Spirit-Possessed 5-2-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and welcome in Your Spirit. ... "But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him" (Romans 8:9). Just as unholy spirits seek to possess those who open themselves to what is unholy, Your Holy Spirit seeks to possess those who open themselves to the One who is holy. Holy Spirit of the Living God, You are the "Spirit of Christ," who comes to live in me, who comes to possess me. Just as unholy spirits seek to make us more like their nature as we give them permission and submit to their authority in our lives, You come to make me more like Your nature as I give You permission and submit to Your authority in my life. "But in your hearts, sanctify Christ as Lord" (1 Peter 3:15). Lord Jesus, as best as I can and all by Your grace, I sanctify You as Lord in my heart and every area of my life. I willingly welcome Your Spirit to come into me and consume me, to conform my nature to Your nature and my will to Your will. I am Spirit-possessed -- "bought with a price" by the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20). The Father and the Son are One and You come to abide in me by Your Holy Spirit (John 14:20). Come, Holy Spirit -- "Spirit of Christ" -- and make me more like Jesus each day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays For the National Day of Prayer this Thursday, May 3rd, I am thrilled to be leading the state-wide prayer gathering this year on the steps of the state capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky at noon. In Lexington our church will lead a time of prayer at the Prayer Tower at noon at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek, 859-269-2800. Please join the prayer gatherings in your area www.ndptf.org Friends, if you are in the Ashland, Kentucky area, I will be preaching messages of spiritual renewal at Advance United Methodist Church this Sunday through Wednesday, May 6-9. Come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't. 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 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

Grace and Gifts of God 5-1-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I have so far to go, but I thank You for bringing me this far. Help me keep growing into maturity in my relationship with You through the journey of prayer. ... "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in Him, in speech and knowledge of every kind -- just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you -- so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by Him you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:4-9). Father, as You spoke through Paul to Your church at Corinth, so You speak to us today in every place where we gather into the fellowship of Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. By Your grace, You have saved us and You are sanctifying us as You continue to strengthen us "to the end." We are to be "blameless" through the blood of Christ that cleanses our sins and purifies our hearts. We are to be empowered through Your Holy Spirit who releases all Your spiritual gifts through the body of Christ until we are "not lacking in any spiritual gift." Our lives are to be a living "testimony of Christ" because we are living in fellowship with Christ and with one another, growing in the grace of God, enriched by the words and wisdom "of every kind" You share with us through one another. You are faithful. And You will bring to completion all You have begun in us. Lord, keep revealing to me my spiritual gifts from You -- awakening them within me, cleansing them in Your blood, purifying them in Your fire, and maturing them in Your nature. I pray the same for all those with me in the journey of faith in Christ. Let the fellowship of my church and all my relationships of ministry no longer be lacking in any spiritual gift. As You have commanded us in Your Word, let us "pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts" (1 Corinthians 14:1). Let us be "eager for spiritual gifts" and "strive to excel in them for the building up of the church" (v. 14:12). And as we obey Your calling and command to "strive for the greater gifts," let us be prepared and available to be used by You to touch the lives of others in the "more excellent way" of Your nature of love, growing and maturing in us (v. 12:31). "And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love" (v. 13:13). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you are in the Ashland, Kentucky area, I will be preaching messages of spiritual renewal at Advance United Methodist Church this Sunday through Wednesday, May 6-9. Come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't. For the National Day of Prayer this Thursday, May 3rd, I will be leading the state-wide prayer gathering this year on the steps of the state capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky at noon. In Lexington our church will lead a time of prayer at the Prayer Tower at noon at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek, 859-269-2800. Please join the prayer gatherings in your area www.ndptf.org 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 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

