Hearing the Voice of God, Knowing the Will of God for My Life 3-7-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift my eyes to the risen Christ. Come rise again in my heart today. ... "The Lord has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I many know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by Morning He wakens -- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught" (Isaiah 50:4). You've wakened me early this morning to listen for Your leading, with anticipation and expectation in my heart. It seems I hear You forming Your words of a new song in my soul -- I lift my eyes to my risen Christ; Come rise again in my heart I pray. I open my ears so that I can hear All that Your Spirit would say. Help me be quiet as I wait in silence To listen for the leading of Your voice. Let me be still and know that You are Lord As You guard my soul from distractions and noise. Let Your thoughts be my thoughts Let the desires of Your heart be mine. Conform my will with Your will and my ways to Yours To lead me in Your purpose since the foundations of time. Thank You, Lord, for these words You have written on my heart this morning. Let them be more than words, but a surrender of my soul to Your plans and purposes for my life. I don't want to waste single day of the precious moments of my short time in the flesh on this earth. I want to be faithful to fulfill all You have for me in my generation (Ephesians 1:3-6). "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon Me and pray to Me, I will hear you. When you search for Me, you will find Me; if you seek Me with all your heart ..." (Jeremiah 29:11-13). Yes, Lord. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I seek You and Your will for my life with all my heart. So now I can rest in the peace of trusting that You will be answering my prayers -- putting Your thoughts in mind and Your desires in my heart, conforming my will and my nature to Yours, as You lead me in the paths of Your purpose for my life. In trusting surrender, I offer my life as "a living sacrifice" to glory of Your name (Romans 12:1). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays A good friend and prayer partner of mine has been deeply moved to begin exploring the possibility of a spiritual retreat center for weekend events, healing prayer retreats, a school of ministry, and other means of cleansing and empowering the hearts and souls of God's people. These things are part of the deeper visions of my heart. Please join us in prayer for discernment of the Lord's will and timing and provision. Friends, tonight I will begin a short series of teaching at my home church on Spiritual Transformation through the Prayer Ministry of Healing and Deliverance on the Wednesday nights of March (6:15-7:30 pm in Room 35 at Centenary UMC in Lexington, Kentucky). Please keep us in your prayers and come join us if you're led. (This is include much of my teaching and prayers on our dvd/cd Preparing the Way of the Lord -- Biblical Principles of Inner Healing and Deliverance). Come to the Mountain! on Monday nights to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you" (Psalm 122:6) Doris & Bob McCray of Messiah Ministries, will be leading a weekly Meeting to Pray for Israel on Monday nights @ 7 p.m. These prayer gatherings will meet in the Community Room, upstairs at First Southern Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Road (Corporate Center) in Lexington, Kentucky. Come join us if you can and pray along with us if you can't. Please spread the word. 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. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 My apologies for the mistaken web link the other morning to our Celebrate Recovery ministry in Lexington at Centenary on Thursday nights. The correct link is: www.CRLex.com 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 .

