What Tomorrow will Bring 9-11-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak to me Your words of truth and life. Set my feet on the path You have for me to walk today. … "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.' Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:13-14). On this day five years ago, the world changed for the people of my nation. Terror touched home on a scale beyond any proportion we had ever known. Yet You redeem all things. You cause good to come out of even the most vile and wicked acts of evil if we will humble our hearts and turn to You for Your strength and peace to press on. One way You have redeemed the events of 9-11 is that few take the security and peace of our lives for granted any more. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We don't know what day may be our last. There is more of sense of living each day in the fullness of that day, not holding on for tomorrow because we don't know what tomorrow holds. You have created each of us for significance, with destiny. You have created each on of us with a sense of eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Yet we have but "a little while" to make a difference; then our opportunities vanish like the mist of the morning dew. Lord, give me Your wisdom and grace to live my life fully this day. Let me not waste my opportunities. Let me not wait for tomorrow. Let me live and love and give and serve today. Tomorrow may never come, but by Your grace and in Your power, I can make a difference in someone's life today. Thank You for reminding me that every day is a significant day. Every day, my choices, my actions, and my words carry the significance of eternity (Matthew 12:36 and 25:31-46). Let this be the legacy of 9-11 for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

What Tomorrow will Bring 9-11-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak to me Your words of truth and life. Set my feet on the path You have for me to walk today. … "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.' Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:13-14). On this day five years ago, the world changed for the people of my nation. Terror touched home on a scale beyond any proportion we had ever known. Yet You redeem all things. You cause good to come out of even the most vile and wicked acts of evil if we will humble our hearts and turn to You for Your strength and peace to press on. One way You have redeemed the events of 9-11 is that few take the security and peace of our lives for granted any more. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We don't know what day may be our last. There is more of sense of living each day in the fullness of that day, not holding on for tomorrow because we don't know what tomorrow holds. You have created each of us for significance, with destiny. You have created each on of us with a sense of eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Yet we have but "a little while" to make a difference; then our opportunities vanish like the mist of the morning dew. Lord, give me Your wisdom and grace to live my life fully this day. Let me not waste my opportunities. Let me not wait for tomorrow. Let me live and love and give and serve today. Tomorrow may never come, but by Your grace and in Your power, I can make a difference in someone's life today. Thank You for reminding me that every day is a significant day. Every day, my choices, my actions, and my words carry the significance of eternity (Matthew 12:36 and 25:31-46). Let this be the legacy of 9-11 for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com .Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

"Seek His Presence Continually" 9-10-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. By Your grace, I willingly welcome You into my mind and my heart, to shape my thoughts and form my desires. … "Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His presence continually" (1 Chronicles 16:11). To "seek" is to pursue -- not passively, but actively; not merely accepting Your strength, but desperately depending upon it; not merely allowing Your presence, but earnestly desiring it. "Continually" means without ceasing, without distraction, without hesitation. How would my life be different if I truly depended upon Your strength alone throughout every day? How would my words and my actions be different if I deliberately welcomed Your personal presence into every moment of my day? Often we kind of have a vague sense of Your general presence in our lives, that You are out there somewhere, sometimes listening in or looking in to the matters of our lives. And the truth is, we kind of like it that way. There seems to be less accountability and more liberty to live our lives for ourselves instead of for You. But this call is to seek You continually, not occasionally; to seek You deliberately, not come across You by accident. Lord, put this desire in my heart and this power in my spirit. Give me a holy hunger for more -- more of Your strength, more of Your presence -- never being fully satisfied, continually seeking more of You in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Consecrated and Consumed 9-9-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am, Lord. Help me yield my will to Your will, laying down my life so that You can live Your life through me this day. … "Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord … as the duty of each day required" (2 Chronicles 8:12-13). I offer my life to You again this day. This is my burnt offering -- my flesh