Learn to Discern 5-17-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am Lord. Open my eyes to see; open my ears to hear; open my heart to receive. In the first moments of the morning, I narrow my focus to You alone. ... "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22). Holy Spirit, You are speaking to the church in these days. We are the church, individually and in the community of relationship with one another. Give us ears to hear "what the Spirit is saying to the churches" (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). But teach us how to "test everything" while we "no not quench the Spirit" at the same time. Give us the faith to listen and the humility to submit everything we think we hear from You to the testing of the standard of the Word of God and the nature of God. Only through the process of judgment and discernment will we be able to determine what is good and what is evil, what we must hold fast to and what we must abstain from. In these days of ever-increasing spiritual activity, we must learn to walk in ever-increasing spiritual discernment. "Let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill" (Proverbs 1:5). We acquire skill by looking to You in humility and faith in the challenges of obeying Your command to "test everything." One of the gifts of the Spirit is "the discernment of spirits" (1 Corinthians 12:10). Not all spiritual activity in our lives and in the community of relationship with one another is the activity of the Holy Spirit. Not every spiritual voice we hear is the voice of the Holy Spirit. Our crafty enemy often "disguises himself as an angel of light" when his unholy spirits attempt to masquerade as the Holy Spirit to gain our trust and ensnare us in deception (2 Corinthians 11:14). So we need Your Word and we need Your Spirit; we need one another to help us learn to discern in both humility and faith. You created us to long to be led by Your Spirit. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). Our enemy knows our nature and our longing, so he looks for ways to satisfy that longing with his deception. The answer is not to quit longing for Spiritual leading or to "despise the words of the prophets." The answer is to learn how to "test everything," to learn to discern. We have much to learn, but You are ready to teach us if we are willing to learn. We learn it by doing it, risking our mistakes but trusting in Your grace. By Your grace, I'm willing to learn to discern. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Our ministry will host the monthly ministry leaders' luncheon for pastors and ministry leaders in Lexington today at 11:30 in the fellowship hall of Centenary United Methodist Church. Come join us if you can and please pray for us if you can't. Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries mailto:--MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://messiah-ministries.org/Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com/

A Season of Graduation 5-16-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me humble myself to listen in the silence of surrender. And having listened, help me humble myself to obey. ... "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to complete His work.' Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting' " (John 4:34-35). May is a season of graduation. Many are coming to the end of a journey of study and training, having brought to completion the work of preparation. It is a season of transition from equipping to releasing, from learning to doing, from listening to speaking, from waiting to advancing. It is time to advance in the will of the One who has prepared us to send us to accomplish our calling in our generation. Now comes the harvest. We will continue to learn even as we advance. And at times we will advance the most as we are humbled by our mistakes and our need to learn more. But we must not fear to learn as we go, giving and receiving the grace of God through one another as we dare to risk failure in order to risk success. Success is to do the will of Him who sent me. Graduation is the completion of one journey and the commencement of the next. As I humble myself before You and turn my face toward You, I will continue to advance "from one degree of glory to another" -- Your glory being made manifest in my obedience to Your will and my faith in Your nature (2 Corinthians 3:18). You are always faithful to bring to completion all You have begun in me (Philippians 1:6). As You have been faithful in the preparation, so You will be faithful in the harvest. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: http://messiah-ministries.orgDaily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

Peace will Prevail 5-15-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the peace of Your presence fill my soul as I entrust my life and this day to You. ... "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (Romans 16:20). It is the peace of Your presence in my soul that crushes the satanic power of fear and doubt, worry and stress, confusion and chaos. By Your grace, my enemy is defeated. But You have chosen in Your sovereignty and power to defeat him under my feet. He is defeated as I choose in obedience and faith by Your grace to stand in You and allow You to stand in me. He is crushed as I cast my burdens to You. This is Your command that allows me to conquer: "Cast all you anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering" (1 Peter 5:7-9). This is the peace of the power of Your presence that overcomes every strategy and scheme of the one who would steal my place of peace in You. You have done Your part to defeat him; and by Your grace, I must do my part to resist him. As I cast my burdens on You, Your peace will prevail. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://messiah-ministries.orgDaily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