Blow the Trumpet in Zion 3-06-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and wait now in the silence of surrender to follow in Your way. ... "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near -- " (Joel 2:1). You moved on the hearts of my good friends Doris and Bob McCray to gather with others each week to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" -- to pray for Gentiles and Jews, Muslims and Christians; to pray for security and safety, humility and courage; to pray mercy in the midst of judgment and peace in the midst of terror (Psalm 122:6). Peace is more than a passing truce. Peace is more than a strategic weapon of the temporary secreting of hidden hostilities and seething hatred. Peace is shalom -- the blessing wholeness and healing of being in right relationship with God, with one another, and within ourselves (Number 6:26). Peace is a Person. Jerusalem will know peace when she welcomes the "Prince of Peace" into her city and into her heart (Isaiah 9:6). On that day, You will come to them in peace when they turn to You in repentance and faith, crying "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:39). Twelve gathered last night to pray for this beginning gathering from different churches and traditions but of one heart, led by one Spirit, to pray as You led. One lady was here visiting from her home in Israel, where she will return next week to her home in the war-torn region of northern Israel. There she opens the Scriptures to lead her Jewish neighbors to their Messiah. And when my four year old son, Elijah, began to powerfully blow the ram's horn shofar, something erupted in our spirits with enthusiasm and joy to join together in prayer. The lady from Israel declared with joy, "That's the Lord's call to prayer, the call to battle!" Yes, Lord. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). Our battle is against the forces that come to deceive and destroy, that keep the eyes of the perishing blinded to the truth of Your love and grace, that keep us bound up in hatred and war when Your heart for all is the peace of shalom. And prayer is one of the mighty "weapons of our warfare" (2 Corinthians 10:4). "Blow the trumpet in Zion!" Give us ears to hear the call to battle, to come up to Your holy mountain, and to take our stand for the salvation and security of Your people in Your strength through the power of prayer. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to the Mountain! on Monday nights to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you" (Psalm 122:6) Doris & Bob McCray of Messiah Ministries, will be leading a weekly Meeting to Pray for Israel on Monday nights, starting Tonight, March 5th @ 7 p.m. These prayer gatherings will meet in the Community Room, upstairs at First Southern Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Road (Corporate Center) in Lexington, Kentucky. Come join us if you can and pray along with us if you can't. Please spread the word. 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. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 My apologies for the mistaken web link the other morning to our Celebrate Recovery ministry in Lexington at Centenary. The correct link is: www.CRLex.com 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 .

Sacrament of Hope 3-5-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Continually come into my heart; continually fill me with Your Holy Spirit, as You continually increase and I continually decrease. ... "Jeremiah said the word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, 'Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption by purchase is yours.' ... And I bought the field.... For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land" (Jeremiah 32:6-15). You led Jeremiah to purchase a plot of land in Israel at a time when Jerusalem and all Israel was under siege from the king of Babylon. The city would be destroyed and the people taken captive in exile as their sins of rebellion and unbelief brought them under Your judgment and opened the gates to destruction from their enemies. Yet, even in judgment, You remember mercy (Habakkuk 3:2). Even through destruction, You bring restoration -- in Your timing and in Your way. Though Jerusalem would be destroyed and Israel would be held captive in the land of her enemies for seventy years, just as You had prophesied through Jeremiah, one day Your people would return to begin again (Jeremiah 25:11). The purchase of the land was a sacrament of hope -- a physical declaration of a spiritual reality. Though Jeremiah prophesied judgment, he also prophesied restoration. And the owner of land has legal rights -- physical rights, and therefore, spiritual rights. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). The love of our heart is the measure of our authority. Over the past year or so, I believe You have led me to purchase land, to speak and pray with the authority You give by the love You've placed in my heart. By Your grace, we bought a home in Wilmore, Kentucky -- the site of many significant, historic revivals, birthed from repentance and prayer at Asbury College (where they just named Dr. Sandra Gray their first woman President -- a spiritual mentor, a faithful friend, and a wise board member of our ministry -- Praise You, Lord!). And by Your grace, we bought stock in the oil company -- dedicated the glory of God by its board of directors -- that holds the legal rights from the government of Israel to drill for oil and minerals under Megiddo and the surrounding region of Israel. You have given me a heart of love to place my treasure in Kentucky and Israel -- to speak and pray with the authority You give for protection and for revival, for spiritual transformation of hearts and souls, cities and regions. Though there may be days of judgment and war in the conflicts of heaven and earth, there will also be a day of great restoration and revival. I have purchased the land, but You have purchased my soul. "The right of possession and redemption by purchase is Yours" (from Jeremiah 32:7). Let this purchase of land be my sacrament of hope. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, the oil company I mentioned is Zion Oil & Gas www.zionoil.com/company/vision Come to the Mountain! on Monday nights to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you" (Psalm 122:6) Doris & Bob McCray of Messiah Ministries, will be leading a weekly Meeting to Pray for Israel on Monday nights, starting Tonight, March 5th @ 7 p.m. These prayer gatherings will meet in the Community Room, upstairs at First Southern Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Road (Corporate Center) in Lexington, Kentucky. Come join us if you can and pray along with us if you can't. Please spread the word. My apologies for the mistaken web link yesterday morning to our Celebrate Recovery ministry in Lexington at Centenary. The correct link is: www.CRLex.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. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 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 .

