Always Watching, Always with Me 8-6-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me beside Your still waters. Restore my soul, and help to know You are my Good Shepherd, always watching and always with me. ... "The Lord looks down from heaven; He sees all humankind. From where He sits enthroned He watches all the inhabitants of the earth -- He who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds" (Psalm 33:13-15). You are the all-seeing God. To You all hearts are known, all deeds exposed, all desires and motives revealed. You see the end from the beginning, the inside from the outside, and everything in between. But Your "all-seeing Eye" is not on the top of a pyramid or any other man-made structure -- contrary to the ancient occultic symbol found on dollar bills and in lodge halls of secret societies. You see from heaven's throne and everywhere the God of heaven touches. You see all, because You created all, and You are in all. "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:4-6). Knowing that You are always watching, does it bring me peace or fear? I suppose the truth is, it brings both. Part of knowing the fear of the Lord is knowing that You are always with me, in the secret or in the open, in the silent thoughts within my head and in the public actions of my hands. You see it all. I'm not fooling You for a moment. But at the same time, part of knowing the peace of the Lord is knowing You never leave me and never forsake me. You fight for me in ways I can't fully see and love me in ways I can't fully know. So both the fear and the peace come with knowing You're always watching and always with me. "Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love" (Psalm 33:18). Thank You for Your watchful eye and Your loving heart. "Let Your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in You" (v. 33:22). You watch from where You sit enthroned (v. 33:14). Be enthroned in my heart from where You are always watching and always with me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your prayers as I prepare messages for my ministry trip at the end of August to Estonia (one of the three Baltic Republics northwest of Russia, who declared their independence from the former Soviet Union). By God's grace, I will be the keynote speaker, preaching and teaching messages on prayer and spiritual transformation at the ministers' conference for all the Methodist ministers' in the country. Thank You for you partnership with us in ministry at home and to the nations. Your prayers, support, and encouragement make this kind of ministry possible for us. 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

Believe, Obey, and Become 8-4-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my eyes toward You and lay my life before You. ... "The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath" (John 3:35-36). How can I obey You unless I hear know Your words and hear Your voice. How can I know Your words unless I spend time reading them; and how can I know Your voice unless I spend time listening to it. In the seeking and the listening there grows a longing to know ever more deeply and fully the One to Whom I give such attention, such worship. As I long to become more like You, I grow in the desire to obey You, to follow You, to live my life for You. To truly believe You is to truly obey You, desiring to become more like You. We become like the One we worship (2 Corinthians 3:18). And this is life You offer all who will believe, eternal life -- mercy rather than wrath, intimacy rather than isolation, personal relationship with the One who holds my life and all things in His hands. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16). 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

Honored by God 8-5-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I rest in You. Form Your thoughts and desires in me. ... "What are human beings that You are mindful of them, mortals that You care for them? Yet You have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:4-5). Your love for us is astounding. Your perception of our value and significance is unbelievable. Yet, You want us to believe it, to know how You see us, how You have created us, how You have crowned us and honored us. If we could only see ourselves as You see us and see one another as You see them, our insecurities and jealousies, resentments and hatred would vanish in a moment. What if it really were as simple as loving You, loving each other as we love ourselves? That is what You said (Matthew 22:36-40). What if You really meant it and we really believed it? What if we really could be forgiven of every sin and restored in every relationship -- with You, with one another, within ourselves (1 John 1:9)? Through the calling and cleansing of Christ, we are "reconciled to God" and we have "become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). It all begins and ends with seeing You as You are and seeing ourselves and one another as You created us to be, with the value and significance You created us to have. Help me believe it, receive it, and live it. I honor You, my Lord and my God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Help me honor others today as You honor them, love them as You love them, and do the same with myself. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Love as Strong as Death 8-3-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You cleanse my sin and draw me in, You offer Your cup and fill me up, You lead the way as I watch and pray. ... "My beloved is mine and I am his" (Song of Solomon 2:16). Solomon's love story of the bride-to-be and coming groom speaks of the love story of Your bride and our Groom -- the yearning for intimacy, the aching and emptiness of perceived times apart, the seeking and searching for the fulfillment of embrace and union as one. Because You are Spirit and our union is a spiritual one, even the explicit language of this love story can awaken the longing of our souls for this level of love between our God and Your people, between You and I. Men and women alike can express and proclaim our love for You is as strong as death, our passion for You is as fierce as the grace (v. 8:6). Free me to seek You unashamed and unrestrained with passion and persistence. I am Yours and You are mine. 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

