-2).



Let me hold nothing back. Let me look to nothing else. Let me trust in You alone for all I need with all I am—with my whole heart. Before the gods—before everything else that would seek my praise, that would seek to be my master and lord—I sing Your praise; I bow before Your name. Your name and Your word are my Master and Lord.



You are steadfast in Your love, faithful to Your promises, worthy of my trust. Help me trust You more; help me love You more. Bring me to the place of uncompromising confidence and unyielding assurance in Your good heart towards me and my trusting heart towards You. Bring me to the place where it can truly be said of me that I “love the Lord, (my) God with all (my) heart, with all (my) soul, and with all (my) might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). That’s the place where I’ll love You and trust You “above everything.” That’s the place where I’ll love You and trust You “with my whole heart.” And that’s the only place I want to be. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.



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



The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Equipping, Training, Impartation for Healing Prayer Ministry
Friends, please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive School of Ministry that I'll be leading in March in Lexington ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). Scholarships are available as needed.

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The Protocol of the King - Feb 21

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I commit myself and my day into Your hands. …

“Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great; for it is better to be told, ‘Come up here,’ than to be put lower in the presence of a noble” (Proverbs 25:6-7).

The kings of the earth have their procedures and protocols. They take their places of power and authority, allowing only those whom they will to draw close and near. But You, O Lord, are the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to You (Matthew 28:18). Before You all the kings and nobles of the earth must bow at Your name (Philippians 2:9-11). You alone open the gate of Your kingdom and invite Your guests to come dine at Your table (Revelation 19:9).

And this is Your procedure; this is Your protocol: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you” (James 4:8-10). “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with Me” (Revelation 3:20). “Come up here ...” (Revelation 4:1). “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

You are my King. And You welcome me every moment of every day into Your Presence. You bend low and gather me close and lift me up into Your arms. You prepare a place for me at Your table, even in the very presence of my enemies, continually offering me the cup of Your salvation and the bread of heaven. You steadily speak to my spirit, “Come up here with me, My son, My beloved; You are always welcome with Me—you in Me and I in you, by the ever-abiding Presence of My Spirit within you.”

So I hear and so I come. So I bow low and allow You to lift me up. So I draw near and embrace Your arms, drawing me near to You—in both deep humility and with great boldness, in both the reverence of the fear of the Lord and in the intimacy of the tenderness of Your mercies. I’m a son of the King. And I always have place in Your heart and at Your table that You prepared for me from before the foundations of the earth. Praise Your holy name! It’s so much more than I could ever deserve. It’s so much more that I can even imagine. So I’m not trying to figure it all out, I’m just trying to receive this gift You so graciously want me to have. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry
( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ) coming up in March in Lexington.

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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Finding “Great and Hidden Things” - Feb 18

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You’re mighty to save, tender to speak, and compassionate to care.  …

“The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah …. Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name:  Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:1-4).

You want me to seek You, to call to You, to ask of You, to depend on You. It’s part of the personal relationship You invite me to develop with You. When I search for You with all my heart, that’s when I find You. As You’ve said in Your Word, “When you call upon Me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek Me with all your heart, I will let you find Me” (v. 29:12-14).

Of course, I don’t search for You because You are lost. I search for You because You’re always drawing me to a deeper relationship with You. There’s always more—more intimacy, more sensitivity, more accuracy. And You’ve not hidden from me because You don’t want to be found. You’ve hidden from me because Your relationship with me is a journey, not just a destination. It’s an adventure, not just an encounter. It’s a moment by moment anticipation of what comes next, not just a memory of the moments that have happened long ago.

And on the journey of this adventure, You’ve purposefully hidden things from me—truths about Your world, Your nature, and myself, that I don’t yet know, but that You want me to discover. It’s like playing hide-and-seek and I’m “it.” It’s like playing peek-a-boo and You’re the face that’s always watching, even when I think You’re not, ready to answer when I call, “I see you.”

These hidden treasures are nuggets of gold—the gold of the glory of Your Presence, the gold of the wisdom You’ve stored up for the righteous, the gold of the spiritual truths that allow my life to align with Your will and Your ways so that all will be well with my soul, as I journey with You through the adventures of this world. “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out” (Proverbs 25:2).

Thank You for the joy of adventure. Thank You for making this journey interesting and exciting. Thank You for making me hungry to hear Your voice, to find You when I search for You, to discover the hidden things I did not know. What hidden treasures have You buried for me to find today? What will You speak to me as I listen for voice throughout the moments of my day? I can’t wait to see. I can’t wait to hear. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries’ 4 Day Intensive Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry
( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ) coming up in March. And please come join our ministry for The Fountain this Friday Night at 7 PM, our monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ).