A Mother's Heart 5-14-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my eyes to see You and open my ears to hear You as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Holy Spirit into the presence of my heavenly Father. ... King Solomon was called to judge between two women who both claimed to be the mother of a newborn son. In the wisdom that You gave him, he tested their hearts to see which one's "compassion for her son burned within her." The one who was willing to surrender the child to the other woman, despite the pain of her sacrifice, rather than see her son harmed was the true mother. Solomon saw her mother's heart and honored her willingness to sacrifice all for the life of her son and decreed, "She is his mother." (1 Kings 3:16-28). A mother's heart burns with compassion for her child and is willing to sacrifice all for the sake of fulfilling this highest calling. Many have rightly observed that to be a mother is the highest calling and hardest job of all. Yet a true mother can find fulfillment in nothing less. You have created them that way -- with Your heart of compassion, Your mind of wisdom, and Your will of determination to sacrifice all for the sake of the lives entrusted to them. To see a mother's heart is to see the heart of God. "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you" (Isaiah 66:13). Today is both Mother's Day and my son Elijah's birthday. This seems very fitting to honor my wife Tricia on the day she gave birth to our son. She finds her fulfillment in the calling of motherhood. Nothing less would do. This day, we honor the mother's in our lives. And as we bless the mother's with honor, we receive the blessings of God in our lives and in our land (Exodus 20:12). Thank You Lord for the blessing of the mother's among us. We honor them as You honor them this day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Friday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Paul Cooper will lead in worship and I will lead in prayer. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://messiah-ministries.orgDaily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

