Be Silent and Behold the Cross 4-6-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. This is Good Friday -- good for heaven, bad for hell; good for me, bad for the enemy of my soul. ... "Looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). On the day of the cross, I look to You, Lord Jesus. As humbly as I can and with as much gratitude as I can have, I thank You for enduring it's shame, with all the humiliation and sacrifice it represents, far beyond my human capacity to comprehend. I believe by faith You endured it for me -- "for the sake of the joy" that one day I would bow humbly before You and thank You for Your eternal sacrifice of unfailing love for me. Words are not enough. So in this moment, I will not try to speak any more words. I will be silent and behold the cross. ... 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 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 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Spirit of Religion Rooted in the Fear of Man 4-5-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me walk in the way of the cross today -- dead to my flesh and alive to Your Spirit. ... "Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people" (Luke 22:1-2). The spirit of religion is rooted in the fear of man. The religious leaders feared the people more than they feared God. They "were afraid of the people" because they were afraid the people would follow You rather than them, seek a living relationship with God rather than obeying the rules of religion and the traditions of men. "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe" (Proverbs 29:25, NKJV). You continually confronted their hypocrisy, as the leaders held on to their power and control over the people, while claiming their will was God's will and their ways were God's ways. You challenged their system of security grounded in the power of control and shame, saying, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.' You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition" (Mark 7:6-8). No wonder they looked for a way to put You to death -- to silence Your sedition of their kingdom and control. Lord, deliver me from the spirit of religion. Expose my misunderstanding of Your Word and Your ways, and my manipulation of Your law and Your people for my own purposes out of my own insecurities, pride, and fear. Uproot from me any reliance on rules for a righteousness I can never earn or deserve, but only receive through a living relationship with You. Let me look for a way to put to death my unholy flesh, that I can be alive to Your Holy Spirit. Ironically, through Your death at the hand of religion rooted in fear, I can be free for a living and personal relationship with You in the Spirit. "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18). By Your grace, I choose to live for You and not for myself, out of a healthy and holy fear of God, rather than the fear of man. "And He died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for them" (2 Corinthians 5:15). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please make plans to come join us if you can for our 2007 Celebration Dinner -- "How Great is Our God!" -- on Friday Night, April 27th in Lexington. Please RSVP to Marilyn: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-422-1794 Please join us in praying for the blessing of funds to fulfill our calling and vision. 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 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Jesus Said I Am 4-4-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I quiet my soul and seek Your face. ... " 'Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day; he saw it and was glad.' Then Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.' So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple" (John 8:56-59). Lord Jesus, You are I Am. Though Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons and all the other cults of the day say You never claimed to be God, the Jews of Jerusalem had no doubt of Your claim, as they picked up stones to stone You to death for the blasphemy of saying You were. You left them no room to doubt Your claim, as You began to reveal Your identity in one encounter after another. "I Am the Bread of Life" (John 6:48). "I Am the Light of the World" (v. 8:12). "I Am the Gate" (v. 10:9). "I Am the Good Shepherd" (v. 10:11). "I Am in the Father" (v. 10:38). "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" (v. 11:25). "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (v. 14:6). "I Am the True Vine" (v. 15:1). "I Am a King" (v. 18:37). Your words of identity were deliberately intended to remind them and remind us of the words of identity of "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" Who revealed Himself to Moses in the desert -- "I Am Who I Am" -- "This is My name forever, and this is My title for all generations" (Exodus 3:14-15). As C. S. Lewis said, You could not be a good man, a wise teacher, or a noble prophet, while at the same time speaking these words about Yourself if they were not true -- You must be "a lunatic, liar, or Lord." You didn't leave us any other choice, as You eternally declared, "The Father and I are One" (John 10:30). So again this day, I lay down the stones of doubt and unbelief, and I lift up my hands in worship and praise. "Because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Yours is the name above every name (Philippians 2:9-11) "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). 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 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 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

2007 Celebration Dinner -- How Great is Our God!

Dear Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries, Please come join us for our 2007 Celebration Dinner April 27, 2007 How Great is Our God! We will praise God, share our vision, and raise funds for our ministry