“Especially that You may Prophesy” Feb 17

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help listen to hear, then pray what You say, then do what You will. …

“Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy…. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and be encouraged” (1 Corinthians 14:1-31).

How exciting to be among a people hungry to learn the deep things of God. How beautiful to see the Body of Christ seeking to become all You’ve created us to be. This week, I’m thrilled to be one of Your teachers at “The Methodist School for Supernatural Ministry” hosted by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries near Nashville, Tennessee. This second session for the next few days focuses on Your desire and anointing for all Your children to learn to flow in the spiritual gift of prophecy—to hear and express the heart of the Lord for one another.

You call us to “pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts.” Why? Because You love each one of us and You also desire to express Your love for each one of us through one another. The spiritual gifts are a means of Your expression of Your love for us, each with their own purpose. You call us to “especially” strive for the spiritual gift of prophecy. Why? Because You desire us to prophesy the words of Your heart into the hearts of one another, by the leading of Your Spirit for that moment in their life. “Those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation” (v. 14:3). “He who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men” (v. 14:3, NKJV).

So let us not be afraid to hear what You say or to say what we hear. “We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:26, NKJV). So it is with prophecy. We don’t know how to prophesy as we ought, but the same Holy Spirit intercedes for us, knowing the heart of God and then expressing it through us into the heart of another. As Your Word encourages us: “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 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).

The spiritual gift of prophecy is just another one of the marvelous ways You awaken our souls to sing the song of our lives. Teach us how to humble ourselves to listen and then give us faith to pray what You give us to pray and say what You give us to say into the lives of those You desire encourage and comfort in Your love, with the heart of the Father, the mind of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s a beautiful and powerful gift Your Word commands us to pursue and learn how to use as an expression of the power of Your love for each one of us. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer, as I teach with the team at the Methodist School for Supernatural Ministry with Aldersgate Renewal Ministries near Nashville, TN the rest of this week ( http://www.aldersgaterenewal.org/ministry-events/arc-events/methodist-school-for-supernatural ). Almost a hundred students from the Methodist stream of the Body of Christ have come form across the country to grow in their spiritual gifts and ministry. Please pray for awakening and revival in this stream and all streams of the Body of Christ until the River of Life flowing freely and mightily through us all as one!

Please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next Messiah Ministries' 4 Day Intensive Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry
( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ) coming up in March. And please come join our ministry for The Fountain this Friday Night at 7 PM, our monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ).


I was just invited to minister in Africa this summer! Please join with me in prayer for the plans to join with Wesley Paul International Ministries for this Festival Campaign in Kenya in August ( www.wesleypaul.org ). Dr. Wesley Paul has invited me to preach at the pre-festival city revivals, a pastors’ conference, and the main festival, with other settings of healing and deliverance prayer ministry. We need to make provision in my calendar and finances, but I strongly believe the Lord is providing for this. Please let us know if you’d like to be a part of this mission in prayer or financial provision. I’m excited to see what God will do!

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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“Make Known His Deeds Among the Nations” - Feb 16

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, be Lord of my life and Lord of my day. …

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known His deeds among the nations; proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in Your midst is the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 12:3-6).

As I hung up the phone last night, joy began to bubble up and flow out of me like a water fountain. I found myself smiling bigger and broader than I can remember in a long time. With those tears of joy that suddenly rise up and gush out like a flash flood, I couldn’t quit saying, “Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord!” I was actually surprised by the depths of joy flooding my soul.

Why? What made me so happy? It actually wasn’t some personal experience, some extravagant gift, not even some big check in the mail. It was an invitation to go preach and pray and minister the healing love of God in Africa this summer. You’ve sent me to many nations many times. But You’ve never sent me to Africa before. I’ve longed for it and prayed for it, but I’ve also known to wait for it—for it to be in Your time and in Your way. I’ve known not to try to push those doors open myself, but to wait for You to open them wide when You were ready and when You said I was ready. And now, it seems, that day has come!

I’ve been reading the autobiography of Rheinhard Bonnke, and of his humble beginnings but deep passion to see all of Africa saved. And he has seen millions upon millions come to faith in Christ, with mighty displays of Your love and power and glory everywhere You send him. And with every sentence of the book, I’ve yearned to go there and be a part of Your story of turning a continent to the mercy of Your love—“From Cape Town to Cairo, all Africa shall be saved!”

You’ve not diminished my passion for the people of India, Pakistan, Estonia, France, England, Wales, Brazil, the Philippines, Costa Rica,Israel, America and every other place You’ve ever sent me and continue to remind me to pray for the fullness of Your salvation in their lives. But You’ve also been stirring this intensifying, burning passion in my heart for the people of Africa as well.

Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to be part of drawing Your living waters from the wells of Your salvation to offer the nations of the world a deep drink of Your mercy and love. Thank You, Lord, for letting me be a part of Your end-time mandate: “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) In the joy of the Lord, with thanksgiving and praise, I will proclaim Your name and make known Your deeds among the nations of the earth, at home and abroad—and now, by this gift of Your grace to me, Your son, even among the people of the nations of Africa. Thank You, Lord! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please join with me in prayer for the plans to join with Wesley Paul International Ministries for this Festival Campaign in Kenya in August ( www.wesleypaul.org ). Dr. Wesley Paul has invited me to preach at the pre-festival city revivals, a pastors' conference, and the main festival, with other settings of healing and deliverance prayer ministry. We need to make provision in my calendar and finances, but I strongly believe the Lord is providing for this. Please let us know if you'd like to be a part of this mission in prayer or financial provision. I'm excited to see what God will do!

Please come join us and spread the word with someone who may be interested for our next 4 Day Intensive Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry
( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ) coming up in March. And please come join us for The Fountain this Friday Night at 7 PM, our monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship
( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ).

And please keep us in prayer, as I go to teach at the Methodist School for Supernatural Ministry with Aldersgate Renewal Ministries near Nashville, TN the rest of this week ( http://www.aldersgaterenewal.org/ministry-events/arc-events/methodist-school-for-supernatural ). God bless you!

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
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Giving from the Heart - Feb 15

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I give You my spirit, soul, and body. I am Yours and You are mine. …

“When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they might invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the cripple, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:12-14).

How much of what I do, do I do for what may be done for me? How much of what I give, do I give for what may be given to me? How truly generous am I? How truly selfless am I? And by the same measure, how truly selfish am I—ultimately thinking of myself even when I appear, even to myself, to be thinking of others?

It’s true that I’ll always receive more that what I give. That’s one of Your spiritual laws (Luke 6:38). It’s true that whatever I sow in good soil will always bring back a harvest of more than what I’ve sown. That’s one of Your spiritual laws too (Luke 8:8). But should I give, should I sow, because I know how to work the system? Because I know how to get what I need? Because “them that gives is them that gets?”

It’s what’s in my heart that comes out in my life (Mark 7:21). And I want my giving to come out of my heart. I want my living to come out of my heart. I don’t want to be giving and living for what I think I’m going to get back in this life. So change my heart, O God. Make me a generous, joyful giver. I want to love to give just for the sake of the joy and peace it brings to those to whom You lead me to give—“generous, ready to share, thus storing up for (myself) the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that (I) may talk hold of the life that really is life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please consider coming or sharing the word with someone who may be interested for our next 4 Day Intensive Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry
( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ) coming up in March. And please come join us for The Fountain this Friday Night at 7 PM, our monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). God bless you!

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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“The Least of These” - Feb 14

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Light of the World, light my path throughout the moments of my day. …

“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’ ” (Matthew 25:45).

Who are “the least of these” I will see today? This morning we’ll go out in the country to the Refuge for Women for prayer ministry with a young woman trying to come out of the strip club and sex trade industry, battling with the choice to live. Is she the least?

Some days I go into the city to try to explain our ministry of healing and deliverance, binding up the broken-hearted and setting the captives free to those whose pride won’t allow them to admit they need it to have the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Kingdom of God in their lives You paid by Your blood for them to have. Are they the least?

Some days I go into my own heart and head, struggling to believe I’m truly a son of God, the righteousness of God in Christ, loved by You and favored by You, despite all the brokenness, sins, and failures of my life—and not all of them the distant past. Am I the least?

Whoever the least are, You love them and You are for them. And as we love them, that’s a measure of how we love You. Deliver us from our hardened hearts of judgment. Free us from our prideful attitudes that make us think of ourselves more highly than we ought. Release us from the mindset that makes us think Your mercy and grace is for everyone but us—because they’re the ones who really need it.

Lord, I need it. I need Your mercy and grace. I need Your steadfast love. I need to know You love me and You are for me, no matter what. “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will He keep His anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far is the east is from the west, so far He removes His transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:8-12). Praise the Lord! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as we join in a closer relationship of ministry with the Refuge for Women ( www.refugeforwomen.org ). And please consider coming or sharing the word with someone who may be interested for our next 4 Day Intensive Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ) coming up in March. And please come join us for The Fountain this Friday Night at 7 PM, our monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship ( www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar ). God bless you!


To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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See the Scars, the Mark of Authority - Feb 11

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship and adore You; I choose to live my life for You. …



“See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39, RSV).



Even after Your resurrection, Your body still showed the scars of Your crucifixion. You were not just a spirit, not just an undefined part united into the larger universe as one with it, not just an idea, an image, a philosophy, or a memory. You were flesh and bones, even in Your resurrected and glorified body. Even today, even in Heaven, even throughout all eternity, Your body bears the scars of Your suffering (Revelation 5:6).