Look Up and Look Around 5-13-06

Morning by Morning, Saturday Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my eyes from my self and my world to behold You. Broaden my vision and fill my soul with the fullness of the glory of Your presence. ... "But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together" (John 4:35-36). I spent the last few days rejoicing together with my friends in the MorningStar Fellowship of Ministries. We gather once a year for a time of refreshing and encouragement from our various ministries and churches around the world. I love to hear the stories of what You are doing in the lives and ministries of others in so many different and unique settings. Some are sowing, others are reaping, and all at work ministering Your grace of eternal life for the final harvest of souls from the fields of the earth. Sometimes we can get so busy and focused in what You are doing in our midst that we forget to look up and look around in the fields of Your harvest far beyond our own lives or churches or ministries. But when we do, our hearts filled afresh with wonder and awe at Your power and grace. We are reminded again how blessed we are to live in this generation of great harvest and to labor in preparation for even greater harvests yet to come. The harvest of the end will touch the ends of the earth. "But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:6). Lord, keep freeing me from isolation and self-focus. Keep giving me a broader perspective, a kingdom perspective that stretches my vision of Your glory to the ends of the earth. Let me be found faithful to do my part in my generation as I rejoice together in the faithfulness of my fellow laborers of Your harvest. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, to find out more about MorningStar Ministries, please visit the web site: www.morningstarministries.org This is an exciting ministry touching many lives throughout the earth and I'm honored to be a part of it through the Fellowship of Ministries. God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Listen and Learn 5-8-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse my heart and purify my mind. Remove everything in me that would keep me from drawing near to You. ... "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools; for they do not know how to keep from doing evil. Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon the earth; therefore let your words be few" (Ecclesiastes 5:1). Though You continually draw me near to You, though I am created for the very purpose of intimacy in relationship with You, You call me to approach You in reverence and humility. You say "let your words be few" because my words can get in the way of Your words. There is time for me to offer the petitions of my heart, but there is first the time to offer the silence of surrender of my soul. This silence of surrender is better than the sacrifice of service. This relationship of reverence is far better than the rituals of religion. Keep teaching me how to guard my steps in the fear of God in order to know the intimacy of God. Draw me nearer to You each day, as I enter Your house in reverent humility and approach Your throne in trusting faith. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Longing for Heaven 5-7-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I fix my focus on You. A moment ago I woke from a strange dream that reminded me of the frailty of life on earth and our destiny of security in heaven through You. ... "For we know that if this earthly tent that we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling -- if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be clothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee" (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). Father, You have created me to live forever with You in the house of God, the heavenly temple which speaks of Your eternal presence. You have placed the hope of eternity and the sense of the freedom of forever in my heart. The truth and life of Your Holy Spirit living in me continually lifts my face to the fullness of eternity even while my feet are fixed in the frailty of my earthly journey. My spirit that was created for freedom and longs for fulfillment of my eternal life groans under the burden of my earthly life. For this season of life between heaven and earth, I must live out my life and walk out my journey in both of these worlds -- with eternity in my heart and earth in my soul. But "He who has prepared us for this very thing is God." You have prepared me by giving me all I need for this journey -- the very Spirit of Your very presence "as a guarantee" to constantly affirm to me Your truth and constantly remind me of the coming fulfillment of my destiny in You. My hope and my confidence is in You. "Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him" (2 Corinthians 5:8-9). Though I may groan with the longing for my heavenly dwelling, keep giving me the grace to live faithfully in this season of eternity in my earthly dwelling. Let my heart and my aim be to please You whether in heaven or on earth. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Life of Jesus in Me 5-6-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to start this day with You. As we begin the journey of the day together, I welcome You to walk with me throughout this day. How can I follow if You don't lead me and how can You lead me if I don't watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit from the first moments of the morning? ... As I listen for Your leading, it seems I hear You say, "Be available. Be ready. You feel overwhelmed or confused about your sense of direction and purpose when you try to plan out what you will do and where you will go. Rather, look for Me in the relationships and encounters of your day. Welcome My leading by consciously and deliberately choosing to make your mind available to My thoughts and your heart available to My desires. Trust that I am going before you, preparing the way for what I will do through you. As you welcome Me to touch your heart, you are welcoming Me to touch other hearts through you. It is important what you do, but only in relation to who you are -- who you are in Me and who you allow Me to be in you. The most important thing I call you to do is to be available to Me." Yes, Lord. I choose to be available to You this day. Form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Direct my steps. Open my eyes to see You and see what You are doing in the lives of those I encounter today wherever You lead. Wherever I go, I carry You with me because Your Spirit is within me. I am a jar of clay filled with the treasure of "the life of Jesus," being "made visible" through my body in the encounters and relationships of my day to very degree I make myself available to You and ready for Your purpose through my life (2 Corinthians 4:7-12). This is my purpose and this is my direction. This is Your purpose and Your direction for me this day and every day. Help me do this better, help me live this better a little more each day as walk this journey with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Thankful Hearts 5-5-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be Lord of my heart, Lord of my home, and Lord of my nation. You are Lord of all. ... "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17). I joined in the prayers of my fellow countrymen for our nation three different times yesterday at morning, noon, and night. Last night I was honored to lead the part of our prayer on behalf of our state as we gathered from across our city and from across the denominational, racial, and economic lines as one in the body of Christ. We proclaimed our prayers freely and boldly at the courthouse plaza from the center gate at the heart of our city. By the grace of the freedom You have given us, we were not ashamed to pray in the power of Your name as we humbled our hearts in repentance and as we lifted our hearts in praise. As one body and one voice in Your Spirit and in Your Name, we honored You on behalf of our city and our nation. My little boy Elijah wanted to go with me downtown last night. He's not quite four years old and we were concerned he might not make it through a long, public prayer meeting. But when it was my turn to come up and pray, he was there by my side nodding his affirmation of amens and waiving his little hands with authority. On the ride home, he said, "Thank you for taking me to that prayer meeting, Dad." A father loves to hear the thankful heart of his children. Father, I know yesterday you loved to hear the thankful hearts of Your children. As a nation, we give You thanks for Your faithfulness to us even in the face of our faithlessness to You. Your mercy and love abound in measures we can't even imagine to the people of the nations who draw near to You with thankful and humble hearts. And I pray the joy that filled my heart on the ride home is just a taste of the joy that fills Your heart when Your children give thanks to You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Prayers of a Nation 5-4-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit of the Living God. I worship You, Lord my God, my Creator, and my King. ... "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created" (Revelation 4:11). Today is the National Day of Prayer in America. We will gather at churches and courthouses, capitol steps and convention centers, water coolers and river front stadiums across our nation today to honor You publicly with our prayers and praise. Thank You for the gift of freedom to express our faith and hope in You. Forgive us for our silence on all the other days of the year when we have the same freedom. But even so, we ask that You would pour out Your Holy Spirit upon the hearts of Your people in a special anointing of prayer and praise, repentance and rejoicing, humility and honor, as we lift our eyes from ourselves for a moment and turn our hearts to You. Not all will call You by name; not all know You yet by name. But there is one God who created heaven and earth, one God who rules and overrules all, one God who holds every nation in His hands, and when we honor the God of all creation, we honor You alone. "To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever" (1 Timothy 1:17). "God is King over the nations; God sits on His holy throne" (Psalm 47:8). A nation is the sum of its people, and today many of the people of this nation will take a moment and pray a prayer in humility and faith to honor You. Lord, hear our prayer. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12, NKJV). Bless the people of this nation and every nation who seek You and worship You as the One worthy to receive all glory and honor and power. And as You bless Your people in these nations, I pray You will bless the nations of Your people through the earth You have created. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, Thursday May 4th is the National Day of Prayer for our nation. If you are in our area, please join me at noon at the prayer tower at my home church, Centenary United Methodist at 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington, where I will lead our prayer time. All are welcome. Then at 7:30 pm please join us in a city-wide gathering in front of the Fayette County courthouse. If you can come to the Capitol in Frankfort, my friend Carol Koebel will be leading our state-wide observance at the Capitol steps at noon. Please join those who are praying in your community and I ask our friends of other nations to pray that America would honor God in humility, repentance, faith, and praise in prayer this day. I will include below the devotional I sent out recently on the theme for the National Day of Prayer, "America, Honor God." God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com [from Morning by Morning, Friday 4-21-06 -- "Honor Me"] Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord, and I call on Your name. Cause Your nature to be formed in my nature; cause Your heart to be formed in my heart. I entrust my life and this day to You. ... "For those who honor Me I will honor" (1 Samuel 2:30). These words are the call to prayer for our National Day of Prayer this year on Thursday, May 4, 2006. And these words are Your call to prayer for each of us who are called by Your name on every day. The word "honor" in the Hebrew language carries the idea of weightiness, heaviness, and significance. It is from the same root as the word "glory" -- the thickness and heaviness of the substance of the presence of God. It is not shallow or superficial; it is a sense of substance and depth of commitment. As we glorify You, we honor You. As we honor You, we welcome the glory of Your presence. Forgive us for the shallowness of our faith as a people and a nation. Forgive us for honoring You merely with our words or slogans -- "God bless America;" "In God we trust;" "One nation under God." Let these be declarations of surrender to Your will and Your ways rather than sanctimonious and self-serving symbols. Forgive us for allowing ourselves to become "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). We confess our sin and the sin of our nation throughout our generations in the humility of repentance, asking for the mercy of Your grace to renew us and revive us, to reawaken us to our calling and destiny as a nation under God. You created us, as You have created each of us, for the greatness of Your glory. And Your glory fills the hearts and the nation of the people who honor You -- who honor You not merely with our lips but with our hearts, not only in the privacy of our prayer closets, but in the way we live our lives before the world to see. Restore us as a nation and a people to the depth of commitment and surrender You long to have from the hearts of Your people of every nation. Let us not be ashamed to honor You publicly and proudly. "Those who are ashamed of Me and of My words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26). As for me and my house, as for me and my nation, let us declare this day and every day, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith" (Romans 1:16). Blessed is the one who honors God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

