"Hope Continually" - October 21

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord, my Savior, my Best Friend, I welcome You into my heart and into my day. ...

"But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth will tell of Your righteous acts, of Your deeds of salvation all day long, though their number is past my knowledge. I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord God, I will praise Your righteousness, Yours alone.... You Who have done great things, O God, Who is like You? You Who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth, You will bring me up again. You will increase my honor, and comfort me once again" (Psalm 71:14-21).

I've seen "many troubles and calamities;" but I've also seen great breakthrough and deliverance. I've seen much injustice and evil, but I've also seen astounding generosity and mercy. I live in a broken, fallen world, hurtling along in the throes of the age-old process of Your restoration of all things (Acts 3:21). But in the midst of this world and all the challenges that come with it every day, "I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more."

"Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You" (Psalm 56:3). Whenever I am confused, I will listen to You. Whenever I am hurting, I will embrace You. If I am brought low, You will lift me up again. If I lose my way, You will lead me home again. You have always done great things for me; You have always shown me Your mighty deeds. So "I will hope in You continually, and will praise You yet more and more. O God, Who is like You?" None, there is none like You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night October 21 at 7 pm, led by Messiah Ministries and hosted in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, Kentucky. Linda Dulin-Moore will be leading in the service this month, and Kerry Dorrell will be leading in worship. Come and be refreshed, refilled and restored in the presence of the Lord! All are welcome!

Friends, Sylvia and I are ministering with our good friend Heather Butler in Wales and England the next few weeks in a variety of settings Heather has arranged for us. www.ourchurch.com/member/keys

We had an incredible time of teaching and ministry, leading a conference on healing prayer ministry with the RiverDee Community Church in Flint, North Wales, this past weekend: http://riverdeecommunitychurch.org.uk/

We've been invited to continue developing a strong relationship of ministry between us. This coming weekend, we will be in ministry at a church in Flint on Saturday and another church in Holyhead on Sunday throught the day and evening. We'll be speaking at the Full Gospel Businessman's meeting on Monday night, with times of pesonal prayer ministry all along the way. Please keep us in prayer! God bless you,

Tommy & Sylvia Hays

www.messiah-ministries.org

"The Ancient Paths" - October 20

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me beside Your still waters, in Your paths of righteousness, as You restore my soul, for Your name's sake. ...

"Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls" (Jeremiah 6:16).

As I begin this new day, I stand at the crossroads and look. As I go forward, throughout the moments of my day, with every encounter and every choice, I will continue to stand at the crossroads and look. I will look to see which way to go. And in a way, the crossroads are always the same-Your way or some other way.

So as I stand and as I look, I need to ask which way is Your way. Your way is "where the good way lies." You are "the Ancient One" (Daniel 7:22). And You desire to lead me in "the ancient paths"-the paths that are tested and true, laid out by You since before the foundation of time. These are "the paths of righteousness" that "lead me beside the still waters" where You "restore my soul" (Psalm 23:1-3, NJKV).

Sylvia and I spent a couple of days in the little mountain village of Betws-y-coed in North Wales. Each morning, we walked down the hill from the home where we were staying and over to the village. To get there we had to journey down the road, by the farm house, through the sheep gate, across the pastures, and on the bride over the river. Our path was an ancient one-well worn by centuries of generations and journeys. And though it was narrow, and in places a little muddy, it was tested and true, cleared of any obstacles to block our way to where we chose to go.

Lord, help me choose well where to go each day and throughout the moments of my day. Remind me to stand and look and ask, before I venture out on my own. Show me the ancient paths, tested and true, as I journey on for Your name's sake. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night October 21 at 7 pm, led by Messiah Ministries and hosted in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, Kentucky.

Friends, Sylvia and I are ministering with our good friend Heather Butler in Wales and England the next few weeks in a variety of settings Heather has arranged for us. www.ourchurch.com/member/keys

We had an incredible time of teaching and ministry, leading a conference on healing prayer ministry with the RiverDee Community Church in Flint, North Wales, this past weekend: http://riverdeecommunitychurch.org.uk/

We've been invited to continue developing a strong relationship of ministry between us. This coming weekend, we will be in ministry at a church in Flint on Saturday and another church in Holyhead on Sunday throught the day and evening. We'll be speaking at the Full Gospel Businessman's meeting on Monday night, with times of pesonal prayer ministry all along the way. Please keep us in prayer! God bless you,

Tommy & Sylvia Hays

www.messiah-ministries.org

God’s Thoughts in My Mind - October 17

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name. So I speak out Your name as my first word in these first moments of my day. ...

“Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy” (Nehemiah 7:5).

Nehemiah was a spiritual leader, divinely called and strategically positioned to rebuild the city and the hearts of the people of Jerusalem (v. 2:4). And one of the ways You led him in his leadership of others was to put Your thoughts in his mind and Your desires in his heart. You gave him “a spirit of wisdom and revelation” in order to know Your will and understand Your leading for the divine assignments You entrusted to him (Ephesians 1:17).

Lord, I need Your wisdom. I’m to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is,” and I’m to “set (my) mind on things that are above, not things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). I want to see what You’re doing and hear what You’re saying. I desire for my plans to align with Your purposes and for my steps to be ordered by Your Spirit.

So as I begin each day seeking Your face, listening for Your voice, and discerning the leading of Your Spirit, I open my mind to Your thoughts and open my heart to Your desires. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ” if we will humble ourselves to seek and listen for Your leading (1 Corinthians 2:16).In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, Sylvia and I are ministering with our good friend Heather Butler in Wales and England the next few weeks in a variety of settings Heather has arranged for us. www.ourchurch.com/member/keys

We had an incredible time of teaching and ministry, leading a conference on healing prayer ministry with the RiverDee Community Church in Flint, North Wales, this past weekend: http://riverdeecommunitychurch.org.uk/ We've been invited to continue developing a strong relationship of ministry between us. Thank you so much for your prayers for us! God bless you,

Tommy & Sylvia Hays

www.messiah-ministries.org

"The Oil of Gladness!" - October 14

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You each day. ...

"Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions" (Psalm 47:7).

Your goodness makes me glad. Your faithfulness fills me with joy. And though there are days of struggles and straining, though there are even seasons of wilderness and desert, there are also these times of gladness and joy that stir up my spirit and brighten up my life. "For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your work; at the works of Your hands I sing for joy!" (Psalm 92:4)

Anoint me with gladness today, O Lord. Fill me with the joy of the Lord, and let the joy of the Lord be my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Wherever You send me, let the oil of gladness flow out of my spirit and release the power of Your joy. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, Sylvia and I are ministering with our good friend Heather Butler in Wales and England the next few weeks in a variety of settings Heather has arranged for us. www.ourchurch.com/member/keys Frinday and Saturday, we will be hosted at River Dee Church in Flint, North Wales; then at Heather and Bob Butler's home church, Elim Pentecostal Church, in Holyhead on Holy Island, Anglesey, North Wales. Please keep us in prayer! God bless you,

Tommy & Sylvia Hays

www.messiah-ministries.org

Intimately Present - October 13

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of Heaven and Earth, be Lord of my life and every moment of this day. ...

"He said, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.' And he said to Him, 'If your Presence will not go, do not carry us up from here' " (Exodus 33:14-15).

Wherever I go, wherever You send me, I want Your Presence to go with me. I know You're already there long before I get there and I know You'll be there long after I leave. Yet at the same time, it's also true that You go with me.

You are the God Who is both omnipresent, yet also intimately present. Though You hold all the world in Your hands, You also stretch out Your hand to touch my heart. Though You carry all the thoughts and prayers of all Your children in the immensity of Your divine mind, You also know my every thought and hear my every prayer. Thank You that I can rest in both the certainty of Your infinite omnipresence and the intimacy of Your constant Presence. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, Sylvia and I are ministering with our good friend Heather Butler in Wales and England the next few weeks in a variety of settings Heather has arranged for us. www.ourchurch.com/member/keys Frinday and Saturday, we will be hosted at River Dee Church in Flint, North Wales; then at Heather and Bob Butler's home church, Elim Pentecostal Church, in Holyhead on Holy Island, Anglesey, North Wales. Please keep us in prayer! God bless you,

Tommy & Sylvia Hays

www.messiah-ministries.org

"Be Thou My Vision" - October 10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart ...

"And He said, 'Hear My words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make Myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams. Not so with My servant Moses; He is entrusted with all My house. With Him I speak face to face-clearly, not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the Lord' " (Numbers 12:6-8).