Please join us if you can and pray for us if you can't. We welcome your contributions to the Kingdom of God through Messiah Ministries as the Lord leads: Messiah Ministries "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord" 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org 859-317-1591 God bless you! Tommy Hays Spiritual Director and Founder

Positioned for the Power of the Cross 4-3-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up, exalted in my praises and worshipped in my prayer. ... "When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing beside her, He said to His mother, 'Woman, here is your son.' Then He said to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home" (John 19:26-27). At the foot of the cross, You set all things in order. As we humble ourselves at Your feet and look up to seek Your face, we can hear Your voice and sense Your will. As You said, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself" (John 12:32). You come close to us as we humble ourselves from our pride, insecurity, fear, and shame to come close to You. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:8-10). As I draw near and lift You up in my heart, there You give me the grace to hear and the grace to obey. Humility positions me for the power of the cross. There, You empower me to live my life in the paths You set before me, in the relationships of trust and love You have formed for me. "Teach me the way that I should go, for to You I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8). "Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul" (Psalm 86:2). 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 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 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Our Paschal Lamb 4-2-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy are You, Lord. You are worthy of my praise and the focus of my attention, as I sacrifice to You the first moments of my morning. ... "Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). In the days leading up to Your sacrifice of love for us on the cross, the Jewish people came to Jerusalem from every town and tribe to "purify themselves" and celebrate the Passover (John 11:55). This is "the Festival of Unleavened Bread" You commanded to be observed by Your people "throughout your generations as a perpetual ordinance" to always remember Your mercy of deliverance out of the bondage of Egypt (Exodus 12:14-28). As they prepared their hearts for Passover, they sought a lamb "without blemish" (v. 12:5). And they prepared bread that was unleavened (v. 12:8). They did not yet realize that this meal of remembrance throughout their generations was intended to prepare their hearts for You. You were the Lamb without blemish, the Bread of Life unleavened by sin. You were the sacrifice of love to deliver us from the bondage of sin and death, "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29). In these days of the paschal season, where we prepare our hearts to remember and celebrate Your death and resurrection, clean out the old yeast of sin in my soul. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). You are "the Way Everlasting;" You are "the Unleavened Bread of Sincerity and Truth;" You are the Life of God who willing laid down Your life for me in the mercy of Your love (John 14:6). Let this week be more than holy days of remembrance and a festival of celebration. Let them be days where my eyes and heart are opened to the Lamb of God who cleanses my soul, delivers me from bondage, and makes me holy and whole through the sacrifice of the blood of the One without blemish and unleavened by sin. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. (RSVP Required for the Special Seder Meal for Passover Tonight). Call for details: 859-422-1794 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

The Holy Week to Come 4-1-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open my heart, waiting for the leading of Your Spirit as You draw me in the arms of my Father. ... "The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord -- the King of Israel!" (Luke 12:12-13). Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, as we make our way with You in memory of the sacrifice of Your cross and the victory of Your empty tomb. That day the crowds cried "Hosanna!" meaning, "Save us now!" Though they did not fully understand it, that day they were turning their hearts to the One who came from heaven to earth as the Passover Lamb to take away the sins of the world. Ironically, in the mystery of faith and the provision of grace, it would be when the voices of praise became voices of persecution, when the voices that cried "Hosanna!" became the voices the cried "Crucify Him!" that the sacrifice of the Lamb for their sins and mine would be complete. As You entered Jerusalem that day, You will enter Jerusalem again in a day to come (Zechariah 14:1-5). "And the Lord will become King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be One and His name One" (v. 14:9). "Then all who survive of the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the festival of tabernacles" (v. 14:16). That day will be a great day -- the day of the Lord, when You forgive the people and the land whose hearts turned away from the King who had come as Messiah and Lord. "And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the One whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for any only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn" (v. 12:10). When You came the first time, You said You would come again the second time only upon one condition: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see Me until the times comes when you say, 'Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord' " (Luke 13:34-35). I pray for that day. I pray the eyes of Your people in Jerusalem and throughout the earth will look upon the One whom we have pierced by our sin to cry out to You, our coming King, our Messiah and Lord, with humble hearts and trusting faith, "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!" And then You will come and set Your feet again in the holy city of Jerusalem. What a holy day and a holy week that will be! Throughout the heavens and the earth, we will lift our palms in praise, as every knee bows and every tongue confesses that "Jesus Christ is Lord!" (Philippians 2:9-11). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 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