Word of God, Speak 4-30-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Prepare my heart to hear Your voice. Open my spirit to receive Your Word. Word of God, speak, I pray; and help me hear what You say. ... "Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God" (John 8:47). Lord Jesus, You are "The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13). All Scripture is perfectly revealed and fulfilled in You (Matthew 5:17). The words of Moses and the prophets lead us to You, the Living Word of the Living God (Luke 24:27). As I read my Bible, open my eyes my heart to see You. As I draw near to You in the communion of prayer, open the ears of my spirit to hear You. You call me to hear Your voice and follow You (John 10:27). And I cannot hear and know Your voice unless I spend time with You in the communion of prayer. So here I am to answer Your call to listen for Your voice in the silence of surrender to the Word of God. ... As I wait in the silence, it seems I hear You say, "Even in the silence, I am still speaking, because I am the Word of God. Even in the silence, You hear My Word as you welcome Me, for I am the Word of God." Yes, Lord. I welcome You. I yield my thoughts and desires to Yours. Because Your Word is Your presence, I know You will be speaking to me throughout the moments of my day -- whether I consciously hear them or not -- because I have welcomed You to come along with me. 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

"Guided by the Spirit" 4-29-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You and the Father are One, and You come to dwell in my heart by Your Holy Spirit. I open my heart to You today. ... "Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God..." (Luke 2:27-28). I want to be guided by Your Spirit in all things. And the Holy Spirit is always leading us to You -- to embrace You and praise God. As You said of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, "He will glorify Me, because He will take what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:14). Come, Holy Spirit. Guide me and lead me to Jesus, Who always draws me into the arms of my Father, Who always pours out the promise of the Spirit. Draw me "into the temple" -- into the place of intimacy and praise. Here in the temple of my heart, I worship You Lord God in the Oneness of each dimension of Your Being -- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As Jesus promised, "You will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you" (John 14:20). Here in the temple of my heart, I praise You Lord God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I am excited to be leading the state-wide prayer gathering this year on the steps of the state capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky on the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 3rd. Please come join us if you can and pray with us if you can't between 12:00 and 1:00. 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 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

Celebration of Christ 4-28-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. How great is our God! I love You and thank You for Your grace in my life, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for His Word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly as I should" (Colossians 4:2-4). Last night we honored You. We celebrated Your goodness and grace through the power of Your love in our lives -- stories of healing and deliverance, changed lives, and Your continual calling to communion with You in prayer. You spoke powerfully to us through two the elders of our city who have mentored me as a spiritual mother and father in the faith, Margaret Therkelsen and Tom Monroe. They are as Anna and Simeon in our city -- they have walked faithfully with You throughout their long lives, but they will not taste of death until they see the coming revival of Your presence and power in our city that burns with passion in their hearts. It is only birthed and born in the womb of prayer. I praise You for Tom Monroe's prophetic words that the barriers of resistance are breaking down; the power of Your Word and the fire of Your Spirit are going forth. We are humbled and honored to be a part of it -- to see Your people, called by Your name, filled with Your Spirit, to display Your glory in our generation. You are revealing the mystery of Christ in our midst. Keep us devoted to prayer in persistent devotion to You. And like Anna and Simeon, we will declare our "eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples" (Luke 2:24). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I am excited to be leading the state-wide prayer gathering this year on the steps of the state capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky on the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 3rd. Please come join us if you can and pray with us if you can't between 12:00 and 1:00. 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 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

