"A Wonderful Feast" 2-17-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You're the fulfillment of all that I need, the best of all that I desire, and the source all the good that I'll ever have. … "In Jerusalem, the Lord Almighty will spread a wonderful feast for everyone around the world. It will be a delicious feast of good food, with clear, well-aged wine and choice beef. In that day He will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against His land and people. The Lord has spoken!" (Isaiah 25:6-8, NLT). Through the prophet Isaiah, You were speaking of a day to come -- the day of Your world-wide display of the victory of life over death, feast over famine, joy over sorrow, honor over ridicule, and redemption over destruction. What a wonderful feast and great banquet that will be (Luke 14:16). What a day to join in the celebration of "the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9). Yet even before that day comes in the fulfillment of all promises and prophecies, we can share now in a foretaste of the Holy Communion to come. We can drink from the cup of Your eternal salvation and eat of the bread of Your ever-abiding presence (Matthew 26:26-29). "Jesus said to them, 'I Am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty' " (John 6:35). Last year, my friend Wanda invited me to come along with her ministry to share a series of inspirational messages on a week-long Caribbean cruise. It didn't take me long to discern this was the voice of the Lord and the will of God! But that was before the "economic crises" and the giving crisis and the faith crisis and the woe-is-me crisis that seems to be casting a cloud of doom and shadow of death over all the earth. So honestly, Lord, it's been hard to focus on preparing my messages of abundance and joy and the celebration of the great feast in the midst of such suffering and scarcity at home and abroad. I've felt more than a little guilty. Then when some friends generously gathered up a collection to send my wife and children with me, I've even had to battle feeling more than a little embarrassed. But then I met with Wanda at our planning meeting, and she was so full of joy and excitement about our trip. She couldn't wait to share with me the word You had shared with her about the abundance of the Promised Land and all the blessings You had in mind for Your people to embrace and enjoy in the land of milk and honey. But the people "despised" Your blessing and broke Your heart in their insecurity and fear (Numbers 14:20-23). "Because of unbelief" and lack of trust in Your goodness and abundant provision, "they were unable to enter" and enjoy the blessings of God. You didn't see that as humility or as somehow joining in the fellowship of Your sufferings or the sufferings of others. You saw that as "an unbelieving heart that turns away from the Living God" and "rebellion." Then because of it, You were "angry" with them "for forty years" (Hebrews 3:7-19). Wanda's word put a whole new light on it! And now I'm able to prepare with as much anticipation and excitement, and pray for as much anointing of Your Holy Spirit, as on any other assignment You've ever given me. By Your grace, I will not despise Your blessing. I will not be ashamed of Your goodness or embarrassed by Your extravagance. With all those You've called to come with us, we will celebrate the feast of Your Presence; we will "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). As You said to Your first disciples, "The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast" (Mark 2:19). So in the joy of Your Father's heart, we will "kill the fatted calf" and "celebrate and rejoice" in the goodness and extravagance of Your grace (Luke 15:29-32). Thank You for freeing me to enjoy it and share it. May our joy bring You joy. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we now have available the DVD from the Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit 2009 we hosted to start off this new year seeking the Lord's face and will for our city and region. From Friday night through Saturday night, we experienced a flow of the Holy Spirit through many different streams of prayer, praise, and proclamation in a deep sense of the Presence of the Lord. Send us a note or order from our web site resources page: www.messiah-ministries.org I know you will be encouraged and blessed by the messages and prayers even if you're not in our region. Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night Feb. 20, 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. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Order my book, Morning by Morning, or our other ministry resources for prayer, healing, and spiritual formation: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe by email to me at 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 40502Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Power in Corporate Prayer 2-16-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are a loving God and faithful Friend, mighty to save and worthy of praise. … "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths" (Isaiah 2:3). At times You call us up to the mountain in prayer alone. "But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6). But there are also times when You call us up to the mountain in prayer together. "Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:19-20). There's power in corporate prayer, as we humble ourselves together to seek Your face and call on Your name; that's where You not only change our lives, but also "heal our land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). You house is a house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:13). And as we come up to the mountain together to the house of God in prayer, You teach us Your ways and guide us to walk in Your paths. As a family, as a church, as a ministry, as a business, as a community, we need to take time to come together in corporate prayer to hear Your voice, to sense Your leading, and to follow Your Spirit. For our personal lives, we need personal times of prayer. And for our corporate lives, we need corporate times of prayer. "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Then Lord, lead in Your way. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we now have available the DVD from the Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit 2009 we hosted to start off this new year seeking the Lord's face and will for our city and region. From Friday night through Saturday night, we experienced a flow of the Holy Spirit through many different streams of prayer, praise, and proclamation in a deep sense of the Presence of the Lord. Send us a note or order from our web site resources page: www.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night Feb. 20, 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. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe by email to me at 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

