Personal Pentecost 5-28-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your Word and Your Spirit fill my soul. Help me be quiet now, as I wait in the silence of surrender, watching for Your coming and waiting for Your leading. ... "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability" (Acts 2:1-4). Before catching my plane home from London yesterday, I slipped into the airport chapel for the ecumenical service of Holy Communion to celebrate Pentecost Sunday. The Anglican priest who led us chose this passage of Your Word to prepare our hearts for Communion. As the cup was passed among us, I began to realize that this promise was continually being fulfilled, as we came together in one place as one body from many different nations and languages. Though none of us knew one another, we all exchanged the blessing of the peace of Christ to one another and as one family of our One Father bound together by One Spirit, praying the Lord's Prayer and eating the Lord's Supper together. Since the Anglicans use real wine in their Communion, we even sensed in our bodies physically the fire of Your Holy Spirit burning in our hearts spiritually. And all last week at the International Alpha Conference, we came together in worship and prayer to learn from Your Word and be equipped for Your ministry with over a thousand delegates from over seventy nations of the world. Then at the end of the week, I was invited to join my friend Heather Butler from Wales to minister Your healing to women of different races and generations, but joined together in one heart by one Spirit. What a week of preparation for Pentecost! Lord, let Your wind blow, let Your fire fall -- in our hearts and in our lands throughout the earth. May we be the body of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ, proclaiming Your Word and singing Your praise to display Your glory in every tribe and tongue and nation, and throughout every generation. Let us hunger and thirst for more of You, emptied of ourselves and filled with Your Spirit, as we seek and embrace our personal Pentecost of Your presence and power in our lives every day. May the glory of Your presence filling Your people cover the earth with Your glory as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us in your prayers last week while I was away. I'm sorry I was not able to send out my devotional but I pray the Lord will impart to You all I received of Him (Romans 1:11). God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey of prayer! 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 Fear and Friendship of the Lord 5-19-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to take some time with You before giving my time to anything else this day. ... "Who are they that fear the Lord? He will teach them the way that they should choose. They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He makes His covenant know to them" (Psalm 25:12-14). Godly fear is to put You first. It is to honor and respect You and Your above all else. You are God and You are Lord of every are of my life -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is seeking to trust in Your wisdom, to walk in Your ways, and to depend upon Your grace. This is the humble heart and trusting faith that touches Your heart and moves Your hand. What loving father's heart is not moved to give all he has when the eyes of his children turn to him in tenderness and honor to say, "Daddy, I love you" or "Daddy, I need you." This is both the fatherhood and the friendship of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is not slavery but sonship, not the oppression of domination but the freedom of friendship. And this is the relationship I desire, with all my heart, to have with You, Daddy Abba, my Father God. "And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father!' So that you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir of God through Christ" (Galatians 4:6-7). Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be traveling with a team from my church to the International Alpha Conference for evangelism in London this week. I may not have easy access to send out my prayers but I would appreciate yours for our team and families. 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

Graduation Day 5-18-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill my heart with Your spirit and fill my mind with Your thoughts. ... "Hear, my child, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life" (Proverbs 4:10-14). My little girl has grown up to be a big girl. Elizabeth graduates high school today. And we are all very proud of her. She's beautiful, inside and out. You've made her compassionate, creative, tender-hearted, and kind. I pray You will guard her heart as she goes out into the world, keeping her faith alive and her heart always open to You. There will be days of testing and temptation ahead in a world that doesn't understand the power of Your love, the wisdom of Your ways, or gift of Your grace. So may the Your words of truth and seeds of life in her heart guide her in Your ways and bring honor to her life. You will always be with her when I can't be. But I entrust her to You. I know You'll always love her with Your Father's heart. And so will I. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! Tonight -- 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. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries will lead in prayer and Paul Cooper from Liberty Worship Center will lead in worship. 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