Rain Down Righteousness 4-27-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are alive and You are living in me -- "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). ... "Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may spring up, and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also; I the Lord have created it" (Isaiah 45:8). What an amazing week this has been! In times of prayer ministry, I have seen You go deeply to a point of pain and shame in several peoples' lives to touch places they had never let anyone touch before. They each saw You come in the power of Your love and the mercy of Your grace to cleanse and heal and free. Each time we were all amazed by the suddenness of sadness turned to joy! Then as we prayed at our church Wednesday night, we all had the sense that something marvelous has happened in the heavens over us. You have opened the heavens to shower us with grace and rain down righteousness. Salvation is springing up -- the fullness of salvation -- eternal life, healing, deliverance, restoration, and the peace of God with Your people. The kingdom of God has come near, "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Last night in our Celebrate Recovery ministry, I was teaching about repentance and turning to You as the One True Higher Power for freedom and healing. The lady we prayed for on Wednesday gave me permission to tell everyone her experience with you. She had made up her mind to kill herself and started our prayer time with the declaration, "This is my last ditch effort." But in that place of willingness to hold nothing back for the first time in her life, she let You go to the place of her deepest shame. As she spoke out loud the things she had done and things done to her in a day she had dreaded all her life, she saw You come to her. And that little girl part of her came running to You -- forgiven and free, un-rejected and unashamed. The tormenting voices stopped. In the words of the old Wesley hymn, her chains fell off, and she was free; she arose, went forth, and followed Thee. Peace and joy filled her soul. And we were all amazed by Your amazing love. After I told her story, I led everyone who wanted to join me in a prayer of repentance and faith, turning our lives over to You as Lord and Savior. A man was with us for the first time who needed to hear Your Word of hope and receive the power of Your Spirit. When we got together, he turned his life over to You and told us he couldn't quit trembling with joy inside as You began to reorder his mind and will and emotions just as You had reordered his spirit. His chains fell off, and he was free; he arose, went forth, and followed Thee. Peace and joy filled his soul. And we were all amazed by Your amazing love. Perhaps You have opened the heavens over our city or even over all Kentucky or all our nation or all the earth. But I know this today -- You have opened the heavens over these lives! How great is our God! "Song for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted His people, and will have compassion over his suffering ones" (Isaiah 49:13). Truly, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 10:7, KJV). Keep opening Your heavens, O Lord our God, keep raining down righteousness, as we keep opening our hearts to You in repentance and faith, persevering in prayer. What an amazing week; what an amazing God! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I am excited to be leading the state-wide prayer gathering this year on the steps of the state capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky on the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 3rd. Please come join us if you can and pray with us if you can't between 11:00 and 1:00. Please cover us in prayer tonight for our 2007 Celebration Dinner -- "How Great is Our God!" 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 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

Increase in Intensity 4-26-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name. I speak out Your name in worship and prayer as my first words this new day. ... "But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5:20). Father, it seems I hear You say, "These are days of increase: Increase in intensity of all things -- increase in wickedness and increase in holiness; increase in deception and increase in truth; increase in terror and increase in peace. As a mustard seed increases into a tree, so the kingdoms of this world and its ruler increase into maturity, but so does My kingdom, the kingdom of My Christ. When all things increase into maturity, evil and good full grown, then the reaping of My harvest shall come. Prepare for the reaping of My harvest." Yes, Lord. Teach me to live my life with Your harvest in mind (Isaiah 18:5; Matthew 13:30). "The days are evil," but You are good (Ephesians 5:15). The "ruler of this world" may rage in fury for his final stand, but he "has been condemned" and he is defeated by the victory of the cross (John 16:11). Let me not be discouraged that sin increases, because grace abounds all the more. Let me not be discouraged by the increase in intensity of evil, because the increase in intensity of Your goodness and grace abounds all the more. So by Your grace, I press through the darkness of the night, seeking the light of Your glory to come. It may be darkest before the dawn, but the dawn of the day of the Lord is coming (Malachi 4:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). By Your grace, with all the people of Your kingdom on earth, I am being prepared for the reaping of Your harvest in that day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I am excited to be leading the state-wide prayer gathering this year on the steps of the state capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky on the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 3rd. Please come join us if you can and pray with us if you can't between 11:00 and 1:00. 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 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

"You Complete Me" 4-25-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my peace, and I trust in Your power. ... "Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do His will, working among us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever" (Hebrews 13:20-21). The all-time classic, corny line from a romance movie that makes every guy grimace and cringe is "You complete me." But it's so classic because it's so true. We are created to be completed. You said from the beginning, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). So You use the loneliness and emptiness to draw us to one another and to draw us to You. But even though You love us through one another, it is still, ultimately, only You who can make us "complete in everything good." And I am created and completed for a purpose -- so that I may do Your will, living a life that is pleasing in Your sight. You are the God of peace who knows and tends to my needs as a great shepherd, even laying down Your life for Your sheep (John 10:11). You comfort me and complete me so that my life may be fulfilled in my relationship with You and with those You bring into relationship with me. 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