Full of Gladness 3-31-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I arise now into a new day. I welcome Your Spirit within me and Your light along my way. ... "You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence" (Acts 2:28). Today is my youngest son's first birthday -- Josiah Benjamin Hays. He is named Josiah -- meaning "the fire of the Lord" -- after the young king who burned with a fiery passion for You in the land of Israel, leading his nation in repentance and revival for Your glory. He is named Benjamin -- meaning "son of my right hand" -- speaking of one who carries spiritual authority as a yielded vessel and a mighty weapon in the hand of the Lord. As a proud father of each of my five children, I know each is created by You with calling and purpose and destiny. Each is created uniquely with their own gifts and graces of God to fulfill the plans that You have for them, all in Your power and all by Your grace (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 1:11). Josiah is full of gladness. He never stops smiling! (Well, almost never -- except when he's really mad and crying like bloody murder!) Perhaps that's another sign of the intensity of his passion. But wherever he goes, he seems to release joy into the atmosphere. Total strangers can't resist his big smile. Thank You, Lord, for the fullness of gladness by Your presence in my son. I pray You would impart joy to people wherever You send him. May the joy of the Lord be his strength and a weapon of warfare in Your mighty right hand (Nehemiah 8:10). Anoint him to set the captives free of darkness, depression, hopelessness, and gloom as he radiates Your light and Your love and Your joy. In Your power and by Your grace, may he release joy for mourning, beauty for ashes, the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). And may my plans and prayers for my son be an extension of Your plans You have moved on my heart to pray. 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 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 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

The King is Coming in Glory 3-30-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me be quiet now, while You speak. Help me listen for Your lead, as I center my first thoughts and first desires on You alone this day. ... "For the kingdom of God is not food or drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). King Jesus, come in Your glory. One day You will come again to the earth, and each day You desire to come again in my soul. You are "the King of kings and the Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). You are my King and my Lord. You are the King of the kingdom of God in every dimension of Your Being -- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And though Your throne is in heaven, You also desire to rule and reign on the throne of my heart. Come establish Your kingdom of righteousness in me, as You bring me more completely into right relationship with You each day. Come flood my soul with Your peace that surpasses understanding and the joy of the Lord that is my strength in the depths of my soul, as You help me yield to Your ways and Your will in every dimension of my being. Fill my human spirit more fully with Your Holy Spirit each day, as You continue to increase and I continue to decrease, in trusting surrender to Your leadership of my life. This new day, I lift up my head and open up my heart, "that the King of glory may come in" (Psalm 24:7). 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 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 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Hot Tempered Strife 3-29-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. To You, all hearts are known and no thoughts are hidden. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I open my heart and thoughts to You now. ... "Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention" (Proverbs 15:18). While my oldest son and I got away together last week, we had a lot of fun, but we also had some heart-to-heart talks and prayers. We remembered together some of our fond memories, but also some of our painful memories. I wanted our hearts to be clear, not allowing our honest love and respect for one another to excuse or mask over any honest hurt or disappointment toward each other. He reminded me, in a respectful way, that even though he knows me to be a loving and compassionate father, there have been times when I have had a hot temper in expressing my frustration or anger. I thank You for a son who is willing to speak the truth in love, who is not willing to just let the good times and the good things cover over the bad times and painful things. There can only be true forgiveness if we honestly acknowledge the sin and pain that others have caused, and then choose, by Your grace, to release the person and the pain to You. Thank You for the gift of freedom and peace that comes from forgiving words and clear hearts. I know that's not always possible, and it's not always possible to do it in person, but it was last week for me. I pray You blessed my son in many ways through me last week. And I thank You for blessing me through my son in this way and many more. Now, this week and every week after this, keep crucifying the part of my flesh that allows frustration or anger to give in to a hot temper that only stirs up strife. Keep delivering me from this evil that would tempt me to make choices that bring hurt and pain to the ones I love, or even the ones I am not able to love yet. Give me the grace of humility to admit my faults and the courage to choose to let You cleanse my soul in every area of my character. Help me grow in spiritual maturity and godly fatherhood, to "be angry but do not sin" in my anger by releasing it in the wrong way (Ephesians 4:26). Some things are supposed to make me angry and some things will frustrate me, but I do not have to choose to sin in my anger with a hot temper. Instead, help me release my anger to You and then speak words of truth and life in the way that calms contention rather than stirs up strife. "One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city" (Proverbs 16:32). I pray for this in my heart and my family and all my relationships, as far as Your grace will go. Like it or not, our children are always looking and always listening. We are always a model, whether good or bad -- not just in general, but also in the specifics. So help me, Lord, be a good model for my children. Like it or not, our children see something of the nature of their heavenly Father in the nature of their earthly fathers. Help me represent You better; help me represent You well. As the message of a song goes, "I want to be like You, because he wants to be like me." Last week, my son and I prayed together the simple prayer You taught me to teach my children to pray each day when they were young -- "Dear Lord Jesus, make me more like You each day." Lord, let it be so. And forgive me for when it wasn't. 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 . 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 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

