All Consuming Fire 12-02-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Purify me, as I glorify You. ... "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may He so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints" (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13). I confess that I am not yet blameless before You. So strengthen my heart in holiness, that I may be ready to receive You at Your coming. By Your grace and in Your power, I choose to obey Your command -- "Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). I hear Your Holy Spirit forming the words of a new song in my human spirit now: All Consuming Fire, Burn within my heart. Come make me More holy. Come set my heart ablaze. All Consuming Fire, Purify my desires. Come prepare me To meet You. Come set my heart ablaze. All Consuming Fire, Fill my life with Your Power. Come make me More like You. Come set my heart ablaze. "For God did not call us to impurity, but in holiness" (1 Thessalonians 4:7). "For this is the will of God, your sanctification ..." (v. 4:3). Yes, Lord. I pursue You and Your nature. Come make me more holy; come prepare me to meet You; come make me more like You each day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Counsel and Wisdom of God 12-01-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of every thought, word, and deed today. ... "You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me with honor. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73-24-26). When I was a lawyer, people sought my legal counsel. Now as a spiritual director, people seek my spiritual counsel. But I have no counsel to give of any value and of any wisdom but the counsel that You have given me. You are the "Wonderful Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6). You are "the Spirit of Wisdom" (v. 11:2). And I have no wisdom apart from You. Forgive me when I have thought and acted as though I did, and release Your grace to those who acted upon the words and counsel of a fool who spoke out of his own wisdom instead of Yours. Help me humble myself each day to seek Your counsel and Your wisdom, to let You form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Then what I have to share will be "God-given wisdom" to solve the God-sized problems that only You can (Ezra 7:25). "And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:13). Lord, fill me with Your Spirit of Wisdom. Guide me with Your counsel each day. I need it, I seek it, and I receive it by faith, according to Your will. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to 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 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Redemption, Not Replacement, for Israel 11-30-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face and listen for Your voice. ... "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression of the remnant of Your possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in showing clemency. He will again have compassion upon us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and unswerving loyalty to Abraham, as You have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old" (Micah 17:18-20). Some say You have rejected Israel and replaced her with the Church. But Your Word says no matter what her sins or how long she persists in her rebellion of doubt and unbelief, You will not forget her and You will persist in Your pursuit of her heart, for the remnant of Your possession. You will show Your faithfulness and unswerving loyalty to her, in honor of Your "everlasting covenant" with her (Genesis 17:7). All her sins, like all of mine and those of all who turn to You in repentance and faith, will be cast into the depths of the sea. "On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (Zechariah 13:1). "And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, 'Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; He will banish ungodliness from Jacob.' And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins" (Romans 11:26-27). Thank You for being a God who delights in mercy, who has compassion to pardon our iniquities and pass over our transgressions when we turn in repentance and faith to look upon the One we have pierced with our sins of rebellion and unbelief (Zechariah 12:10). My loving, merciful, and compassionate God, "Who is a God like You?" In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's 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 Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to 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/Order our Resources On-Line: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.injesus.com/

Roadmap to Life and Peace 11-29-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let my life and this day be rooted and grounded in You. ... "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). Show me the places where I'm taking the easy road. Give me courage to take the hard road -- not just because it's hard, but because it leads to life. I want to follow Your roadmap to life and peace. You said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). You are the Life and You are the Light (v. 14:6). Shine Your light on the road before me today in every choice I will make that will lead to life. It will likely not be the road that many take, but only the few who find it. But by faith, I know I will find it today; because by grace, I have found You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to 