Come Up in the Morning to the Mountain of Prayer 2-14-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open Your Word and send Your Spirit to draw me up into Your Presence. … "Be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to Me, on the top of the mountain. No one shall come up with you …" (Exodus 34:2-3). You called Moses up to the mountain. And You called him to come up alone. As he obeyed the leading of Your Spirit, You "descended in the cloud and stood with him there" and revealed Your name and Your nature (v. 34:5-7). In response to the glory of Your manifest Presence, "Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped" (v. 34:9). As he worshipped You and welcomed You into every moment of his life, You spoke to him of the things You would do and of the things You would empower him to do in the journey to come in covenant relationship with God (v. 34:10-28). As he came down from the mountain of Your Presence and into the journey of his destiny, he couldn't keep from shining from the light of Your glory "because he had been talking with God" (v. 34:29-35). For several years now, You've been drawing me up to Your mountain in these first moments of my morning. You call me to come alone, to seek Your face and listen for Your voice, to open my heart up to You in worship and lift my spirit up to You in prayer. Here in the glory of Your manifest Presence, You engage me and change me, You encourage me and empower me. And then You send me into the journey of my day on the path of my destiny in the assurance of my covenant with You. And what You desire for me, I believe You desire for each one of Your sons and daughters -- to come talk with You awhile, then go out into the world shining with the light of Your glory, having been changed a little more into Your image by spending time in Your Presence. "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are 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). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, you can join with me in one of the early years of my journey of prayer through my book, Morning by Morning, if you'd like to order it or our other ministry resources for prayer, healing, and spiritual formation: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Come to The Fountain! Next Friday Night Feb. 20, 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. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe by email to me at 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

Celebration of Love 2-14-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You. And I thank You for first loving me. As all the world celebrates love today on Valentine's Day, I want to first celebrate the One who is the Source of all true love, the One whose love never fails. "Let me hear of Your steadfast love in the morning, for in You I put my trust" (Psalm 143:8). … You love me when I don't deserve it You love me when I foolishly think I do You love me when others turn away You love me when I feel like turning away from myself You love me in the way I really need it You love me despite all the wrong ways I've tried to find it You love me because You created me to need Your love above all else You love me because You created me in the image of the One who is love. "For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God" (John 16:27). Father God, You love me as an honored son. Lord Jesus, You love me as a faithful friend. Holy Spirit, You love me as a constant companion. I am deeply loved. "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). May I learn to love others with the love of God You have poured into me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Happy Valentine's Day! God bless you, my friend and companion in the journey! Come to The Fountain! Next Friday Night Feb. 20, 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. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe by email to me at 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 My Book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Your Good Works" 2-13-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up in my heart and throughout my day. … "You are the light of the world. A city build on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16). There's a difference between letting your light shine before others and shining your light before others. It's the difference between being known and making yourself known, between being promoted and self-promotion. One comes out of insecurity and pride, driven by a need to find for yourself some sense of value and self-worth. The other comes out of the confident knowledge and full assurance that the One of infinite value and immeasurable worth chooses to dwell in you by His Spirit. One is a life consumed by striving to do enough good works to earn the favor of God and others, while one is embracing the favor of God who changes our hearts to be like His so that good works and good words flow out of the good heart He has given us by His grace. Lord, I don't want to strive in myself; I want to thrive in you. I don't want to be constantly trying to earn Your love or Your favor; I want to know I already have Your love and Your favor because I am Your son. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God -- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life" (Ephesians 2:8-10). Resting in that truth, I'm free to let my light shine, without fear of false motives or self-promotion, because I know I was created to let Your light shine through me and let the good works of Your good heart be done through me. And all will give glory where glory is due -- to my Father in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, several have asked about a group discount to travel from Lexington to Aldersgate '09 this summer ( www.Aldersgate09.org ) as a group from Messiah Ministries. If you would be interested, please send us a note. I'm really excited to be invited to be a Keynote Speaker at the Aldersgate '09 National Conference on Spirit-filled Living this summer, July 1-5, 2009 in North Carolina. Please come join us. You can register anytime online. ("Aldersgate" is the name of the street where John Wesley was filled with the Holy Spirit at a prayer meeting in London and his heart set ablaze with a passion for Jesus that ignited a great revival across England that changed the world). For my Methodist friends who are deeply hungry for more of the Spirit, let me say that Aldersgate is a highlight of my year every summer. You won't be dissappointed! Come to The Fountain! Next Friday Night, 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. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe by email to me at 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 My Book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Who is Jesus?" 2-12-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek You and I need You; I thank You that You are always here. One with the Father, One with the Holy Spirit, Son of God be One within me … "He asked, 'Who are You, Lord?' The reply came, 'I am Jesus …' " (Acts 9:5). Tonight I'll be teaching one of the first lessons of the Alpha Course at my home church, "Who is Jesus?" As the course encourages, people will come with their questions and even their doubts from various walks of life and various concepts of their answer to that question. Over the next ten weeks or so, some will have a Damascus Road experience like Paul, as their lives will be changed forever through a real and powerful encounter with the living God. Others will experience a more gradual process, as their doubts diminish and their questions are answered, until they come to the knowledge of the truth and a choice of commitment. Still others will finish the course with even more questions, but having found a place where it's ok to ask them, among loving and patient people who are willing to listen. But right now, Your Holy Spirit is bringing to mind many faces of those I've seen ask their questions and find their Answer. That's what keeps me coming back and keeps me going out to find some other people with their questions to ask. You asked of Your first disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15) And You ask that question of each of us. There's no question that's more important, other than the question of what will we do with the Answer. Sadly, some know the right answer, but then make the wrong choice in response. Your heart is the Father's heart -- that we would know You and love You and embrace the love You have for us. "No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made Him known" (John 1:18). So as I join the other seekers tonight, I want to seek to know You more, to love You more, and to embrace more of Your love for me. And I want to be part of Your plan to help others find the Answer to the simple question You've put deep within the soul You've ever created -- "Who are You?" In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm really excited to be invited to be a Keynote Speaker at the Aldersgate '09 National Conference on Spirit-filled Living this summer, July 1-5, 2009 in North Carolina. Please come join