"Restore Such a One" 3-28-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I commit my first thoughts to You. Nothing is more important. Nothing is of higher priority. Period. ... "My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:1-2). My heart has been heavy all night for a close brother and dear friend "detected in a transgression." Lord, give me Your father heart of compassion, the wisdom of the mind of Christ, and the leading of Your Holy Spirit, as I seek to obey Your call to "bear one another's burdens" to You. Help me be quick to listen, slow to speak, ready to pray. Help me always remember, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10). "For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (v. 3:22-23). We all are in need of Savior. We are all in need of the mercy of God. But "I know my Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25). In Your mercy, You allow us to be detected. Out of Your love for our healing and freedom, and ultimately, for our peace and joy, You allow the hidden things to be brought out of darkness and into Your light. You humble us and break us so You can restore us and redeem us. Your heart is always restoration through repentance, mercy through confession, the transformation of our soul through the confrontation of our sin. "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). And none are to go through the journey of conviction, repentance, and redemption alone. We are called -- commanded -- to "bear one another's burdens." This is "the law of Christ." We are to speak the truth in love -- not just the truth without love, and not just love without truth. There is no true love without truth. And there is no truth without true love. And we are called -- commanded -- to "bear with one another" and "forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves in love" (Colossians 3:13-14). It's not easy for us, and it was not easy for You. Restoration is a process -- by the transgressor and by those wounded by the transgression. But You are patient with us. Help us be patient with ourselves and with one another through the journey of healing and redemption, willing to let You use these opportunities of deep humility and humiliation to put the ax to the roots that bear bad fruit in our lives (Matthew 3:10). Let these be times of purging and pruning, so we can grow healthy and strong into the full measure of maturity in You (Psalm 51:7; Ephesians 4:15). "He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit He prunes to make it bear more fruit" (John 15:2). So by Your grace, I choose to come alongside my friend in the painful journey before him. And I thank You for the times You have brought friends alongside me in the painful journeys I have traveled. You are no respecter of persons. As You did for King David in the face of unimaginable but not unforgivable sin, so You will do for all who turn to You in humble repentance and trusting faith with a broken spirit and contrite heart. Through that process, You create in us a clean heart, You restore the joy of our salvation, and You renew a right spirit within us (Psalm 51:10-12). I need that. My friend needs that. We all need that. And it's ours to receive through the sacrifice of Your amazing love and amazing grace expressed forever for us all through the power of Your cross. I receive it. And with Your help and by Your grace, I will come alongside my friend to help him receive it. 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 . 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 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Specific Obedience to God's Specific Will 3-27-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch for Your coming and wait for Your presence here in the place I have prepared for You in my heart. ... "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?' But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so now; for it is proper in this way to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he consented" (Matthew 3:13-15). Even the most humble actions intended to honor You can still be outside the will of God. Protocol, ritual, and tradition can never replace specific obedience to Your specific will. We must continually look to You and listen for the leading of Your voice. Only in this way will we fulfill all righteousness. Lord, help me never presume to know Your will. Help me never allow religious actions or the traditions of men to replace our living relationship. Help me learn to humble myself in the silence of surrender, allowing my spirit to sense the leading of Your Spirit, and allowing Your voice to form the answer to my questions in my mind and heart. Help me not stand on protocol, but bow in surrender -- surrender to the wisdom and righteousness of Your will for my life. 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