"Pray in the Spirit" 5-17-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to You by our Father. I trust in You and submit to Your authority in my life -- as best as I can and all by Your grace. ... "Pray in the spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:18-19). We are to pray for the people of God and we are to pray for godly leaders -- not just prayers, but the prayers of the Spirit; not just praying until the answers come quickly, but prayers of perseverance in faith. The answers You bring through the means of our prayers are important, but so is the character You form in our souls as we pray. To "pray in the spirit" means to pray as Your Holy Spirit leads our human spirit, rather than how we would choose to pray out of the soul of our own mind and will and emotions apart from the leading of Your Spirit. Whether we pray in words we know or unknown words You give us as yield our spirit to Your Spirit in prayer, we pray as You lead in line with Your will. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26-27). Paul asked for these kinds of prayers for all the saints -- all the people of God, because we are all "called to be saints" and all called to be "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:2). And Paul asked for these kinds of prayers for himself. So do I. Holy Spirit, move upon my heart to always "pray in the spirit" as I persevere in prayer for Your people in the ways You lead. And move upon their hearts to pray for me in accordance with Your perfect will and timing and way. Give me the grace of patience to wait for Your answers to come as the saints persevere and pray in the power of the Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night -- 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

Stand and Fight for Peace 5-16-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I center my heart and focus my thoughts on You. ... "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20). Peace comes with a price. Peace comes when chaos is conformed to Your order. Peace comes when evil is confronted and removed. Lasting peace never comes with passivity or appeasement. True peace comes when courageous men and women insist upon on in the power of God. We really do have an enemy who wants to steal our peace, rob our joy, and crush our hope. He is like "a roaring lion" prowling around "looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). And any peace that comes from ignoring him instead of confronting him, trying to compromise with him or appease him instead of defeating him and driving him from us through the victory of the cross and the power of the blood of Jesus, is a false peace that will not prevail. So out of Your wisdom, You call us to "resist him, steadfast in your faith" (v. 5:9). As we do, You crush him -- but You crush him under our feet. He's under our feet because we are standing in You and You are standing in us. "Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13). The power of peace comes in the power of Your strength. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may able to stand against the wiles of the devil.... and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore...." (Ephesians 6:10-14). All in Your power and all by Your grace, I choose to stand in You and not bow down to him, to fight and not flee; to resist and not retreat. And Your peace will fill my soul, even in the midst of the battle, as You crush my enemy under my feet. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night -- 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

Ancient Words 5-15-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your light shine upon me, let Your words wash over me, let Your Spirit fill me. ... "The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple" (Psalm 119:130). As best as I can and all by Your grace, I come to You now to simply seek Your face. Unfold Your words of life and truth to me -- little by little, layer by layer, as I can receive them and understand them and live them. Let Your written Word become Your living Word. Let Your ancient Words become Your present Word to my heart and soul throughout the moments of my day. Awhile back, someone sent me a note questioning my sanity for submitting my life to the ancient words of an ancient book. But it's more than a book and more than words to me. They are Your words, spoken and written through those You have chosen to reveal Your heart to me and all who will hear. Something really is imparted from Your heart to mine when I open my heart to Yours through these ancient, but ever-present and ever-true, words of life and light. "You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Peter 1:23). May Your words live on and endure forever in me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! -- This Friday Night -- 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 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.injesus.com/

