The Throne of My Soul 11-18-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Worthy is the Lamb upon the throne of heaven. Worthy is the Lamb upon the throne of my soul (Revelation 7:17). ... "Thus says the Lord (literally, YHWH -- Yahweh): Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool; what is the house that you would build for Me, and what is My resting place? All these things My hand has made, and so all these things are Mine, says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:1-2). Teach me what it means to be humble and contrite in spirit, to tremble at Your word. Forgive me for the ways I exalt myself on my own throne in my life or in the lives of others. Come and take Your place every moment of every day upon the throne of my soul. And let my words be submitted to Your words, my ways submitted to Your ways. Thank You for Your grace and patience with me that flows from the throne of Your steadfast love and mercy that flows forever from Your throne. "But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love, will enter Your house, I will bow down toward Your holy temple in awe of You" (Psalm 5:7). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Right Mind 11-17-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Renew my mind and shape my heart as I entrust my life and this day to You. ... "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). You came in the power of Your love last night to touch each one of us at The Fountain. It was my friend Ghuna Kumar's last night in America before leaving to return to his ministry in southern India. He said throughout his time here these past few weeks, he saw minds that were discouraged and depressed, with heaviness and fear. And as he anointed our heads, he prayed for us to have the mind of Christ (v. 2:5). You are "the One who searches minds and hearts" (Revelation 2:23). Search my mind and my heart every day. Reveal what is wrong in my thinking and my desires, and release me from it. Bind Your thoughts to my mind and Your desires to my heart. Loose away from me all anxiety and confusion. Lift every heaviness of heart from me and deliver me from every cloud of depression and discouragement. Keep setting me in my "right mind" -- a mind rightly related to You and the truth and power of Your love for me (Luke 8:35). 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.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Stretch Out 11-16-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Increase, as I decrease -- decrease in the prominence of my thoughts and my desires over Yours'. In the silence of surrender, I watch and wait for You and Your leading in these first moments of the morning with You. ... "I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirst for You like a parched land" (Psalm 143:6). A runner stretches before a race. And You call me to "run with perseverance the race that is set before (me), looking to Jesus" (Hebrews 12:1-2). So every morning in prayer, centering my thoughts and my day on You alone, I stretch out my hands and my heart -- looking to You, thirsting for You, embracing You, and welcoming You into the moments of my day. And as I breathe in the breath of Your Spirit, You stretch out my soul and fill up my spirit, ready to go at the start of another day. "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays If you can, Come to The Fountain Tonight 11/16 at 7 pm. My good friend I have ministered with from India, Ghuna Kumar, who oversees 700 church plants, an orphanage, Bible College, and sends out evangelists to villages all over south India with be with us to pray for us: www.gospelfriends.in Phil Jackson will lead us in worship. Please spread the word! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Creativity and Beauty 11-15-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch for Your face and listen for Your voice. ... "See, I have called by name Bezalel ... and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kind of craft" (Exodus 31:2-5). Bezalel was a forerunner who experienced a foretaste under the Old Covenant of all who would be filled with Your Holy Spirit under the New Covenant. You built Your tabernacle with creativity and beauty through the thoughts and hands of those You called by name and anointed with Your Spirit (v. 6). And You continue to build Your dwelling place among us -- not in tents or temples or church buildings -- but here in our hearts, anointing us for Your purposes to display Your creativity and beauty. "But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.... As for you, the anointing that you received from Him abides in you.... And now, little children, abide in Him" (1 John 2:20-27). The other night, my son Elijah came running in from his room, excited, saying, "Mommy, Jesus was talking to me in the air by my bed!" Somewhat astonished, Tricia asked him, "What did He say?" Elijah said, "He just told me to think of something to make Him at school tomorrow." And the next day, with great creativity and joy, our little boy brought home a little clay cross he crafted and painted with such care and childlike faith, no doubt anointed and inspired by the Spirit of God abiding in him. Lord, give me ears to hear You speaking to me -- whether audibly in the air by my bed or here in my heart or with Your thoughts and images in my mind or in whatever means You chose. We are created to hear Your voice (John 10:27). Inspire me and anoint me to do all things for Your glory with Your creativity and beauty. Thank You for anointing my son and all the children of God of every age with Your Spirit to express Your heart through each of us. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! This Friday night Nov. 16th at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. My friend Ghuna Kumar of India, apostolic leader with Gospel Friends will be ministering to us http://www.gospelfriends.in/ All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.injesus.com/