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 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Entrust and Abide 11-28-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father and Son, abide in me by Your Spirit, I pray. ... "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent His Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God" (1 John 4:13-15). Lord, what does it really mean to "abide in You?" It seems I hear You say, "To abide in Me is to willingly entrust yourself completely to Me, to allow Me to conform you to My nature." Yes, Lord. By Your grace, I welcome You to live in me. Come, Holy Spirit of the Living God, and abide in me (John 14:15-17). Make my thoughts more like Your thoughts and my desires more like Your desires. Teach me and correct me, lead me and change me, to make me more like You each day. I welcome the ark of Your Presence into the tabernacle of my heart. Let the light of Your glory vanquish the darkness of my soul. Let Your cross crucify my flesh. All by your grace and in response to Your love and Your will, I willing entrust myself completely to, as best as I can each moment at a time. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays For my friends in our area, please come join us today at noon downtown at the Kentucky Theater for Worship on Wednesdays with Rob Poindexter. He's making a live recording of a worship CD from the city-wide church at the heart of our city: www.rpm-wow.org Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to 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 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Covenant of Peace" or Pact of Appeasement 11-27-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wait in the silence of surrender for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "Then the Rabshekah stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah, 'Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you rely on the Lord, saying the Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.' Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me ...' " (Isaiah 36:13-16). Delegates of the nations surrounding Judah have gathered in my nation this week. With the loud voice of world opinion, they are calling out for the division of Jerusalem and surrender of much of Judea and Samaria in the name of peace. The words of the great kings of the earth say, "Trade your land for peace; do not rely on the God of your covenant, your so-called 'everlasting covenant,' as written in the so-called words of your so-called Lord." Instead they say, "Trust us rather than the word of your God and make your peace with us." But You are the Lord our God; and You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Your Words are eternal and Your covenant is everlasting. As You said long ago to Abraham and all the generations to follow, "I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God" (Genesis 17:7-8). And at the same time, You make provision for respect and honor among all the people living in the land of Your promise (Ezekiel 47:21-23). I know You love all people, all the sons and daughters of Abraham -- the generations of Isaac and the generations of Ishmael. And I know that Your ways are higher than our ways and Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts in Your infinite wisdom and sovereign purposes (Isaiah 55:9). All "the blessings of Abraham" are fulfilled in You, Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Messiah (Galatians 3:14). Peace is a Person, the "Prince of Peace," our Mighty God, Everlasting Father, King of kings and Lord of lords (Isaiah 9:6). Only in You and in submission to Your authority, "there shall be endless peace" (v. 7). On behalf of the nations of the earth, let us not pressure the people of Israel, whether Jew or Gentile, to make a pact of appeasement in the wisdom of man and disobedience to Your Word. Instead, lead us to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" in the way You would lead us by Your Spirit in accordance with Your Word, Your ways, and Your thoughts, not ours (Psalm 122:6). This is Your "covenant of peace," the "everlasting covenant," that shall never be broken and will be completely fulfilled in Your timing and in Your way (Ezekiel 37:26). "Then the nations shall know that I the Lord sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is among them forever" (Ezekiel 37:28). Will we trust You or not, trust Your Word or not? Will we taunt Your people to trust in our ways or Your ways, in our kings or in the King of kings? In humility, let us confess "we do not know how to pray as we ought," despite our all our worldly wisdom and political sensitivities (Romans 8:26). So "Lord, teach us to pray" according to Your Word, in submission to Your will, as Your Spirit leads (Luke 11:1). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends, I know emotions run high and there is not a unity of understanding among all God's children who seek to believe Him and obey Him and His Word. But we can agree with each other and with our God that we want Him to show us what His Word means and how He wants us to pray and to act by the leading of His Spirit, that we want Him to correct us where we are wrong and lead us in the way that is right. God bless you as we pray for one another and for the peace of Jerusalem.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 Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to 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/ Order our Resources On-Line: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.injesus.com/