5-14-07 -- "Like a Solider" Morning by Morning

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are both the gentle Lamb of God, slain in silence for our sins (Isaiah 53:7); and You are the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5), coming again to judge the earth with fire in Your eyes and a sword in Your hand (v. 19:11-16). And You are so much more. You and the Father and the Holy Spirit are One, living in me and calling me to live for You. I want to know You and worship You in every dimension of Your Being, in spirit and in truth. ... "The Lord goes forth like a soldier, like a warrior He stirs up His fury; He cries out, He shouts aloud, He shows Himself mighty against His foes" (Isaiah 42:13). By Your words and Your example, You teach us there are times to turn the other cheek to those who wish us harm (Matthew 5:39), but You also teach us there are times to boldly confront wickedness and injustice and drive out the perpetrators (John 2:13-17). You said, "In Me you may have peace" (John 16:33) and You also said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). In the moments and decisions of our lives in a broken, fallen world living among broken, fallen people -- including ourselves -- Your Word says, "There is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:7-8). So if it is to be Your will and not our will in the decisions of the times and moments of our lives, we must be prayed-up and prepared to trust You and obey You. We must look to Your Word and Your nature; seeking Your leading and following Your lead -- not just in general, but also in the specifics. We must know You, so we can know Your voice. We must know Your ways, so we can obey Your will. "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you and example, so that you should follow in His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). Lord of the Hosts of Heaven, I thank You for the times You have stirred up Your fury like a warrior in battle against the enemy of my soul and for laying down Your life for me like a soldier willing to lay down his life for his country. And whether we agree with the wars of our nations or not, we can all be thankful for the men and women who are willing to fight and die for us -- some on the battlefields of the nations and some in the neighborhoods of our own. And we can all be thankful for the One who was willing to die and is now willing to fight for us -- that we can know Your freedom and have Your security. "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shied 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 18:2-3). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I know there are many views about when, if ever, war or confrontation is an appropriate answer in a broken, fallen world. But no matter our view, it seems it would always be appropriate to pray for those who are willing to fight for us and for their country. If you would be interested, I'm passing along a song and a prayer sent to me from my Uncle Wes, a United States Marine: http://www.flashdemo.net/gallery/wake/index.htm Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night -- 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

Honor the Mothers 5-13-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put on my heart the things on Your heart that You want me to share in with You today. ... "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12). To honor is to esteem with respect, to affirm with a grateful heart. I honor my mother this day. And I honor the mothers in my life -- my wife who mothers my children, my mother-in-law, my grandmother and my grandmother-in-law. I honor the mothers of my community. You have put in their hearts a heart of nurture and encouragement, soothing and security, wisdom and strength. They reveal Your compassionate power. "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you" (Isaiah 66:13). Where our mothers have fallen or failed, we honor them with forgiveness. Where our mothers have sacrificed and sown seeds of life and truth into our souls, nurturing them with tears and prayers, encouragement and hope, we honor them with lives that bring them joy. And when we fall and fail, we honor them with humility to ask for forgiveness. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of my mother and the mothers in my life. I honor them this day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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

"Full of the Spirit of Wisdom" 5-12-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my wisdom and my strength. Help me listen for Your leading so I can walk in Your ways. ... "Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him" (Deuteronomy 34:9). As sons and daughters of God called to fulfill our destiny in our generation, we need Your wisdom. We need to be full of the spirit of wisdom. Move upon the hearts of the spiritual fathers and mothers of the past generation to stretch out their hearts and their hands to anoint and to teach our generation the wisdom they have learned from You (1 Timothy 4:14). Give us the humility to receive it, and "put these things into practice" (v. 4:15). Then may we grow in wisdom as we learn to walk in Your ways, then pass it on the sons and daughters of the next generation. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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

"Guard Your Heart" 5-11-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In the morning watch, I wait for You to come lead my thoughts and fill my heart. ... "Above all else, guard your heart; for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23, NIV). I can't let the Living Waters of Your Life flow through me unless I learn to guard my heart -- not guard it by putting up walls around it, but by treasuring it and entrusting it to You. You call me, You command me, to do this "above all else." Help me obey Your command and trust in Your wisdom. Help me take time for my heart to be refreshed and renewed, given to worship and rest, and time alone with You. Then out of my heart can flow the Living Waters of Your Spirit because the Living Waters of Your Spirit are flowing in me (John 7:38). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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