Overcoming the Fear of Others 3-4-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your words in my heart. ... "The fear of others lays a snare, but one who trusts in the Lord is secure" (Proverbs 29:25). One of my friends gave a testimony of Your victory over his struggle with pornography last Sunday at our church. When he return to his seat, his wife stood and embraced him in such a declaration of forgiveness and love that all our church erupted in applause. The fear of what others might think almost kept him from sharing the hope of healing and the power of transformation through the blood of Your cross. But now that fear is forever broken. And shame is turned to honor. Now my friend helps others find their way to freedom through the healing power of Your deliverance as part of our Celebrate Recovery ministry on Thursday nights. We are never more safe and secure than when we follow You in trusting obedience to Your will. Lord, help me always be courageous to trust You whenever You lead me to share Your victories over my struggles. Transparent lives unafraid to speak of the power of the cross are an irresistible force to break down the hidden walls of pride and shame and set the captives free. As hope begets hope and courage begets courage, our stories of struggle become part of the stories of victory in the lives of others. Then the power of the fear of man is broken, and the joy of forgiveness and grace is released, as You turn the places of shame into places of honor. "Because their shame was double, and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot, therefore they possess a double portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs" (Isaiah 61:7). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join us if you can and pray for if you can't for our Celebrate Recovery ministry in Lexington addressing all forms of hurts, habits, and hang-ups on Thursday nights www.CRlexington.org 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 Mountain! -- Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem on Monday Nights

"Many people shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3). Come to the Mountain! on Monday nights to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you" (Psalm 122:6) Doris & Bob McCray of Messiah Ministries, will be leading a weekly Meeting to Pray for Israel on Monday nights, starting Monday, March 5th @ 7 p.m. These prayer gatherings will meet in the Community Room, upstairs at First Southern Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Road (Corporate Center) in Lexington, Kentucky. Come join us if you can and pray along with us if you can't. Please spread the word. We have this promise from the Lord as we stand with the people of Israel in prayer: "I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be bless" (Genesis 12:3). So come be blessed to be a blessing! Rev. Tommy Hays Spiritual Director and Founder Messiah Ministries www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 859-422-1794

Weapon in the Hands of God 3-2-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I devote these first moments of the morning to You. Here is where I receive Your grace and power to live in Your strength throughout this day. ... "See, it is I who have created the smith who blows the fire of coals, and produces a weapon fit for its purpose" (Isaiah 54:16). Lord, I want to be a weapon fit for Your purpose, fashioned and formed in the flames of Your fire. Those flames may be the challenges and circumstances I face today, but I also know You are here with me to give me the grace to turn these challenges into opportunities to grow into the man of God You have created me to be. They will sharpen me and hone me in preparation for the battles to come. So as the wind of Your Spirit blows the fire of coals, I know You will not make it hotter than I can stand, but hot enough to accomplish Your purposes of preparation in me. What may seem like a curse will become a blessing, as I receive Your grace for the courage and perseverance to trust You through the process of transformation. So as best as I can in the faith that I have, I ask for, and I receive, that grace. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Come to the Mountain! on Monday nights to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. "Many people shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3). Friends, Doris & Bob McCray of Messiah Ministries, will be leading a weekly Meeting to Pray for Israel on Monday nights, starting Monday, March 5th @ 7 p.m. These prayer gatherings will meet in the Community Room, upstairs at First Southern Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Road (Corporate Center) in Lexington, Kentucky. Come join us if you can and pray along with us if you can't. Please spread the word. 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. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 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 .