But Your scars are Your badge of honor, the marks of Your suffering for us, the evidence of Your sacrifice of love for us. And Your scars are the mark of Your authority. Because You humbled Yourself to be marked with those wounds, to die on that cross, and bear those scars, our Father has given You “the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11).



And so it is with us. As You are, so are we to be in this world (1 John 4:17). In Christ, our scars are to be our marks of authority. Our wounds, now healed through the victory of the cross and the power of the blood of the Lamb, are the places where we have wisdom and compassion and authority in Your name in the lives of those hurting, wounded, and bound around us. In the way You have comforted us, we are to comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). In the ways You have freely given to us, we are to freely give to others (Matthew 10:8).



Let me not see You wrongly as a God who has never suffered (Isaiah 53:11). As You humbled Yourself, the Son of God, in human flesh and bones as the Son of Man, even You, as “the pioneer of (our) salvation” were “perfect through suffering” in Your sacrifice of love “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). “For because He Himself has suffered and been tempted, He is able to help those who have been tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).



So Lord, use my sufferings, not wasting a moment of them. Use even my temptations and even my sins and failures, no forgiven by the power of the blood of the Lamb, not wasting a moment of them. These are now my scars, to display Your glory. These are now the places in my life where You can express Your authority and the power of Your love in the lives of others—even through my flesh and bones, resurrected into newness of life by Your Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, to the glory of God the Father. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.



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



Please join us for Messiah Ministries’ Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry – Level 1, March 9-12, 2011. This is our 4 day Intensive Course of equipping and empowering for healing prayer ministry. All are welcome; Scholarships are available as needed so all can attend. For more information and on-line registration: www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested!

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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“Be Imitators of God” - Feb 10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes unto the hill of Your holy Presence. And there I see Your cross and remember that I’m loved and forgiven, that I’m a son and a saint by the blood of the Lamb. You’re the source of my help and the center of my life. …



“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and give Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 4:30-5:2).



Holy Spirit of God, God in Christ, and Christ in us, by the power of Your love in our hearts, You call us and empower us to “be imitators of God.” You forgive us and call us to forgive one another. You love us and call us to love one another. You put away Your wrath against our sin against You and call us to put away our wrath against the sins of those who have sinned against us.



We’re children of God, growing up to like our Daddy. We’re marked by Your Spirit, sealed by Your love. We’re set on a journey through all the challenges of this world, being conformed into the image of the Son of God, abiding in us, making us more like You each day—if we’ll let You. And as we do, we become as You are—“a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”



By embracing Your Spirit and the power of Your love through the every-day moments of our lives, we are being changed into Your image, revealing Your heart to the world around us. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). By the power of the grace of God, Lord, let it be so in me this day and every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.



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



Please join us for Messiah Ministries' Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 1, March 9-12, 2011. This is our 4 day Intensive Course of equipping and empowering for healing prayer ministry. All are welcome; Scholarships are available as needed so all can attend. For more information and on-line registration:

www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested!


To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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Willing to Wait and Listen - Feb 8

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my thoughts and at the foundation of my day. …

“When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet, if You say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break” (Luke 5:4-6).

Simon had already been working all night long. He was weary and discouraged. He was empty-handed from failure, except for the washing his empty nets. But he was willing to allow You into his boat (v. 5:3). He was willing to wait and listen to what You had to say. And then he was willing to let You direct his choices about how to spend his day.

He wanted to go to bed, but You wanted him to go to work. He thought his plans and his ways made the most sense, but in Your wisdom, You knew what was best. He was ready to give up, but You pressed him on a little further. And in the end, he called You “Master,” yielded his will to Your will, his ways to Your ways, and did what You said.

It was a choice that turned his lack into abundance, his failure into success, his discouragement into joy. And it turns out that his simple act of welcoming You into his day, and then doing what You said, changed his life—not only for that day, but for every day for the rest of his life (v. 5:11). And not only Simon Peter’s life, but it changed the lives of his business partners too, James and John (v. 5:10).

Lord Jesus, I welcome You into my boat and into my day. I want to stop what I’m doing, set aside my plans for the moment, and take time to listen to what You have to say. I want You to be my Master, because I trust Your wisdom to know what’s best for my life. I give over to You every feeling of weariness, discouragement, and failure from every disappointing moment and day of my past. And I ask You to fill my nets with Your provision of all I need in the way You choose. Give me the humility and wisdom to trust and obey. Let it be so for me and for all those closest to me. I want my trust and obedience, by the power of the grace You supply, to be life changing and never ending. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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


To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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