Apostolic Ministry of Matthias is Missing 8-2-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. It's very early this morning, but I can't sleep -- something is burning in my bones. So I rise and enter in to the holy place of prayer. Speak, Lord, for Your servant and Your son is listening. ... "Then they prayed and said, 'Lord, You know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two You have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.' And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles" (Acts 1:24-26). I've never heard anyone ever teach or preach on the ministry of the apostle Matthias. Maybe because his name is never mentioned again in Scripture after this verse. But there is something here we need to see for our day. The apostolic ministry of Matthias was necessary. Something was missing without him. It stuns me to see for the fist time a connection to the very next verse after Matthias was identified and added to his position of ministry through discernment and prayer: "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place" (v. 2:1). Lord, this is a key to the Pentecostal power of Your church taking her place of authority and responsibility in the earth in our day. We are missing the apostolic ministry of Matthias. They are those who have labored among us "during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us," but we have not yet affirmed and embraced our need and their ministry (v. 1:21). We've not always known their names because they've not drawn attention to themselves, but to You alone. But You know their hearts (v. 1:24). And You know our need of their ministry for us to be the church You've created us and called us to be. We have such a tendency to "look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Many are placed into positions of authority because of education, organizational credentials, and prayer-less presumption. And many essentially place themselves in positions of authority by self-promotion. Forgive us, Lord. Your church has suffered for our sin and the world has suffered for our failure to fully manifest the fullness of Your nature. We have failed to be the body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, continuing the ministry of Christ, established in Your biblical order, submitted to Your heavenly will, and empowered by Your Holy Spirit to reveal Your nature as Your "ambassadors" for too many generations (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are not yet spiritually mature as the body of Christ. We are not yet experiencing the fullness of the Pentecostal power and the "greater works" You have longed to demonstrate through a generation desperate enough, humble enough, to be obedient enough so we can be empowered enough to be the hands and feet, heart and soul of the body of Christ on earth You have destined us to be (John 14:12). And part of our immaturity is that we have not set our hearts to seek Your face in prayer for those who are missing in the ministry of gifts and positions of Biblical order, responsibility, and authority of Your church: "The gifts He gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children ... we must grow up in every way into Him Who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-15). Lord, call us to prayer to seek to understand what is missing and identify who is missing. Show us where we have failed to recognize our need and Your gifts of all the positions and callings of spiritual leadership. Forgive us for trying to make pastors be apostles and make apostles be pastors because we don’t' yet fully understand Your biblical order. Call out and raise up all the ministries of Your Spirit and Your body, including the apostolic ministry of Matthias. Appoint and anoint those who have the whole-hearted humility and single-minded devotion to be the nameless, faceless, fearless spiritual leaders of our day. When the gifts of Your grace and positions of Your authority are in place, the day of our Pentecost and Your power will come into and flow out of Your church to manifest the fullness and maturity of Your nature in the ways the world is literally dying to see. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.injesus.com/

Remnant of the Faithful 8-1-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You and trust You, now I watch for You and wait for You as I start my day with You. ... "Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:3-4). Give me courage to stand firm in the faith, to be found faithful as one who seeks to trust You and obey You as best as I can and all by Your grace. Though at times my sin and my self-centeredness have driven me far from the shelter of Your protection and provision, You are the Good Shepherd who comes after me to draw me back. As the pressures of the world, the flesh, and devil increase in their pull and influence even among those of Your fold, I ask You to hold on to me, to keep coming after me, to keep convicting me, to never let me go. When I am afraid or dismayed, when I feel lost or alone, keep reminding me of home -- my home in Your heart as I welcome You to make Your home in my heart. I want to be among the remnant of Your faithful. "So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace" (Romans 11:5). You choose all who have chosen You by the grace of Your love for us all, "not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). By Your grace, help me be among those who turn to You in trusting faith to keep drawing me home and holding me close. 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