"Stoke the Fire" 3-1-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, my Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. Lord, You are One and You are holy. You are worthy of my praise and my trust. I worship and adore You. Now I sit quietly and wait for You. ... "If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you shall offer a male without blemish; you shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, for acceptance in your behalf before the Lord.... The sons of the priest Aaron shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.... Then the priest shall turn the whole into smoke on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the Lord" (Leviticus 1:3-9). As I woke this morning, I heard Your Spirit speak to my spirit: "Stoke the fire." The image came to mind of stoking the coals and adding wood to a burning flame of fire. Lord, You have set my heart ablaze with a passion for You. But every day, the flame of the fire of my heart must be stoked and tended. As I come "to the entrance of the tent of meeting," I can enter in to the intimacy of worship and prayer in communion with You only because of Your eternal sacrifice for me, the Lamb "without blemish." By Your grace, I come as a child of God in the priesthood of believers to offer "the whole" of my heart as "an offering by fire of pleasing odor" to You. As I stoke the fire, by the leading of Your Holy Spirit, let my prayers rise to You as smoke rising up from a burning flame, consuming the burnt offering of my heart. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, Doris & Bob McCray of Messiah Ministries, will be leading a weekly Meeting to Pray for Israel on Monday nights, starting Monday, March 5th @ 7 p.m. These prayer gatherings will meet in the Community Room, upstairs at First Southern Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Road (Corporate Center) in Lexington, Kentucky. Come join us if you can and pray along with us if you can't. Please spread the word. 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. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 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 .

Powerful, Effective Prayers 2-28-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill my spirit with Your Spirit. Fill my words with Your words and my prayers with Yours. ... "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest" (James 5:16-18). Apart from You, I have no righteousness. But through the mercy of Your grace and the cleansing of Your blood, You have given me a righteousness "that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith (Philippians 3:9). Through that righteousness of relationship with You, You want to move in my spirit to pray in the power of Your name, which is to pray in the power of Your nature, according to Your will and Your ways. Those prayers are "powerful and effective" -- a means of Your grace to release Your will and establish Your kingdom through Your people in prayer "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Lord, teach me to pray like that -- faithfully, fervently, powerfully, effectively. Bring me more deeply each day into a relationship with You like that, so that I sense the leading of Your Spirit to pray in accordance with the desires of Your will in the authority of Your name. Then my prayers will be powerful because they are backed by the power of God. Then my prayers will be effective because they accomplish the purposes of God. Then my prayers will be faithful and fervent because they are empowered and impassioned by the Spirit of God. These are the prayers that move heaven and earth because they move the heart of God. And they move Your heart because they are from Your heart to mine in the righteousness of relationship with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, Doris & Bob McCray, board members of Messiah Ministries, will be leading a weekly Meeting to Pray for Israel on Monday nights, starting Monday, March 5th @ 7 p.m. These prayer gatherings will meet in the Community Room, upstairs at First Southern Bank, 3060 Harrodsburg Road (Corporate Center) in Lexington, Kentucky. Come join us if you can and pray along with us if you can't. Please spread the word. 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