us. Register online now for a discount: www.Aldersgate09.org ("Aldersgate" is the name of the street where John Wesley was filled with the Holy Spirit at a prayer meeting in London and his heart set ablaze with a passion for Jesus that ignited a great revival across England that changed the world). For my Methodist friends who are deeply hungry for more of the Spirit, let me say that Aldersgate is a highlight of my year every summer. You won't be dissappointed! Subscribe by email to me at 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 My Book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Destructive Winds and Violent Rains 2-11-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me beside the still waters, before I push out into the raging rivers of my day. … "So those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord, and those in the east, His glory; for He will come like a pent-up stream that the wind of the Lord drives on" (Isaiah 59:19). Destructive winds and violent rains, thunderstorms and tornadoes are expected to rage across our nation from west to east today. The call has gone out to make preparations, take cover, and be ready for the storms to come. As it is in the physical realm, so it is in the spiritual realm (1 Corinthians 15:46). Whether this is "the wind of the Lord" or the stirring of destruction from "the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient," our call is the same (Ephesians 2:2). We are to humble ourselves in obedience to You. We are to seek "the shelter of the Most High," "abide in the shadow of the Almighty," and "say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust" (Psalm 91:1-2). We are to make preparations, take cover, and be ready for the storms to come. Let the fear of the Lord come again to our land. Let our consciences again be sensitive to the conviction of Your Spirit. Come like a pent-up stream and a mighty rushing wind to blow through the soul of our nation and drive away the chaff of our sin. Bring down the pillars of our false temples and arrogant pride, exalted in rebellious defiance to Your Word and Your Spirit. Let the false structures and false images we have built with our own hands for our own glory be "broken in pieces and become like chaff of the summer threshing floors" driven away by Your wind (Daniel 2:35). From west to east, let us fear Your name and behold Your glory. "Note then the kindness and the severity of God; severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off" (Romans 11:22). You don't desire the death or destruction of anyone, but long for all to turn to You and find shelter in the refuge You freely provide for all who will humble themselves to come and call upon Your name (Ezekiel 33:11). "For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication. In the day of my trouble I call on You, for You will answer me" (Psalm 86:5-7). Though winds and storms, thunder and rain may come in violence and destruction, I will trust in the name of the Lord. "For, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved' " (Romans 10:13). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm really excited to be invited to be a Keynote Speaker at the Aldersgate '09 National Conference on Spirit-filled Living this summer, July 1-5, 2009 in North Carolina. Please come join us. Register online now for a discount: www.Aldersgate09.org ("Aldersgate" is the name of the street where John Wesley was filled with the Holy Spirit at a prayer meeting in London and his heart set ablaze with a passion for Jesus that ignited a great revival across England that changed the world). Subscribe by email to me at 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 My Book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Imperishable Seed, Indestructible Purposes 2-10-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Just speaking out Your name changes the spiritual atmosphere of my day. … "You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. For 'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever.' That word is the good news that was announced to you" (1 Peter 1:24-25). As I rise to meet the day, shall I live by my flesh or Your word? Shall I trust in my abilities or Your power? Shall I make my plans in light of my priorities to take care of all my problems or wait first in the silence of surrender before Your throne of grace until I am "endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49, KJV)? My flesh, apart from Your Spirit, will fall and fail. My plans, apart from Your purposes, will come to nothing -- or worse. But Your word will endure forever. Your word is the good news that I am born anew, that Your mercies are new every morning, that the seed of the word of God is implanted in my soul and nourished by Your Spirit. Though that seed may be hidden beneath the surface -- sometimes deep beneath the snow and ice, sometimes deep beneath bone dry sand or enmeshed in mud -- that seed is there nonetheless, imperishable and indestructible. And in its time, in Your time, it will bear fruit. Lord, what is Your word for me today? In my heart I hear You say, "My son, what seems like problems to you are the implements of My purposes if you will entrust them into My hands. They are the shovels and rakes, the planters and plows that till the soil of your soul until My seed bears My fruit through your life. In that way, your problems are My problems; and to Me, they are no problem at all." Yes, Lord. That really is good news. And You really are a good God. So as best as I can by the power of Your grace, I choose to live this day by Your word and not in my flesh. Let every problem become an implement of Your purposes. And I know at the heart of Your purposes is Your desire for me to know You, as You make me more like You each day. "His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Thus He has given us through these things, His precious and very great promises, so that through them (we) may escape from the corruption that is in this world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:3-4). In Jesus' name pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm really excited to be invited to be a Keynote Speaker at the Aldersgate '09 National Conference on Spirit-filled Living this summer, July 1-5, 2009 in North Carolina. Please come join us. Register online now for a discount: www.Aldersgate09.org ("Aldersgate" is the name of the street where John Wesley was filled with the Holy Spirit at a prayer meeting in London and his heart set ablaze with a passion for Jesus that ignited a great revival across England that changed the world). Subscribe by email to me at 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 My Book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Pangs of New Birth into a Living Hope 2-9-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Living Word, Living Waters, Living Hope, come live in me today. … "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5). Without death, there is no resurrection. Without the pangs of birth and the intense contractions of labor, there is no new birth. But death to our self will and self ways prepares the way and sets the scene for Your resurrection power and revelation glory. And the intensity of the pain of birth focuses our attention on nothing else but what You are doing in this hour. You are shaking what needs to be shaken, breaking what needs to be broken, pruning what needs to be pruned. "In this (we can choose by Your grace to) rejoice, even if now for a little while (we) have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of (our) faith -- being more precious than gold, that, though perishable, is tested by fire -- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (v. 6-7). Not all that's happening in this hour is Your will and much of it breaks Your heart. But You will have Your way through it all. You will not waste a moment of our suffering, nor miss an opportunity for our maturity. You will cause all things to work together for our good as we keep turning all things over to our God. Through all of this, "(we) are receiving the outcome of (our) faith, the salvation of (our) souls" (v. 9). This salvation comes through a true faith, tested by the consuming fire of our choices through our circumstances every day. It is not a superficial assent to theological doctrines, but a trusting surrender of our lives to our God. In the trusting surrender of genuine faith, Christ is revealed in us, with all praise and glory and honor to You. This is our resurrection power, our new birth, and our living hope. And it will be eternally worth all we must temporarily endure to receive the fullness of our inheritance through faith in 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 in the unity of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe free by email to me at 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 Ministry Resources or Contribute: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Speak Up and Speak Out 2-6-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart today. … "Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8-9). Our words have power. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). Our voices make a difference. "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news … for 'Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the earth' " (Romans 10:15-18). You empower us to speak up and anoint us to speak out, according to Your will being made manifest through our words. "Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:23-24). Lord, purify my lips and my heart, anoint my tongue and empower my words as an instrument in Your hand to release Your will in my life and through my life today (Isaiah 6:5-8). Fill my mouth with Your words of wisdom and life. As I depend upon Your Holy Spirit, give me Your will to pray and Your words to say. "Do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" (Matthew 10:19-20). As with all Your sons and daughters of God, who yield their wills to walk in Your ways, available to be Your instruments of grace, our words will have Your power, released in the authority of Your Spirit. Your Holy Spirit is an "Advocate," the "Spirit of Truth" (John 14:16-17). And Your words, released through Your people anointed by Your Spirit are powerful "keys of the kingdom of heaven" so that "whatever (we) bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever (we) loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). So let us not take lightly this holy calling, with responsibility and authority, to lift our voices and speak our words for the causes and purposes You place on our hearts. As You lead me, I will speak up and I will speak out. I will not keep silent, as Your Spirit stirs me, "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). In Your power and with Your authority, I will speak up for those who have no voice and I will speak out for those who face injustice and oppression, whether by human flesh or by demonic spirits (Matthew 8:16; John 20:21). "The Lord has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word" (Isaiah 50:4). So Lord, fill my voice with Your words today. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I have a number of invitations for our School of Spiritual Ministry for pastors and leaders overseas and would welcome your frequent flyer miles contributions. If you would be interested in joining with us in this way in ministry to nations not as financially blessed as ours, please send me a note: MessiahMin@aol.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's city-wide gathering in the unity of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe free by email to me at 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 Ministry Resources or Contribute: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Godly Judgment and Ungodly Judgment 2-5-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Form Your nature in my nature; fill my spirit with Your Spirit. As I give myself to You, You give Yourself to me. … "Do not judge, and you will not be judge; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back" (Luke 6:37-38). There is godly judgment and ungodly judgment. Godly judgment is judging rightly, rightly discerning the truth for what it is. Godly judgment does not turn a blind eye to the truth, but sees clearly, as You see. Ungodly judgment is when we harden our hearts in judgment, as if to say, "That's how you are and that's how you'll always be; you'll never change." It's coming into agreement with the accuser instead of coming into agreement with the Redeemer. Godly judgment turns our hearts from discernment to intercession and intervention. Ungodly judgment turns our hearts from discernment to criticism and condemnation. Lord, give me eyes to see others as You see them -- not only recognizing the truth of who they are and what they've done, but also recognizing the truth of who they are created to be and seeing the potential of all they are created to do. Thank You for seeing me that way. Thank You for never hardening Your heart toward me, never turning Your back on me, never giving up on me. And as You have freely given to me, so You call me to freely give to others. My grace towards them with affect Your grace toward me -- the measure I give will be the measure I get, and more also. And as You and I both know, Lord, I need all the grace I can get. Lord, let me not be deceived, confused, or fooled; bring all things out of the darkness of deception and into the light of truth. But as You show me the truth, let me intervene and intercede as You lead, with Your heart of mercy and your hope for redemption. I renounce the all-too-common path of criticism and condemnation, and I seek to choose Your path of restoration and transformation. "My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:1-2). Lord, let me not be tempted to ungodly judgment, but empowered by Your grace to choose godly judgment and redemptive restoration. And by the grace of God, may others choose the same for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I have a number of invitations for our School of Spiritual Ministry for pastors and leaders overseas and would welcome your frequent flyer miles contributions. If you would be interested in joining with us in this way in ministry to nations not as financially blessed as ours, please send me a note: MessiahMin@aol.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's city-wide gathering in the unity of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe free by email to me at 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 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Wisdom of Creation 2-4-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. First things first -- and spending some time with You in these first moments of my morning is the first thing You want me to do. … "Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people without strength, yet they provide their food in the summer; the badgers are a people without power, yet they make their homes in the rocks; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; the lizard can be grasped in the hand, yet it is found in the kings' palaces" (Proverbs 30:24-28). Lord, open my eyes to learn from Your creation. Help me humble my heart for You to teach me Your ways from the means and sources You choose. Like the wisdom of Your ants, let me learn to store up provision in the seasons of plenty to patiently endure the seasons of scarcity. Like the wisdom of Your badgers, let me learn to find my protection in the cleft of the Rock. Like the wisdom of Your locusts, let me learn to be positioned and aligned for the battles and assignments of Your kingdom to come. Like the wisdom of Your lizards, let me learn to be found forever in the palace of my King, in the presence of my God. I have so much to learn. And honestly, I have so much to unlearn. But You are a patient teacher and faithful Lord, consistent in Your principles and merciful in Your correction. "You call Me Teacher and Lord -- and you are right, for that is what I am" (John 13:13). So keep teaching me the wisdom of Your ways and empowering me by Your grace to learn to walk in them. "My child, eat honey, for it is good; and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, you will find a future, and your hope will not be cut off" (Proverbs 24:13-14). Yes, Lord. My hope is in humbling myself to follow You. My wisdom is in giving my mind and my heart to the wisest One who created all. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --mailto:--MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: http://www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com/ Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