You've chosen in Your sovereignty to create us to live in this season of time that You've poured out Your Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and Your daughters prophesy, Your young men see visions and Your old men dream dreams (Acts 2:17). All Your children are led by Your Spirit (Romans 8:14). Like Moses, we all are invited to draw near to You as You draw near to us, to seek Your face, listen for Your voice, and embrace Your love (James 4:8). And as we look up to behold Your form with an unveiled face and unhidden heart, You are changing us into Your image, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Be my vision, Lord. By the mercy of Your grace, lift me up to the mountain of Your Presence with clean hands and a pure heart to seek Your face (Psalm 24:3-6). I receive Your invitation and embrace Your welcome. And from this place of Your Presence in the communion of prayer, I want to go wherever You send me, carrying this Spirit of Christ within me (Colossian 1:27).

Today, You are sending Sylvia and me to Wales for a few weeks of prophetic ministry and prayer ministry with Heather Butler, one of Your prophetic psalmists, among the people of this ancient Celtic land. And as I look to You and listen for Your leading, I keep hearing in my spirit the words of this ancient Celtic hymn:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy Presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

Lord, You are my Vision. You are the High King of Heaven and yet, You humble Yourself to dwell in Your children by Your Spirit and send us forth to carry Your message of love and power by Your grace. You are first in my heart, as I go forth in Your faith. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Please keep us in prayer as we go!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays

www.messiah-ministries.org

Present with the Power to Heal - October 7

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Everlasting Father, my Wonderful Counselor, my Prince of Peace, and my Mighty God. I look to You and listen for Your leading, as I start my day in the communion of prayer. ...

"I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, Who will call you by your name" (Isaiah 45:2-3).

Yesterday afternoon at our School of Ministry, Your Holy Spirit disrupted my teaching with a moving of Your power in an unexpected time of healing prayer and prophetic ministry. Praise God! You were making crooked places straight, destroying strongholds, uprooting bitterness, and driving out spirits of torment, infirmity, and pain. You were aligning spirits, souls, and bodies, redeeming the distortions of the past and restoring them to Your created order. One woman's spine was straightened as she stretched her arms to the heavens in praise! What a holy mess as "the power of the Lord was present to heal!" (Luke 5:17, NKJV)

You were encouraging us to step out in faith, to risk speaking prophetic words and praying healing prayers, as we discerned Your Spirit's leading. You were empowering us to be the body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, to continue to the ministry of Christ. Just as You said to Your first disciples, so You continue to speak to all Your disciples, "As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.... Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21).

Continue to go before us-leveling the mountains of our fears and faithlessness, our doubts and unbelief. Continue breaking in pieces the doors that shut down and shut out the moves of Your Spirit through the Body of Christ. Continue cutting through the bars that attempt to restrict and imprison the power of God to sometime in the past or someplace far away. Continue giving us the treasures of Your spiritual gifts and graces You long to display through Your people who have Your heart and who are called by Your name in the power of Your love.

Let us no longer hold back, but boldly "press on toward the goal of the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature be of the same mind.... Only let us hold fast to what we have attained" (Philippians 3:14-16). In our generation and throughout our nations, let God arise and let the Body of Christ "come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the full measure of the stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer for our Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry this week in Lexington! My wife Sylvia Jackson Hays will be teaching today on activation of prophetic ministry and prophetic dream interpretation. Please let us know if your church or community would like us to come speak on these topics of equpping for prayer and prophetic ministry. We're off to a great start, with healing already happening among our students in a weighty Presence of God's glory in our times of worship and prayer. This is our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to arrange for us to come speak: www.messiah-ministries.org

For those who can't come join us in person, we have our Level 1 and Level 2

4-Day Schools of Spiritual Ministry available on DVD, as well as my books and our other ministry resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources

Contend for the Faith We Share - October 6

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit. I worship You, Lord, in every dimension of Your Being and welcome You, Lord, into every dimension of my being. ...

"Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the faith we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3).

With every believer of every nation and every generation, I share a faith. With all the saints of heaven and all the saints on earth, I share a faith. With those You used to write Your Word, with those who've been willing to lay down their lives, and with those who are willing to live their lives for You today, I share a faith. It's a faith that believes that You are God and You are good. It's a faith that believes that You are love and You love us. It's a faith that believes that You love us so much that You took upon Yourself all our sins and failures, all our sicknesses and diseases, all our curses and consequences, that we might be free from everything that would hold us back from a loving relationship with You and being all You created us to be.