One Healed Among Many 7-31-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In trusting surrender, I commit this day to Your care. ... "Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Bethesda, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids -- blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?' " (John 5:2-6). Lord, there were many who were broken and hurting by the pool of Bethesda that day. Why where Your eyes drawn to one man? Why did You choose to heal him, and apparently not any others at that time? Was it because he had been there a long time or had been there the longest? Was it because he wanted to be made well or wanted it more than the others? Your Spirit is bringing these Scriptures to mind: "Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise' " (John 5:19). "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own; but the Father who dwells in Me does His works" (v. 14:10). "He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands" (v. 3:34). As You walked this earth as Son of Man in human flesh and blood, You were in constant communion with the Father by the Spirit. As a humble, obedient Son, You spent time alone with the Father in prayer and came out of the place of prayer into the place of authority to do what You saw the Father doing and speak what You heard the Father speaking, all in the power of the Spirit without measure. "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38). Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, help me live my life in constant communion with You. I want to see what You are doing and hear what You are saying. I want to come out of the place of prayer and into the place of authority to be Your vessel and instrument of Your healing in the lives of others by the power of Your Spirit anointing me and empowering me to do Your will in Your timing and Your way. Draw my eyes to those You want me to see today, and help me entrust all others to You. And send those who will allow You to draw their eyes to me today, to minister Your love and power in the ways I need. You know every hair on our heads and every hurt in our hearts. Help us trust You to heal and help us in the way and the time only You know best. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Set the Compass of My Soul 7-30-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. May You increase as I decrease. May You be the center of my attention and the focus of my worship in these first moments of my morning. ... "These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord" (Zechariah 8:16-17). Convict me when I'm tempted to lie. Restrain me when I'm tempted to stir up strife. Prompt me when I'm tempted to stay silent in the face of injustice, oppression, and need. Let my words and my actions reveal the nature of a heart and mind entrusted to You today. "May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You" (Psalm 25:21). Set the compass of my soul toward the true north of Your Word and Your ways. Help me chart my course throughout my day by the leading of Your Spirit. It all begins here in these fist moments of worship and prayer, as I yield my unrighteousness to Your righteousness, my human spirit to Your Holy Spirit. "The way of the righteous is level; O Just One, You make smooth the path of the righteous. In the path of Your judgments, O Lord, we wait for You; Your name and Your renown are the soul's desire" (Isaiah 26:7-8). 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

"Sowing of Peace" 7-29-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Spirit, Son, come abide in me as One, as I watch and wait for Your leading today. ... "For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all things. Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong" (Zechariah 8:12-13). The seeds You have sown will all bear fruit in their time. But for a seed to bear fruit, first it must die (John 12:24). And then there will always be a season that looks like the opposite of the harvest to come. But it will yield its fruit and give its produce in its time. In the land of Israel, You have sown Your seeds of peace and blessing. In that same field, the enemy has come in by night to sow his seeds of chaos and cursing, seeds of false peace and confusion, but when the seeds have grown and matured to harvest, You will reap Your harvest as the enemy's harvest is exposed and consumed (see Matthew 13:24-30). In Your timing and Your way, this land that has known so little peace will know the One who is the "Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6). A remnant will persevere in the power of Your strength and persevering prayer. You "will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain" (Zechariah 8:3). They will be a blessing to the nations and "rejoice before You as with joy at the harvest" (v. 9:3). As You open the skies of heaven to give its dew, nurture the seeds You have sown in their hearts and ours. 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 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