consumed in the fire of Your Holy Spirit. I choose to answer Your call: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Romans 12:1). Consecrated and consumed, "we are the aroma of Christ to God" (2 Corinthians 2:15). Through the prayer of surrender on the altar of my heart, I consecrate my life and this day to You as holy unto the Lord to be consumed in the flames of Your will in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Out of the Great Ordeal -- 9-8-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Lamb upon the throne of God. Be enthroned upon my heart this day. … "Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?' … Then he said to me, 'These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb' " (Revelation 7:13-14). Last night at church, The Foundry -- our "multi-purpose facility" -- was filled with people who came for the purpose of coming to ask their questions about You and Your ways in the journey of our Alpha Course over next ten weeks. As our Pastor, David, told them, they will not only come to understand truth, they will come to encounter and experience the One who is Truth. As they came in, I wondered in my spirit, "where have they come from?" In one way or another, and in each one's own journey, they have each "come out of the great ordeal" -- living life every day in a broken, fallen world where there are no answers and there is no peace apart from knowing You. With my natural eyes, I saw them as they are -- questioning, seeking, hurting, skeptical, and some even a little afraid. But with my spiritual eyes, I saw them as they will be -- welcomed, forgiven, trusting, peaceful, and free. They were no longer robed in the ways of the world, but robed in the white of the glory of God. Though most of these would probably not have ever heard this old hymn, I hear it now as a song of Your Spirit releasing them to ask their questions and drawing them to You to find their Answer: "Are you washed … in the blood … in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow, are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?" For many, if not most, they are not yet. But it is Your desire and in the grace of Your power, they will be. They will come to trust You enough to entrust their lives to You, as You cleanse them of their sins and fill them with Your Spirit. And then in the fullness of time and the fulfillment of all Truth, "They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the Water of Life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:16-17). Lord Jesus, come into their hearts and keep coming into mine; cleanse their souls in the blood of the Lamb and keep cleansing mine. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Walk in the Opposite 9-7-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call on Your name and I ask for Your nature. … "Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). Teach me how to walk in the opposite spirit of the spirits that come against me. Empower me to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Where there is pride, help me walk in humility. Where there is fear, help me walk in faith. Where there is judgment, help me walk in mercy. Where there is bitterness, help me walk in forgiveness. Where there is heaviness, help me walk in praise. Where there is confusion, help me walk in clarity. Where there is doubt, help me walk in wisdom. Where there is anxiety, help me walk in peace. "For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life" (Psalm 56:13). Possess me with Your Holy Spirit and deliver me from every unholy spirit (Matthew 6:13). Fill me with Your Light and cast out of me all darkness. "For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light -- for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true" (Ephesians 5:8-9). "It is You who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness" (Psalm 18:28). In faith, I ask and by grace, I receive more of Your mind and more of Your heart, as I choose to submit my nature to Your nature and my will to Your will. Help me walk in Your Spirit and not in my flesh. Help me overcome evil with good. Lord Jesus, make me more like You each day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Witnesses of Peace 9-6-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord, because You first loved me. I praise You, Lord, because You are worthy of all praise. … Thank You for the gift of the Tuesday Night Prayer Group -- the group of men and women of prayer from all different traditions across our community who gather together for intercession and worship every week at the heart of our city. Margaret Therkelsen, one of my spiritual mentors and mothers in the faith, has faithfully led this group every week for over twenty years of city-wide prayer. We'll never know until we get to heaven how this bond of unity in the faith and in prayer has transformed the spiritual atmosphere of our region as instruments of Your grace to open the heavens over the lives of the people You've called us to love and cover in the power of prayer. Though I've not been able to join them in their faithful ministry as often this past year, I am always refreshed and renewed in weightiness of the glory of Your presence as we seek Your face and pray Your grace. Last night I felt like I needed to be there with my praying family and friends. At the end, as Margaret led us to wait on You for any final leadings of Your Spirit, I heard You say, "Be witnesses of My peace." And You brought to mind the face of my friend Ann who was singing in the choir at our Community Prayer