Show Your Power, Lord 2-27-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me be quiet, as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit into the arms of my Father. ... "For the kingdom of God depends not on talk but on power" (1 Corinthians 4:20). Father, You spoke long ago through Your prophets of the coming of the Messiah, then He came in power. And You spoke long ago of the judgment that would come upon Your people in Israel for their persistent rebellion against Your love and Your will, then they were led away captive and scattered to the ends of the earth. But You also spoke long ago of their restoration to the land You had promised by covenant to their forefathers, and their nation was miraculously restored after thousands of years. Before the eyes of the world, we have seen the restoration of Israel and a great ingathering of the Jewish people from the nations of the earth where they have been scattered. You are faithful to Your Word, and You confirm Your Word with Your power (Mark 16:20). And Your Word also speaks of coming judgments against the nation of Your people in Israel, as they persist in rebellion and unbelief of the grace of God, which opens a gate to the wrath of their enemies. Yet even these judgments You will use to turn the hearts of many to their Messiah. Though there will come a time when "a great horde, a mighty army" comes against Israel "out of the remotest parts of the north," You will use even this arm of judgment to display Your glory of Your power and our desperate dependence on Your mercy and love. On that day, "there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel" and You will turn the judgment of Your wrath upon the enemies of Your people (Ezekiel 38:18-20). In an undeniable confirmation of Your Word and an unprecedented display of Your power, You will "enter into judgment" with he who would destroy Your people, "with pestilence and bloodshed," as You "pour down torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur, upon him and his troops, and the many peoples that are with him" (Ezekiel 38:21). All the world will see that Your Words are faithful and true; they can they be trusted because they are eternally spoken through the One who is eternally worthy of all our trust. "So I will display My greatness and My holiness and make Myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord" (v. 38:23). Yes, Lord. You are the Lord of heaven and earth. You confirm Your Word with Your power. In our days and before our eyes, You are displaying Your greatness and Your holiness, making Yourself known. Though our sins of rebellion and unbelief open the gates to the enemy of our souls and our nations, exposing us to judgment as a consequence of our sin, You use even these judgment to open our eyes to our Messiah -- "our God and Savior," who never stops fighting for us "to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3). Come, Lord Jesus, show Your power. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, though I know not all in the diverse traditions of the body of Christ share my perspective, I believe many of these prophecies of God will be fulfilled and are being fulfilled on many levels, before the return of Christ. If you feel led, please join with me in prayer for the protection of Israel and also that any access the enemy may have through gates of destruction may be turned for our good and God's glory, revealed in His ultimate love and mercy, even through any necessary judgment that comes in 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

Words of Life 2-26-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart to seek Your face; open the ears of my spirit to listen for Your voice. ... "Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29). One way You have created us in Your image, is by releasing Your power through the words we speak. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). "A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit" (v. 15:4). With the words of Your mouth, You created the Tree of Life (Genesis 1:11; 2:9). And You desire the words of my mouth to speak life as well. Lord, sanctify my tongue; purify the words of my mouth. Like Isaiah, take a coal from Your altar and cleanse my lips from sin (Isaiah 6:6). Empower me to speak words of life and truth to build up the spirit of those You bring into my life. And where others have failed to speak Your words of truth and life into my spirit, help me forgive them and release them to You by Your grace. Draw out the "deadly poison" of unholy words, and replace them with Your words of healing and life (James 3:8). I receive this grace from You; help me give this grace to others. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! 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

Father and Son 2-25-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You perfectly reveal the Father heart of God, for You and Father and the Holy Spirit are One. Make my heart more like Your heart each day. ... "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother" -- this is the first commandment with a promise: 'so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.' And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:1-4). This weekend, I had to have one of those father-to-son talks with oldest son, Zach, who's now sixteen. As we pressed through the fluster of attitudes and emotions, You allowed us to get down to the root of the matter. As he began to see it and come to the place of being willing to release it to You, I was just thanking You in my spirit for the all seeds of truth and life You have planted in his heart along the way. Down inside he knows right from wrong, truth from lies, and what will bring freedom from what will bring bondage. His brokenness and humility before You in prayer caused a holy pride to fill my heart. And I think it filled Your heart too. Thank You for bring us both up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. These are the moments when it matters and when it's easy to see it was worth it all. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! 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

Days of Purim 2-23-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me be emptied of myself and filled with You. ... "Mordecai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both far and near, enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, year by year, as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and form mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor.... Therefore, these days are called Purim" (Esther 9:20-26). Haman, "the enemy of all the Jews," sought to destroy them in a single day, casting the lots, called "Pur," to determine the day of their destruction. But You called Your people to fast and pray, that the schemes of the enemy would be exposed and cancelled. "When Esther came before the king, he gave orders in writing that the wicked plot that he had devised against the Jews should come upon his own head" (v. 9:24-25). The enemy of our souls devises his schemes "to steal and kill and destroy," but You reverse his curse of destruction and death into our blessing of restoration and "abundant life" (John 10:10). You love to our sorrow into gladness and our mourning into a holiday. Give us humility to fast and pray. Give us faith to come before the King. Then Your decree with go forth, thwarting the plans and schemes of our enemy, bringing judgment upon his own head. "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20). What he intends for evil, You will turn around and use for good (from Genesis 50:20). In Your time and in Your way, You turn our fasting into feasting, and our days of pain into days of Purim. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! 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