"Apple of My Eye" 7-28-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I make any choices today, either in surrender to You or sin against You, I dedicate and consecrate my mind, my will, and my emotions to You alone. ... "Truly, one who touches you, touches the apple of My eye" (Zechariah 2:8). These words have been on my heart for two days now: "Pray for the apple of My eye." Yes, Lord. Of Jerusalem, You declare in Your Word, "I will be a wall of fire all around it, says the Lord, and I will be the glory within it" (v. 2:5). I join my prayers with the hearts of the people You are moving with passion to pray for the peace and security of all the people affected by the land and the promises of the children of Abraham. Look upon Jerusalem with fire in Your eyes and the sword of Your Word in Your hand. Be a wall of fire, cleansing within and consuming without. You are "a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). And You burn with a passion for Your people and burn with wrath against the spiritual enemies of her soul bent on her destruction and Your shame. But in the end -- in Your timing and Your way, having fulfilled Your purposes -- it is Your glory that will remain and Your "holy city, the new Jerusalem" that will shine, as Your enemies and hers are consumed forever in fire (Revelation 21:1-8). "Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst" (Zechariah 2:10-11). The circumstances and sins throughout all the generations of all the people with desire and passion for this land complicate matters beyond human reasoning and human resolution. We hardly know how to pray. But "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). So in obedience to Your call, I seek to sense the leading of Your Spirit to pray with passion for the protection of the people who are the apple of Your eye. And I pray for the people of the many nations who shall be Your people, joining themselves to You on that day -- even in the days of consuming fire -- as You come and dwell in the midst of our hearts, now and forever. 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 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

"Let Us Go Up to the Mountain" 7-27-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. On 7-27, I feel drawn to Psalm 27:7. And here I find Your call to prayer for me today. ... "Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! 'Come,' my heart says, 'Seek His face!' Your face, Lord, do I seek" (Psalm 27:7-8). ... As You hear me, I hear You. Your Holy Spirit is stirring in my human spirit a song of seeking and surrender in worship and prayer: My Messiah, My Savior, You’re my Everything. Mount Moriah, Mount Zion, I come to the mountain of my King. I seek You, I need You, I worship and sing. You hear me, You're near me, To Your arms I will cling. Yes, Lord. To Your arms I will cling, safe and secure, surrendered and serene in the arms of my King. You came to David on Mount Moriah, and there You called Solomon to build Your temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). On Mount Moriah, You called Abraham to offer himself and all he held dear in the trusting surrender of worship to You (Genesis 22:2). This is the holy mountain, consecrated and cleansed by acts of holy surrender and sacrifice of heart and soul in worship of You. This is site of Jerusalem, the City of Peace, the City of David, the City of God on this mountain of Zion (Psalm 76:2; 2 Samuel 5:7; Psalm 46:4). You are "the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion" (Isaiah 8:18). This is the mountain of surrender, purchased and made holy by the blood of the Lamb at Calvary's hill, where You surrendered Your life for ours (Luke 23:33, KJV). Let this holy hill speak of our holy hearts surrendered to You in eternal worship in response to Your eternal sacrifice. "Glorious are You, more majestic than the everlasting mountains" (Psalm 76:4). "Many peoples shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the city of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth instruction and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3). "So you shall know that I, the Lord, your God, dwell in Zion, My holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy...." (Joel 3:17). Messiah of Moriah, Savior of Zion, Christ of Calvary, my God and my King, I surrender my life as a living sacrifice in response to Your sacrifice of love for 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 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

