Experience and Wisdom 5-20-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Arise within my soul and lead me along Your paths. ... As we come to the end of another week of trying to live out our faith in the midst of a faithless world, it's good to stop and reflect. Convict us where we have sinned, that we may receive Your forgiveness and grace for change. Heal us where we have been wounded, that we may be encouraged and restored, even stronger than before. Free us where we have become bound by offense or entangled by pride, that we may be released from all that would hold us back from fulfilling our calling and destiny in You. Let us be wise enough to learn from our mistakes and humble enough to know we need to. As my friend Ginger said at prayer this week, "Experience is when we learn from our own mistakes; wisdom is when we learn from the mistakes of others." That's good. Redeem the experiences of our lives to teach us Your ways, that we may grow in Your wisdom. "It is good for me that I was humbled, so that I might learn Your statutes. The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (Psalm 119.71-72). Let the law of Your ways become the leading of our hearts. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers yesterday. The teaching on prayer ministry was very well recieved and we won our hearing in court. If you are in the area, please Come to Fountain this Saturday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship at 7pm in the chapel at Centenary in Lexington. God bless you! 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!

Light of the World 5-19-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are both the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. You convict me of sin as my Judge, yet You forgive me of all sin as my Savior. You desire my love, while You require my obedience. You are the Son of God, yet You are also our Father God and the Holy Spirit of God, for You are One God. You are complete and whole and perfect in every dimension and in every way. You are like a skillfully cut diamond with many different facets fashioned by a master craftsman to reveal the light and fire of Your glory, yet You have no maker and there are no limits to the depths of Your nature. I worship You in humility and praise before You, in every dimension of Your Being. ... Today I will begin this day as an advocate in a court of law and finish as a minister of healing prayer. Yet I will try to seek the leading and wisdom and grace of Your Holy Spirit in all that I do, because I am to be the same person in all arenas of my life. Over twelve years ago, You called me out of the full time practice of law into the full time practice of ministry, yet there are still times when I find myself entering a world that it seemed I was leaving behind. But that's the point, isn't it, Lord? You have not called us to be Your witnesses with our lives being lived out in isolation from the world, but here in our everyday lives in the midst of the world. We are to be the same disciples of Christ living out the principles of the Kingdom of God in the church and in the marketplace, at home and away, when we are surrounded by crowds and when no one else is around -- even in the courtroom as much as in the prayer closet. You are the same, yesterday, today and forever; in this sense, so should we be. You prayed this prayer for us just before You returned to our Father in heaven: "And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father protect them in Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one, as We are One.... I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but I ask You to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You have sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world" (John 17.11-18). Let us do all we do to Your glory, because You have called us to be who we are, all to Your glory. No matter where we are, what we are doing, or who we are with, give us grace to be Your faithful disciples in all things. In this way, we will fulfill our calling and fulfill Your prophecy of Your church in the power of Your Spirit: "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5.14). We are the light of the world to the extent that we allow Your light to shine through us, as we live our lives in the midst of the world. Shine through us this day and every day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your prayers for me as a prayer leader tonight as I teach prayer ministry with the First Methodist Church in Lexington, and your prayer for me today as an advocate for my client in court with the law firm of Troutman & Hays. May we all be faithful to Him in all things. 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!