Dominion of the Earth 11-14-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me as I listen. ... "The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth He has given to human beings" (Psalm 115:16). In Your sovereignty, You have chosen to entrust the care of the earth to us. Our choices have consequences -- for one another, for all animals, for all land and sea and air, for all creation. You have given us "dominion" and empowered us to "subdue" the earth and all that is in it (Genesis 1:28). And each moment of each day, You look to see how we will use our power and authority in light of the responsibility You have entrusted to us. And so does creation itself. "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God" (Romans 8:19). Our choices reveal whether we are children of God. The works of our hands reveal the faith in our heart (James 2:17-18). And every choice becomes an opportunity to grow in Your character and nature or not. So every relationship is a spiritual issue. Our system of justice is a spiritual issue. The environment is a spiritual issue. Every system we establish for the governing of the earth, whether in our personal lives or in our nations, is a spiritual issue. As I submit to Your nature, then everything under my dominion becomes submitted to Your nature. Through each choice of submission to You, Your kingdom comes and Your will is done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). So give me grace to choose well, willingly submitting my will to Yours', my ways to Yours', to live for Your glory and not mine. "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory" (Psalm 115:1). Let it be so on earth as it is in heaven. 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.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

My Friend and My God 11-13-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You're my Best Friend. ... "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father" (John 15:13-15). You are always with me, Your Holy Spirit is always within me, and You always reveal to me the words and will of my Father (v. 14:26). In all three dimensions of Your Being, You teach me Your ways and show me Your nature, as You slowly change mine into Yours in the journey together. Parents want their children to have good friends because good friends spend so much time together and we have a tendency to become like our friends. You want me to spend time with You, to become more like You each day (2 Peter 1:4). By Your grace, and only by Your grace, I am a friend of God and a child of God, being created and conformed to the image of God. "Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. And all who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). So thank You for humbling Yourself to hang out with me, my Friend and my God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us if you can at The Fountain this Friday Night 11/16 at 7 pm. My good friend I have ministered with from India, Ghuna Kumar, who oversees 700 church plants, an orphanage, Bible College, and sends out evangelists to villages all over south India with be with us to pray for us: www.gospelfriends.in Phil Jackson will lead us in worship. Please spread the word! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Veterans' Day Prayer 11-12-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Almighty Warrior God, Commander of the Armies of Heaven, great and awesome are You and holy is Your name (Revelation 19:11-16). ... "Remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your kin, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes" (Nehemiah 4:14). This day in my country, we honor the men and women who bravely take up the sword to fight injustice and secure our freedom. There is "a time for war and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:8). There are times to beat our swords into plowshares and walk in peace (Isaiah 2:4). But there are also times to beat our plowshares into swords to establish peace (Joel 3:10). Some say "What would Jesus do?" and assume the answer is that You would never fight and never condone war. But those who say You always turn the other check and never take a stand to fight have not really read Your Word or else choose to ignore It. The Lamb of God is also the Lion of Judah, "called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war" (Revelation 19:11). One day wars will cease and You will "command peace to the nations" (Zechariah 9:10). But until that day, there are times You say, "I will arouse your sons ... and wield you like a warrior's sword" (v. 13). Thank You for those who willingly commit their lives to be a warrior's sword in Your hand. Give them and their commanders the humility to seek You on their knees and the courage to fight for You on their feet. Together as a nation, let us be brave when our wars are just and repentant when they are not. But let us also always honor those who have counted the cost, but still answer the call, to be willing to lay down their lives for us. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night 11/16 -- the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's city-wide gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. My friend Ghuna Kumar, apostolic leader from India, will be ministering to us and Phil Jackson will lead us in worship. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary in Lexington. All who are thirsty are welcome. Call or write for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for Israel and 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 or write 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.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