"Breakthrough in Restoring Power" 2-3-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I speak out Your name, my spirit awakens and arises to come into the communion of prayer with You in every dimension of Your Being -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. … "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall her help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdom were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge" (Psalm 46:4-7, NKJV). You utter Your voice, and the earth melts. You speak forth Your words of truth and life, encouragement and hope, and the sun of righteousness breaks through the dawn of a new day declaring the eternal victory of light over darkness, good over evil, hope over despair. And the river of Your light bursts into the ocean of our sky in radiant beams and golden hues. In the light of Your glory, my city, my land, and my heart become again the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High God. "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). Along with much of our region, we've been under a siege of ice for a week. Many have been without heat, light, and power for days. Yet as the dawn of day came breaking forth on Sunday morning, the ice began to crackle and break in the heat and light of Your glorious sun. By the time we came out of church, it was as if winter had passed and spring had come. It reminded me of the deliverance of Narnia when the stronghold of witchcraft and the darkness of winter was broken from the land. I even heard someone say, "Aslan is on the move!" A headline of yesterday's local newspaper our city of Lexington declared, "Thaw brings some relief. The buzz of chain saws that echoed across the state Sunday offered some reassurance five days after an ice storm shut down most of Kentucky. And, late Sunday, officials reported a breakthrough in restoring power to a beleaguered … Kentucky." How prophetic! Lord, You are breaking through. You are the God of the breakthrough (2 Samuel 5:20). You are restoring power to a beleaguered people. You are pulling down strongholds of darkness and releasing the glory of Your light in our land. The earth is declaring what is happening in the heavens -- a breakthrough revival of recovery and restoration in our hearts and our land. "For now the winter has past … the time of singing has come" (Song of Solomon 2:11-12). "See the day is coming, burning like an oven…. But for you who revere My name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall" (Malachi 4:1-2). You are making glad the city of God. You are on the move! Let us not give in to the temptations of discouragement or despair when we are on the verge of the dawn of a new day breaking through. Let us rejoice and be glad! In the Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm praying for breakthrough revival in your heart and your land. Please pray for breakthrough revival in mine. The Lord woke me again early this morning with those surges of electricity shaking me. Please pray for my discernment and obedience to the Lord in whatever this means and in whatever this is for, in His timing, His way, and His will. I pray the same for you. God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey! At the beginning of this month, I want to invite you to join with us in ministry as you are led and able in joy as an Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert Covenant Partner (attached). I would love to talk with you about this and about our vision and calling of "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." Several have asked about my new song from yesterday's devotional. Please feel free to put worship music to these morning songs, poems, and prayers and use them to God's glory however He leads. Through the years, many have and it really thrills me to hear about it! Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line at http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

Isaiah 35 -- Streams in the Desert

"For waters shall break forth in the wilderness

and streams in the desert" — Isaiah 35:6 Dear Friend, Thank you for your friendship and relationship with me and our ministry. These are exciting days in the Kingdom of God! We are thrilled with all the Lord seems to be doing in the life of Messiah Ministries. He has called us to do our part in our generation to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God, to bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free, to prepare the way of the Lord and minister the healing love of God. Thank you for every way you have been a part of fulfilling our calling and vision. Though doors of opportunity for ministry continue to open wide and we continue to work hard in the strength of the Lord to fulfill the vision He has given us, this economic desert season is causing us to be even more desperately dependent upon the Lord alone in faith for all our provision. In seeking His wisdom and answers in prayer, we believe He gave us a strategy for our ministry finances in this wilderness time -- Isaiah 35 Streams. In humility and faith, we are inviting you to partner with us in ministry, spiritually and financially, by contributing $35 a month to the work of the Kingdom through Messiah Ministries this year. We believe the Lord has shown us this will provide "a steady stream" of His provision through these desert days. We praise God for His faithfulness! And we thank God for you, as you join with us as a significant part of His provision for His ministry for the glory of His name and His Kingdom. Please prayerfully consider our invitation. And if this stirs in your spirit with joy to join us as the Lord's answers to our prayers, please covenant with us this year to be a part of Isaiah 35 Streams. I will be very glad to talk with you about this or describe more of our vision and calling in ministry. I pray you see our ministry as good soil in which to sow your seed for God's harvest. May the Lord bless you and pour out His exceedingly abundant blessings and provision for you this year -- "... A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap ..." (Luke 6:38). In the Love of Jesus,

Tommy Hays Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org All contributions, of any amount, are very welcome, tax deductible, and greatly appreciated. We've had a very positive response already. Praise God! In answer to questions that have come, here are some ways to consider joining with us as the Lord's Streams in the Desert for steady provision: 1) You can contribute on-line at our shopping cart or go to: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

2) You can let us get you set up for automatic withdraw by sending a note to Marilyn Walker at dirofministries@aol.com or calling her cell at 859-317-1591

3) You can send in a check for "Messiah Ministries" to our office at: Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, KY 40502

4) You can set up an account on-line and contribute to "Messiah Ministries" and other ministries or churches through the Kentucky Christian Foundation ( http://www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org/ ). They can also help with any stock or asset transfers, as well as planned or long-term giving. Please let me know any way I can help or answer questions. Please feel free to introduce me to come have a conversation with anyone who may be interested. Thank you and God bless you, my friend!