Amazing Love, Amazing God 5-10-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the song says, "I'm forgiven because You were forsaken; I'm accepted, You were condemned. I'm alive and well. Your Spirit lives within me, because You died and rose again.... Amazing love, how can it be, that You, my King, should die for me. Amazing love, I know it's true; and it's my joy to honor You. In all I do, I honor You." With my first thoughts of my morning, I honor You. With the first name that I speak today, I honor You. ... "But God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). With every head bowed and every eyes closed, three people held up their hands and opened up their hearts to receive You as their personal Lord and Savior last night. And the angels of heaven rejoiced. Many others received You as their healer and deliver, while others received Your Holy Spirit in a deeper surrender than ever before to fill them and sanctify them in spirit, soul, and body. Each in our own way and each at our point of need, we believed Your promise and responded to Your tug at our hearts. "God is faithful; by Him you were called into the fellowship of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:9). You were standing at the door of our hearts, knocking and waiting for us to open the door and welcome You in (Revelation 3:20). And we did -- some for the first time, some to a deeper place than ever before. I am humbled that You do it and honored that You desire it -- the God of the universe humbling Yourself to come to us as we call on Your name. You are an amazing God, filled with a heart of amazing love. Now You are pouring Your love into our hearts to honor You with our lives, as we love others with the love and grace You have given us (Romans 5:5). Now by Your grace, in all I do, I honor You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for us this week during our revival in eastern Kentucky. I pray revival will continue in our hearts and in yours, until the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). 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

Breaking the Midianite Curse of Poverty 5-9-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above every name. I speak Your name and declare Your praise as I begin this day. ... "The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel; and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. For whenever the Israelites put in seed, the Midianites and Amalakites and the people of the east would come up against them. They would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land.... Thus Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help" (Judges 6:1-6). All that happened to the people of Israel under the old covenant teaches us Your principles of life in the Spirit under the new covenant. Their battle was against the Midianites; our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against "the spiritual forces of evil" who come "to steal and kill and destroy" (Ephesians 6:12; John 10:10). Lord, we humble our hearts to cry out to You for help. Deliver us from the Midianite spirit and break the Midianite curse upon our land and our lives. Free us from the cruel enemy of our souls who comes in to steal the seeds of Your blessings and destroy the abundance of Your harvest, to leave us impoverished and afraid, hiding in the caves of loneliness and isolation. Send Your Word to speak to our hearts and awaken us to our calling and destiny to rise up and fight in the victory of the cross with "the weapons of our warfare" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). As You spoke to Gideon in the days of the Midianite oppression, speak to us today: "The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.... Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you" (Judges 6:12-14). We receive Your commission and answer Your call, to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His power...to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:10-11). By Your grace and in Your power, we will stand up and fight with the weapons of our warfare in the wisdom of Your Spirit -- the name and the blood of Jesus, the Word of God, humility and faith, praise and prayer, confession and repentance, and all the spiritual weapons of Your truth You have placed in our hands and our hearts to wage this war and win. The victory is won and this battle belongs to the Lord. Teach us and empower us to enforce the victory of Your cross in our lives for the glory of Your name. As You declared to Gideon the victory to come over his physical enemies, so You declare our victory to come over our spiritual enemies, as we humbly call on Your name in prayer and courageously fight through Your name in battle: "I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them" (Judges 6:16). As David declared, so do the spiritual sons of David through the blood of the Lamb declare: "He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.... I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back until they were consumed. I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet" (Psalm 18:34-38). Thank You, Lord, for the fulfillment of Your promise to Your people who are called by Your name when we humble ourselves to pray and then rise up to fight in Your name -- "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20). Let the poverty curse of the Midianites be broken and its spirit be bound and cast out of our lives and off of our lands. We are more than conquerors through the victory of the cross as we overcome the enemy of our souls through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). Now let the abundance Your harvest come for the glory of Your name and Your kingdom. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will preaching the last night of our revival in eastern Kentucky tonight. Please keep the people of this region in prayer, as all the prophetic words spoken throughout many generations of God's mighty move of His Spirit come to pass in His perfect timing and in His perfect way. I pray the same for your region, as the kingdoms of this earth become the kingdoms of our God and His Messiah. 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