The Beauty of Brokenness 5-3-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my spirit to see Your hand in the moments of my life. ... The Palisades are the beautiful cliffs that rise high above the Kentucky River that runs along the edge of our county and down through the heart of Kentucky from Ohio to Tennessee. The fault line of ancient earthquakes runs along the rivers bed and these wondrous Palisades are really just the jagged edge of the brokenness of the past. Even brokenness can be beautiful in Your hands. You love to release the waters of the River of Life along the jagged edges of our past. Sometimes we would like to bury our wounds to be covered up by the yours, but You often use those very places of pain or shame to be lifted high for all to see. This is not to hurt us but to heal us, not to shame us but to share us with others in their suffering when they need to see Your power to bring beauty out of brokenness. You don't waste a moment of our suffering. You don't forget our pain, You redeem it. You don't change our past, You change the effect of past, as You transform us and then use us to transform others through the redeeming power of Your love. But it's only when we welcome Your living waters to come running through the pain and shame of the past that we can look up and see the beauty of our brokenness. "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3). As best as I can and all by Your grace, I entrust my wounds and hurts, my shame and sin, my past and my present and my future to You. Lord, bring Your beauty out of my brokenness. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, Thursday May 4th is the National Day of Prayer for our nation. If you are in our area, please join me at noon at the prayer tower at my home church, Centenary United Methodist at 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington, where I will lead our prayer time. All are welcome. Then at 7:30 pm please join us in a city-wide gathering in front of the Fayette County courthouse. If you can come to the Capitol in Frankfort, my friend Carol Koebel will be leading our state-wide observance at the Capitol steps at noon. Please join those who are praying in your community and I ask our friends of other nations to pray that America would honor God in humility, repentance, faith, and praise in prayer this day. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Jesus Had a Mother Too 5-1-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I thank You for the life You have given me and I welcome Your Spirit to help me live this life by Your grace and for Your glory. ... It has been good to have my mother here with us for a few days to celebrate the baptism of one son, the birthday of another, the life of each of my five beautiful children, and the blessing of my beautiful wife. My mom loves to love, and one of the ways she loves is by giving abundantly of herself to us and by helping us learn to give abundantly of ourselves to others. I was thinking this morning of how Your mom was the same way: "On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what concern is that to you and to Me? My hour has not yet come' " (John 2:1-4). Lord Jesus, You had a mother too. Somehow in the mystery of Your humanity and Your divinity, You had a very heavenly Father and a very earthly mother. Mary, the mother of the Son of God, "found favor with God" and conceived You in her womb by the Holy Spirit and bore You as her son -- Son of God and Son of Man (Luke 1:26-38). And with the grace of the wisdom of God and the challenges of human thoughts and desires, Mary mothered You. One thing mothers do is look into the hearts of their sons and daughters to see the calling and destiny of God. By Your grace, they are created and called to see the best in us -- to affirm us and nurture us, discipline us and love us, hold us and heal us, until it's time to release us into maturity and ministry in whatever way You lead. So it was with Mary. Even before it was time for Your hour to come, she knew You were the answer to every need. And no matter what we might think of Your humanity and divinity, of Your humility as the Son of Man and Your authority as the Son of God, that day Your mother had her way. By the end of that day the water was turned to wine -- whether You told Your mother Your hour had not yet come or not (John 2:5-11). Thank You for the gift of mothers who see the best in us because they see You in us. Any good in us is You, because apart from You there truly is no good in us. Apart from You, we can do nothing, but as we abide in You and You abide in us, our lives bear much good fruit (John 15:5). And mothers have the eyes of God to see the fruit we are called to bear long before we see it ourselves. They plant the seeds and nurture the shoots; they water us with Your Word and set us in Your Light, until we grow up to become who You've created us to be. Mothers are a gift of God. And by Your Holy Spirit living in them, our mother's are the hands and heart of God to encourage us as sons and daughters of God to take those steps into our destiny even when we don't yet know our time has come. You had a mother like that. And so do I. Thank You for the gift of my mother and thank You for loving me and mothering me through her. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Prevenient Grace of Baptism 4-30-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in Your ways so that as I lead others by Your grace, I am leading them to You. ... It was the cry of Hanna's heart to have a son, and You answered her prayers. She brought her son Samuel to the temple of the Lord and dedicated him to You. "For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me the petition I made to Him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:27-28). Today we will bring our youngest son, Josiah Benjamin Hays, before our church and I will baptize him in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. As his family and as his church family, we will dedicate him to You and dedicate ourselves to You to teach him and lead him in Your ways. We will love him and lead him by Your "prevenient grace" until the day he will stand before us as a man of his own faith and confirm the dedication of his heart to You. It is an outward symbol of the inward grace that Your Holy Spirit is with us, drawing us to You, leading us in the ways of life in Christ in the community of faith. Josiah was born into this earth in the flesh and he is being born into Your kingdom in the Spirit. "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:5-6). Let us all live our lives before him in a way that represents Your true nature. Let him always be drawn to You to know You in a personal relationship of deepest intimacy and trust. By Your grace, let my role as his earthly father be to love him and lead him to his heavenly Father. Let us all do the same before the eyes and in the hearts of all our spiritual children being loved and led in the community of faith in Christ. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel. Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