See Jesus in Each Another 11-11-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and wait for Your word. ... "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given to you in Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:4). As I see Your people today, let me see them through Your eyes. Let me see who You are in each of them, seeing how You manifest Your presence and Your gifts by Your grace so uniquely in each of their lives. When I see them, I see You -- they are "the body of Christ" on earth and in my life (v. 12:27). You are alive in each of them (Colossians 1:27). So as I encounter them, I encounter You. As I honor them, I honor You in them. Giving thanks for each one and their presence in my day is giving thanks to You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! next Friday night Nov. 16th at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. My Friend Ghuna Kumar of India with Gospel Friends will be ministering to us and Phil Jackson will be leading us in worship www.gospelfriends.inAll are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Order Our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Stretch Out the Sword" 11-10-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You love me, You lead me; come live through me today. ... "Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'Stretch out the sword that is in your hand toward Ai; for I will give it into your hand.' ... They entered the city, took it, and at once set the city on fire" (Joshua 8:18-19). Stretch me out as a sword in Your hand. Your Word is "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12). You are the Word of God and You are living in me by Your Spirit (John 14:17). Speak through me, pray through me, love through me. Enter my city and take it. Set it on fire. Set me on fire. Burn out of me and out of my city all that is impure and unholy, contrary to Your Word and Your will. Drive out the enemies of my soul and the soul of my city. Slay the king of the flesh (Joshua 8:29). And let the King of glory come in to rule and reign in my heart and in the heart of my city (Psalm 24:7-10). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! next Friday night Nov. 16th at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. My Friend Ghuna Kumar of India with Gospel Friends will be ministering to us http://www.gospelfriends.in/ All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.injesus.com/ Order Our Resources On-Line: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

Through the Winter 11-9-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and welcome You into every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "She has no fear of winter for her household because all of them have warm clothes" (Proverbs 31:21, NLT). We prayed with a woman yesterday during our follow-up prayer ministry time who has feared winter almost all her life. Until this winter, she always spent it in a psychiatric unit. But not this winter. In Your healing love, You took her to the winter when she was a young woman, when she made choices she felt took the life of another. The guilt and shame kept a part of her soul frozen in winter every year ever since. But as she let the light of Your love and truth shine in this darkened place of her soul -- her mind, will, and emotions -- You set her free in the forgiveness of Your mercy. She's going through this winter clothed in Christ, held close and warm in the arms of Your love. You are renewing her mind with Your truth and Your power (Romans 12:2; John 8:32). She told me I could share her story with our Alpha Course last night as we taught on the question "Does God Still Heal Today?" Yes, You do. You are "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). You still bring order out of the chaos, blessing out of brokenness, aligning our hearts and minds with Yours as we entrust them to You. Heaven has not fully broken into earth and all are not always healed on this side of heaven, so we keep praying, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." When it does, instead of worrying and questioning about all the times it doesn't, we can celebrate the times it does. The more we obey Your call to pray for one another with the love and faith Your grace provides, the more we will see Your healing power bringing heaven to earth in our lives. As for my friend, I look forward to testimony to come: "The winter is past ... the time of singing has come" (Song of Solomon 2:11-12). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! next Friday night Nov. 16th at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. My Friend Ghuna Kumar of India with Gospel Friends will be ministering to us www.gospelfriends.in All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Order Our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Patience with Prophecies 11-8-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I speak a word, I speak out Your name. Before I think of anything else, I think of You. I offer to You the sacrifice of the first moments of my morning. ... "I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you might fight the good fight, having faith and a good conscience" (1 Timothy 1:18-19). Thank You for the prophecies of encouragement and comfort, correction and edification, You speak from Your Spirit to mine through those who were willing to hear and speak as You lead (1 Corinthians 14:3). Thank You for the measure that have come to pass and the measure that will come to pass in Your timing, in Your way, and for Your glory. Give me discernment to test and weigh what is from You, taking the meat and leaving the bone (v. 29). But don’t let me lose hope in Your words just because I have not yet seen them fulfilled. Like a seed that's sown, there is a season where the seed is growing unseen, then the season of breaking through the soil, then the season of tender shoots and stretching stalks, until the season of maturity and harvest (Mark 4:26-29). Give me patience through the seasons as You watch over Your word, faithful to perform it all in the seasons You have set (Jeremiah 1:12). So by Your grace, I press on to "realize the full assurance of hope to the very end" so that I "through faith and patience inherit the promises" of the prophesies You have spoken to me and all of Your people in these exciting days to come (Hebrews 6:11-12). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Be Perfect" 11-7-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My hope is built on nothing less. ... "Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.... Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:19-48). Your standard is high and Your command is clear -- "Be perfect." These are "red letter words." And they remind me each day how desperately dependent I am upon Your grace. Apart from You, I can do nothing (John 15:5). Apart from You, even my best efforts and most righteous acts are as filthy rags (Isaiah 65:6). But by Your grace -- and only by Your grace -- I am not apart from You. By the mystery of grace, through repentance and faith, I have clean hands and a pure heart. Incomprehensibly, in You, I have "become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). You are perfect; and You fulfill all the commandments, all the law of the righteousness of God, and teach all who follow You to do the same (Matthew 5:17). And as I give my life completely to You, You somehow fulfill Your life and Your law completely in me, so that I am perfect, as my heavenly Father is perfect. Though I could never come close to Your kingdom apart You, "I can do all things (even fulfill Your command to "be perfect") through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). Now that's amazing grace. 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.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

God's Governing Authorities 11-6-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my heart, my thoughts, and my steps with Yours'. ... "Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a level path" (Psalm 143:10). Today in my state, we vote for the Governor and leaders of our state government. I thank You for the freedom to choose our leaders. And I freely submit my will to Yours. Let my votes be lead by Your Spirit and not my preferences. You know the hearts and intents of the men and women who seek my vote to lead my government. Move on my heart to make my choices in line with Your will. Establish leaders in positions of authority in our state and throughout this land who humble themselves to listen for Your voice, wait for Your leading, and submit to Your will. Then they can have the courage to lead from the knowledge they have kneeled before the One who holds all things in His hands. They are to be Your servants for the good of Your people (Romans 13:4). Let our "governing authorities" be governed by Your authority (v. 1). 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.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage.

Fasten Your Belt, This is Real 11-5-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My God, my Savior, my Lord, and King, I welcome Your Spirit here in me. ... "Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, 'Get up quickly.' And the chains fell off his wrists. The angel said to him, 'Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.... Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.' Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel's help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision" (Acts 12:7-9). Your heaven is invading our earth. Your power is being made perfect in our weakness. What was unseen is becoming seen; the spiritual realm is breaking in to the natural realm; things eternal are being manifested in the present as Your kingdom comes and Your will is done on earth as it is in heaven. You are breaking off the chains of doubt and unbelief as You free us into the hope and faith of a move of Your Spirit in our day that we have only imagined. This is real and the time is really here. It's time to get up from our spiritual slumber, to put on the belt of Your truth and the sandals of Your peace (Ephesians 6:14). You are opening the eyes of our hearts to see the spiritual reality beyond our natural senses, embracing the freedom and power of Your eternal truth becoming true and real to us (v. 1:18). You are healing our wounds, breaking our chains, cleansing our souls, and empowering us with Your Spirit to experience the reality of "the immeasurable greatness of (Your) power for us who believe, according to the working of (Your) great power" (v. 19). Our faith is becoming sight as Your Word is manifested in Your power. According to Your "plan for the fullness of time," these days are no longer just a vision of things to come; this is real (v. 10). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we finished our Prayer Summit last night in Corbin, Kentucky with the altar and our hearts being filled with Spirit and power of God to be the holy and anointed body of Christ we are called to be in these exciting days! Thank you for your prayers and I pray the same for you and your church. I have a deliverance ministry session today before I leave town and would welcome your prayers for that as well. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's city-wide 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 in Lexington. All who are thirsty are welcome. Call or write for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for Israel and 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 or write 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.