"One Spirit with Him" 7-26-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. Three Persons of the One, True, and Holy God -- You are All in One, and You are my All in All. I worship You and welcome You into every area of my life this day and every day. ... "The Father and I are One.... I am God's Son.... The Father is in Me and I am in the Father" (John 10:30-38). My Father, my Friend, my Savior and Lord, I want to see what You are doing and hear what You are saying. I want to obey what You are commanding and go where You are leading. I want my will to be conformed to Your will and my ways to be conformed to Your ways. I want to be more like You each day, as You increase and I decrease. As I behold You and worship You, having no gods before You, I am being changed by You, "being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Come, Holy Spirit. Make me more like Jesus, Who is One with the Father and One with You. Continue to purge my heart and purify my soul of all that does not yet bear the image of Christ -- and I confess there is much. But I also confess that by the grace of God, I am on the journey. "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings by becoming like Him in His death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ has made me His own" (Philippians 3:10-12). I can't do it -- and, in fact, it would be sin to even try it -- apart from You and the power of Your Spirit working in me to make me more like You. But I am not apart from You. The Father and the Son have come to make their home in me by their Holy Spirit now living in me, now teaching me, now transforming me from glory to glory, morning by morning and day by day (John 14:23-26). This is the Peace and Power of God You leave with me and Who lives within me (v. 14:27). This is "the Spirit of Christ" living in me (Romans 8:9). This is "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" -- the glory of every Person of Your Presence -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- living in me and living through me for the glory of Your name (Colossians 1:27). By the astounding mystery of faith and miracle of Your grace, I am united with You; and "anyone united with the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17). This is Your Word. Help me understand it, yield to it, embrace it, and live my life believing it is true -- because it is. 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

"Only Believe" 7-25-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Keep adjusting my world-view into line with Your truth. Keep adjusting my worldly ways into line with Your ways. ... "Do not fear, only believe" (from Mark 5:36). In a sense, fear is a choice and so is faith. Your power and Your truth are available for me and my needs. My part is to choose to agree with You. You give me the desire and the ability to choose, but ultimately I must choose to agree with You or not, to submit my will and my ways to Yours or not. I can choose fear or I can choose faith. I can choose to live my life as if the Words of Your Bible are true or not. You said through Moses, "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and holding fast to Him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Likewise, You said through Joshua, "Choose this day whom you will serve ... but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). And You said through Elijah, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him..." (1 Kings 18:21). By Your grace, I choose to believe and to follow You. I ask You to work in me the desire and the power to align my thoughts with Your thoughts and my desires with Your desires, to live my life as best as I can in submission to Your Word and Your will. "For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). I renounce fear, and I choose faith. All by Your grace and all in Your power, I choose to believe. 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

On Angels' Wings 7-24-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me under the shadow of the Almighty and into the shelter of the Most High. Send Your holy angels to surround me and uplift me into the arms of the security of Your presence (from Psalm 91). ... "Those who love Me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know My name. When they call to Me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, And show them My salvation" (Psalm 91:14-16). I do love You, Lord. And I do trust in the promises of Your protection. You are my rock and my refuge, my dwelling place. You are my strength and my security. You lift me up on angels' wings and subdue the enemy of my soul under my feet (v. 91:11-13). You not only rescue me from trouble and deliver me from evil, You choose to honor me as a son and satisfy me with the fullness of Your salvation. Yesterday, my five year old son, Elijah, said out of the blue, "Dad, next time I go preach with you, I feel like the Lord is putting some words in my head to say." I asked what the words were, and he said, "When you are weak, I am strong." Yes, Lord. I receive Your prophetic words of truth and life through my son. "Whenever I am weak, then I am strong" because Your power is made perfect in my weakness, as I depend upon You to be my strength and my power (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). No matter what comes this day or any day, I put my hope and trust in You alone, knowing You are fighting for me and protecting me in ways I may not always see. I thank You now for who You are and all You do, even in the times when I don't even know it. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Prophecy in the Power of Love 7-23-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your face is the first thing I seek; Your name is the first thing I speak, as I choose to begin this day with You. ... "Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophecy" (1 Corinthians 14:1). To prophecy is to hear and speak Your words for Your purposes in the power of Your love. You call us each to strive for this gift of prophecy especially, above all other spiritual gifts, as we pursue the path of love. To hear Your words of life and truth and to speak them into one another's lives is a manifestation of Your love and encouragement You desire to express through us. "Those who prophecy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation" (v. 14:3). In Your sovereignty, You have chosen to encourage and comfort Your people through Your people as a means of Your grace by the gifts You give. "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:10-11). And how will we know what to speak, unless we first listen? How will we be able to listen, unless we first set aside the time it takes to seek Your face and listen for Your voice in the silence of surrender to Your will? "Because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:21). Lord, I choose to obey Your command to pursue love, to strive for spiritual gifts, and especially to prophecy. Work in me the humility to listen before I speak, the yearning to seek You before all else, the compassion to speak the truth in love, the sensitivity to know how to speak in the way that brings life and hope, the wisdom to know when to speak and when to pray, and the courage to obey the prompting of Your Spirit. "So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). Work in me Your nature to be Your ambassador, faithfully representing the Father's heart the mind of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit as I prophecy Your words of truth and life in love. 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 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