Set to Seek 3-25-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I begin my day, help me first settle down in the silence of surrender before You, to listen for Your leading and look for Your face. ... "Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Go and build the sanctuary of the Lord God so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 22:19). To set my mind and heart to seek You is a deliberate choice. To prepare a place for the presence of Your Living Word and Your Holy Spirit in the sanctuary of my soul is a deliberate choice. You do not force my worship, nor demand my prayer, for then it would be false worship and empty prayer. But You draw me here to You each day, welcoming me to welcome You into my mind and heart, into my thoughts and desires. I can answer Your call or not, set my mind and heart to seek You or not. But morning by morning, You have shown me the joy of seeking Your face and peace of welcoming Your grace, as You fill my heart and soul with Your presence and allow me the blessing of beginning the journey of another day with You. So I answer Your call and accept Your invitation to join You in the journey again today. 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

Faithful Friend 3-24-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let this day be a good day -- a day where You go before me, come behind me, and come along beside me. ... "I keep the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.... You show me the path of life. In Your presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever more" (Psalm 16:8-11). To keep You always before me is to be consciously aware of Your constant presence -- to remember You hear my words, see my actions, even know my thoughts. It's true, whether I remember it or not. So continually cleanse my heart and purify my thoughts, as You form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Then I will not be ashamed, but comforted in Your constant presence with me along the path of life. Then I will know the fullness of joy, like one on a journey with a faithful friend. "Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in speech will have the king as a friend" (Proverbs 22:11). By Your grace, You are my Lord and Savior, my God and King, and my Best Friend. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for my son, Zach, and I on our week away together. We are closer friends now, who respect and honor one another and our God in deeper ways. I pray the same blessing for you in your relationships as well. 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

The Key of David 3-23-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You, Lord, to speak to my spirit and lead me by Your Spirit, as I watch and wait in Your presence. ... "These are the words of the holy One, the true One, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens " (Revelation 3:7). The key of David is humility. Though he was anointed king, with all the power and authority that implies, the power of his flesh was strong and the power of his spirit was weak in his hour of temptation. Yet his conscience could not persist in the face of Your conviction, and he humbled himself in the confession and repentance of prayer. "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). He cried out to You in anguish from the crushing burden of sin that he might again "hear joy and gladness; let the bones that You have crushed rejoice" (v. 51:8). Lord Jesus, You are the "the son of David" (Matthew 1:1). And in perfect humility, You hold "the key of David." You are anointed "King of kings and Lord of lords," with all the power and authority that implies (Revelation 19:16). Yet You humbled Yourself of all the power of heaven and earth, as the Word made flesh living among us (John 1:14). "Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death -- even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:5-8). Though David sinned, as son of David, You "who knew no sin" took upon Yourself the crushing burden of our sin, that in You, "we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:10). Because You willingly chose to humble Yourself for us as God the Son in obedience to the will of God the Father, You have "the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11). As I take up the key of David in Christ, help me continually humble myself in Your sight, that You may lift me up to receive the full measure of mercy and grace You died for me to receive in the sacrifice of Your love (James 4:10). With the humbled heart of David, I continually cry out to You, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7). 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

Key Ring of Relationship 3-22-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Father God. Good morning, Holy Spirit. I welcome You, Lord, in each Person of Your Being, into my heart and my day. ... "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). I dreamed last night of a set of old-fashioned keys on a round key ring. Then this thought came to my mind: "These are the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Lord, help me discern if this is a dream from You, and if it is, what are You saying to me through it? ... In the morning light, it seems I hear You say, "There is not one key, but many. Each one has a key, as each one has a gift and a place in My kingdom. My Spirit is the ring that binds you together and keeps you ready to be used for My purposes at My leading. Through these keys, I open doors that no one can shut and I close the doors that no one can open apart from Me. Through these keys, I lead you to open and close doors for one another." Yes, Lord. Forgive me when I have tried to use the gifts You have given me for myself. And forgive me when I have tried to use these gifts for others, but have tried to do it alone, without the benefit and blessing of the gifts of others. In these days, all the gifts are needed, just as all the keys are needed to open the doors and close the doors as You lead along the journey together. "Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will by done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, I AM there among them" (Matthew 18:18-20). With these keys and as a father, You may lead me to open and close doors for my sons and daughters, and You may lead them to open and close doors for me. The same is true in my relationship with my wife, my family, my church, and in every relationship I have in the community of the kingdom of heaven. We need You; and at the same time, in Your sovereignty, You have created us to also need one another. As we learn to be selfless, rather than selfish, and as we learn to be kingdom-minded and community-minded, You will open and close the doors of Your will in ways none of us could do alone. By Your Holy Spirit, bind me together in the key ring of relationship with the others You choose to fulfill the purposes and plans You have for my life and theirs. 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