Free from Anxiety 4-24-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. It's a little too early this morning, Lord Jesus. But I can't seem to sleep, so I'll try coming to pray. ... "I want you to be free from anxieties" (1 Corinthians 7:32). Lord, You created me to be a very positive person -- tending to see the glass half full instead of half empty. And You've even given me a great desire to passionately pray that the waters would rise up and overflow! But Lord, sometimes it's hard to turn off my passions and go to sleep, to entrust to You all the people and prayers on my heart. Sometimes what I like to think of as excitement and passion is what other people call anxiety and stress. You have taught me to teach others how to bear the burdens of others to You, not absorbing them into themselves. Help me live out what I teach in this season of both great excitement and great anxiety. I don't want to give up a single flicker of the flame of the passion and fire that burns my spirit to see Your kingdom come and Your will be done in the earth and in the lives of those You've laid on my heart. But I need Your grace to release it into Your hands so I can rest in Your arms. Even as I write these words and pray them from my heart, I sense You beginning to draw out the anxiety and pour in Your peace. ... "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). Thank You, Lord. By the means of Your grace through prayer, You are now guarding my heart and my mind. So I don't have to. 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

Pleasing to God 4-23-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I commit this day into Your hands. Be Lord of my thoughts and desires throughout the moments of my day. ... "For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with victory" (Psalm 149:4). A humble heart, willingly choosing to be desperately dependent upon You, brings a smile to Your face and joy to Your heart. Help me humble myself in trusting surrender into Your hands today, as You put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Help me trust that You will be going before me, guiding my steps and preparing the way for my life to be a pleasing aroma to You today. Help me be and do "that which is pleasing in (Your) sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever" (Hebrews 13:21). You resist the proud, but give grace to the humble (James 4:6). And in Your grace alone, will I find the victory of Your peace and Your power through every challenge I face. As I do, I join those who "lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him" to "bear fruit in every good work" (Colossians 1:10). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends, we are getting our final count to the caterer today for our Celebration Dinner this Friday Night, April 27th. Please call Marilyn right away if you are coming and haven't RSVP'd yet. 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com God bless you and please cover this special evening in the life of our ministry in prayer. 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

Family Days 4-22-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me beside Your still waters, as I focus my thoughts on You and put my hand in Yours. ... "The children of Your servants shall live secure; their offspring shall be established in Your presence" (Psalm 102:28). Thank You for the family days like yesterday to just rest in Your presence and spend time in the presence of one another. These are days to turn off the cell phone and the laptop, play some ball in the yard, go for a drive in the country, wander along the creek, grill some hot dogs at a friend's house, and even eat popcorn on the couch 'til we fall asleep. Lord, help me schedule in a few more days like this -- days to live settled and secure in the peace of Your presence through one another. In a busy, broken world with too much pressure and too many demands, these kinds of family days seem hard to come by. So help me plan them and guard them and savor them as a gift from You -- a gift to me and a gift to them. 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

Provision and Peace in the Land 4-20-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face and I need Your grace. ... "If you follow My statutes and keep My commandments and observe them faithfully, I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the land shall yield their fruit.... And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down and no one shall make you afraid...." (Leviticus 26:3-6). There are blessings of provision and peace that come to our lives and our land with obedience to Your will. But obedience is impossible apart from You and Your grace. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "There is no one who is righteous, not even one" (v. 3:10). So I can only "become obedient from the heart" by turning my heart over to You (v. 6:17). Every day, I need Your grace. Every day, I need to call on Your name in humble repentance and trusting faith for my life and for my land to be cleansed by Your blood and find the obedience of righteousness in You alone. This is "the obedience of faith" that comes only "through Jesus Christ" (Romans 16:25-27). Only here is the place of peace where there is freedom from fear -- the place at the foot of the cross, under the blood of the Lamb, and in the arms of God. Here is the place I find the "grace and peace" You have promised "in abundance" to all "who have been chosen by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood" (1 Peter 1:2). Thank You, Lord, for drawing me here to this place of grace where I can know Your provision and peace in my land and my life, even in the midst of unrighteousness and unrest. Here I am not untouched by it, but I am unafraid of it. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! Tonight, Friday 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 Friends, if you are able to come to our Celebration Dinner on April 27th, please RSVP to Marilyn by this Saturday 4/21: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591. Many thanks and blessings to all who can't come but who will pray for us instead, as we pray for God's provision to fulfill His vision in our hearts! 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

