Here's My Heart, Here's My Hand 3-20-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here's my heart and here's my hand. … Here's my heart Here's my hand Here's my life Here I am You know me, Lord You still love me, Lord You come near to me, Lord, every day So here we go, along the way Hand in hand and heart to heart As You walk with me, Lord, every day … "While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them" (Luke 24:15). When I speak out Your name in prayer, open up my heart in worship, and reach out my hand in obedience, You come near. Though You are always near, whether I know it or not, my deliberate seeking positions my spirit for a deliberate encounter with the manifest presence of Your Spirit. And as we walk along together, hand in hand and heart to heart, throughout the moments of my day, You continue to open the eyes and ears of my spirit to Your constant presence and abiding reality. So here's my hand; here's my heart; here I am. … Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, The Fountain will be held in a different location this month due to a major weekend conference at our normal location. This month we will meet in the upstairs Community Room of First Southern National Bank at Harrodsburg Rd. and Corporate Dr. in Lexington on Friday Night, March 20. Please come and spread the word. Come to The Fountain Tonight! 3/20, 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 upstairs Community Room of First Southern Nat'l Bank this month. Brooke and Shannon Barrett will be leading in worship and Laura Beach will be leading in prayer, while I teach on the Holy Spirit at our weekend Alpha Retreat. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send Marilyn a note 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

Love and Respect 3-19-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I yield mine to Yours. … "Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband" (Ephesians 5:33). Love and respect -- loving one another, honoring one another, giving and receiving the gift and grace of God's love through the covenant bond of marriage to one another. These are keys of the kingdom to know Your peace and joy in our homes and hearts. These are weapons of our warfare in the onslaught of attack from the influences of the world, the flesh, and the devil. These are words of truth and life that we must learn to embrace and live if our lives and relationships are going to honor our God. Give us the desire and the power to give and receive the love and respect we were created to need. According to Emerson Eggerichs in his book, Love & Respect, and the Focus on the Family marriage conferences he and his wife Sarah lead, marriages have little chance of surviving without understanding the need for both love and respect. They say according to biblical principles and scientific research, a woman receives her primary sense of security in being loved and a man receives his primary sense of security in being respected. While we all need both, it seems women especially need love and men especially need respect, whether we deserve it or not (1 Peter 3:1-7). We may not love or respect all that they do, but we can choose, by God's grace, to love and respect who they are, as sons and daughters of God. When we don't receive what we need, we are in danger of destruction. But if we will humble ourselves to hear Your voice and call on Your name, You will empower us to choose healing instead hurting, fulfillment instead of emptiness, resurrection life instead of hopeless destruction. Yes, there is always the thief who "comes only to steal and kill and destroy" but there is also always the Redeemer and Healer and Deliverer who comes that we "may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Through the grace to choose to love and respect, You protect, nurture, and empower our lives, our marriages, and our relationships to honor You and fulfill us. "Ah Lord God! It is You who made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and with Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You" (Jeremiah 32:17). "For nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). My Lord God, into Your hands I commit my heart and my home. 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 Order My Book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Not Without Honor" 3-18-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I fall short, but You never do. I look up, and always find You. … "Then Jesus said to them, 'Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house' " (Mark 6:4). Sometimes those closest to us find it hardest to honor us. They know us too well; they know all our faults and failures, our self-centeredness and sin. And as they say, familiarity breeds contempt. But You know me better than anyone, and You still love me as Your child and honor me as Your son. "As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear Him. For He knows how we were made; He remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:13). "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). So there is not one among us who does not need Your mercy every moment of every day. We all need to know we are honored and loved in spite of our failures and sins -- even in our hometown, among our own kin, and in our own house. "For all of us make many mistakes" (James 3:2). And all of us need the comfort and the grace of the One who makes no mistakes. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may have mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16). Thank You, Lord, for loving me and honoring me, despite all You know about me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, The Fountain will be held in a different location this month due to a major weekend conference at our normal location. This month we will meet in the upstairs Community Room of First Southern National Bank at Harrodsburg Rd. and Corporate Dr. in Lexington on Friday Night, March 20. Please come and spread the word. Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night, 3/20, 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 upstairs Community Room of First Southern Nat'l Bank this month. Brooke and Shannon Barrett will be leading in worship and Laura Beach will be leading in prayer, while I teach on the Holy Spirit at our weekend Alpha Retreat. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send Marilyn a note at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe 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 Order My Book, Morning by Morning, and our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