And this faith we share is a faith that's worth fighting for, worth dying for, worth living for. By the power of Your grace, I willingly choose to answer Your call to "contend for the faith." In the name of Jesus, I renounce and reject all passivity and complacency, all hesitation and timidity, all fear of rejection and failure; and I embrace this faith that's founded in the One Who can never falter and never fail, Who has always loved me and always will. "Now to Him Who is able to keep (me) from falling, and to make (me) stand without blemish in the presence of His glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever" (Jude 24-25). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer for our Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry this week in Lexington! We're off to a great start, with healing already happening among our students in a weighty Presence of God's glory in our times of worship and prayer. This is our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

For those who can't come join us in person, we have our Level 1 and Level 2

4-Day Schools of Spiritual Ministry available on DVD, as well as my books and our other ministry resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources

"Set Me Secure on the Heights" - October 5

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord; and I thank You first for loving me. Out of that love, I want to live for You and the glory of Your name today. ...

"For Who is God except the Lord? And Who is a rock besides our God?-the God Who girded me with strength, and made my way safe. He made my feet like the feet of a deer, and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand has supported me; Your help has made me great" (Psalm 18:31-35).

Your Word says, "Your help has made me great." Is it true, Lord, that it's in Your heart for my life to help me to make me great? It somehow seems a little prideful, arrogant, or self-centered; it even seems a little sacrilegious to think about You making me great. You are God, and You are great.

It seems I hear You say: "My son, you are great because you are My child. That is your identity; that is your greatness. I save you and sanctify you; I strengthen you and support you; I train you and equip you to live out your great destiny because of your great identity in Me."

Thank You, Lord. Help me see myself and each of Your children as You do. "Set me secure on the heights" of this truth of Your Word. I renounce in the name of Jesus all false-pride, false-humility, and false-religion that would say anything less than what Your Word says of me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as we begin our Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry today in Lexington! Our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

For those who can't come join us in person, we have our Level 1 and Level 2

4-Day Schools of Spiritual Ministry available on DVD, as well as my books and our other ministry resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources

"My Soul Waits in Silence" - October 4

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King and Lord of all that I am and all that I have. ...

"For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people. Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us" (Psalm 62:5-8).

When I rise in the morning to sit in the silence to listen for Your voice, I'm entrusting my heart and thoughts to You. Everything else becomes dim in my view for these first few moments of the morning, when You alone are my focus. Here in the silence of surrender, here in the time of trusting, I reset the priorities of my life to remember that You alone are my rock and my salvation; You alone are my fortress and refuge; You are alone are my deliverance and honor; You alone are my God.

And as I pour out my heart before You and open up my heart for You, You draw near and hold me close. You lift my face and fill me up. You remind me that You know all about me-every need and burden, every worry and fear, every sin and failure, every hope and desire. You remind me that You're for me. "If God is for (me), who can be against (me)? (Romans 8:31) Then it's from that place of knowing Your steadfast love, Your constant gaze, and Your abiding Presence, that I rise and go forth to meet the day-trusting in the One Who alone is God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

For those who can't come join us in person, we have our Level 1 and Level 2

4-Day Schools of Spiritual Ministry available on DVD, as well as my books and our other ministry resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources

It's not too late to sign up for our 4 Day School starting Wednesday! We're excited that the registrations for our upcoming Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry indicate this may be our biggest class ever! Please come join us in Lexington in October for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

"A Tree of Life" - October 3

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

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (Proverbs 13:12).

Lord, let my desires be Your desires. Let my longings, be Your longings. When You fulfill the desires that are consumed with Your desires and satisfy the longings that are driven by Your longings, they are a tree of life for me. They are like a tree planted by the waters that does not wither in the dry seasons and does not break in the storms. They bear the fruit of a life filled with peace and love and joy, no matter what challenges and circumstances may come.

You are the God Who "fulfills the desire of all who fear Him" and the God Who "watches over all who love Him" (Psalm 145:19-20). You are the God Who wants Your joy fulfilled in us (John 17:13). And You are the God Who invites us, "Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).

Every day may not be like this day. But this day, my heart is full of gratitude and peace and joy. I woke up in my warm bed, next to my loving wife, after a wonderful night of fulfilling ministry with our New Life Community of friends with the home group from our church. My children are healthy and have Jesus in their hearts. I have productive work to do today that will make a difference in peoples' lives, as I help them trust You with their burdens and pain to be whole and free in the power of Your name.

