Palm Sunday 3-20-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Hosanna, praises to the King! ... This is the day we call Palm Sunday -- the day all the people of Jerusalem waved their palm branches and laid them at Your feet to welcome You as King. "The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is the One Who comes in the name of the Lord--the King of Israel!' Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: 'Do not be afraid, Daughter of Zion. Look your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!' His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of Him and had been done to Him" (John 12.12-16). As they lifted their palm branches, we lift our hands and hearts and faces to You. When we look upon You and the sacrifice of Your love for us and the power of Your love You release into our lives, we can't help but praise You. We lift our arms in praise like the branches of the trees to declare Your glory. "For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands" (Isaiah 55.12). As You said on that day, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out" (Luke 19.40). We lift our hearts in praise and bow them down at Your feet. We welcome You as King of kings and Lord of lords in our hearts and in our cities. We join all creation in shouting Your praises and giving You glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Welcomed, Taught, Healed 3-19-05

Morning by Morning, Saturday 3-19-05 -- Welcomed, Taught, Healed Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my hand to take Your hand; I lift my face to seek Your face. ... When the people drew near to You as You walked this earth in the flesh, You welcomed them, You taught them about the kingdom of God, and You healed them as they had need (Luke 9.11). You have not changed. As we draw near to You, You draw near to us. You welcome us into Your presence as we lift up our hearts and open our spirits to You. You teach us Your word and Your ways as we listen for the leading of Your voice and allow Your thoughts to be our thoughts. You heal us and make us whole as we entrust our spirits and souls and bodies into Your care. Little by little and step by step, You bring our lives back into created order, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, refreshed and renewed by the Spirit of God. As You have welcomed us, You send us out in our day to welcome others into Your presence. Because we have welcomed Your presence in us, we carry Your presence wherever we go. Because we have allowed You to teach us and allow Your thoughts to shape our thoughts, we teach others about Your kingdom with our lives along the way. Because we have embraced Your healing touch, we are vessels of Your healing love to released through us into the lives we touch each day. Thank You Lord, for loving us. Thank You Lord, for loving through us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep praying for us at our prayer ministry training retreat in Kentucky. The Lord moved mightily to touch His people with deep emotional healing of a lady's soul and with a physical healing miracle of a lady's shoulder! May He touch you today! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Forgiven and Forgiving 3-18-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here in my heart, I step in to the closet of prayer and close the door to everything else in these moments I give to You. ... "My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves" (Galatians 6.1-3). As it is said, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." How humbled we should be by Your steadfast love and Your amazing grace. You forgive us of every sin by Your mercy and our repentance, then You cast them "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103.12). You humble our pride and slay our self-righteousness further by calling us to restore one another when they have fallen, even coming along side them to bear their burdens to the foot of Your cross. This is part of Your grace of taking away the shame but not the memory of the sins of our past. You remember them no more, but is Your grace to allow us to remember, for he who has been forgiven much, loves much (Luke 7.47). You allow the joy of forgiveness rather than the shame of failure to rise up within us when we remember, when we need to, so that we will be humble enough to be Your hands of restoration to one another, not being too prideful to bear one another's burdens. "For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins (2 Peter 1.9). Thank You for the blessing of forgiving and cleansing us of much, and thank You for the blessing of restoring and loving one another with much. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be leading a prayer ministry retreat this weekend in a series of meetings in Princeton, KY with the churches of the Madisonville District of the Methodist Church. Please keep us in your prayers, and I pray the Lord will be equipping you to fulfill your calling as His body wherever you are. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Led by The Spirit 3-17-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You refresh and renew me in Your presence. ... There are many facets to Your identity and many dimensions to Your nature. You are humble, yet You are bold. You are gentle, yet You are determined. You were humble as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, like a lamb led to slaughter but did not open Your mouth (Isaiah 53.7; John 1.29). Yet, You boldly confronted hypocrisy, deception, and evil (Matthew 23.13; 16.23). You call us to be like You, to learn from Your ways, but we must be led by Your Spirit in every moment if we are to live out Your nature in every circumstance. We have in You the greatest example we could have, yet we are not to merely imitate Your actions from a passage of Scripture, we are to allow Your living presence to live through us in every moment. Yes, we need You to teach us Your ways, but we also need You to live Your ways through us. We are to be taught by the Master and "led by the Spirit" (Galatians 5.18). In this way, we will be Your body and reveal Your nature in the encounters and circumstances of our lives. Come teach us and come lead us moment by moment and day by day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please Come to The Fountain this Saturday night (3rd Sat. of every month) for our ecumenical, Spirit-led gathering of prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel at Centenary in Lexington. All are welcome. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Holy Double-Vision 3-16-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. "Be Thou my vision, O Lord, my God." ... You told Nicodemus, "No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.... What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3.3-6). Lord, open our eyes to see as You see. Let us not only see the kingdoms of this world in their present state, but let have Your vision to see the kingdom of God being made manifest in their midst. Let us not only see the flesh of one another on the outside, but let us also see the spirit of one another on the inside. Let us not only see things as they now are, but also see things as You intend them to be. Teach us how to come into agreement with the Redeemer instead of the accuser. Give us Your holy double-vision -- vision to see things as they are in the flesh, but to also see things as they are to be redeemed in Your Spirit by the blood of Jesus. Give us Your vision of Your kingdom so that we may see more as You see and agree with Your redeeming words of life. You are the God "Who gives life to the dead and call into existence the things that do not exist" (Romans 4.17). Teach us to see more as You see, so that we may speak more as You speak. Then we will be Your instruments to release life instead of death, healing instead of hurt, and peace instead of pain. By Your grace and through Your people, Your kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven -- in our lives and in the lives of those around us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Persistence in Prayer 3-15-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be the heart of my prayer, the center of my thoughts, and the foundation of my day. ... Three years ago my Grandmother lost the wedding ring Papa gave her over sixty years ago. Nanny was heartsick and couldn't quite bring herself to just let it go. She must have been like the woman who kept coming to the judge for justice or the friend who kept banging on the door for bread in the middle of the night in the parables You taught on persistence in prayer. You must have put it on her heart to pray through to victory. She was digging holes to plant tulips for Easter in her little flower garden when her garden tool hit something hard deep down in the dirt. There it was -- her pearl of great price! You gave her the desires of her heart. The delay in the answer to prayer only made her grow more determined to persevere. The value of her treasure only made her shout of praise that much louder. I had to pull the phone back from my ear while her eighty-seven year old lungs filled that little west Texas town with shouts of praise and hallelujahs to You. The prayer of perseverance is like the prayer You put on the hearts of the watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem: "Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they will never be silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest, and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout all the earth" (Isaiah 62.6-7). Lord, give us grace to know the prayers You are putting on our heart that we are to pray through to victory. Teach us how to persevere until we see the victory or You lift the burden. And thank You for answering Nanny's prayer. How you must have delighted in her celebration of thanksgiving and how You have touched the hearts of all who can't help but hear her shouts of praise! In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Gift of Friends 3-14-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the priority of my day and I offer You the first fruits of my thoughts in prayer. ... Thank You for the gift of friends. Someone has said that we are born into our families, but we choose our friends. By its very nature, friendship requires relationship. "A friend loves at all times" (Proverbs 17.17). Though it is a costly gift of love because of the vulnerability and honesty and commitment it requires, that just makes it all the more precious and all the more fragile. It is precious because it is rare; it is fragile because it can be broken. To be a true friend is to be one who has chosen to love and to keep on loving -- to bear with one another, to fight for one another, to speak the truth to one another, to forgive one another. In the commitment and covenant of friendship, "iron sharpens iron" (Proverbs 27.17). "Some play at friendship, but a true friend sticks closer than one's nearest kin" (Proverbs 18.24). You have called us Your friends and You have called us to be friends to one another (John 15.14-15). Teach us how to be good friends. "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful" (Colossians 3.12-15). Yes, Lord, let us be thankful for Your gift of friends. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Rock of Ages 3-13-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the old hymn proclaims, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee." ... Moses asked to see Your glory. You hide him in the cleft of the rock, so that You could draw near and speak Your name but his flesh would not be overcome by the glory of Your presence (Exodus 33.17-28). "The Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name" (Exodus 33.17). You are the Rock of our salvation. Though no flesh can stand in Your presence or see the face of God, when we are dead to our flesh and alive to Your Spirit, we find favor in Your sight and Your glory draws near. As we turn our eyes and open our hearts to You, we call upon Your name and You speak ours for You know us by name through the relationship of prayer. In the cleft of the Rock, our flesh is hidden in Christ so that Your glory may draw near and we may hear Your voice. "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ Who is your life is revealed, then you will be revealed with Him in glory" (Colossians 3.1-4). Hidden in You, the flesh of our old self is stripped away and we are clothed with the new, being renewed into the image of our Creator (Colossians 3.9-10). Rock of Ages, Your flesh was cleft open for us upon the cross, that we could live in the presence of Your glory even on this earth -- only as we are hidden in You, in the cleft of the Rock of our salvation. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we'll be traveling to south Texas today where I'll have a series of personal prayer ministry appointments this week. Please keep us in prayer and I pray for the presence of the glory of the Lord to minister to each of you as you are hidden in Him. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Joy of the Lord 3-12-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am, Lord, watching and waiting in Your presence for the leading of Your Spirit. Thank You for the blessing of beginning my day with You. ... "This is My delight, My son; this is My joy. That My people whom I have created turn to Me and take their delight in Me. This brings Me joy." Praise You, Lord. Sometimes we don't always think of You as One Who expresses emotion, but Your Word makes it clear that You do. "You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you" (Isaiah 62.4-5). What godly father does not delight in seeing the eyes of his children looking into his eyes with a smile on their face. What godly mother is not moved with joy at the call of her child's voice when he or she wakes in the morning. Yet You have the nature of a perfect father and perfect mother, Who loves Your children and welcomes our gaze and the call of our voice more than we can imagine. Let our prayers bring You joy this day and every day, our holy and perfect, loving Father. Let us grow in becoming the grateful, loving children in whom You take delight. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Holy Fire 3-11-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the world fade away for these moments, as only You come into view. ... You are a holy God and You are kindling a holy fire in our souls. You are burning away the chaff and refining away the dross of everything in us that is not yet like You. To persevere in the days that are coming, we must become more pure in the surrender of Your Spirit and less defiled in selfishness of our flesh. Give us courage to embrace this process of purification, to embrace Your holy fire, "for indeed our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12.28-29). "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw -- the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you no know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3.12-17). Let us not be deceived, our work will be tested. Who we are in this world, and what we have done with our lives matters, for You desire to live in us and through us each day to touch the lives of those around us. What we have done for ourselves rather than for You is wood, hay, and straw -- to be consumed in Your fire on the Day of the Lord. But as we allow You to purify the temple of our souls, that our holy God may come and dwell in Your holy temples, You will live Your life through us. Then all that we do will be what You do through us and we will see the gold, silver, and precious stones of everlasting value. Give us courage now to embrace the flame of Your consuming fire, so that who we are and what we do will remain on that Day and throughout eternity. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Hosanna! 