Season of Easter, Season of Esther 2-22-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and King of my heart, I bow before You, worship and adore You, watching and waiting for You call to come into the fullness of Your presence this day. ... "Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, 'Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.' Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him" (Esther 4:16). Fasting is a "weapon of our warfare" (2 Corinthians 10:4). It is a physical act of a spiritual attitude -- the attitude of humility and desperate dependence on You. "I humbled my soul with fasting" (Psalm 69:10). And it is a means to prepare our hearts to "go to the King" on behalf of our people. As we humble ourselves in Your sight, You lift us up (James 4:10). You called Esther to fast and pray because Haman sought to destroy her people (Esther 3:5-6). The spirit of Haman persists today, seeking to destroy the Jewish people of Esther and Mordecai. By grace, through faith, I am now grafted in to the tree of Esther's people (Romans 11:17). "Just as Abraham 'believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,' so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you.' For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed" (Galatians 3:6-9). As I receive the blessings of Abraham through faith in the Messiah and God of Abraham, so I also sense the call to fast and pray on behalf of the people of Abraham, who are now my people as well, having been grafted in to the tree of faith. For two days, it seems You have been impressing the date of March 20th on my heart. I don't know yet if this may be a date of a great move of Your power or a date planned by the spirit of Haman as a date of planned destruction, or something else all together. But I choose to receive this as a call for me to fast and pray until that day in the way You lead. I pray for the humility of my soul and I pray for the safety of my people -- my people and Your people. As in the days of Esther, let the day planned for destruction become the day of thanksgiving and praise, "a day of feasting and gladness" (Esther 9:18). With Ash Wednesday yesterday, we began the season of Easter. Lord, let this season of Easter be like the season of Esther. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, our new dvd's and cd's are available now for distribution from the recent conference I led in Lexington: "From Brokenness to Breakthrough -- healing from grief, sorrow, trauma, and pain in a broken world." Please let us know if you would like to order one for yourself, a friend, or a study group. ($20, plus shipping; discounts available when necessary so that these are available to everyone). 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

Times and Seasons 2-21-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and wait for You. Lead me by Your still, small voice. ... "The Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah will have a son' " (Genesis 18:13-14). O Lord, there are set times and due seasons according to Your promises and Your plans. I need discernment to see the times and wisdom to recognize the seasons. Give me patience when it is time to wait for the fulfillment of Your promises. Give me courage when it is the season to engage in the unfolding of Your plans. There is a time for sowing and a time for reaping, a season for persevering in prayer and a season for the harvest of the promises. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Nothing is too wonderful for You. Forgive me for doubting the wisdom of Your timing and for failing to recognize the purpose of Your seasons. Peace comes, no matter the times or seasons, when I simply trust the nature and power of Your love for me. As we say in the Serenity Prayer, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, our new dvd's and cd's are available now for distribution from my recent conference: "From Brokenness to Breakthrough -- healing from grief, sorrow, trauma, and pain in a broken world." Please let us know if you would like to order one for yourself, a friend, or a study group. ($20, plus shipping; discounts available when necessary so that these are available to everyone). 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