Streams in the Desert 5-17-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Good Shepherd and Your sheep know Your voice. Help me know You more personally and hear You more clearly every day, as I listen for the leading of Your Spirit. ... You are bringing to mind the photograph my friend Pam gave me for my office that speaks of the hope You bring through healing prayer ministry. It shows the dry sands of Egypt at the edge of the Red Sea. But there in the midst of the desert is a waterspout, where bright yellow flowers have blossomed into life. "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.... For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water..." (Isaiah 35.1-7). You love to bring new life out of the dry places of our souls. You love to splash the color of hope across the barren canvas of despair. We need Your living waters that renew our spirits and heal our souls. We need to drink deeply from Your streams that are ever-flowing beneath the surface of our lives. Then others will be drawn to the Life they see living in us. You are the Waters that break forth in the wilderness. You are our Life in the midst of the desert. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be leading a Healing Prayer Retreat in Aurora, Indiana this Saturday, 5-21 from 9-5 at First Evangelical UCC with Rev. Tom Parker. All are welcome and please contact Tom for details at revtpucc@prodigy.net Please come if you are in the tri-state area. If you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Sat night at 7pm in the Chapel of Centenary Methodist in Lexington at 2800 Tates Creek Rd -- our ministry's monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Every month is different and fresh as the Spirit leads our unplanned time in His Presence. All are welcome, so please spread the word and please cover us in prayer if you can't come. It's the 3rd Sat night of every month. Subscribe by sending a note to me at MessiahMin@aol.com

The World has Changed 5-16-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my thoughts toward You, as I wait and listen for the leading of Your Spirit to begin this new day. ... From the rising of the sun in the east to the setting of the sun in the west, yesterday we gathered together in the unity of the Holy Spirit to pray as one body throughout the earth. The Global Day of Prayer was the largest prayer meeting in history, as we prayed the same prayers and the prayers of our hearts in the languages of the world and in the language of the Spirit. As You led, we prayed in humility and with boldness, we prayed confession and repentance, we prayed fervently and passionately, with intensity and with intimacy. We worshiped You and praised You and welcomed You into our hearts and into our lands. Your glory covered the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2.14). Because You are answering the prayers You have placed on our hearts, heaven and earth were moved by the power of prayer. The world changed yesterday. It is different this morning than yesterday morning because prayer changes things. We do not know all that has happened, but we will begin to see the fruit of Your answers to our prayers. "And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of Him" (1 John 5.14-15). We have prayed the prayers You placed on our hearts, that Your will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thank You for the honor and the blessing of being vessels of Your will as You released Your power through our prayers. 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 Power of Pentecost 5-15-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You and the Father and the Spirit are One. By Your grace, You come to live in our hearts and release the power of Your love. Come live in me as I welcome You into my heart afresh this day. ... Today is the Sunday we celebrate Pentecost -- fifty days after the celebration of Passover. You prepared Your first disciples for this day of the coming of the Spirit of God in power by calling them together with expectant hearts: "While staying with them, He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. 'This,' He said, 'is what you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now' " (Acts 1.4-5). You explained that the power of God to live our lives as Your witnesses in this world is released through the coming of the Holy Spirit: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1.8). In anticipation and faith, they gathered together in one accord, "constantly devoting themselves to prayer," as they were watching and waiting for the coming of Your Spirit in power (Acts 1.14). "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability" (Acts 2.1-4). Today we gather in one accord from every tongue and tribe and nation throughout the earth on this Pentecost Sunday set apart as a Global Day of Prayer. Though we are many and though we are physically in different places throughout the earth, we are one in the Spirit and one in the Lord, as we gather together in the place of prayer. Come Holy Spirit, like a mighty rushing wind, and fill the house of our hearts with the fire of Your living presence. Set us ablaze with a passion for You and a passion to be Your witnesses throughout the earth. Let our tongues proclaim Your praise in the spiritual language of love. As Charles Wesley wrote of this day of passionate praise and holy fire, "O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace!" We triumph in Your grace this day as thousands upon thousands of tongues sing Your praise throughout the earth. Let Your Spirit come as our spirits pray; let Your fire fall as our praises rise; let our hearts swell as You fill us with Your love; let Your power be released as You send us forth. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, let's join together today for the Global Day of Prayer throughout the earth. In Lexington, we will come together in the unity of the body of Christ at Heritage Hall downtown from 3-5 pm. God bless you in your celebration of prayer 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!