Gathering last week with her face lifted to You in praise the very next day after her daughter Beth's funeral. What a witness she was to me and our community of the peace of Your eternal perspective. As soon as I prayed, You confirmed through my friend Sandy what You had been speaking to her all night, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid" (John 14:27). Yes, Lord. By Your grace, empower us to be witnesses of Your peace. Give us Your eternal perspective. Keep lifting our eyes unto the hills from whence cometh our help; our help comes from the Lord who gives us peace in the midst of pain and quiets our souls in the midst of suffering. You are our Peace and our Comforter. Let the world around us see the witness of Your Peace and Your Comfort shining through our faces turned to You in trusting faith and highest praise. Let us be encouraged by the witness of others to be witnesses ourselves to the peace and power of Your presence. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you can't join her on Tuesday nights, you will be deeply blessed through the ministry of Margaret Therkelsen in her books: The Love Exchange -- An Adventure in Prayer and Realizing the Presence of the Spirit. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Courage and Strength 9-5-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I rise and go to meet the day, I choose to sit and wait to meet my God. … "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14). Courage comes when I know I have waited for Your leading. Strength comes when I depend upon Your power. Your grace is sufficient for me; Your power is made perfect in my weakness -- the weakness of my flesh in submission to Your Spirit. "For whenever I am weak" -- courageously and desperately dependant upon You in trusting faith -- "then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). I need Your courage and I need Your strength. Help me wait for Your leading by seeking Your peace and Your power, choosing not to move forward until I have it. Let insecurity, fear, and pride have no place in my choices and no power in my decisions. As best as I can, I submit my plans to Yours, yielding my will to Yours alone. Sometimes the most courageous act is to stand firm and wait until You give the command to move forward in Your time and in Your way. By Your grace, I choose to stand firm, trusting in You to be my strength. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Eternal Glory in Christ 9-4-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Give me grace to see You and hear You and follow You this day. … "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you" (1 Peter 5:10). You have not promised us a world without pain nor a life without suffering. Yet You have promised us that through it all, You would be with us. You never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). As You said to Your people who would follow Joshua through the battles they would encounter in order to establish them in the fullness of Your promises: "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 31:8). You are my Joshua. And I will arise and follow You. You go before me and You are with me. I need not fear the battles nor be dismayed by the suffering. You are restoring me, supporting me, strengthening me, and establishing me as I keep my eyes on You and answer Your call to move forward into the fullness of Your promises. It's not in spite of, but because of the endurance of faith through suffering, that You are establishing in me the promise of Your "eternal glory in Christ." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Live Life in the Present 9-3-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Awaken my spirit to arise and follow You. … "You turn us back to dust, and say, 'Turn back, you mortals.' For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night. You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; in the morning it flourishes and it is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers" (Psalm 90:3-6). Teach me to live the fullness of life in the present, Lord. I thank You for the past that You have used to make me who I am. I thank You for the future that You will use to shape me into who I will become. And I thank You for today -- "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). Remind me to live this day as if it were my last, as if tomorrow I would stand before You and give an account of how I used the talents and the time You gave me. Each day begins fresh and new, but in the evening it fades and withers; it is no more and every opportunity it brought is forever past. By Your grace, teach me to live life fully each day, so that I will not live in regret the next. Each day may be my last day. So thank You for encouraging me and empowering me to live each day in the fullness of life in the present. "As we work together with Him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For He says, 'At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.' See now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!" (2 Corinthians 6:1-2) In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