Times and Seasons 2-21-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and wait for You. Lead me by Your still, small voice. ... "The Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah will have a son' " (Genesis 18:13-14). O Lord, there are set times and due seasons according to Your promises and Your plans. I need discernment to see the times and wisdom to recognize the seasons. Give me patience when it is time to wait for the fulfillment of Your promises. Give me courage when it is the season to engage in the unfolding of Your plans. There is a time for sowing and a time for reaping, a season for persevering in prayer and a season for the harvest of the promises. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Nothing is too wonderful for You. Forgive me for doubting the wisdom of Your timing and for failing to recognize the purpose of Your seasons. Peace comes, no matter the times or seasons, when I simply trust the nature and power of Your love for me. As we say in the Serenity Prayer, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, our new dvd's and cd's are available now for distribution from my recent conference: "From Brokenness to Breakthrough -- healing from grief, sorrow, trauma, and pain in a broken world." Please let us know if you would like to order one for yourself, a friend, or a study group. ($20, plus shipping; discounts available when necessary so that these are available to everyone). 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

"Together in Unity" 2-20-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Alpha and Omega, Lord of all and Lord of me. ... "How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.... For there the Lord ordained His blessing, life forevermore" (Psalm 133:1-3). Last night, a revival of hearts and souls took place in our city. The dividing wall between Catholics and Protestants began to fall, as we came together in worship and prayer, in Spirit and in Truth, under the banner of Your name alone. We heard the personal story of a humble man who was selected by John Paul II to be the pastor to the Pope, sharing messages of encouragement and devotion of faith in You for over twenty-seven years, in such a spiritually strategic assignment. Fr. Ramiero Cantalamessa, "Apostolic Preacher to the Papal Household," said he was "sent" by the Spirit to Lexington, Kentucky. Then he was led to set aside his notes last night at our church to share from his heart of his personal journey of faith -- coming to Christ, called to the priesthood, spiritually renewed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at a Kansas City prayer meeting, now sharing his heart for You and the unity of Your body in strategic places throughout the world as Your Spirit leads. Of all that he said, what struck me the most where the words he spoke at the dinner to encourage the Alpha ministry among Catholics and Protestants. He said it is the Holy Spirit that brings us together in unity, because the Holy Spirit points us to Jesus. Then he said, "Jesus is more important than Christianity." What powerful words. Our faith is not in a religion, it is in a Person. The gospel is not just good news, it is "the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1). More important than all the traditions and forms of religion created through the centuries to express and experience our faith is the Person who is the source of our faith -- Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You are "the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). You are "the Author and Finisher of our faith" (NKJV). You are "the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 21:6). Lord Jesus, Your name unites us and identifies us. And as we come together as one under the banner of Your name, there You "command" Your blessing (Psalm 133:3, NKJV). Lord, command Your blessing -- the blessing of Your presence dwelling among us -- in our city and throughout the earth as the dividing walls come down and Your body becomes one in Christ. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for praying for us for our city-wide ecumenical service with Fr. Cantalamessa hosted at my home church, Centenary United Methodist in Lexington, Kentucky last night. www.centenarylex.com/alpha/cantalamessa/ We are very grateful to Dr. Tory Baucum of Asbury Seminary and national leader of the Alpha Course ministry who arranged this visit. He will also be speaking several times today 2/20 at the seminary I attended in Wilmore, Kentucky -- Asbury Theological Seminary www.ats.wilmore.ky.us/news/archive/12152006.php One dimension of our vision at Messiah Ministries is see the city-wide church come together as the body of Christ, and this seems to be a very historic and spiritually significant event toward that end in our community. Please stand with us in prayer for the unity of the body of Christ in our region and in yours. God bless! 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. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