"To the Whole World!" 5-14-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart to seek You and behold You in deeper levels of intimacy with You every day. ... Today is Elijah's birthday. He's my fourth child and youngest son, turning three today. When he was a baby in our arms, someone said to us in prayer ministry that he would be prophesy by the time he turned three. And so he has. As I was preparing to lead the group from our church in prayer for the National Day of Prayer last week, Elijah said, "I will preach, then I will pray." I asked him what he would preach about and he said, "for the Lord ... to the whole world." He kept smiling and declaring over and over "to the whole world!" as he lifted his little hand straight up in the air with great authority. When it came time to pray, there he was at my knee, saying, "I'm ready to pray, Daddy." His little voice rang out in prayer over the microphone. I'm sure the angels of heaven who do the bidding of the Lord were dispatched to carry out the words released through a son of the King. So "the little prophet" -- as one of my pastors calls him -- got to preach and pray on the National Day of Prayer by the time he turned three. I have no doubt he won't stop until he shares his heart to the whole world! "... and a little child shall lead them" (Isaiah 11.6). Lord, restore us to the place of simple trust and childlike faith. Awaken our hearts to preach Your love and pray Your power to the whole world, one soul at a time. As we grow in wisdom and stature with each passing year, let us never lose the blessing of a simple faith and a pure heart that insists on sharing Your love with everyone around. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join with those praying around the world for the Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost Sunday, May 15th. In Lexington, Kentucky we will gather in Heritage Hall next to Rupp Arena from 3 to 5 pm in Ballrooms 1-3 on the Vine Street level. Please come join us and pray with us if you can't. God bless you! 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!

Saturate Us 6-13-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me near into the depths of Your presence in these first moments of the morning. I choose to begin this day with You. ... Saturate us with Your Spirit, Lord. Peter was so saturated with the living presence of Your Holy Spirit that even the touch of his shadow brought healing and deliverance (Acts 5.12-16). You are the healer and the deliverer; You have all power in heaven and earth. Yet, You choose to live in our hearts by the presence of Your Sprit. You desire to abide in us and for us to abide in You so intimately that we become one -- as close as the created can become one with our Creator. Let our very being exude Your presence and power because of the intimacy of our hearts with Yours. When the world sees Your nature and Your power exuding from Your people, it will be said again in our day what was said in Peter's day: "Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women" (Acts 5.14). 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!

Catching our Breath 5-12-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Steady my heart as I take time to breathe in Your Spirit. ... The journey of our lives is more of an endurance race than a sprint. It's more like a cross-country run than lapping around the track. There are times along the course when we need to slow down the pace a little to catch our breath. Sometimes our heart needs to stop racing, but not throbbing. An image comes to mind of a long distance, cross-country runner who needs to catch his breath and is tempted to stop or sit down awhile. But instead he keeps walking rather than just standing or sitting or laying down. He keeps moving, just not at the same pace. When he is rested, he takes off again. Even when we pull back for a season to catch our breath, we are not to stop completely, but keep moving forward. We may spend a few days not talking with people as much, but we should not stop talking with You. As we slow down to walk for a while, the deep breaths help steady our hearts again and clear our thoughts to remind us of why we are running the race. "For Your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to You" (Psalm 26.3). We may slow down the pace a little for a time, but we should not take ourselves out of the race. To stop completely will take much more energy to get going again, but to slow down and walk awhile refreshes us as we catch our breath and renew our focus. You see the end from the beginning of our course, and You know best how each one of us should run our race. Let us run the race so as to win the prize (1 Corinthians 9.24). You are the prize. 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!

You Restore My Soul 5-11-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I entrust this day to You. ... "And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone..." (Matthew 14.23). Lord, You have created us for relationship with You and with one another, to minister to You and to minister to one another. There is great joy in finding and fulfilling our calling in Your kingdom. But sometimes we need to pull away from the crowds and go to the mountain of Your presence alone in prayer. Sometimes we need to rest and just relax. It's not being lazy or callous to the needs of others. Sometimes You make us to lie down in green pastures and lead us beside the still waters for awhile, as You restore our soul (Psalm 23.1-3). Whether we're on retreat in the mountains or in our prayer chair in the corner of the room, we can hear Your call to come away with You for awhile. Here we are refreshed and renewed in Your presence. In this place of rest in You, "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23.6). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'd appreciate your prayers for rest in my soul for these few days away in the mountains of North Carolina for retreat and relationship with our Fellowship of Ministries. And I pray for seasons of refreshing and rest for each of you. 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!