Today, I have a confident hope in my heart that You are at work in my life, fulfilling the desires and satisfying the longings that You have placed there to guide my steps along the path of Your plan for my life. It's all by Your grace. Thank You for this day that You've given me the grace to recognize the fruit of this tree of life that's flourishing exceedingly, abundantly more than I could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

For those who can't come join us in person, we have our Level 1 and Level 2

4-Day Schools of Spiritual Ministry available on DVD, as well as my books and our other ministry resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources

It's not too late to sign up for our 4 Day School starting Wednesday! We're excited that the registrations for our upcoming Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry indicate this may be our biggest class ever! Please come join us in Lexington in October for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

The Place of Sacrifice and Surrender - September 30

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my face and open up my heart to welcome the King of Glory into the moments of my day. ...

"At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Oman the Jebusite, he made his sacrifices there" (1 Chronicles 21:28).

David lifted up his prayers, and You sent forth Your answers. David offered up his sacrifices from his heart, and You sent forth Your fire from heaven (v. 26). David found a place to honor You with his petitions, and You met him there to honor him with Your Presence. When we draw near to You, You draw near to us (James 4:8).

When we find the place where You answer our prayers with the fire of Your Presence, we want to sacrifice there. That's the place where we are moved to offer to You all that we have and all that we are. That's the place where we want to live our lives wholly surrendered to You. That's the place where we willing choose, as best as we can and all by Your grace, "to present (our) bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is (our) spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1).

For David, it was a place on the earth at the threshing floor of Oman the Jebusite. For us, it's a place in our hearts where Your Holy Spirit threshes out our flesh from Your Spirit, our thoughts from Your thoughts, our desires from Your desires. It's the place where we come with humility and faith in the example of our Lord to say, "Not my will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42).

Lord, let me find that place of perspective and purpose. Let me find that place of sacrifice and surrender. Let me find that place where You send Your fire from heaven and Your answers to my prayers throughout the moments of my days in the journey of faith. Thank You so much for all the ways You've been answering my prayers with Your Presence and power. It makes me want to sacrifice more and surrender all, trusting You with all my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

For those who can't come join us in person, we have our Level 1 and Level 2 4 Day Schools of Spiritual Ministry available on DVD, as well as my books and our other ministry resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources

It's not too late to sign up for our 4 Day School starting Wednesday! We're excited that the registrations for our upcoming Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry indicate this may be our biggest class ever! Please come join us in Lexington in October for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

Destined According to Purpose - September 29

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and trust You in my heart and with all my life - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...

"In Christ we also have obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of Him Who accomplishes all things according to His counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:11-12).

You created me and destined me according to a purpose. And though You already know every choice I'll ever make and every choice that everyone will ever make who will have any influence upon my life throughout all generations, You still empower me with the freedom to choose every moment of every day. Every question and decision, every test and challenge, becomes an opportunity to embrace You and Your destiny for my life or not: "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendents may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

In the freedom that the nature of Your love requires, it's both my privilege and responsibility to choose well in the grace You give whether to trust in You or trust in myself, whether to lean into Your will for my life or push back against it. I have the freedom to choose whether to "resolve to do the will of God" or resolve to do something else, something less (John 7:17).

So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose You and I choose life. I choose the life You've destined for me. I set my hope on You and choose to live my life for the praise of Your glory. I choose to embrace the inheritance I have already obtained in Christ. I will not despise my birthright, nor deny my heritage. In You, I am a son of God, created with purpose, calling, and destiny. And I believe You are able and willing to accomplish all You have purposed in Your heart for my life according to Your will. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

It's not too late to sign up for our School starting Wednesday! We're excited that the registrations for our upcoming Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry indicate this may be our biggest class ever! Please come join us in Lexington in October for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

We're excited that the registrations for our upcoming Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry indicate this may be our biggest class ever! Please come join us in Lexington in October for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

Tonight, please come for healing prayer ministry at The Healing Rooms of Lexington every Thursday Night, hosted by our ministry team in Lexington. Details on our ministry web site calendar: www.messiah-ministries.org

Please come for healing prayer ministry at The Healing Rooms of Lexington every Thursday Night, hosted by our ministry team in Lexington. Details on our ministry web site calendar: www.messiah-ministries.org

"So I Send You" - September 28

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak to me as You desire; send me forth as You will. I am Yours; I am ready; I am willing. ...