"We do see Jesus" 4-29-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the song says, "Open the eyes of my heart Lord; I want to see You." ... "But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9). Holy Spirit of God, You "the Spirit of Truth" who always guides us into truth and always glorifies Jesus (John 16:13-14). Open my eyes to see Jesus. So many of us think we see Jesus, but we do not see Jesus as He truly is. Our vision is often distorted and our minds are often confused by the false images and deceptive thoughts of the world, the flesh, and the devil calculated to keep us from seeing Jesus as He is. "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). "Unbelievers" are more than those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They are those who do not fully see Christ as the image of God, and who do not fully see God as He is in the full light of His glory. In one sense, we are all unbelievers in one degree or another until we see God face to face and know Him as we are known, because we cannot fully see Him as He truly is on this side of heaven. "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12). Then our faith will become sight, then we will believe without doubt, then we will see Jesus fully as He is. Come Holy Spirit. Keep opening my eyes to see Jesus more clearly, to love Him more dearly each day. To see Jesus is to see the Father, to believe in Jesus in the full light of His glory, who tasted death for me so that I might live in Him, is to believe in the fullness of the love of God my Father for me. As Jesus said to His first disciples, He continues to say to each of His disciples, "Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.... Believe Me that I am in My Father and the Father is in Me" (John 14:9-11). By Your grace -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- I choose to see and I choose to believe. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel. Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