"Good morning, Lord Jesus" 5-10-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and listen for the leading of Your Spirit. ... The apostle Paul called out to those who read his letters, "My little children, for whom I am again in pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you..." (Galatians 4.19). Everything he wrote and said and did was for this purpose and to fulfill this calling -- to see Christ formed in the hearts of those entrusted to his care. That was Paul's heart because that is Your heart -- that we be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8.29). We become like Christ as we behold Christ and offer our hearts to be filled with the Spirit of Christ (2 Corinthians 3.18). To behold You is to worship You, and we become like what we worship. We take on the nature of what we allow to possess our soul. As we abide in You and allow You to abide in us, we grow in Christlikeness. Together, "we must grow up in every way into Him, Who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4.15). Growing in spiritual maturity is growing in Christlikeness. We look to You and follow You, helping one another become more like You, "until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4.13). Though we may pray and minister and work in many different ways throughout the day, this is why it is good to start each day lifting our eyes to Your face and opening our hearts to Your Spirit. This is why it is good to let the first words on our hearts each day be "Good morning, Lord Jesus." In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be on my annual retreat with the MorningStar Fellowship of Ministries this week with limited internet access, so I may miss a few days of the devotional, depending on the circumstances. I'd appreciate your prayers as I receive mentoring and ministry. I pray the same for each of you. God bless you in your spiritual journey! 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!

Daily Offering by Fire 5-9-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. These moments in the morning set the tone for my day. I can start each day with thoughts of myself and what I need to do, or I can start each day thinking of You. I choose You. ... You were teaching us about patterns of worship and prayer to be lived out in our hearts through the offerings and sacrifices of the Old Covenant. What they did in the flesh, we are to be in the spirit. They were called to be obedient and focused, persisting in times of worship and prayer through the times of offering that seemed to form the center of their lives. "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Command the Israelites and say to them: My offering, the food for my offering by fire, my pleasing odor, you shall take care to offer Me at its appointed time. And you shall say to them, This is the offering by fire that you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs without blemish, daily as a regular offering. One lamb you shall offering in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight..." (Numbers 28.1-4). Our "offering by fire" is the offering of ourselves to You each day. Let us come at the "appointed time" to seek You first thing in the morning and to seek You as the last thing at twilight. Let our focus be on the Lamb without blemish, Who is our sacrifice, so that we may freely choose to sacrifice our time and lives for You. Let the surrender of our hearts in these moments of prayer be a pleasing aroma lifted up to You. Let this become our daily and regular offering, as we learn to live a lifestyle of prayer in the fire of Your presence. 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 Cup of Fire 5-8-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the all-consuming Fire of God. Fan the flame of Your presence You have placed in my heart. ... We gathered yesterday for our final day of teaching, impartation, and commissioning for healing prayer ministry. During worship, one of the pastors had a vision. He saw the heavens opened above us and the torn veil of the temple. But it was not torn in one tear down the middle. The veil was torn in shreds, and the shreds were falling down on us as flames of fire. Then he saw a cup and heard You say, "the cup of fire." As we tested the vision and prayed about what this meant and what to do, Scriptures that refer to the fire and the cup came to mind. As we sent for a cup, another pastor reminded us of the passage where You asked James and John, "Are you able to drink my cup that I am about to drink?" (Matthew 20.22). Then we were reminded of the cup You chose to receive from our Father in Gethsemane before laying down Your life for us all at the cross (Matthew 26.39). To share in Your ministry is not only to share in the joy of Your glory but also to share in the persecutions and rejections of those who will not understand and will not receive. As You have taught us, "Servants are not greater than their master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you" (John 15.20). "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may be glad and shout for joy when His glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you" (1 Peter 4.12-14). John the Baptist proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God, saying, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but One Who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3.11). As You spoke to our hearts of what You were setting before us, one by one, we chose to drink of the cup of fire. Let the fire of God purify and cleanse our souls as You send us forth in Your power. You have set our hearts ablaze with a passion for Your living presence in us, to pray for others and continue Your ministry on earth as Your Spirit leads. As the Father sent You, so You have sent us (John 20.21). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouarged 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!