I Know My Redeemer Lives 9-1-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Comfort and Strength, my Wisdom and Truth, O Lord, my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... When Job's religious "friends" were confused in their theology of suffering, You spoke Your words of truth and life through the young prophet, Elihu, who heard Your voice and knew Your heart: "Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God's behalf. I will bring my knowledge from far away, and ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you. Surely God is mighty and does not despise any; He is mighty in strength of understanding. ... He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear by adversity. ... See, God is exalted in His power; who is a teacher like Him? Who has prescribed for Him His way, or who can say, 'You have done wrong?' " (from Job 36:1-23). You do not despise any. You are Love, and You have created each of us for a relationship of love (1 John 4:8). But to truly love, there must be the freedom to choose to receive that love or reject it. If You created us to automatically receive Your love, it wouldn't be love at all. We would be robots and not loved ones with the capacity to love in return. So love requires freedom, and out of that freedom we make choices that affect our lives and the lives of others, in our generation and throughout all generations. Our choices have consequences, so a relationship based on Your nature of love is risky and dangerous, but necessary. You cannot automatically make us love You and obey You without destroying the potential for a relationship of love. And out of those choices in our lives and in the lives of others, bad things can happen that are completely contrary to Your will for us. Your will is not to harm us, but to help us, to give us "a future with hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live" (Ezekiel 18:32). Yet in a broken, fallen world, there is affliction and there is adversity; there is destruction and sadness and death. It breaks our hearts and it breaks Yours. But even so, You do not waste our suffering and You do not leave us alone in our pain. You redeem all things, causing life to rise up out of the ashes of death and healing life to flow out of broken vessels. As Job came to say, "I know that my Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25). "He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and my life shall see the Light" (v. 33:28). As we turn to You in our humble weakness and in trusting faith, You deliver the afflicted by our affliction and You open our ears by adversity (from Job 36:15). Whether You intend it or will it or not, affliction can be a means of Your grace to deliver us from our self-reliance and independence if we allow it to draw us closer to You, even while it breaks Your heart to see us endure it. Adversity can be a means of Your grace to open our ears again to the leading of Your still small voice, speaking quietly to our spirit to lead us into the destiny of our future with a hope. Only in this way can we possibly hear and receive Your word of encouragement that "whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). And that joy does not come -- nor should it come -- overnight, but in Your timing and in Your way as we walk with You through the journey. We go through life in all of the full range of misery and joy in order to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). And as we learn to turn to You in our suffering and in our rejoicing, we are becoming "mature and complete" until we are "lacking in nothing" (James 1:4). Who is a Teacher like You? You are exalted in power -- the power of Your love for us and Your desire to conform us into Your nature in the wisdom of Your ways. "Who can say, 'You have done wrong?' " (Job 36:22-23). With Job and all those who persevere and press through in Your grace to see Your power, we proclaim, "I know my Redeemer lives!" In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, my home church will be hosting another Community Prayer Gathering next Wednesday night again at 7:30 on Sept. 6 at Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington. All are welcome! Thank you all so much for covering us in your prayers. To subscribe/unsubscribe or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing, 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 Messiah Ministries' citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Daily archives of my devotional: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Mystery of Faith 8-31-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your wisdom. I seek You, for You are Wisdom. … "Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in the flesh, vindicated in Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16). At times when we are hurting and we don't understand, the mysteries of our faith drive us to cling closer to You in faith -- faith that You are good, faith that You are for us, faith that You are working in ways we cannot see, faith that You are fighting for us in battles we cannot see. We can't hold on to that kind of faith without holding on to the One who is faithful. That kind of faith if found in a Person, not just principles. It is found in the One who is the Word and our Comfort, not just in comforting words. It is a mystery that Your Kingdom has come but it is not yet fully manifested in the earth. It is a mystery that You are sovereign and in control, yet You set before us each day the choices we must make of our own free will (Joshua 24:14). It is a mystery that You said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me;" and at the same time, You referred to the enemy of our souls as "the ruler of this world" (Matthew 28:18; John 14:30). It is a mystery that You came that we might have life in abundance; yet we face a foe who comes to steel and kill and destroy (John 10:10). It is a mystery that You are our "Prince of Peace;" yet we live our lives in