There's More 11-26-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up the gates of my soul and open up the doors of my heart, that the King of Glory may come in. ... "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do great works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be gloried in the Son. If in My name you ask Me for anything, I will do it" (John 14:12-14). I have tasted and I have seen that You are good. I have heard the mountains tremble and I have seen the fire fall. I have sensed the gentle blowing of the wind of Your Spirit and felt the thickness of Your glory. But I know there's more. All that You did as You walked this earth You want to do through us today and more -- "even greater works than these" -- all in Your power, all in Your name, all in Your grace, "that the Father may be gloried in the Son." Let us not, let me not settle for anything less. We are "the body of Christ" on earth (1 Corinthians 12:27). We are to be continually filled with "the Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9). And we are to continue the ministry of Christ throughout all the earth, teaching what You taught, doing what You did, living like You lived (Matthew 28:18-20). The same Spirit that raised You from the dead now dwells in us (Romans 8:11). There's more because You said there's more. So do what You need to do in me and in my church and in the body of Christ throughout the earth in our generation to step into the fullness of our calling and the fulfillment of Your prophecy -- "If in My name you ask Me for anything, I will do it." That's the kind of church the world is literally dying to see. That's the kind of church You literally died for us to be. That's the kind of church You will return to receive (Ephesians 5:27). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to 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.orgOrder our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Waiting and Watching to Welcome Him 11-25-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Christ the King of Glory, welcome into my heart and into my day. ... "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet with the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five of them were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps" (Matthew 25:1-4). One day You will return to receive Your bride. Whether You come soon or whether You are delayed, I want to be ready when I hear the shout, "Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him" (v. 5-6)! Each day, I want to keep the lamp of my spirit burning brightly with the oil of Your Spirit in worship and prayer. I want to be waiting and watching so I can welcome You here in my heart on that day to come and every day before. One day You will come in glory in the skies, but every day You want to come in glory in my heart. "Christ in (me), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be preaching the message of Christ the King of Glory today at my home church in Lexington where our Messiah Ministries office is hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church www.CentenaryLex.com Please keep us in prayer and I pray for the coming of Christ the King of Glory into your hearts and your churches in His power and presence today. God bless you! Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to 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.orgOrder our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Real Relationship 11-24-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lordship is relational. To yield to Your Lordship is to trustingly yield and willingly submit to Your authority in my life. So by Your grace and in response to Your love, I do. ... "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). I don't want to just know Your title, I want to know Your name. I don’t want to just know about You, I want to know You. There will be many on the last day who will know Your title, who may know Your name, who may have even have done many supernatural things in the power of Your name, but their true hearts will be exposed and their true relationship with You will be revealed (v. 22). But as You gather into Your arms forever all who have willing embraced Your unfailing grace and Your steadfast love, Your heart will break for those You will have to turn away, because they have turned away from You. They will hear the most horrible words ever to be spoken -- "I never knew you, depart from Me" (v. 23). Lord Jesus, open every eye to see You as You are and to see ourselves as we are. Humble our pride to bow to Your authority. Intensify the famine of our souls to hunger and thirst for relationship with You. You are "not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). But the choice is ours -- to respond to Your grace in humility and faith or reject it, to know You personally or to just know about You factually, to live life every day with You living through me or to just do things for You out of some sense of duty or fear of punishment in shallowness and hypocrisy. I want the real thing -- a real relationship with You -- so that I can spend eternity with You. And eternity includes right now. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to 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.orgOrder our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Check out AOL Money & Finance's list of the hottest products and top money wasters of 2007.