Spiritual Mind-Set 5-8-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I bring to You the offering of my first thoughts of my first moments this new day. ... "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit" (Romans 8:5). You created me as a spiritual being, living in human flesh. Like the generations before me, You scooped up the dust of the earth from my mother and father to form my body in Your hands; then You breathed into existence my human spirit with destiny and purpose and identity; and I became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). But though my feet are planted on this earth, my heart is in heaven and the focus of my priorities is to be on heavenly things -- not ignoring the earthly things You have entrusted to my stewardship and care, but giving them their proper priority. In a world where the earthly realm easily seems more real than the spiritual realm to the very degree that I walk by sight and not by faith, I have to consciously and deliberately choose to set my mind on the things of the Spirit. "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3). Some say we shouldn't be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. Though it sounds clever and funny, but it's just not true. Your Word says just the opposite. And when I set my mind on the things of the Spirit, the things are above, You begin to open the eyes of my heart to the spiritual realm, so that I "may know what is the hope to which (You) have called (me)" (Ephesians 1:17-19). Then, as the song says, the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of Your glory and grace. With my mind set on You and the things of Your Spirit, then You can lead the thoughts of my mind to change the things of earth around me as You kingdom comes and Your will is done in me and on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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

The Hearts of the Children 5-7-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I quiet my soul and center my thoughts on You alone. In the silence of surrender, I listen and linger now for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse" (Malachi 4:5-6). The day of the Lord to come will be a terrible day for those who have not turned their hearts to You and a great day for those who have. Even now You have sent Your Spirit upon Your prophets to prepare Your people -- listening for Your voice and proclaiming Your Word, that our hearts may turn to You. "See, I am sending My messenger to prepare the way before Me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple" (v. 3:1). You reminded me of these words last night at our revival as the young people declared Your Word so powerfully and passionately through drama and worship. We stretched out our hands and our hearts to pray over them, and then they stretched out their hands and hearts to pray over us. Holy Spirit, set the hearts of our children ablaze with a passion for Jesus and then let us be drawn near to the fire burning in them until we are all consumed in the glory of Your manifest presence. As we do, You will come suddenly into Your temple of our hearts. "Our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). Father, thank You for the gift and witness of our sons and daughters who are passionate in their pursuit for Your presence. We have much to learn as You pour out the Spirit of Elijah upon them to prepare the way of the Lord in our hearts. "Truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3-4). Help me humble myself in Your sight with child-like faith and unrestrained passion. Draw me deeply into Your kingdom and let Your kingdom come deeply into me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please cover us in prayer as I preach messages of spiritual renewal and revival in the Ashland, Kentucky area this week (Sunday through Wednesday) at Advance Memorial United Methodist Church in Flatwoods. Many have foreseen mighty moves of God coming out of eastern Kentucky and I am excited to be a part of preparing the way of the Lord through preaching and prayer. 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

Principle of Provision 5-6-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse my soul in Your blood, purify my heart in Your fire. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to honor my Father with my life this day. ... "You give them something to eat" (Mark 6:37). Your first disciples were always thinking naturally, but You were always calling them to think supernaturally. When it was late and the crowds were hungry, they wanted to send them away to the store to buy bread to eat. But You were teaching them the principle of provision -- we offer to You all that we have and You provide to us all that we need. So five loaves and two fish fed five thousand that day. But You didn't just work Your miracle from heaven. You taught them how to participate in partnership with God. Your power multiplied the food to feed the people, but You chose to use Your disciples to gather what they had and distribute what they needed. As they gave the people something to eat, they were Your hands and revealed Your heart. Lord Jesus, I want to be Your hands and reveal Your heart. By Your grace, I offer all that I am and all that I have, knowing You will provide all that I need. With as much humility and faith as I have, I offer to You my five loaves and two fish. And I ask You to multiply the little that I have, knowing it is just enough for You to use in the lives of others if I entrust it all to You. Thank You for the joy of letting me participate in partnership with You, even in the supernatural provision and power of God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please cover us in prayer for the Lord's provision and power as I preach messages of spiritual renewal and revival in the Ashland, Kentucky area this week (Sunday through Wednesday) at Advance Memorial United Methodist Church in Flatwoods. Many have foreseen mighty moves of God coming from the mountains of eastern Kentucky and I am excited to be a part of preparing the way of the Lord through preaching and prayer. 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