world where disobedience to Your will and Your ways through our generations have opened doors to the wicked and destructive influences of "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:1-2, NKJV). It is a mystery that You send Your angels to do Your bidding, but there is opposition from fallen angels fighting to resist and delay Your word and Your will for Your children (Hebrews 1:14; Daniel 10:10-14). So we must continue to pray for Your Kingdom to come and Your will to be done -- here on earth in the brokenness and fallenness of our lives in a broken, fallen world, as it is in heaven where there are no sinful choices and no fallen angels. We must hold on to faith through these mysteries of life, which Your Word calls a "fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6:12). Give us courage and compassion to step in the ring and fight for one another when the mysteries of life and faith seem to be pummeling them into a corner. As we do, the love and power of Your presence makes our faith less mysterious to us and the God of our faith more real to us. In this way, we are growing in grace to become "servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries" (1 Corinthians 4:1). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering our community in prayer in these days where we need the faith of God and the prayers of His heart. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Why, God? 8-30-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wake this morning to press through in prayer and praise through the heaviness of heart of our community for myself and for them. Yesterday, we celebrated the life and mourned the passing of a young woman in our community who was full of life until the day she died at the end of her battle with cancer. This week the funerals will begin for forty-nine lives whose day began and suddenly ended in the crash of their plane on their way to another day in the journey of their lives. Just a few months have passed since a young mother on her way to work among us was crushed under a falling slab of cement from the parking garage above her, carrying her unborn child in her womb. I bring to You my questions and listen to You for answers, as I entrust to You our heaviness of heart this day. … "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?" (Psalm 22:1). "Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?" (Psalm 10:1). Some say we should never ask, "Why?" But that's not my theology. That's not my four year old, Elijah's theology either. "Why, Daddy?" and "Dad, how come?" make up more than half his vocabulary. "Why?" is an expression of the deepest yearnings You have placed in our spirits to know and understand. And as we seek to know and understand the principles and problems, the tragedies and triumphs of our lives, the question of "Why?" ultimately leads to the question of "Who?" It may begin with "Who did this?" and "Who allowed this?", but sooner or later, it leads to "Who will walk with me through this?" Finally, one day -- after the journey of shock and denial, anger and pain, forgiveness and healing -- it even becomes, "Who will use this in my life and in the lives of others?" In my own journey through the suffering and brokenness of living in a broken, fallen world in need of a Savior, I have come to find peace in the One Who wrestles with me through the questions and walks with me through the journey. Thank You for giving me permission to ask the question "Why?" You asked it of our Father as You hung upon the Cross in Your unfailing love for me -- "And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' "(Matthew 27:46). There, You bore upon Yourself for us "our griefs and carried our sorrows" (Isaiah 53:4, NKJV). Then You entrusted Your spirit into the hands of the Father (Luke 23:46). The question of "Why?" led to the Answer of "Who" -- to the One Who sees the end from the beginning and causes all things to work together for good -- even the things that break our hearts and Yours. Keep giving me grace to keep asking the question and giving me faith to keep finding my Answer. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, my home church will be hosting a Community Prayer Gathering Tonight -- Wednesday night 8/30 at 7:30 pm at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome! We understand the Governor of Kentucky and our Bishop are coming to join in prayer. Please come join us in prayer for our community if you can, and join us in prayer from where you are if you can't. Please spread the word. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Community Prayer Gathering Tonight 8-30-06

Dear Praying Friends, In response to the recent plane crash in Lexington, Kentucky, my home church will be hosting a Community Prayer Gathering Tonight -- Wednesday night 8/30 at 7:30 pm at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome! We understand the Governor of Kentucky and our Bishop are coming to join in prayer. Please come join us in prayer for our community if you can, and join us in prayer from where you are if you can't. Please spread the word. God bless you! Please forward this note on to all who would be interested in this prayer event. Also please forward this on to anyone who would be interested in being on our PrayLexington email list for city-wide and regional prayer events in the unity of the body of Christ. God bless you! Tommy Hays Messiah Ministries Lexington, Kentucky www.messiah-ministries.org 859-422-1794 Subscribe To our Email List for City-wide and Regional Prayer Events by sending a note to PrayLexington@aol.com