3-10-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I heard the song Your Holy Spirit had been singing in my spirit as I opened my eyes this morning -- "Hosanna! Hosanna! Jesus died and rose again!" Now with the conscious mind of my soul, I join with the heart of my spirit in this song of praise the Holy Spirit is singing to You. ... The joy of Your resurrection overcomes the sorrow of Your suffering. You are our example as we persevere through the sufferings of the moment to share in the joy of eternity. Our Father has sent us the Holy Spirit, Who continually lifts our eyes to Jesus, the Holy One of God Who continually shows us to the way to life -- life abundant and life everlasting. We are "looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, Who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12.2). As our hearts sing "Hosanna!" to You, Your Spirit is lifting our eyes off of our selves and our circumstances, reminding us of the joy that is set before us and the joyous One Who shows us the way. "Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Psalm 30.5). As we look to You and persevere, You redeem all things to work together for good, never wasting a moment of our suffering, never ignoring a moment of our sorrow. You died and rose again. As we keep looking to You, so will we. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Learning to Wait 3-9-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Welcome into my heart and welcome into my day. You are Lord of heaven, Lord of earth, and Lord of my life. ... "I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord" (Psalm 40.1-3). There is power in waiting. Oh, how it cuts against our grain, crucifies our flesh, and humbles our pride. Yet it is when we are waiting patiently for You, that You turn to us and bend down to us and hear our cry. When we wait on You, we finally come to the end of ourselves -- trying to force our way through, trying to make something happen, trying to control and manipulate our circumstances, ourselves and everybody else. Waiting weakens our will, so that our will can be submitted to Your will. Then we are no longer resisting You and You are no longer resisting us. "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4.6). As we learn to humble ourselves in the waiting, we learn the power of calling upon Your name rather than our own, drawing upon Your strength rather than our own. Then You draw near and come in power. You reach down into our desolate pit of despair, lift us up our of the miry bog of the mess we've made, set our feet upon the Rock of our Salvation, and direct our steps in the paths of Your will and Your ways. How could we keep from singing as the songs of praise and songs of deliverance rise up in our souls? The new song in our mouths becomes one of praise instead of despair, hope instead of doubt, and victory instead of defeat. Our lives become a witness to others that many will see and take note and put their trust in the Lord -- all because we learned to wait. There is power in waiting, because while we're waiting, You are moving heaven and earth to deliver those who put their trust in You. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Words of Spirit and Life 3-8-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart to see You and stir the passion of my spirit to seek You, as I begin this day in Your presence. ... "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, release Your word in our hearts. One word from Your mouth can change sorrow into joy, darkness into light, despair into hope. Open our hearts to hear Your word for us each day and throughout each moment of each day. Let it become our way of life to continually have our hearts open to hear Your word so we will know Your will. As You declared to Your first disciples, You declare to us today, "the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6.63). Let their response be our response, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (John 6.68-69). As we spend time with You, we learn Your voice. As we spend time in Your Word, we learn Your ways. Your words are life and spirit to us, but we will only hear Your words and recognize they are from You as we learn to hear the voice of Your Spirit. "He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure" (John 3.34). Humble our pride to spend the time to learn the voice of Your Spirit and hear Your word. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Tuning in to You 3-7-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. For these next moments, help me tune my heart to Yours and squelch out every noise but Your voice. ... With every moment, we have many options of how to spend our time and where to place our focus. The image of our television comes to mind. We are probably one of the last homes in America to not have cable or satellite, just receiving the basic channels with an antennae. Sometimes those channels don't come in very clearly and we have to turn the dial of the antennae to focus in on the frequency. Then the picture becomes more clear and focused. So, it is with prayer. We begin with choices about how to spend the resources of our time, with many options. To some degree we can choose what we will allow to have access to our minds and spirits. Even as we choose the channel of prayer, we have a choice to let the signal of communication remain fuzzy and unclear or to make the effort to do our part to bring the signal into focus. We don't control the source or power of the signal, but we can make choices that affect our receptivity. Teach us, Lord, how to choose well and focus in. Let spending time with You become our favorite channel. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Gentile and Jew are One in You 3-6-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me to discern Your thoughts from mine as I listen closely for the leading of the still, small voice of Your Holy Spirit. ... "Gentile and Jew are one in You." You woke me early with these words on my heart, as if Your Spirit were praying through my spirit in my sleep. By 4:12 am, I took note that I was wide awake with thoughts from Your Word, praying about the days and events at the fulfillment of this age. The unity of Your children throughout all ages -- responding to the grace of Your "eternal gospel" from every tongue and tribe and nation -- is a key to these events in the consummation of all things (Revelation 14.6). Father, I submit these words and prayers to You through the cross and the blood of Jesus, praying You would sift and refine what is the chaff of my confusion and what are the kernels of Your truth: The Messiah of the Jews is the Christ of the Gentiles, and Your name is Jesus. "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, for He is our peace. In His flesh He has made both groups into one, and has broken down the diving wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death the hostility through it. So He came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through Him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father" (Ephesians 2.13-18). The children of the twelve tribes of Israel are united as one with the children of the twelve apostles of the church in You, Lord Jesus. One does not replace the other, but both are fulfilled in You. In this way, Gentile and Jew "are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Cornerstone" (Ephesians 2.19-20). The message of the prophets of the Old Covenant are united as one in the Spirit and one in the Lord with the message of the apostles of the New Covenant. It is one message, with the old fulfilled in the new, the living Word revealing the written Word. You are the Message; You are the Word. "In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit (Ephesians 3.5). With Your Word living in us, we are the children of God throughout all the ages, as we abide in You and You abide in us. "In Him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you are also built together spiritually into a dwelling place of God" (Ephesians 2.21-22). Come live Your message and speak Your word through us as we become one with You and one each other in the fulfillment of this age. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Touching Father's Heart 3-5-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me beside the still waters and restore my soul, as I begin this day centered on You. ... My oldest daughter, Elizabeth, had her sixteenth birthday recently. Her heart's desire was to have her own cell phone like all her friends. Lord, help us. But I've come to find I love to see her name come up on my phone when she is trying to reach me. There is something very special about seeing her name and hearing her voice calling her Daddy. I've noticed the rest of the world has to wait just a moment when Daddy's little girl is calling. Is that how it is with You, Father? Is Your heart stirred when You hear us call? Does the world have to wait just a moment as You turn Your heart to hear our call and look upon those who seek Your face? "But now thus says the Lord, He Who created you, O Jacob, He Who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.... Because you are precious in My sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life" (Isaiah 43.1). Thank You, Father, for calling us each by name. Give us faith to believe that we are each precious in Your sight, honored by You, and that You love us. You are the God Who knows the hairs of our heads and the desires of our hearts. When we draw near to You, You draw near to us; when we cry out to You in prayer, You love to answer. "On the day I called, You answered me, You increased the strength of my soul" (Psalm 138.3). Thank You for the blessing and the honor of being children of God, able to touch our Fathers heart. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Place of Peace 3-4-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call upon Your name and lift my heart to You, as You order the steps of my day. Where You lead, I will follow, as best as I can. ... To find and follow the will of God -- this is the place of peace. Then, no matter how difficult the challenges may seem or how insurmountable the obstacles may appear, nothing can take our peace. But how do we know it when we have found Your will? How do we know it is not our will or the will of those we want to please? "The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse -- who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17.9). Here is a key, it seems: the peace does not only come in being right; the peace comes in knowing we are seeking You and Your will as best as we can, by Your grace. Requiring anything more would be impossible; giving You anything less would be sin. You know the desires of our heart. So, as we seek to know You and Your will as best as we can, where we are, You give us peace for You desire to lead us by our hearts. "I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings" (Jeremiah 17.10). This is how You lead us step by step, one day at a time. This is how we can be at peace, though there are many more steps to take and though we may stumble and fall or get off track along the way. Our heart determines our ways and reveals the attitude of our mind. You have called us to give our hearts to You as best as we can, that we may be "bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart" (Ephesians 6.6). As we seek You as best as we can, we will find You; as we seek to follow You as best as we can, You will lead us -- all by Your grace. And we will have the blessing of Your peace along the way. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Make Us One 3-3-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I turn to You, I turn to my Father; and as I welcome You, I welcome Your Holy Spirit; for You are One. Make me one with You in the communion of prayer. ... We are created for communion with You and with one another. We were never meant to be alone, but to walk with one another in the relationships You ordain through the journey of our lives. So it has been from the beginning: "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner' " (Genesis 2.18). Lord, open our eyes to see the helpers You have called into our lives to walk with us; humble our hearts to receive the partners You have chosen to labor alongside us in the fields of ministry. It is the plan of our enemy to isolate us and divide us; it is Your plan to unite us as one with You, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world. You are still sending forth Your disciples into the harvest of the souls of men "two by two" to prepare the way for Your coming (Luke 10.1-2). Partnership in ministry is one of Your spiritual principles, for none of us has all the answers, none of us has all the gifts, none of us has all the vision. We are one, though many as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12.12). "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4.9-12). Two by two, cords of three, many parts of one body -- we are created for unity and not division. Father, we join in the prayer of Jesus: "The glory that You have given Me, I have given them, so that they may be one as We are One, I in them and You in Me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me (John 17.22-23). Lord, unite us as one as we reap Your harvest for Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Independence Day 3-2-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my eyes toward You and celebrate another day in the journey with You. ... As I write out today's date, I can't help but remember that today is Texas Independence Day. No matter where we may live or where our journeys have taken us, every Texan remembers that on March 2, 1836, Texas became an independent, sovereign nation. It's the same as the Fourth of July for Americans. The yearning for freedom and independence is something You have placed in the hearts of all Your children. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3.17). We are never to grow passive toward the tyranny of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Yet, we are never to grow dependent on ourselves as our own deliverer and lord. We are never to grow independent of You. Forgive us, Lord, when we are overcome by our own pride for who we are or who we have become and fail to remember that every good and perfect gift comes from You (James 1.17). Apart from You, we can do nothing (John 15.5). So while it is good to remember our roots, let us always stretch forth the branches of our hearts to bear Your fruit through our lives. You are the Vine, and we are the branches. When our branches become independent of the Vine, we wither and die, failing to bear the fruit for which we were created and failing to have the relationship for Whom we were created (John 15.1-6). Free us for dependence upon You, as we celebrate independence from ourselves. Humble us where we are too proud, but God bless all Your children and God bless Texas. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Bought with a Price 3-1-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw near to me as I draw near to You -- Deep to deep, Spirit to spirit. ... Lord, someone has said, "grace is free, but it will cost you everything." How can that be? How can there be Your call to receive the free gift of grace without working for it or earning it by anything we do, and at the same time, Your call to surrender everything we have to You? "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God -- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life" (Ephesians 2.8-10). "My son, all that you have is Mine. The very life I call you to lay down is the very life I gave to you. The gift of My grace is free, provided for you and all My children by the sacrifice of My love. My sacrifice cost Me more than you will ever be able to fully comprehend, though you will gain in understanding of this truth for all eternity. Though the gift is free, it would be impossible for you to ever earn it. So do not think that I have chosen to give you a gift that you could have purchased instead with your good works or your good life. Any good works you could do and any good life you could live come from Me as well. I have left no room for pride, lest any should boast. So as you receive My gift of salvation through faith, you are receiving this truth that your life belongs to Me. For you have been bought with a price -- the price of the sacrifice of My love through the blood of My cross. I have sacrificed My life for you that you may sacrifice your life for Me. This is self-sacrificing love. This is My love. This is love." Yes, Lord. As Your Word declares, "For you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6.20). Let us live our lives for You, for this is why we were created. Even the lives that we give to You as our sacrifice of love are the lives You have given to us to lay down. In this way, we receive Your gift of life by grace as the free gift of God, yet it costs us everything, as we acknowledge the humbling truth that all we have is You and every gift we have to give is from You. There is no room for pride. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!