Revelations of Your Glory 5-7-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I bow low in my soul and lift You high in my life. ... A television series called "Revelations" implies that according to Scripture, You will return to earth as a child, born of a virgin, in Your second coming as in Your first. That's not true. When You return, You will "descend from heaven" in the fullness of Your glory, and we "will be caught up in the clouds" to greet You "in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4.15-18). As the angels told Your first disciples at Your ascension to heaven, "This Jesus, Who has been taken up from you to heaven into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven" (Acts 1.11). Today, You are at the right hand of the Father and Your Holy Spirit has been poured out upon Your church. Your church is Your body on earth, filled with Your Spirit on earth, eagerly awaiting Your coming but called to faithfully continue Your ministry until Your return. Let us not become passive in waiting for Your return, but active in obedience to Your commission with the Sprit of Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1.27). "And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him" (Hebrews 9.27-28). Come, Lord Jesus, come. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this weekend as I lead another teaching retreat in a series for equipping others in healing and deliverance prayer ministry with the churches of the Madisonville, KY District of the United Methodist Church. God is doing amazing things here and I pray the same for you. 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!

"Be Filled with the Spirit" 7-26-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I surrender as much of me as I can to You, and I receive as much of You as I can. Help me surrender and receive more tomorrow and every day after that. You must increase and I must decrease. Let this be more than words and more than an event, let this be my life. ... You have commanded us to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5.18).Your Holy Spirit fills us to the degree that we are emptied of ourselves. You are not replacing us, You are changing us. And our flesh resists the change. Our flesh is "at war" with the move of Your Spirit to put our flesh to death, that we may live to Christ, in the process of being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 7.22-23). You strip away our flesh as You cleanse our soul -- our mind, will, and emotions -- and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Our "flesh" is the part of our soul that is not yet sanctified by Your Holy Spirit, the part of us that is not yet like Jesus, the part of us that needs to die to self and be crucified to Christ. You increase and we decrease in this way, as we choose to submit every area of our lives to You, layer by layer and day by day. By Your grace, we choose "to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul" (1 Peter 2.11). "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit" (Galatians 5.24-25). Give us the grace and the desire to embrace this process. Though it is painful, it is worth it, because it brings deeper measures of Your love and peace and joy with deeper measures of Your Spirit filling our soul. 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!

National Day of Prayer 5-5-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord, and long for Your coming in the fullness of Your glory -- here in my heart, here in our nation, and here in the earth. ... Today is the National Day of Prayer in America. You have blessed our nation beyond belief since our birth. Let us remember to humble ourselves in Your sight on the knees of our nation, that You may bless us still and let Your "grace be shed on thee." Let it not only be this day, but every day, as we exercise the freedom You have give us to freely call upon Your name in humility and prayer. Pride in Your blessing becomes the enemy of continued blessing. To the very degree we believe we have earned Your blessing or that our blessings come from our own efforts, we become the hindrance to Your continued blessings. Pour out Your Spirit of humility upon our hearts and upon our land this day. Convict us where we have allowed our blessing of independence from tyranny become a curse of independence from You. Forgive us as a people and a nation where we have grown to depend upon ourselves and take pride in ourselves -- relying upon our monetary wealth and our military might rather than our merciful and mighty God. Let it be by willing hearts that we humble ourselves on our knees before You. One way or another, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess "the name that is above every name" and proclaim "that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2.9-11). In writing this Scripture from verses 9-11 of chapter 2, it reminds us of a humbling day not long ago when we bowed the knees of our nation in brokenness and grief to call upon Your name from sea to shining sea. Let us willingly and prayerfully bow our knees today in humility before You. May Your people from every tongue and tribe and nation set aside their judgments for our obvious sins of pride and bow their knees in humility with us this day. Today is May 5th, and the 5-5 of the date brings this Scripture of 1 Peter 5.5 to mind: "... And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' " Thank You for Your promise, which we receive for our nation on this day of prayer: "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7.14). 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!