Completely and Continually Filled with the Holy Spirit 7-22-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be the center of my thoughts, the desire of my heart, and the foundation of my day. ... "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:18-20). When Your Word says "be filled with the Spirit," the verb tense is a continuous command. You call us and command us to be filled with Your Spirit. It literally means "to be being filled continually." In times like these past few days of seeking and singing, worshiping and welcoming Your Holy Spirit into every area of our hearts and minds and souls and strength in almost everything we say and sing, the cups of our human spirit are overflowing beyond measure with the fullness of Your Holy Spirit. You have changed the water into wine (John 2:9). You have restored unto us the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12). But let it not be just a powerful moment of prayer at the altar or a gentle nap resting in the Spirit on the floor, let it be a lifestyle of continually seeking You and receiving You, worshiping You and welcoming You into the fullness of our lives and we embrace the fullness of You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May we be completely and continually "be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:18-19). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends, thank you for joining with me in the journey of prayer and ministry at the Aldersgate Conference of the Holy Spirit this year. The presence and power of the Lord has been overflowing with His love for His children. I pray a double portion and more of all we have received to you and your family, your church, your ministry, and your community, in Jesus' name. Thank you for your ministry of encouragement and support that allow me to experience and help others experience the loving, powerful presence of God in ways like this. 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

"Where is the God of Elijah?" 7-21-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. ... "Elisha kept watching and crying out, 'Father, father!' The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!' But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He picked up the mantel of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, 'Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?' " (2 Kings 2:12-14). The next generation is crying out, "Where is the God of Elijah?" They are hungry for the supernatural, hungry for the spiritual, hungry for God. You have put that hunger in their hearts. It is almost insatiable, but it will be filled. Whether it is filled with the experiences and encounters with the God of glory or the god of this world depends in large part on our response to Your calling for our generation. Like Elisha, they are crying out "Father, father!" Will we hear their heart cry of our sons and daughters -- both those of our flesh and those of our spirit? Will we pass on the mantel of the wisdom and power You have released and imparted to our generation, with a heart that their generation will go farther than we ever could, even farther than we ever dreamed? Will we pass on the "double portion" You've put in their hearts to long to have with each succeeding generation (v. 2:9, KJV). Will our mantel be worth passing on? Will we humble ourselves to desire to see them surpass us? Will we pray and equip and impart and model and lead until they experience and encounter the God of Elijah? Will we settle for nothing less than knowing You in the fullness of Your power and glory ourselves? By Your grace, I say, "Yes, Lord -- for myself and for my generation, as far as Your grace will go, and for the generation You choose for us to father with Your Father heart." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for us at the Aldersgate Conference of the Holy Spirit, called to renewal of the church. Last night the young people led us in worship and testimony of their hunger for God and radical passion for what's real and what matters. May we both follow them and lead them as the Lord leads us. 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