Life Has Won! 4-19-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I center my thoughts and open my heart in the simplicity of single-minded devotion to You in these first moments of my morning. ... "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19, NKJV). In the same week that death and violence came raging in like a flood on the college campus of Virginia Tech, the Spirit of the Lord has lifted up the standard of the sanctity of life at our nation's Supreme Court a few miles away in Washington. Our Court upheld the law banishing a violent form of abortion. Now there is a crack in the dam of the stronghold of death holding back the free flow of the River of Life from our land. As the abortion doctor who challenged this law limiting the right to abortion prophetically admitted, "I am afraid the Supreme Court has just opened the door to an all-out assault" on the legality of abortion in America. Amen. So be it. The 1973 declaration of death in Roe v. Wade, giving permission in the spiritual realms to the principality of death over our nation, is being revoked and renounced. Sanctity of life is being honored again in our land. Light always triumphs over darkness and good always overcomes evil -- through persistence and prayer that releases the grace and power of God. "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Thank You, Lord. You are healing our land. Life is overcoming death and Light is displacing the darkness. Give us courage to "pursue righteousness" and keep fighting "the good fight of the faith" as we persevere with tenacity and endurance against every form of sin and death to "take hold of eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:11-12). The enemy may come in like a flood, and for a season it may seem like we are drowning personally and as a nation, but our God will always raise a standard -- the battle banner of war against evil to enforce the victory of the cross in our lives. "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I Am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" (Isaiah 43:1-3). By Your grace, we will not fear, but persevere. Your Word will not return void, but will fulfill every promise and every purpose (Isaiah 55:11). In Your timing and in Your way, all by Your power and grace, we will see our nation and all the earth filled with "the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). Lord Jesus, You are Life (John 14:6). And through the victory of Your cross and the glory of Your resurrection, Life has won and death is eternally defeated (1 Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 20:14). Enforce Your victory in our hearts and throughout the earth, to the glory of our Father in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, f you are able to come to our Celebration Dinner on April 27th, please RSVP to Marilyn by this Saturday 4/21: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591. Many thanks and blessings to all who can't come but who will pray for us instead, as we pray for God's provision to fulfill His vision in our hearts! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 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

Evil and Goodness Full Grown 4-18-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Abide in me as I abide in You. ... "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.... Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, 'Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn' " (Matthew 13:24-30). These are dark days where the seeds of evil and goodness are full grown into maturity. This week a college student methodically slaughtered his fellow students and teachers in the most horrendous school shooting of our nation's history. Human beings are responsible for their choices, and at the same time, there are influences of both good and evil upon those choices. The influences of darkness and evil in our broken and fallen world are coming to maturity. And humans will be making choices of increasingly unimaginable evil as the day of harvest grows near. The enemy of our souls has sown his seeds, but the Savior of our souls has sown His. Seeds of compassion and mercy, of goodness and light, are also sown in the fields of the world. So when tragedy strikes through evil in the world, there is goodness in the midst of it. For every shattered soul in Virginia, there will be comforting hands and healing hearts. Darkness may seem to triumph for the moment, but Light will always overcome the darkness and good will always overcome evil. Through the seeds of souls You have planted through the generations for this time of harvest, as the evil of sin abounds, the goodness of grace will abound even more. Though darkness may cover the face of the earth and deep darkness the people, Your light will arise and shine through Your people in the midst of the darkness (Isaiah 60:1-2). In this way, all that is intended for evil at the end of this age, will be turned around and used for good by Your principles of redemption in the great harvest of souls to come in the kingdom of God in our midst (Genesis 50:20). You will cause all things to work together for good for all who love You and are called by Your name (Romans 8:28). Keep reminding us of the goodness and power of Your light, as You keep reminding us to be the vessels of Your light shining in the midst of the darkness. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays If you are able to come to our Celebration Dinner on April 27th, please RSVP to Marilyn by this Saturday 4/21: DirOfMinistries@aol.com 859-317-1591. Many thanks and blessings to all who can't come but who will pray for us instead, as we pray for God's provision to fulfill His vision in our hearts! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 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