"On Toward Perfection" 4-28-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch and wait for Your leading in the silence of surrender before You this day. ... "Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God, instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And we will do this, if God permits" (Hebrews 6:1-3). Let these basic teachings be firmly established in the foundation of my understanding of Your nature and Your will. But don't let me ever become satisfied or settled in what I have learned and in what I have become. Give me the desire to keep going "on toward perfection" in Your grace and power. Let me be steadily "filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" as I "grow in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:9-10). I want to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). Understanding and living out the principles of repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection, and eternal judgment are important and essential. But they are foundational. And a foundation is something to be built upon. We are "members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God" (Ephesians 2:19-22). You are joining us together and growing us up into maturity of understanding and nature to be a dwelling place for God. We have no higher calling than this, but we can only reach these heights if we let You keep building in Your power and we keep growing in Your grace -- "on toward perfection." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel. Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

Deliverance from Infirmity 4-27-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. God of all peace, I entrust my spirit and soul and body to You, asking You to make me sound and blameless by Your healing blood and sanctifying power as You come into every area of my life (1 Thessalonians 5:23). "When Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve Him. That evening they brought many to Him who were possessed with demons; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, 'He took our infirmities and bore our diseases' " (Matthew 8:14-17). Lord Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd who heals and nurtures His sheep. I welcome You into my house and my heart. You have already taken my infirmities and borne my diseases. Touch my hand with Your nail-scarred hand. Cast out of me and away from me every spirit of infirmity in the power of Your word and for the glory of Your name. Make me whole and free to rise and serve You. "Surely He has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted Him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5). I receive Your deliverance from infirmity; I receive Your healing from disease. I agree with Your word and Your will of wholeness for me, and I pray the same for all my family and for all who are suffering any sickness as they call upon Your name in humility and faith. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel. Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

Silent Praise 4-26-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my eyes to Your promises and away from my problems. I open my heart to Your presence and welcome Your peace. ... "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" (Psalm 19:1-4). This morning, I speak my words of prayer and praise to You with my heart and hands alone. The grip of some virus seems to be tightening around my throat and silencing my voice. But while Your Spirit arises in my immune system to drive sickness from my body, Your Spirit is arising in my spirit to tell the glory of God and proclaim Your handiwork through all the earth. In a moment I will send these prayers of praise to the end of the world. Sickness will not silence me; infirmity will not stop me. I join all Your creation throughout heaven and earth to declare Your goodness and glory as You walk with me through every valley and draw near to me through every struggle. My struggles are nothing compared to others, but even in these, You draw them into Yourself as I release them to You. Day to day, night to night, and morning by morning, I release them all to You and entrust my life into Your hands -- hands eternally scarred by the nails of Your sacrifice of suffering and love for me. How could I not trust You no matter what I endure and struggle through with You at my side. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15, NKJV). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel. Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