Why, God? 8-30-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wake this morning to press through in prayer and praise through the heaviness of heart of our community for myself and for them. Yesterday, we celebrated the life and mourned the passing of a young woman in our community who was full of life until the day she died at the end of her battle with cancer. This week the funerals will begin for forty-nine lives whose day began and suddenly ended in the crash of their plane on their way to another day in the journey of their lives. Just a few months have passed since a young mother on her way to work among us was crushed under a falling slab of cement from the parking garage above her, carrying her unborn child in her womb. I bring to You my questions and listen to You for answers, as I entrust to You our heaviness of heart this day. … "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?" (Psalm 22:1). "Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?" (Psalm 10:1). Some say we should never ask, "Why?" But that's not my theology. That's not my four year old, Elijah's theology either. "Why, Daddy?" and "Dad, how come?" make up more than half his vocabulary. "Why?" is an expression of the deepest yearnings You have placed in our spirits to know and understand. And as we seek to know and understand the principles and problems, the tragedies and triumphs of our lives, the question of "Why?" ultimately leads to the question of "Who?" It may begin with "Who did this?" and "Who allowed this?", but sooner or later, it leads to "Who will walk with me through this?" Finally, one day -- after the journey of shock and denial, anger and pain, forgiveness and healing -- it even becomes, "Who will use this in my life and in the lives of others?" In my own journey through the suffering and brokenness of living in a broken, fallen world in need of a Savior, I have come to find peace in the One Who wrestles with me through the questions and walks with me through the journey. Thank You for giving me permission to ask the question "Why?" You asked it of our Father as You hung upon the Cross in Your unfailing love for me -- "And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' "(Matthew 27:46). There, You bore upon Yourself for us "our griefs and carried our sorrows" (Isaiah 53:4, NKJV). Then You entrusted Your spirit into the hands of the Father (Luke 23:46). The question of "Why?" led to the Answer of "Who" -- to the One Who sees the end from the beginning and causes all things to work together for good -- even the things that break our hearts and Yours. Keep giving me grace to keep asking the question and giving me faith to keep finding my Answer. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, my home church will be hosting a Community Prayer Gathering Tonight -- Wednesday night 8/30 at 7:30 pm at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome! We understand the Governor of Kentucky and our Bishop are coming to join in prayer. Please come join us in prayer for our community if you can, and join us in prayer from where you are if you can't. Please spread the word. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

A Compassionate God 8-29-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the old song says, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness, O Lord. Great is Your faithfulness." … "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but My steadfast love shall not depart from you, and My covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you" (Isaiah 54:10). The eyes of the world seem to be on Kentucky these past few days -- not because of the Kentucky Derby or the World Equestrian Games or another National Championship of the UK Basketball Team, but because the world feels our pain and carries a measure of our shock and sadness. The tragedy of this plane crash and loss of forty-nine lives has touched almost everyone in our community in a personal way. As the Mayor of Lexington said, "We not only grieve with the family and friends of those who died; we are the friends and family of those who died." Yet as the world watches, let them also see our faith, our hope, and our love. Let them see us comforting one another with the comfort that only You can give us. Let them see the compassion of our God whose heart breaks over the brokenness and suffering of this tragic loss of life. And let them see the mercy of our God who will not waste a moment of our suffering to draw others to Him. Everyone who lost a loved one or friend or saw someone else lose a loved one or friend Sunday morning was reminded that any moment could be our last moment. Life is short and time is precious. There is no time to waste in receiving and sharing the grace of Your love revealed in Your Gospel with one another. Lord, while the prayers of the world are opening the heavens above our community, let us not squander these sacred moments to share Your hope and demonstrate Your love to those who need Your compassion. As they receive Your grace and enter in to Your covenant of peace, Your steadfast love shall not depart and Your mercies shall not fail. No matter what the morning brings, Your mercies will be new every morning. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, my home church will be hosting a Community Prayer Gathering this Wednesday night 8/30 at 7:30 pm in the Chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Please come join us in prayer for our community if you can, and join us in prayer from where you are if you can't. God bless you!