God Desires Godly Offspring 4-17-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. Lord God Almighty, You are holy and You are One. I worship You in every dimension of Your Being -- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit -- from every dimension of my being -- spirit, soul, and body. ... "Both flesh and spirit are His. And what does the one God desire? Godly offspring" (Malachi 2:15). My Lord God, through faith in You given to me by the mercy of Your love and the grace of Your blood, I am a child of God -- "For we too are His offspring" (Acts 17:28). "For in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith" (Galatians 3:26). And I want to be a godly offspring -- growing in the wisdom of Your ways, maturing in the nature of Your Being, and following in the leading of Your Spirit. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). My Father God, as best as I can and all by Your grace, I yield my flesh and spirit to You. Into Your hands -- holy hands scarred by the nails of my sin but reaching to me in love by Your grace -- I commit and commend my spirit and soul and body to You. A little more each day in the journey of faith, make me more like You. "May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do this" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Thank You, Lord, for Your patience and Your grace to do this in me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, many have sent notes asking about last Sunday. Thank You so much for praying for us when I preached on waiting and watching and praying in these days "Between the Cross and Pentecost." The Lord had gone before me to prepare hungry hearts for His Word who joined me in prayer for a fresh baptism of His Spirit (Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5). I pray the same for you and your church in this season of preparation of our hearts for the power of God, the Lord of the Harvest, between the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:5 and 16). If you are able to come to our Celebration Dinner on April 27th, please RSVP to Marilyn by this Saturday 4/21 DirOfMinistries@aol.com 859-317-1591. Many thanks and blessings to all who can't come but who will pray for us instead! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 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

This "King named Jesus" 4-16-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I seek You, You promise I will find You. ... "After His suffering He presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). From the beginning to the end of Your ministry on earth in the flesh, You were speaking and teaching about the kingdom of God. Your first disciples continually thought You were speaking of an outward kingdom, but so often You were speaking of an inward kingdom (Acts 1:6-8). This kingdom is not so much about place and position, as it is about power -- the power of God living in us by the Spirit of God to be witnesses of the nature of God to all the world. Your first disciples where asking "when," -- "Lord, is this the time?" (v. 1.6). But You were teaching them "how" -- "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (v. 1.8). "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21, NKJV). "For the kingdom of God is not food or drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). You are the King of the kingdom of God. As we submit to Your Kingship and yield to Your Lordship, we are filled with the righteousness and peace and joy of Your Spirit within us; and we are empowered to live lives as witness of Your nature and the glory of Your kingdom. Only then, like Your first disciples, will we be accused of "turning the world upside down" as we proclaim with our lives this "King named Jesus" (Acts 17:6-7). King Jesus, come into Your kingdom in my soul. Rule and reign in my heart. Fill me with Your Spirit and empower me as Your witness. I want to be one of those "turning the world upside down" until "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah" (Revelation 11:15). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 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

Worth the Wait 4-15-07

Morning by Morning, Sunday Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of the Kingdom of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords. As the worship song says, "All hail King Jesus. All hail Emmanuel, King of kings, Lord of lords, Bright Morning Star." ... "But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). These are the days between the Cross and Pentecost -- the fifty days from the Passover to the Feast of the Harvest (Leviticus 23:15-17). In these days You remind us to wait for the Lord of the Harvest, to devote ourselves together in prayer for the coming of Your Spirit in power (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:4-5). These are days of preparation for the power of Pentecost. We persist in prayer to be emptied of ourselves and our own strength so that we can be filled with You and Your strength. We persist in prayer to be "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). You could have poured out Your Holy Spirit immediately upon Your resurrection, but You chose to call us to wait. There is something in the waiting that cleanses our souls and prepares us for Your power. The things that come easily and quickly are often taken for granted. But as we persist and persevere, as we hunger and thirst, we yearn with eager longing for the gifts and blessings to come. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Righteousness is "the promise of the Father" and You are worth the wait. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be preaching at Crestwood United Methodist Church near Louisville, Kentucky this morning on preparing our hearts in prayer for the power of Pentecost -- "Between the Cross and Pentecost." Let's join together in prayer for our hearts and our churches to be baptized in the Holy Spirit of the Living God. God bless you! 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 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