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Open the Doors of the Temple 11-4-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart; open the ears of my spirit. I want to see what You are doing and hear what You are saying. ... "In the first year of Hezekiah's reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites ... and said to them, "Listen to me, Levites! Sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and carry out the filth from the holy place.... for the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and make offerings to Him (2 Chronicles 29:3-11). In Christ, under the new covenant, we are all the priests of Your kingdom and our lives are the temple of Your Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:17). "To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever" (Revelation 1:6). You call me to come and minister to You in worship and prayer. But first, I must open the doors of the temple of my heart wide to You, to allow You to search me and cleanse me and sanctify me of everything in me that is not yet holy. Then I can stand, unashamed and unrestrained, in Your presence with clean hands and a pure heart, through the grace of the sacrifice of Your blood. And as in the days of the cleansing of the temple in Hezekiah's day, I will rejoice in all that You have done (2 Chronicles 29:36). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, the Holy Spirit is cleansing our hearts and filling our spirits at the iPray Summit I'm leading his weekend at Grace on the Hill United Methodist Church in Corbin, Kentucky (6 pm Sat night; 10:30 Sun morning; 5 pm Sun night) www.graceonthehill.org I pray the same for you and your church! Thank you for covering us in 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.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

All That I Have 11-3-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look for Your face and lean in to Your grace. ... I sing to You And I bring to You All that I have All that I am ... I rest in You I am blessed in You All that I have All that I am ... is Yours ... "Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God, I give it to the house of my God.... Who then will offer willingly, consecrating themselves today to the Lord?" (1 Chronicles 29:3-5). In building Your temple, David gave You all he had, because all he had was Yours'. His giving inspired others to give (v. 6). And You filled their hearts great joy and praise. "Then the people rejoiced because these had been given willingly, for with single mind they had offered freely to the Lord; King David also rejoiced greatly" (v. 9). Thought they were building a building, You were building a kingdom -- the Kingdom of God in their hearts and their land. "For the temple will not be for mortals but for the Lord God" (from v. 1). You have no need for a building, but You are still building a people whose hearts are wholly devoted to You. Together, throughout all generations, we are Your holy house, God's temple. "For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3:17). Lord, come fill Your temple with Your glory today. I offer willingly all that I have and all that I am. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be preaching and teaching at the iPray Summit this weekend at Grace on the Hill United Methodist Church in Corbin, Kentucky (6 pm Sat night; 10:30 Sun morning; 5 pm Sun night). Please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't: www.graceonthehill.org To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.orgOrder our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Prayer Assault 11-2-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I entrust myself and my day to Your leading and Your ways. ... "Then Joshua said, 'Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings out to me from the cave.... Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings.... Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous; for thus the Lord will do to all the enemies against whom you fight' " (Joshua 10:22-25). All that happened in the natural realm of the lives of Your people under the Old Covenant speaks to our lives in the spiritual realm as Your people under the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 12:24). As they fought their physical battles, so we fight our spiritual ones (Ephesians 6:12). You are the God of peace who makes true peace through Your people -- not by appeasement or passivity -- but by leading us to courageously confront our spiritual enemies in Your strength at Your command. You bring the enemies of our souls out of their hiding places and strongholds, victoriously declaring You will "soon crush Satan under (our) feet" (Romans 16:20). Give me courage to ask what "kings" are ruling as strongmen in the hidden places of my soul and my city (Matthew 12:29). Are they Pride? Fear? Rebellion? Rejection? Shame? Or are they Control? Sickness? Sorrow? Insecurity? Discouragement? Maybe Bitterness? Greed? Jealousy? Anger? Strife? Even Anti-Christ? Religion? Passivity? Compromise? Occult? Bring them out of the darkness and into Your light. Let us bind them up and cast them out (Psalm 149:8). Let us take up the sword of Your Spirit, the weapon of Your Word, and not turn back until they are utterly consumed and destroyed (Joshua 10:26). With the people of faith in the power of prayer and the unity of Your Spirit, lead us to lay siege against the enemies of our souls in a prayer "assault" (v. 31). Let us not be afraid or dismayed, but strong and courageous, to drive out every enemy of Your Lordship -- Your rule and reign -- in our lives and our land. Begin in the caves of my own soul. Deliver me from all that is unholy so You can fill me with the One who is Holy (Matthew 6:13). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be preaching and teaching at the iPray Summit this weekend at Grace on the Hill United Methodist Church in Corbin, Kentucky. Please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't: www.graceonthehill.org To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Order our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