Lamentation in Lexington 8-28-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Comforter when it seems there is no comfort. You are the Healer when it seems there is no healing. … "Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more" (Jeremiah 31:13). Our community is in mourning and grief, wailing in sadness and sorrow. Yesterday morning, the six o'clock flight from Lexington to Atlanta crashed in a field not far from the end of the runway. That's a flight many of us have taken many times. Forty-nine people lost their lives; only one survived. A voice is heard in Lexington. There is lamentation and bitter weeping, as our hearts are broken with Yours over the loss of these lives and anguish of their families and friends. These are our neighbors and we join with them in their pain. In these days of grief and anguish, where there is no comfort, You fill us with compassion and caring for those who are numbed by the pain and dazed by the shock of such wrenching tragedy. Though we are a large city, we love one another like a small town. And every life of our community will be touched by the loss of these lives. Before the recovery efforts began, our emergency workers gathered around the plane to pray. Without prayer, what would we do? Without You, how could we bear the burden of such sadness and sorrow? "My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word" (Psalm 119:28). Father, we offer ourselves to You to be as Your arms and Your heart those who are grieving. Help us be silent when we should not speak, but listen and love. Help us hold them tight when their emotions burst out with no words to express their pain. As You are there through us, let them know You are there for them. Though we live our lives in a broken, fallen world full of tragedy and sorrow, we do not live our lives without love. You are love, and You love through us. "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:7-8). Give us Your love to love our hurting neighbors through our prayers and our presence in their lives this day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I was scheduled to be leading a prayer walk from our Church's prayer room out to our community tonight at 7:00. But now I feel we should spend our time praying for the family and friends of those who are suffering from this tragedy. So, please come join us in person if you can and join us in prayer if you can't at the Prayer Room in the back of the Chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd in Lexington tonight (Monday 8/28 at 7:00 pm), or in the Chapel if we need more room. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Teammates and Teamwork 8-27-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me listen for Your leading and go where You send me. … "Then one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose. Yet they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work. We work together as partners who belong to God" (1 Corinthians 3:8-9, NLT). In a team, each part does their part. We use our uncommon gifts for a common goal. Lord, reveal to me my part and my place in the teams You have called me to for the work and glory of Your kingdom. Reveal to my teammates their part and their place, as we hear Your call and obey Your commands, working together as partners in pursuit of Your common purpose for our lives. We each have a part in this purpose, and each part must do our part. And as we do we will find fulfillment of our purposes in You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Blessed be Your Name 8-26-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. This song of praise has been in my spirit for days, "Blessed be the name of the Lord… Blessed be Your glorious name!" … "O how abundant is Your goodness that You have laid up for those who fear You, and accomplished for those who take refuge in You, in the sight of everyone! … Blessed be the Lord, for He has wondrously shown His steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege" (Psalm 31:19-21). You are a good God. You love me and care for me as I find my refuge in You. You give me faith and courage to press in to the place of peace in You. Your part is to do it; my part is to choose it. I can't make it happen, but as I choose to rest in You and the abundant goodness of Your steadfast, unfailing love and power, You make it happen. I am not to sit back in passivity, allowing waves of worry to wash over me, but I am to rise and seek Your face and receive Your grace with thanksgiving and praise for Your power and Your provision for my every need. This is the character of faith and tenacity of spirit You are working in me through every challenge I face. This is the Sabbath rest You have prepared for the people of God. "Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:11). Your part is to do it; my part is to choose it -- all by Your grace and all in Your power. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Life Hidden in Christ 8-25-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You, Lord God my Father. Welcome Holy Spirit of the Living God. … Lord, take my thoughts off of myself and turn them to You. Let my life be hidden in Yours today. "For you have died and, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:3-4). In a moment I'll have a chance to go and share a word of encouragement to Your servants from across our community who are spending their time and their labor to build a home for a family who doesn't have one. Through the ministry of Habitat for Humanity, they are looking beyond themselves and looking to You to serve others. While there are building a habitat for humanity, You are building a habitat for Your presence in their hearts. Your nature is to love and to serve, and when we are serving in love, Your nature is becoming our nature. "The only thing that counts is faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6). Let Your life and Your love work to serve others through me today. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for me and our ministry. The Lord is pouring out His encouragement and blessings. He is faithful and He is good! I pray He returns a hundred fold and more of every seed of His love He has sown through you into our lives. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "... Ministering the Healing Love of God, ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794