Hope in the Heart of God 4-14-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I deliberately, consciously, willingly choose to begin this day and each day with You -- entrusting my mind to Your thoughts, entrusting my heart to Your desires. Here I am to worship and pray; here I am to seek Your face. ... Here I am to worship; here I am to pray. Here I am to come and seek Your face. Lord I love You. Lord I need You. Lord I give my life to You. Here You are to listen; Here You are to wait. Here You are to hold me in Your arms each day. Lord You love me; Lord You help me. Lord You give Your life for me. ... "And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person -- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves His love for us for in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:5-8). Thank You Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You created me; You saved me; You love me. Each day You continue to give Yourself for me and give Yourself to me though I don't deserve it and I could never earn it. You give me hope when I'm hopeless; You give me courage when I'm afraid; You give me faith when I doubt. You are a good God, a great and mighty God, and in an amazingly personal way, You are my God. So here I am to worship; here I am to pray; here I am to willingly entrust my life to You another day. You are my hope, because I have come to know Your heart. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please take a moment to pray for a friend of mine who desperately needs the encouragement and hope of the love of God. He is broken in the consequences of his sin, but crying out to God for mercy and reaching out to others for help through prayer. There is no sin our Father God will not forgive if we will not resist the conviction of His Holy Spirit and the cleansing of the blood of His Son. Please join me in agreeing with the Living Word of God, who speaks hope into the spirit of my friend -- and all of our friends who are suffering in this way, needing in this moment to know the hope and love of God. I pray the same for each of you this day, my friends. 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

Morning by Morning, Friday 4-13-07 -- Light Always Displaces the Darkness Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my safety and security, my rock and my refuge. I entrust myself and my family and all of my life to You this day. ... "I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies" (Psalm 18:1-3). All around me, I see the kingdom of God advancing in power. And I see the enemy of our souls fighting back and lashing out in nervous fits of rage. "Rejoice then, you heavens and those who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great wrath, because he knows his time is short!" (Revelation 12:12). Though these are days that "darkness shall cover the face of the earth" when spiritual forces of destruction and death are unleashed in final fury upon the earth, at the same time, we who find our shelter in the stronghold of the Lord can answer Your call in the power of Your strength to "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1-2). Though there is darkness, darkness cannot overcome the light. Light always displaces the darkness. Our part is to turn on the light by turning to the One who is light, then letting Your light shine through us. There we find safety and security in Your light; and just as importantly, those who are lost and bound in fear of the darkness will see Your light shining in the midst of the darkness and be drawn in hope out of the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of Your light. "May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from His glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins through His blood" (Colossians 1:11-14). 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 at Messiah Ministries for our 2007 Celebration Dinner -- "How Great is Our God!" -- on Friday Night, April 27th in Lexington, Kentucky. 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; and please spread the word to anyone who might have a heart for our vision. I'll be glad to talk with them. God bless you! 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 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 See what's free at AOL.com.

Hands of Innocence 4-12-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am Yours and You are mine. I choose to abide in You and welcome You to abide in me. ... "I wash my hands in innocence, and go around Your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all Your wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the house in which You dwell, and the place where Your glory abides" (Psalm 26:6-8). Only through the blood of the Lamb that cleanses my sins through confession, repentance, and faith are my hands innocent. Only through the blood of the Lamb can I draw near to Your altar and "approach the throne of grace with boldness" (Hebrews 4:16). And at the same time, it is so important to see that I am innocent -- not because of my actions, but because of Yours; not because of my goodness but because of Yours. To deny my innocence through the cleansing of Your blood would be to reject all that You have sacrificed to give. So instead of rejecting Your gift and scorning Your mercy in some form of false humility, looking at myself instead of looking to You, I thank You and praise You with songs of thanksgiving and prayers of praise, declaring to You and to all heaven and earth Your wondrous deeds. Now my heart is Your house and my body is Your temple -- "the place where Your glory abides." I have washed my hands in Your innocence. In the truth of Your Word, I know "the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). In the truth of Your Word, I know my "body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19). Though I don't deserve it, though I've done nothing to earn it, I can love this house of my heart where You dwell because You do. "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). As Your truth settles in to my soul, how could I not sing aloud a song of thanksgiving and tell of all Your wondrous deeds. So I will this morning -- as I write my journal of prayer and praise to You, as I send it to the nations and post it in the heavens. 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 at Messiah Ministries for our 2007 Celebration Dinner -- "How Great is Our God!" -- on Friday Night, April 27th in Lexington, Kentucky. 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; and please spread the word to anyone who might have a heart for our vision. I'll be glad to talk with them. God bless you! 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 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