Cleansed and Holy Bride 7-20-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy are You, and worthy of all praise. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- I worship You and honor You and welcome You into my heart and my thoughts, my desires and my day. ... "Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to Himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind -- yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25-27). You are a holy God, seeking a holy people. You are a holy groom, seeking a holy bride. We can't make ourselves holy -- not by our works or our efforts or by wishing it were so. But we can choose by Your grace to be made holy -- to submit to the cleansing and washing of Your Word, to yield to the heat of Your will as Your Holy Spirit irons out the wrinkles our self-centered will. Under Your loving care making us to become who we were created to be, we will be clothed in the splendor of Your glory. As Your prophesied in Your Word long ago: "I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you, I display My holiness before their eyes. ... I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness. ... A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you. ... I will put My Spirit within you. ..." (Ezekiel 36:23-27). Yes, Lord. Let is be so in our day. Let it be so in me this day. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be teaching and ministering again today on Spiritual Transformation through Inner Healing and Deliverance; serving on the Word Gifts Team helping discern and test prophetic words to be shared during worship; and praying with people personally on the Prayer Ministry Team after the worship services during the day and each evening here at the Aldersgate Conference. God is making us hungry and satisfying that hunger with His powerful presence! Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support that allow me to minister in this way. May the Holy Spirit fill you and your church and community with the presence and power of the Lord! 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

To You Alone 7-19-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of my morning, I lift my face, my prayers, and my praise to You alone. ... To You alone. There is no one but You. To You alone. All others fade from view. Here I come and give my heart, Here I seek You from the start, Here I know You'll never part. Here there is no one but You alone. ... "For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere Your name. I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Your name forever" (Psalm 86:10-12). Yes, Lord. My world will begin to draw at my heart as soon as I rise from my place of prayer. But first I entrust my whole heart to You. I seek You and worship You with an undivided heart, wholly focused and surrendered to You. Let Your heart become my heart, so that as the world draws upon mine, they will be drawing upon Yours. Let Your ways be my ways and Your truth be my truth, as I glorify Your name with my life through Your grace this day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, the Lord is building a deep hunger and thirst for His presence here in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas for the national conference of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries this week: ARM-Aldersgate Conference on the Holy Spirit '07 We have had tremendous times of deep worship and prayer in the pre-conference preparation. People have come from over thirty-two states so far. I would really appreciate your prayers for us. Today, I will be teaching an equipping session on Spiritual Transformation through Inner Healing and Deliverance; serving on the Word Gifts Team helping discern and test prophetic words to be shared during worship, and prayer with people personally on the Prayer Ministry Team after the worship services each evening. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support that allow me to minister in this way. May the Holy Spirit fill you and your church and community with the presence and power of the Lord! 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

Display Your Glory 7-18-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Abide in me, I pray. ... "His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. The brightness was like sun; rays came forth from His hand, where His power lay hidden" (from Habakkuk 3:3-4). Last night at dusk, everyone was astounded by the glorious clouds, golden with Your sun. We've gathered here for our annual Aldersgate Conference of the Holy Spirit with the theme, "Display Your Glory." And You already are. With anticipation in our hearts for these days of worship, prayer, and equipping to come, it's as if Your cloud of glory and pillar of fire has settled over us in these mountains of Arkansas (see Exodus 13:21). Lord, let the brightness of Your glory fill our hearts with Your Spirit. As Your glory covers the heavens, may the earth be full of praise here and everywhere. We "have heard of Your renown" and we "stand in awe of You." Come in Your glorious presence and power -- "In our own time revive it; in our own time, make it known" (Habakkuk 3:2). Stretch forth Your mighty hand and display Your glory and Your power -- the power of Your love unveiled in the hearts of Your people. This is our hope. "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 (Romans 5:5). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas for the national conference of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries this week: ARM-Aldersgate Conference on the Holy Spirit '07 I would really appreciate your prayers for us. I'm exciting to be leading the Word Gifts Team this year, helping discern and test prophetic words to be shared during worship; teaching an equipping session on Spiritual Transformation through Inner Healing and Deliverance; leading a prayer session in pre-conference; and serving on the Prayer Ministry Team. Please come join us if you can, pray for us if you can't, and make plans to come next year. 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