"One Body" 2-19-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Bread of Life. Though we are many, there is one bread and one body in You. ... "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we are all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free -- and we were all made to drink of the one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). The city-wide church of our community will come together as one body tonight for an ecumenical service at my home church. We will be greatly honored to host Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa from the Vatican. He is the priest to Pope Benedict, having been appointed by Pope John Paul II as Preacher to the Papal Household. You have given him a great passion to preach the gospel, to encourage the teaching of core, foundational Christian principles through the Alpha Course, and to help Catholic Christians around the world seek to be Spirit-filled and alive in Christ. You are bringing together the body of Christ from every tribe and tongue and nation throughout the earth. Though we are many members, we are one body. Though our many traditions do not agree about all doctrines and interpretations of Your Word, we believe in our hearts and proclaim with our mouths the essential core -- "Jesus is Lord" (Romans 10:9). "And no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3). The more Your body throughout the earth is filled with Your Spirit, the more we will proclaim "Jesus is Lord" with one heart and soul as one body. We will see Jesus in one another and the world will see Jesus in us. As these world-wide strongholds of division, insecurity, and pride crumble and fall, we will see in our lifetime the Father answer Your high priestly prayer: "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one. As You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, may they also be in Us, so that the world may believe You sent Me" (John 17:20-21). Your Word calls us to humble ourselves before You, looking beyond the differences that divide us to the One who unites us. This is a unity of diversity, not conformity, grounded in the common truth of the Word of God and growing in the understanding of the One who is the Truth by the Spirit of Truth living in us. Your Word calls us "to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:1-6). Father, answer the prayer of Jesus in the power of Your Spirit in our hearts and our community and throughout the earth -- Lord, let us learn to be one, so that the world will know that the Father has sent His Son. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join if you can and pray for us if you can't for our city-wide ecumenical service with Fr. Cantalamessa hosted at my home church, Centenary United Methodist in Lexington, Kentucky tonight, Monday 2/19 at 7:00. www.centenarylex.com/alpha/cantalamessa/ He will also be speaking several times tomorrow 2/20 at my seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, Asbury TheologicalSeminary www.ats.wilmore.ky.us/news/archive/12152006.php One dimension of our vision at Messiah Ministries is see the city-wide church come together as the body of Christ, and this seems to be a very significant spiritual event toward that end in our community. Please stand with us in prayer for the unity of the body of Christ in our region and in yours. God bless! 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. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

"Sleep in Peace" 2-18-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my heart and soul to You, and welcome Your Spirit in me. ... "I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for You alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety" (Psalm 4:8). Night before last I slept more soundly than I have in years, and last night I hardly slept at all. Our baby son seems to cry out in frustration and my spirit seems to cry out in intercession -- all night long. I guess we both need our Daddy. "And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' " (Galatians 4:6). Daddy Abba, Father God, Josiah and I are Your children, sons of God through the blood of the Lamb. Our safety and security is in You. You are our peace. Hear our cries and comfort our souls. Give us rest in Your arms, as we lie down and sleep in peace. Bring order to our nights and our days. Multiply the moments of our sleep, that we may rise each day refreshed and renewed to live our lives for You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! 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

"Here in the Presence of God" 2-17-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for the gift of Your love and treasure of Your presence. ... "So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say" (Acts 10:33). In a few moments, I'll leave to go down to the Shaker Village, where the Shakers of centuries past made a home along the Kentucky River, set apart from the ways of the world. Today our prayer ministry team at church is coming away with You for the day to seek Your face and listen for Your voice, as we commit ourselves to discern Your vision for our ministry. So the most important part is to come together with humble hearts that welcome the presence of God so that we may hear all You have to say. Help us get quiet enough to hear Your thoughts and sense Your leading beyond our own. Let us not waste a moment following our vision, but Yours alone. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! 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

"Here I am" 2-16-07

"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress; He brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind. For He shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron" (Psalm 107:13-16). Last night was an awesome night of ministry at our church. In one end, many people came seeking to know Your saving grace at Alpha. At the other, many came seeking to know Your healing power at Celebrate Recovery. And in the middle, many came seeking Your refuge and shelter from hunger and cold at Room at the Inn. You are the Answer to all our needs. Your grace is all we need. You answer when we call, coming in grace and power when we cry out to You. Thank You, Lord, for Your presence in our hearts and in the heart of our church. By Your grace, we are becoming the church You created us to be. "Is this not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and He will say, 'Here I am' " (Isaiah 58:6-9). Thank You, Lord, for being here with us. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us in prayer as He continues to build our teams to minister His grace to all who come seeking His face. I pray the same for you and your churches and ministries. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! tonight 2/16 -- 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. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and Center for Women in Racing will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 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 .