No Wasted Words 3-21-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Living Word, lead me in Your way. ... "Indeed, the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before Him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the One to whom we must render an account" (Hebrews 4:12-13). Lord Jesus, You are the Word of God (John 1:1, 14). You are alive and active. You know the thoughts and intentions of my heart. I am not hidden from You, for Your eyes see all. Your ears hear all. Your mind knows all. And it is in light of the Word of God You have spoken to my spirit, expecting obedience to walk in the light You have given me that I must render an account for the thoughts and actions of my life. So make my spirit more sensitive to the leading of Your Living Word every day, then give me the grace to hear You and obey You. "Welcome with meekness the implanted Word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the Word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act -- they will be blessed in their doing" (James 1:21-25). Thank You, Lord. I don't want You to waste Your Word on me. I don't want You to waste Your sacrifice on me. By Your grace, let me be all Your Living Word has spoken to my spirit to be, let me hear it and do it -- by Your grace, in Your power, for Your glory, this day and every day. Then I will be blessed in the hearing and blessed in the doing. 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

The Sovereign One 3-20-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the sovereign One, the holy One. I put my life in Your hands, in trusting surrender and confident faith. ... "In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in His testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the right time -- He who is the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:13-15). Lord, I hear You forming the words of a new song in my soul, as Your Holy Spirit sings Your praise through my human spirit: You are the sovereign One, the holy One All time is in Your hands. You are the perfect One, the mighty One More wise than any man. You are the living One, the only One Who sees the beginning and the end. You the righteous One, the coming One Who saves the souls of men. And I will praise You And I will love You With all my heart and soul. And I will seek You And I will greet You Come make my heart Your home. Yes, Lord. Come make my heart Your home this day and every day. I willingly submit to Your authority and trustingly surrender to Your ways, as best as I can and all by Your grace. Form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Conform my will to Your will and transform my nature to Your nature. As You led me to teach my children to pray -- "Dear Lord Jesus, make me more like You each day." I have so far to go, but You have come so far -- from heaven to earth and from the earth to heaven, from where You will come "to judge the living and the dead" in the authority of Your sovereignty and the mercy of Your grace (1 Peter 4:5). "Say among the nations, 'The Lord is King! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.' Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar and all that fills it; let the field exult and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth" (Psalm 96:10-13). Lord, You are King! Lord, You are my King! And though I will be judged with all the living and the dead, let me be judged faithful, found trusting in the sacrifice of Your blood alone. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I thank all of you who were praying for me to make it through my fast from Ash Wednesday to March 20th. Our sacrifices of obedience are nothing compared to the Lord's sacrifice of love for us. I pray this day is a glorious day in your lives -- it will be for me! Thank you for joining me in the journey. 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