Crowns of Glory 5-4-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the worship song goes, "We fall down; we lay our crowns at feet of Jesus. ... We cry holy, holy, holy is the Lamb." ... It is important to know who we are in Christ and that we wear the crowns You have given us. In Christ, we are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people" (1 Peter 2.9). Yet it is much more important to know who You are in us. The gifts and graces that these crowns of glory represent are all from You. We've not earned them and not deserved them. They are a gift from our Father because we have been received as royal sons and daughters of God our King. All that we are and all that we have is from You, so that there is no room for pride or glory in ourselves but only thanksgiving that You have crowned us with the glory of Your presence. "Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (James 1.17). So that becomes a test of our pride. Are we willing to lay down our crowns at Your feet? Have we come to see ourselves by our gifts rather than seeing ourselves as Your people? Any crown of glory we wear is because You have worn the crown of suffering for us. Let us glory in You alone. Let us lead others to You and minister Your love to them -- not so much because we know who we are in Christ as much as we know who Christ is in us. Both are important, but if we emphasis the one over the other, we can subtly slip into religious pride. Continually convict us of any sin that creeps in, that we may be continually restored to the intimacy of the presence of Your glory, through our repentance and Your forgiveness. As we do, we receive Your gifts and graces, pure and undefiled: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away" (1 Peter 5.4). 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!

Humility and Faith 5-3-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I bow down at Your feet, so that You may lift me to Your face. Cleanse me of sin, so that I may enter in. Humility before You is the path to intimacy with You. As You taught us through the heart of John the Baptist, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3.30). Increase, Lord Jesus. ... Your Word teaches us humility: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. ... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4.6-10). And at the same time, Your Word teaches us faith: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11.6). Your Word teaches us to not doubt, as You said to Peter, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14.31). Yet, at the same time, Your Word teaches us to "test everything" (1 Thessalonians 5.21). Lord, as we listen for the leading of Your voice, how do we hear with both faith and humility, not doubting yet testing everything? How do we grow in intimacy with You, trusting the voice of our Good Shepherd, without growing too proud to know that we can be confused or deceived if we do not test what we hear? Teach us how to walk in the path of faith without falling into the ditch of pride and how to walk in the path of discernment without falling into the ditch of doubt. Teach us how to be the "led by the Spirit of God" (Romans 8.14), but not be deceived by the spirit who subtly "disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11.14). ... You seem to be bringing this Scripture to mind: "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the word of Christ" (Romans 10.17). It seems You are saying: "All things must be in their proper order. It is first the word and then the faith, not first the faith and then the word." When we hear what we believe is Your word to us, we must test it against Your written Word because Your living word cannot contradict Your written Word. We must also test it against the witness of our spirit -- does it ring true? We must allow room to test it in the counsel of others, lest we become isolated and unaccountable. In this way, Your word brings faith and in the intimacy of relationship with You, You build our faith to receive and affirm Your word. Then, discernment is not doubt and our faith is not pride. Humility is the path to intimacy, and intimacy builds our faith -- faith to believe Your words are true and they can be trusted. Thank You for being our Teacher, Lord. Help us never stop learning from You and never come to place of thinking we have no more to learn. 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!