The King of the Kingdom of God 4-25-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! That the King of glory may come in" (Psalm 24:7). Come in to Your kingdom in my heart in deeper measure today than yesterday and in deeper measure tomorrow than today. ... "He said therefore, 'What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.' And again He said, 'To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened' " (Luke 13:18-21). You are always teaching us about the kingdom of God. And one truth about this kingdom is that it is always growing into maturity, into fullness, into its full expression. Like the see that grows into a tree and like the yeast that rises to leaven the whole loaf, it is not stagnant and still, but growing and alive. And as we give ourselves to You, You are the King of the kingdom in our hearts in an ever-increasing measure. Your authority and Your rule increases in our lives as we submit to Your will and Your ways. "For, in fact, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). Lord Jesus, You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords; You are the King of the kingdom of God. You are the King of glory and the King of my heart. Increase as I decrease (John 3:30). Let me grow more each day, as Your kingdom grows in me and in all those who submit to Your Kingdom and Your Lordship, "until all of us come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel. Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

Walk on the Other Side 4-24-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me listen; help me trust; help me obey. ... "Now when Jesus saw great crowds around Him, He gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, 'Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' " (Matthew 8:18-20). Lord, give me courage to follow You and not the crowd. Give me the integrity to walk with You in the truth even when it's on "the other side" of popularity. It can be a lonely place without the security of the approval of the crowds. But let me not pledge with my lips to follow You wherever You go without determining in my heart to follow You when the road is hard and lonely and when the journey leads in a direction that is contrary to culture. A disciple is one who is disciplined to obey, one who is teachable to learn, one who follows freely in the steps of his teacher. "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it" (Luke 11:28). Lord, let me hear You and obey You. Discipline me and disciple me to be willing to follow You wherever You lead without fearing of rejection of the crowds and without living for the approval of others. By Your grace, let me be found faithful and true by Your side -- a side that was pierced by the spear of the very ones You died to save (John 19:31-37). Give me the grace to love those who reject me, to pray for those who mock me. Remind me that when I follow You, it's not me they are rejecting. As You said, "Whoever listens to you listens to Me, and whoever rejects you rejects Me, and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me" (Luke 10:16). In the power and courage of Your name, I renounce the fear of man and I choose to follow the Son of Man. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel. Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com

Our Great God 4-22-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I sing to You how great is our God. ... A man and his wife gave testimony to Your greatness last night at The Fountain. They were in a horrendous car wreck, he was in a coma, and the doctor said to his wife, "There's nothing there. Let him go." As she persisted in prayer, You did not give her the peace to let him go. Angered by her resistance, the doctor told her, "You are just a selfish old woman, who won't let him go. Even if he were to live, his mind would be destroyed." But those were not the words You were speaking into her spirit. You had not given her the peace of release, but persisted with a burden to pray for healing and life. And last night, her husband stood before us giving praise to Your name and Your victory of life over death. His body is not broken and his mind is not destroyed. He's still teaching students as a professor of philosophy at Asbury College. No doubt his favorite philosophy is "Trust the Word of God, not the words of men." You are the God who loves to take the shattered pieces of broken lives and heal them in Your hands and hold them in You arms. You love to speak life into the dead places -- to bind up the broken-hearted and set the captives free, to restore what is broken and redeem what is destroyed (Isaiah 61). You love to release the power of Your love into our hearting hearts, our wounded spirits, and our broken bodies. You love to fill us with the peace of Your presence and the power of Your love no matter what we face in our journey through this broken, fallen world. How great is our God! "How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His sovereignty is from generation to generation" (Daniel 4:3). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's (and now cd's) for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, write to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com"Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. On the Web: http://www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel. Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com