Holy Spirit, You've been speaking to my wife and speaking to me through her words with You. I join in agreement with all my heart with Sylvia's prayer, as we pray with You as one:

"So Send I You"

Father, open my heart. When You open my heart each morning I can receive Your nudgings, Your words, corrections...whatever is on Your heart for me and all of mine...otherwise with a closed heart I am empty and pouring from an empty pitcher.

As I awoke this morning, I heard You whisper, "So send I you."

"Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, so send I you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained' " (John 20:19-23, NKJV).

The disciples were gathered together in fear, not faith. You came to them despite their weakness and lack of faith and brought peace. Your agenda, the reason You came into the earth, was to destroy the works of the devil, which certainly includes fear (1 John 3:8). But You gave all, and willingly suffered and died in order to accomplish that task. You showed the disciples the scars on Your hands and side to remind them of your sufferings...to which we are called...in order to live a life of resurrection power (Philippians 3:10).

You bring peace in the midst of the storm, in the face of fear. You call us to live our lives destroying the works of the devil, refusing to give in to fear, as we interact in situations and with others on a daily basis. As the Father sent You, Jesus, to live a fearless life of radical love for Him and others, regardless of results or cost, so You send us. Breathe Your Holy Spirit on us and cause us to forgive the sins of others, that our wounds would be healed and the scars would become our marks of being one sent by You (2 Corinthians 6:4-10). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

We're excited that the registrations for our upcoming Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry indicate this may be our biggest class ever! Please come join us in Lexington in October for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

Freinds, Sylvia and I have been with Laura Beach in Louisville this week to teach and minister at the National LifeServe Conference 2011 for spiritual leaders Monday through Thursday: http://lifeserve.group.com/Please We've had incredible times of ministry. Please keep us in your prayers!

Please come for healing prayer ministry at The Healing Rooms of Lexington every Thursday Night, hosted by our ministry team in Lexington. Details on our ministry web site calendar: www.messiah-ministries.org

Resisting "the Ruler of the Power of the Air" - September 26

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Rock and Refuge, my Strong Tower and Fortress. ...

"You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 2:1-2).

Early today, before morning's light, I had an opportunity to arise and go to war in the spirit with the spiritual watchmen of my community against "the ruler of the power of the air." The tornado sirens began to wail from the city tower. And like many who were called to arise and take our post on the spiritual wall of our city, I bowed in my heart to pray in the name of the Lord and then I rose in my spirit to stand in the strength of the Lord. Like You taught us in Your Word and the example of Your life, we commanded this storm, "Be still!" (Mark 4:39).

We have a spiritual adversary who is at work in this world (1 Peter 5:8). And though You come to bring life and life abundantly, our adversary "comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). And when he does, Your Holy Spirit stirs up our human spirits to take the authority we have in the power of Your name and speak against his plans for our destruction (Matthew 17:20). You command us to press forward and not back down, to actively resist him and not passively surrender to him: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

In this broken, fallen world, being redeemed by our merciful and mighty God, it may not seem like we win every battle on this side of heaven. That's why You call us to continue to pray for Your Kingdom to come and Your will to be done, here on earth as it is in heaven. That's why You call us to continue to embrace the "power and authority" You give us on earth with Your heaven in us, as the Body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ (Luke 9:1-2). So until that day finally comes and Your Kingdom is fully here at Your return, we are to pray in humility and stand in authority, as Your Spirit leads our spirits.

And on these mornings when the darkness of the storms have passed, we can arise and shine, shouting the high praises of God, that Your Light has come and glory of the Lord has risen upon us! (Isaiah 60:1) We can marvel in Your majesty that our God did arise and our adversary was scattered. The storms of the night have passed and the peace of the morning has come. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

We're excited that the registrations for our upcoming Level 1 School of Spiritual Ministry indicate this may be our biggest class ever! Please come join us in Lexington in October for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

Freinds, Sylvia and I will be traveling today to teach and minister with Laura Beach in Louisville at the National LifeServe Conference 2011 for spiritual leaders Monday through Thursday: http://lifeserve.group.com/Please keep us in your prayers!

Please come for healing prayer ministry at The Healing Rooms of Lexington every Thursday Night, hosted by our ministry team in Lexington. Details on our ministry web site calendar: www.messiah-ministries.org

"What Do You See?" - September 22

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

"The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Jeremiah, what do you see?' And I said, 'I see a branch of an almond tree.' Then the Lord said, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it'" (Jeremiah 1:11-12).