Tommy Hays Founder and Executive Director Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502

"Seize the Hope" 2-2-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Rock and my Refuge. You steady my soul and inspire my spirit. I entrust to You all that I am and all that I have. … "We who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:18). As Your Holy Spirit stirs in my human spirit to seize the hope of Your faithful promises set before me today, I hear You forming the words of new song in my heart: What hope I have in You With faith I know You'll see me through As I lift up my eyes You lift up my head And show me the way through each day Yes, Lord. Remind me of the hope I have in You. Remind me that hope is something to be seized -- to take hold of, to take captive, to make my own. Hope is not something to passively receive and accept if it happens to come my way. To hope is to actively, deliberately choose to put my faith in You, to believe in the promises of Your Word, and to passionately pursue the One who is my hope. There's nothing passive or complacent, nothing tentative or speculative, about Your call to us to seize the hope that we have in You. By the power of the grace You give each day, nothing can steal my peace or snatch away my hope -- unless I let it. And by Your grace, I will not let it; I will seize the hope You've set before me and sealed in my heart. I will lift my eyes to You. And as I lift up my eyes to You, I can't help but let You lift up my head to meet Your face. And in Your face, I will find the way through every challenge of every day. You are my way, just as You are my truth and You are my life (John 14:6). With my head held high, let Your hope arise: What hope I have in You With faith I know You'll see me through As I lift up my eyes You lift up my head And show me the way through each day In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe by email to me at 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 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Winds of Change 2-1-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my face, stretch out my hands, and open up my heart in worship and prayer, to honor You and commit myself and my day to You. … "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may come upon it and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.' So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land that day and all that night; when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts…. Pharaoh hurriedly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Do forgive my sin just this once and pray to the Lord your God that at least He remove this deadly thing from me.' So he went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. The Lord changed the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt" (Exodus 10:12-19). When Moses stretched forth his hand in obedience over the land, You sent forth Your wind from the east to bring the locusts in judgment. Then Pharaoh confessed his sin and asked for prayer. When Moses stretched forth his hands in prayer, You changed the wind. You sent forth Your wind from the west to drive away the locusts in mercy. Obedience and prayer bring us into agreement with Your will. As we stretch out our hands in proclamation and prayer, You send forth Your word and wind in Your Spirit and power. Judgment and mercy belong to You. Obedience and prayer belong to us (James 5:17-18). Your heart is for mercy, not judgment, for blessing, not curses. "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live? ... For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live" (Ezekiel 18:23-32). "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Yet You will not be mocked and You will not refrain Your winds of mercy or Your winds of judgment upon our land, as our choices require. "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:7-9). So where we have sinned, let us confess it in repentance. Where You have moved in our hearts to stretch forth our hands in prayer or praise or proclamation, let us do it in obedience. You have the power to move the winds of change in our land, either in judgment or in mercy. And in Your sovereignty, You have purposed to release Your power in response to the obedience and prayers of our hearts and our actions. Lord, send Your winds of change. Send Your winds of mercy. And even when our choices in our land or of our leaders require the winds of judgment for a time, "in wrath may You remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2). Your Word reveals Your will; and Your will is that all would "turn, then, and live" in Your blessings rather than the curses, so that "mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). So, Lord, we bow our knees in confession, we turn our hearts in repentance and prayer, and we stretch out our hands in obedience and proclamation, to declare as Your Spirit leads, "Let the winds of change blow. Let the time of harvest begin." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I join with you in prayer, praise, and proclamation over the lands where we live and where we have been entrusted with responsibility and authority before the Lord for His will to be done and His kingdom to come. In Kentucky where I live, we've been praying for the first 31 days of this year for revival again in our land. I pray the same for you and your land. I'm attaching our prayer guide from Kentucky Prayer Focus we prayed in 24 hour prayer watches over all 120 counties of Kentucky, that you might like to adapt to your region. May the winds of change blow in all of our lands and lives; may the Lord's harvest begin. God bless you! Subscribe free 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 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"The Lord Who makes a Way" 1-31-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My eyes are on You, Lord. "Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters…. Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:16-19). You are the God who makes a way when it seems there is no way. You are the God who astounds us with Your mercy and amazes us with Your miracles. You bring beauty out of brokenness and order out of chaos. You are constantly creating and forever redeeming all things to fulfill Your purposes. And one of Your highest purposes is to teach us to trust You as You lead us through the brokenness and the chaos, through the wilderness and the desert into the place You have been preparing for us all along. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:1-4). Like the wake of boat moving through the waters, the path through the waters is new every moment and only lasts for a moment. Then the wake disappears in the waters and the way of the moment is no longer seen. In that sense, You are always doing a new thing. You are always calling us to turn from the former things of where we've been and move forward into the new thing that You are doing now. You call us to look to You and see what You are doing now, to follow in the wake of Your leading through the waters. Though the waters may seem mighty, they are no match for "Your mighty hand, and Your outstretched arm" (1 Kings 8:24). With our eyes on You, we will look and see the salvation of our God. "He reached from on high, He took me, He drew me out of mighty waters… He brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me" (2 Samuel 22:17-20). Lord, let it be so, to the glory of Your name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays For all who have been part of the 31 Days of Prayer for Revival in Kentucky, please come join us for a Declaration Service this Saturday, January 31 at 4:00 today, hosted at Victory Christian Fellowship, 1150 Oak Hill Road, Somerset, KY. Ray Hughes, R.T, Kendall, and Kentucky bluegrass musician Ricky Scaggs will be there to pray, praise, and proclaim over Kentucky with representative from all 120 counties of "the upper room state." (Many may not know how Spirit-filled and prophetic Ricky Scaggs and his family are!). Come join us if you can and please keep praying for breakthrough revival in Kentucky and in your region. God will make a way! Friends, let's keep one another in prayer through this season of layoffs and reordering of lives for ourselves and for many we know and love. Let's keep reminding ourselves and one another of our faithful God who will cause it all to work together for good, as we keep looking to Him and trusting in Him. I'm praying for you. Please be praying for me. God bless you! Subscribe free 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 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Strength for Today, Bright Hope for Tomorrow" 1-30-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. There is none like You, faithful and true, ever present through every struggle, ever near through every fear. … "They spoke against God, saying, 'Can God spread a table in the wilderness? Even though He struck the rock so that the water gushed out and torrents overflowed, can He also give bread, or provided meat for His people?' " (Psalm 78:20). Yesterday was a hard day. At my home church, our leaders had to let several people go from their jobs, from their ministries in the life of our church. With a few others, we were praying for most of the day -- praying for those who had to share the bad news and praying for those who had to hear the bad news. As best we could and all by Your grace, we helped each one who came for prayer grieve the loss and disappointment of today but also look forward to the hope of tomorrow. Bad news is bad; we need not pretend otherwise. But we know the One who is good. And we know You are there, walking with us through whatever bad news we face, filling us with the peace and hope of the good news of the new day to come. When one door closes, You always open another. When one season ends, it's time for the next season to begin. "Great is Thy faithfulness … Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." You are our strength through the bad news we endure and You are hope for the good news to come. "But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you…. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ" (2 Thessalonians 3:3-5). I know what's happened at our church is happening in many churches, ministries, businesses, industries, homes, and families across our land in these desert days of economic wilderness. And many may be tempted to test You in our hearts and question You in our minds. But the God who brings forth water from the rock is able to prepare a table in the wilderness. As we turn to You in honesty with our grief and our questions, You will keep turning to us in Your peace and Your answers. You will set a table before us even in the presence of our enemies of worry, fear, stress, and anxiety. You will fill our cups with Your living waters and provide for us our daily bread. We will not be unchanged in the process or through the trials, but we were never intended to be. These are opportunities for our faith to stretch and grow, to find our priorities and our peace aligned in You alone. And You will be faithful to give us grace for all we need -- strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. "Yet He commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven; He rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven" (Psalm 78:23-24). If we will look to You instead of to ourselves, if we will celebrate what we see You are doing instead of complaining about what we think You're not doing, if we will let our hearts be filled with faith and hope instead of discouragement and fear, we will stand back and see the salvation of our God. "Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, let's keep one another in prayer through this season of layoffs and reordering of lives for ourselves and for many we know and love. Let's keep reminding ourselves and one another of our faithful God who will cause it all to work together for good, as we keep looking to Him and trusting in Him. I'm praying for you. Please be praying for me. God bless you! For all who have been part of the 31 Days of Prayer for Revival in Kentucky, please come join us for a Declaration Service this Saturday, January 31 at 4:00 hosted at Victory Christian Fellowship, 1150 Oak Hill Road, Somerset, KY. Ray Hughes, R.T, Kendall, and Kentucky bluegrass musician Ricky Scaggs will be there to pray, praise, and proclaim over Kentucky with representative from all 120 counties of "the upper room state." (Many may not know outside of Kentucky may not know how Spirit-filled and prophetic Ricky Scaggs and his family are!). Come join us if you can and please keep praying for breakthrough revival in Kentucky and in your region. God bless you! Subscribe free 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 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line atwww.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Constant Point of Reference 1-29-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I speak out Your name, I wait and listen down deep in my spirit for the comfort and security of hearing You speak out mine. … "I called on You name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit; You heard my plea, 'Do not close Your ear to my cry for help, but give me relief!' You came near when I called on You; You said, 'Do not fear!' " (Lamentations 3:55-57). As I journey every moment of every day through the time and space of this earthly realm, through the uncertainties and events far beyond my control, You are my constant point of reference. With You by side and with Your Spirit in my heart, I am never lost. You are the one thing I can always count on. In the depth of every pit, You are there. In the darkness of every fear, You are there. There is nowhere I can go and nothing I can go through, where You are not there with me as I call out to You. So I will not fear tomorrow, nor fret about today. It seems lately every morning, the old song from the Your steady Word moves in my mind and stirs in my spirit to begin each day: "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:21-25). Yes, Lord. I wait for You; I seek You; I put all my hope and trust in You. No matter what I go through, I know that I know that I know You will never leave me nor forsake me. In You and with You, there will always come a dawn of a new day at the end of every night of darkness; there will always be a light at the end of every tunnel; there will always be a steady rock of refuge through every storm. That's what Your Word says (Matthew 6:25-34; Hebrews 13:4-6; and so many others). And I choose to believe You and take You at Your Word. "It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (Lamentations 3:26). You are my certain Savior and my steadfast Friend. So "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer (my) foot to be moved; He that keepeth (me) will not slumber…. The Lord shall preserve (my) going out and (my) coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore" (Psalm 121:1-8, KJV). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free 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 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Jesus, Friend of Sinners and Sinless One 1-28-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Friend of sinners, face of God, King of glory, Christ of nations, come into every moment of my day, every area of my life, and every place of my world. … "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon'; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children" (Luke 7:33-35). Everyone tries to put You in box. They want to worship the image of God they have hewn with their own hands and carved in their own image of who they think You should be. Forgive me when I have done the same. But You Are Who You Are. As You said to Moses, "I Am Who I Am" (Exodus 3:14). And we are to have no other gods before You, the One True God (Exodus 20:3). How arrogant of us, as Your created, to tell You, our Creator, who You are and how You should be? Your name and Your nature tell us You will not be defined by those You have created, no matter how much You love us and want to be near us. You do not change to fit our philosophies or sensibilities; You do not change to appease our sense of political correctness or social tolerance. "For I the Lord do not change" (Malachi 3:6). And You, the Lord God Almighty, have chosen in Your sovereignty and divine purpose to reveal Yourself to humanity in nature of the Son of Man and in the nature of the Son of God through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord -- "the Image of the invisible God" (Colossian 1:15). When we see You, Lord Jesus, we see the Father. As You said, "Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). And when we welcome You into our hearts and into our lives, we welcome the Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son to come abide within us (John 14:20). So open the eyes of my heart to see You and worship You as You truly are, not as who I would like You to be or think You should be to satisfy my sense of Your image. Give me the humility to know that You will always be just exactly Who You have always been. "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). And give me grace to be conformed to Your nature, more and more every day (Romans 8:29). You are my Savior, but You are also my model for life in this world, as I yield to Your example and Your leading as my one and only Lord. "And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent His Son as Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:14-17). Lord, let me be more like You in this world every day. Let me be a friend of sinners, but growing in my freedom from sin and growing by Your grace into the nature and love of the Sinless One. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free 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 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Created for the Purpose of Love 1-27-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In simplicity and sincerity, I look to You and call on Your name, then watch and wait in the silence of surrender before You. … "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands" (Psalm 138:8). Lord, I believe You created the heavens and the earth. I believe You created me and every person with purpose, calling, and destiny You long to fulfill. I believe "it was You who formed my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:13-14). And I believe You love me and will never forsake me, even when I sin or rebel or resist or fail or fall from the fullness of Your will for my life. You have a way of redeeming all things and even causing those things to work together for good for me and for all those who keep turning to You and trusting You and loving You through it all, as best as we can and all by Your grace, according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). But Lord, sometimes I just need to ask, "What is Your purpose for me? What is it that You long to fulfill through my life?" As I watch and wait, in the simplicity and sincerity of the silence of surrender before You, it seems I hear You say, "… My son, my child, whom I have created and made, I created you to love Me; I created you to know Me and receive My love for you." But Lord, why did You need me? It seems You have centuries full of people to love and to love You. Why did You need me, if You even need me, or want me to be just one more? "My son, it would not be the same without you. You and each one of My children are vastly, almost infinitely, different from one another. Each one is fearfully, wonderfully, uniquely made. So because of who you are, because of who I created you to be, there are ways that I can express My love to you and express My love through you that I cannot do through any other soul I have ever created. And there are ways that only you can express your love for Me. It wouldn't be the same without you." Yes, Lord. Just filter out any of that that was not You, but let all that was of You settle deep down into my soul. Maybe even as I asked the question, I was thinking about what I would do with my life, or better, what You would do with my life. But Your answer and the priority of Your focus seems to be much more on who I am than what I will do. As someone has said, You see us much more as "human beings" rather than "human doings," though that's not how we tend to see and judge ourselves and the significance of our lives. But these big picture questions that seem to rise up from time to time, seeking Your big picture answers, always seem to come back to this simple truth in one way or the other -- You are love, and You created us for a relationship of love with You and with one another. Everything else is just the working out of the details and fulfillment of that great purpose. "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us" (1 John 4:7-12). Thank You, Lord, for reminding me of Your big picture and Your big purpose for my life. Give me grace to love You and love others today and every day, as no one else can. So as I begin this day, I lift up my eyes and open up my spirit to You, my Creator, my Savior, and my Lord. "I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me…. God will send forth His steadfast love and His faithfulness" (Psalm 57:2-3). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free 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 Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute OnLine at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org