City-Wide Worship, City-Wide War 11-1-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name. With these first thoughts of my morning, I call on Your name and seek out Your nature. ... "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Yesterday we filled the old Kentucky Theater downtown with worship and praise, as we came to meet together as one of the expressions of Your city-wide church in Lexington. We wanted to encourage our good friend and fellow laborer in the Lord, Rob Poindexter, in his ministry of worship to You at the heart of our city. He's been faithfully and fervently leading us in worship under the banner of Your name alone for three years now at Worship on Wednesdays, every noon of every week. We can't all always come, but whether there are handfuls or hundreds to join with Rob in worship of You, he's always there -- singing his heart out and lifting our city up in worship and prayer. As we gathered around him to pray for Rob, his wife Nancy, their family, and their ministry, You showed me the image of Elisha going to the King of Israel, telling him to strike the ground with his arrows. The king only struck the ground three times and Elisha was angry because each strike spoke of another breakthrough in battle against the enemies of the kingdom (2 Kings 13:14-19). In response to Your call and the authority of Your name, Rob's been striking the ground every week for three years. And he's not stopping. Every week, You're breaking through the spiritual strongholds of the enemies of the kingdom of God in our city and our region. As Francis Frangipane says, "It takes a city-wide church to win a city-wide war." Thank You for the way You lead Rob to lead us in this war for the soul of our city every week. Raise up these worshippers and warriors in every city and every region throughout the earth until every stronghold comes down and Your glory covers the earth 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, come if you can and pray for us if you can't on November 21 at the noon gathering of Worship on Wednesdays at the Kentucky Theater. Rob Poindexter will be making a live recording of worship from the heart of our city. Directions and Details on WoW and Rob Poindexter Ministries at: www.rpm-wow.org Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's city-wide 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 in Lexington. All who are thirsty are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for Israel and 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 Order our Ministry Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Hallowed 10-31-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart; conform my will to Your will and my ways to Your ways. Where I am confused, teach me; where I am wrong, correct me. Thank You for taking me as I am, but never leaving me as I am. Help me grow up into maturity, one day at time. ... "For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealously. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:11-14). Many in my culture will celebrate this night as Halloween -- some very informally with costumes and candy and some very formally as one of the high "holy" days of their religion. Show me what it means for me to "put on the armor of light," to "lay aside the works of darkness," to "live honorably as in the day" -- this day and every day, this night and every night. Let me not be legalistic, but let me be loyal. Let me not be conformed to this world, but be transformed in Christ. Let me not, necessarily, curse the darkness, but be light in the midst of the darkness. On Halloween or any other day, help me live my life in Your Spirit in a way that says, "Hallowed be Your name" (Matthew 6:9). 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 -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God " 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Abide in the Vine 10-30-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Vine; I am a branch. Let the life of Your Spirit flow through me and bear fruit for my Father this day. ... "Abide in Me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me" (John 15:4). Lord, what is it to abide in You as a branch abides in the vine? It seems I hear You say, "Draw your life from Me. As You open your human spirit to My Holy Spirit, My Life becomes your life. Then through You, I bear much fruit." Yes, Lord. I open my spirit to Yours. I draw on Your Life to flow through my life. I don't turn to the fruit, I turn to You. And as I turn to You, the fruit of the Vine will come -- all in its proper season, according to Your will, Your time, and Your way. As I turn to You and open the veins of my branch to the flow of Your Vine, I am one with Your Vine, abiding in You as You abide in me. And I find that You have always been turned and open to me, ready to flow in me and through me as much as I am willing to allow. "Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that Your right hand planted .... Then we will never turn back from You; give us Life, and we will call on Your name" (Psalm 80:14-18). 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 -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God " 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com