The Secret Law of Attraction 3-18-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You increase, as I decrease. You lead, as I follow. You speak, as I listen. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I willing entrust my will to Your will and my ways to Your ways in trusting surrender to Your wisdom and power. ... "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, to observe all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29) People are talking about a movie called "The Secret" which discusses "the law of attraction" -- based on the idea that what we think becomes our reality, whether positive or negative, because like attracts like. Any truth that has been discovered is no discovery of a great secret, but the discovery of the spiritual principles You have set in motion to influence our lives in our journey to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). You call us to search Your Word, listen for the leading of Your Spirit, and learn Your ways to understand what You reveal for our good and Your glory. Rather than a secret to power and success, Your Word reveals much about Your spiritual law of attraction: "Then God said, 'Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.' And it was so" (Genesis 1:11). "God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow" (Galatians 6:7). "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV). "And to the centurion, Jesus said, 'Go; let it be done for you according to your faith" (Matthew 8:13). "Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:22-24). These are not secrets, but revealed laws of God based upon the Word of God. But for everything that is real, there is always a counterfeit. And there is only a counterfeit because there is something that is real that the counterfeit tries to imitate. So it is with the counterfeit principles of new age, self-help, mind-over-matter, transcendental meditation, theosophy, Kabalah, witchcraft, magic, hedonism, humanism, and all other forms of the ancient principle of self-centered pride -- "I will do what I want to do; I will create my world based on my desires; I am the god of my universe; I am the master and commander of my ship and my destiny." These are merely the contemporary, trendy manifestations of the ancient sin of Babel: "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4). As when Pharaoh's "magicians of Egypt" used the sorcery of self-will and manipulation of Your spiritual principles "by their secret arts" to counterfeit Your miracles, pride is rebellion to Your ways and Your will and the arrogant assertion of our own (Exodus 7:11). These false applications of Your true principles are all based upon the assertion of self-will, rather than submission to Your will. They rely on the wisdom of the world, the flesh, and the devil, rather than the wisdom of God. They are a means to seek the fulfillment of our own, self-determined destiny -- the graven image created by our own hands -- rather than seeking the fulfillment of the destiny You have spoken into our spirits, failing to realize that only then will we be truly fulfilled and truly free. They deny the grace of God, leaving us to ourselves to work it out on our own and try to clean up the inevitable mess, while leaving our path of destruction and selfishness for others to rummage and rebuild. "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). You want us to use the gift of our minds. You want us to think positively. You want us to move in the "power and authority" You have give us -- but in the humility of seeking Your will and Your ways, looking to You rather than leaning on ourselves (Luke 9:1; Acts 1:8). "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones" (Proverbs 3:5-8, NKJV). "The plans of the mind belong to mortals, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All one's ways may be pure in one's own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established" (Proverbs 16:1-3). Yes, Lord. As I choose the path of humility, rather than pride, asking You to put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, then You can bless me by giving me the desires of my heart because You are conforming my desires to Your desires, my thoughts to Your thoughts, and my will to Your will. "Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your ways to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noon day" (Psalm 37:4-6). "Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever" (Ephesians 3:20-21). 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

Protection from Destruction 3-17-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me humble myself before You and listen for the leading of Your voice. ... "Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that when the house of Judah hears all the disasters that I intend to do to them, all of them may turn from their evil ways, so that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin" (Jeremiah 36:2-3). Lord, Your heart is mercy and grace toward us in Your love. But You are a holy God who calls us to be a holy people. You have spoken Your spiritual principles into existence, to affect our lives and leads us to You in humility and faith, with clean hands and pure hearts. So we reap what we sow, obedience brings blessings and disobedience brings curses, holy hearts bring our lives under Your protection from accusation and judgment while evil ways expose us to disaster and destruction. But You have said, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their evil ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33:11). Repentance and faith is our protection from destruction. Convict me in Your mercy of my evil ways. Lead me to repentance that I may live the fullness of life You have created me to live, and deliver me from the disaster and destruction that enters through the door of sin and attacks where the protecting walls of holiness, obedience, and faith are broken down. I pray this for myself and for my nation, for Israel and all the nations of the earth. "In Your wrath, may You remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2). In disasters and destruction that come through judgment, may we remember to turn to You in repentance and faith. Then even judgment becomes mercy. "For the Lord will not reject forever. Although He causes grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love; for He does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone" (Lamentations 3:31-33). Your will is mercy, rather than judgment and compassion rather than affliction. But "God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow" (Galatians 6:7). By Your grace and in response to Your steadfast love, I choose to sow mercy, that I may reap mercy, to sow repentance that I may reap forgiveness, and to sow obedience that I may reap protection. I pray for Israel and America and all the people of the nations of the world to do the same, by the grace of our God who desires all to turn to Him and call on His name in humility and faith. "For, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved' " (Romans 10:13). 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 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.injesus.com/ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.