Foretaste of the Feast to Come 11-23-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I open wide my heart to feast on Your presence. ... "On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines made clear. And He will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; He will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 25:6-8). Our days of feasts and celebrations are a foretaste of the great wedding feast to come -- "the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:19). On that day, from Your holy mountain, the eyes of Jews and Gentiles will be opened by Your grace, as the shroud and sheet of spiritual blindness is cast off and swallowed up forever. Blessed are they who feast with You now, and blessed are they who will feast with You on that day (v. 9). Let us rejoice and be glad and be ready (v. 7). "It will be said on that day, 'Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, so that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation" (Isaiah 25:9)! 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 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

A Thankful Nation 11-22-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I give You thanks with a grateful heart; I thank You, my God, for who You are. ... "Let those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. And those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God ..." (Romans 14:6). This day my nation remembers the day early in our history when our forefathers gave You thanks for a land of freedom from an oppressive world and a blessing of abundance through a harsh winter. Thank You for the privilege of living in a land where we are free to honor and worship the God we believe to be the true Creator and Sustainer of our lives. Thank You for showing me that God is You -- in every dimension of Your Being -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are real; You are personal; You are loving and good; You are worthy of all honor, thanksgiving, and praise. With my nation and with those from every tongue and tribe and nation, I honor You and thank You this day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, here's a great article on the history of Thanksgiving from the Christian Law Association: www.christianlaw.org/articles/thanksgiving_origin.html Happy Thanksgiving and 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 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Thank You 11-21-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come into my thoughts and my heart and my day. ... "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given to you in Christ Jesus .... God is faithful; by Him you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:4). Thank You for always being with me, never leaving me and never forsaking me. Thank You for reaching out to me and reaching down to me, for always holding on to me. Thank You for loving me and for loving me through the fellowship -- the communion of love of the body of Christ -- all those who have laughed with me, cried with me, prayed with me, and sometimes just listened to me. Some I know by name, some I know by the Spirit, and some I may not know until we see one another face to face in the glory of the resurrection, but I thank You for each one of them. And in my thankfulness, I also come to You in prayerfulness for each of those who feel isolated or alone. I pray for the widowed and orphaned, for the divorced and rejected, for the discouraged and depressed. May they find Your fellowship and the fellowship of those You desire to bring into their lives to be an expression of Your arms, Your words, and Your love. I remember Thanksgivings when that was me, whether anyone else knew it or not. And I remember those this Thanksgiving who need to know Your grace and Your love, that You never leave us nor forsake us, always drawing us in the faithful fellowship of the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Happy Thanksgiving, my praying friends! And if are in our area and would like a place for fellowship on Thursday, please come join my friends for food, worship, and a message Thursday night at our Celebrate Recovery ministry at my home church in Lexington: www.CRLex.com I'll also be preaching the message at my home church this Sunday 11/25, and would love for you to come join us if you can (8:30, 9:45, 11:15, 5:15): www.CentenaryLex.com We don't have to be alone. We can be thankful because we are loved (John 3:16). 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 Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.orgDaily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Christ the King of Glory 11-20-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of Glory, come into my heart and my home, come into my church and my city. Let Your glory cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. ... "Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up , O ancient doors! that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle" (Psalm 24:7-8). Who this King of Glory? Your name is Jesus. You are the King of Glory -- the "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). You are the King of the Kingdom of God, the everlasting God of the everlasting Kingdom. "To Him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and His kingship is one that shall never be destroyed" (Daniel 7:14). This prophecy, as with all the law and all the prophecies, is ultimately fulfilled in You, as You "enter into (Your) glory" (Luke 24:26-27). I was asked to preach the message at my home church this coming Sunday. On the liturgical calendar which marks the seasons of Your life, resurrection, and ascension to glory, it is the pinnacle and fulfillment of all other Sundays, called "Christ the King" Sunday. And in preparation, my thoughts and heart have been filled with Your glory. May Your Holy Spirit keep filling me up with a passion to proclaim Your glory. And may the glory of Your manifest Presence fill and overflow in our hearts and our church. I pray this for all of the people of all Your Church throughout the earth, that all "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, 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, if you're in the area, please come join us at one of our services this Sunday at my home church, Centenary, in Lexington, KY (8:30, 9:45, 11:15, 5:15). Come if you can and please pray for us if you can't. www.CentenaryLex.com 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

Mountain-Moving Power 11-19-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to lean in as You lead on. ... "Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever" (Ephesians 3:20-21). Lord, what is this power at work within me? It seems I hear You say, "This power is My Spirit, living in you. I am Love. The power of My love expressed through My people moves mountains -- mountains of pride, indifference, injustice, infirmity, and unbelief -- every mountain that stands between My people and My will. I display My glory through My people who release the power of My love." Yes, Lord. Love through me in Your power today. Move mountains through me today. Let the "Spirit of Christ" dwell in me, the Spirit of Your Power and Love (Romans 8:9). "As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:9-12). Thank You for loving me and empowering me to release Your love to others. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's 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

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