Proper Protocol for a Royal Visit 5-5-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are King of the heavens and King of the earth. Be King of my thoughts and all of my words. ... "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.... Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory" (Psalm 24:1-10). Queen Elizabeth of England arrived here in Lexington yesterday in advance of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville today. Everyone is excited to be visited by royalty. The newspapers and television were filled with principles of proper protocol should you happen to see the Queen. Should you bow or curtsey? Should you shake her hand or kiss it. Is it ok to ask questions or just smile and wave? Everyone was thrilled at the thought of a moment in the presence of the Queen. And every morning I wash my face and sit in my chair. I open my journal and my heart to humble myself in Your sight and wait in the silence of surrender for the leading of Your Spirit. This is my protocol for my visit with the King -- the King of kings and Lord of lords. I lift up my face and open up my heart that the King of glory may come in -- not just for a visit, but to take up residence; not just a short visitation but a constant habitation. I'm excited about the visit of the Queen, but I'm much more excited about the coming of the King. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.injesus.com/

Treasured Possession, Holy Nation 5-4-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. At Your name, my knees bow and my tongue confesses that You are Lord. ... "Now therefore, if you obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for Me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5-6). Father, thank You for Your covenant with Israel, teaching us through the generations of the nature of Your faithfulness even in the face of our unfaithfulness. No people of any nation can completely obey Your voice and keep Your covenant, nor even desire to, apart from Your grace and power. All will fall short of Your glory and Your will. All will turn, sooner or later and usually sooner, to their own ways instead of Yours. So we all need the Savior who sends His Spirit to lead us back to You in repentance and faith. Israel needed a Messiah, and so do we -- the people of every tongue and tribe and nation. And by the mercy of Your grace, we have One -- "in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14). For ourselves and on behalf of our nations, let us be Your "treasured possession." We are treasured because You love us and gave Your life for us. We are Your possession because we choose to submit our will and our ways to Yours. Through the blood of the Lamb that cleanses our sins and restores our soul, as a people and as a nation, You remind us of our calling and destiny in Christ -- to be a priestly kingdom and a holy nation, to receive all the blessings of Abraham. And through this kingdom and nation of a people redeemed and restored out of every kingdom and every nation, "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). In Christ, the Messiah of Israel and all nations, we are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that (we) might proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called (us) out of darkness and into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for joining with us in prayer yesterday for our National Day of Prayer. At our state-wide gathering at the Capitol in Kentucky, we were able to come inside because of the rain, and fill the floor of the Capitol Rotunda with over a hundred people form across our state to pray for our nation. Just outside the Governor's office and in between the chambers of the House and Senate, we boldly worshipped and prayed, proclaiming the mighty acts of God in the name of Jesus in the freedom we have. May the Lord hear our prayers on behalf of our nation. We believe He has -- and so did everybody in our capitol building! God bless you and all the families of the earth! 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

National Day of Prayer 5-3-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are "the King of the nations" of the earth (Revelation 15:3). Be King of my nation and my heart this day. ... "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people" (Joel 2:15). Across America today, Your people who are called by Your name will answer the call to come and pray. This is a National Day of Prayer. And as we humble our hearts on behalf of our nation, we pray You will answer our prayers and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). On capitol and courthouse steps, beneath prayer towers and church steeples, in parks and parking lots across our land, we will come together in the unity of the Spirit from all the traditions and streams of the body of Christ to call on the name of our God. We will come together in repentance and faith, tears and joy, proclamation and prayer, on behalf of the people of our nation and on behalf of the people of all nations. We will come as a foretaste and first-fruits of the day when Your Word will be fulfilled: "All the nations You have made will come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name" (Psalm 86:9). Convict us and cleanse us of our sins as a nation; humble our pride and heal our hurt; restore us to our calling that we may yet fulfill our destiny as a people of God. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12, KJV). On behalf of our nation and as far as Your grace will go, we proclaim our God is the Lord of our land. O Lord, hear our prayer. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I am humbled to know many of you who join with me in this journey of prayer each day are not Americans. But I ask you to join with us this day to pray for the people of America to know the Lord and obey His will for our lives and our nation. I pray the same for yours. In Christ, together from every tribe and tongue and nation, we are all the people of His "holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9). For the National Day of Prayer today, 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 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

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