Come, Holy Spirit. Open the eyes of my heart to see what You're doing in my life and through my life today. Let me see what the word of the Lord is going forth to accomplish. Let me see the trees that are to stand firm in the wind; let me see the branches that are to hold much fruit; let me see the blossoms that signal new life. "With all wisdom and insight He has made known to us the mystery of His will, according His good pleasure that He set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth" (Ephesians 1:8-10).

Father, I want to see what You're doing and hear what You're saying, according to Your good pleasure to make known to me Your will for my day. I want to see You in all things. And I want to fulfill all things You have in Your heart for the challenges and opportunities that I will encounter along my journey today. "With the eyes of (my) heart enlightened, (I) may know what is the hope to which (You) have called me, what are the riches of (Your) glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of (Your) power for us who believe, according to the working of (Your) great power" (Ephesians 1:18-19). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer this weekend at the annual Men's Spiritual Retreat at Rock Eagle outside Atlanta with the North Georgia Conference of United Methodist Men. Over a thousand men will be coming; and I'll teaching and ministering on healing, deliverance, and spiritual warfare in the equipping sessions, in the evening prayer and praise gatherings, and on the Thurday night time of prayer and fasting for the conference: http://ngcumm.org

Please come join us in Lexington in October for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line: www.messiah-ministries.org

Please come for healing prayer ministry at The Healing Rooms of Lexington every Thursday Night, hosted by our ministry team in Lexington. Details on our ministry web site calendar: www.messiah-ministries.org

New Jerusalem, the City of Peace - September 21

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, fill my spirit, soul, and body with the fullness of Your Presence. ...

"Jerusalem - built as a city that is bound firmly together. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.... Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.' For the sake of my relatives and friends, I will say, 'Peace be within you.' For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good' " (Psalm 122:3-9).

The destinies of nations are impacted by their decisions regarding Jerusalem. So in these days where the leaders and people of the nations of the earth make their decisions and take their votes concerning the city of Jerusalem, let us "pray for the peace of Jerusalem," as You have commanded us in Your Word.

Let us pray for her out of a love for her. Let us pray for her out of a Spirit-led desire for her to know peace within her walls and security within her towers. Let us seek her good and not her harm. Let us seek her honor and not her shame. You have anointed our prayers to have power and You have determined our prayers will have consequences. For our sake and for the sake of Your heart and Your will in this world, let us seek Your face so we can pray Your heart regarding Jerusalem. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, Who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26-27).

What city has known the strife and war, the wounds and scars of Jerusalem? Yet it is named "the city of peace." Its name reveals its destiny. And we're to pray its destiny, not its past; we're to pray in faith, not in doubt; we're to pray in hope, not in hatred; we're to pray for its unity, not its division. It's to be a city "bound firmly together" as a prophetic picture of Your heart for Your people of all nations bound firmly together in our hearts as one by Your Spirit. "I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:1-6).

We do not yet see that unity of one body in Christ on this earth, just as we do not yet see one Jerusalem united in one Spirit of Peace. Yet our part is to pray - to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem," just as we are to pray for peace on earth. And in our prayer, led by Your Spirit, we are ultimately praying for the coming of the One Who is "the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

One day our prayers will be answered and our hopes will be fulfilled in the return of Christ: "And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne say, 'See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them; He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more, for the first things have passed away.' And the One Who is seated on the throne said, 'See, I Am making all things new' " (Revelation 21:2-5).

Give us Your heart to pray for all things to become new. Give us Your heart to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all the earth to live in peace because we willingly choose to embrace the Prince of Peace and the Presence of God in our midst. As one, our body is Your temple and our heart is the city of God, the new Jerusalem. As one in the Spirit and one in the Lord, we are the city of peace - at peace with God, at peace with one another, at peace within ourselves. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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

Please come join us in Lexington in October for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry for equipping and impartation in healing prayer ministry and prophetic ministry. Scholarships are available as needed so all can come. Please see our Events Calendar on the web site for details or to register on-line:

www.messiah-ministries.org

Please come for healing prayer ministry at The Healing Rooms of Lexington every Thursday Night, hosted by our ministry team in Lexington. Details on our ministry web site calendar: www.messiah-ministries.org