Detours of Destiny 5-2-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the way that leads to life. ... Traveling home from ministry with my friends from Wales yesterday, we made a wrong turn. As we talked and prayed, laughed and cried, we didn't know we made a wrong turn for a long time. Our detour added many hours to our journey, and I felt very embarrassed when we realized we were as far away from home then as at the beginning of our journey. But You redeem all things. As we looked back on our journey, we saw all the ways You touched our lives and the lives of others in ways that would have never happened if we had gone the way we planned. You take our wrong turns and make them right. You lead us in Your way even in the detours. You love to cause all things to work together for our good, even our mistakes. "The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of God that will be established" (Proverbs 19.21). So in the end, there are really no detours with God for the children of God. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God" (Romans 8.14). Sometimes You are leading us in ways we don't realize and sometimes You are there redeeming the wrong ways we have chosen. Either way, if we look to You to be our Way, even our detours become part of our destiny; and You are glorified in all things. Be glorified in our journeys today and every day. 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!

Hidden Hindrances of the Heart 5-1-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me close to You in the stillness of the morning. ... As You draw us near, it exposes another layer of whatever would hinder us from the fullness of Your embrace -- not to push us way or to expose our unworthiness to draw near, but so that every hindrance can be removed. You love us this much, that You are willing to expose the hidden hindrances of the heart. Then as we release them to You by Your grace, You lift them from our hearts, so that we can lift up our hearts to You. "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before Him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts and He knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God, and we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we obey His commandments and do what pleases Him" (1 John 3.18-22). This is what pleases You, that we allow You to expose these hidden hindrances so that we can love You in truth and love others in truth. By Your grace, we can take the action of releasing these hindrances to You. This is the call to love "in truth and action." This is the process of allowing Your truth to reveal what is causing our hearts to condemn us and holding us back from drawing near to You and to others in love. As You forgive us and cleanse us, our hearts no longer condemn us, and we have unhindered "boldness before God" because You have removed every hindrance. Thank You for loving us enough to reveal what holds us back from Your embrace, so that we can be free to draw near -- near to You and near to one another. In Jesus' name we, pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we've come to western Kentucky to carry the fire and fan the flames of revival from one end of the Commonwealth to the other. Let the fire of the Lord spread in our hearts and throughout the earth to His glory. Let's pray for one another and for all those who will embrace the fire. The Lord is the Fire! 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!

Fire Carriers 4-30-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your fire burn in my heart. You are the fire; You are the burning bush; You are the flame of the Spirit of God. Burn in me as I embrace Your fire in the communion of prayer. ... In Your Revelation to John on the Isle of Patmos, You opened the heavens before his eyes to let him see a measure of Your glory. In one of the revelations, he saw You as a rider on a white horse leading the armies of heaven to judge the earth in righteousness. You were called "Faithful and True" and You were named "The Word of God." Upon Your robe and thigh were written, "King of kings and Lord of lords." Your eyes were "like a flame of fire" (Revelation 19.11-16). As John saw You that day, so we see You today. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13.8). As we seek You to behold You and to long for Your coming in glory, we see the fire in Your eyes. As we hold Your gaze, we are set ablaze. Everything in us that is not yet like You is consumed in Your holy fire, "for indeed our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12.29). The longer we hold Your gaze, the more we are consumed by the fire of Your glory. Your Holy Spirit lifts our eyes to behold Your eyes of fire and teaches us how to hold Your gaze. As You are holy, so we become holy, in the all-consuming fire of Your presence. Then Your Spirit burns within us to set ablaze all that we touch. Paul said he longed to impart the spiritual gifts he had received from You to others (Romans 1.11). Let this gift of the fire of God we have received in Your presence be released and imparted to every life You would touch through ours. Let us be Your fire carriers to carry this holy fire wherever we go till the whole earth is set ablaze with Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us in prayer for our "Tabernacle of Fire" last night as the Lord fanned into flame His holy fire through our sisters in Christ from Wales, Heather Butler and Mary Burt. May everything the Lord released to us be released to you and then to every life you touch -- all for His glory. God bless you to be carriers of His holy fire! 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!