"Unloved" 3-17-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Like broken bread and poured out wine, I open my heart and pour out my life before You today. … "When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb …" (Genesis 29:31). Out of Leah's season of heartbreak and dishonor, You moved in power to open her womb and began to bring forth the sons of the tribes of Israel. One of those sons would be named Judah, for even in her pain and shame of being unloved, she said, "I will praise the Lord" (v. 29:35). And out of the lineage of this son, conceived in such a season of sorrow, would one day come the One who would be the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He would be "despised and rejected … a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," yet willing to lay down His life in love in the ultimate display of the power of Your love, even for those who didn't want it (Isaiah 53:3, NKJV). When we feel unloved, You fill us with Your love. When we feel despised and rejected, You affirm us and accept us. Through our heartaches, You still touch the hearts of others. And You still move in power to touch ours. "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, The Fountain will be held in a different location this month due to a major weekend conference at our normal location. This month we will meet in the upstairs Community Room of First Southern National Bank at Harrodsburg Rd. and Corporate Dr. in Lexington on Friday Night, March 20. Please come and spread the word. Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night, 3/20, 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 upstairs Community Room of First Southern Nat'l Bank this month. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send Marilyn a note 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

"Be My Witnesses" 3-16-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wait in the silence of surrender and listen for the leading of Your Spirit. … "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). I spent last weekend sharing a series of messages of encouragement for an annual gathering and retreat for evangelists of the Lay Witness Mission. They go as teams of witnesses into churches and other settings to share their journey of faith and the hope that burns within them with a passion for Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. We were all encouraged and inspired, refreshed and renewed, to hear the ways You are moving in power and changing lives even in these days of such desperation. Humble desperation and passionate faith always seem to draw Your attention and enable us to embrace Your power to change our lives. We gathered for our retreat in the beautiful setting of St. Simons Island, on the Georgia coast, south of Savannah. Before the Methodist revival that set the world ablaze in the 1700s, this was where John and Charles Wesley came to the new world of America to begin their ministries. I had a chance to walk along the path where Charles Wesley walked and prayed, near Christ Church, which he planted with such deep roots that a congregation continues to meet there today. Upon arriving on the beach with General Oglethorpe from England, Charles Wesley wrote in his journal, "Tuesday, March 9, 1736, about three in the afternoon I first set foot on Saint Simons Island; and immediately my spirit revived. No sooner did I enter upon my own ministry, than God game me, like Saul, another heart." Yet John and Charles Wesley, though full of passion and ideas of how to evangelize the Indians and settlers into their idea of religion at the time, were not yet full of the Holy Spirit. That would come later, after this time they considered a great failure in their missionary journey to America. But on the perilous journey over to America, they witnessed the Spirit-filled faith, passion, worship, and prayers of a band of Moravian Christians. The witness of their passion, combined with the emptiness of failure and brokenness of pride would drive the Wesleys to a holy jealousy and desperation for true faith that would later lead to their famous "heart-warming" experiences with the Holy Spirit of the Living God and ignite the great revival that began in John Wesley's heart in the prayer meeting at Aldersgate Street in London on May 24, 1838. Though John and Charles Wesley thought of their time in Georgia as a great failure, it was a great step in their journey to come to the end of themselves so they could be filled with You. You love to redeem our failures into faith, our desperation into utter-dependence, and our brokenness into breakthrough. Those Moravian lay witnesses shared their journey of faith and the hope that burned within them with the Wesleys by living out their faith in the face of adversity by the power of Your Spirit. And in the fullness of time, the Wesleys were changed and so was the world. Lord, thank You for the witnesses of faith and hope You've allowed me to see through the journeys of others. In my times of brokenness, desperation, or failure, let the memory of their witness drive me to closer to You. Let me never be satisfied with anybody's ideas of religion apart from Your invitation to a personal and passionate relationship with You. Let Your Holy Spirit continually come upon me, to fill me and empower me to be one of Your witnesses wherever I am and wherever You send me -- to the ends of the earth and to the end of my self. 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).] The Fountain will be held in a different location this month due to a major weekend conference at our normal location. This month we will meet in the upstairs Community Room of First Southern National Bank at Harrodsburg Rd. and Corporate Dr. in Lexington on Friday Night, March 20. Please come and spread the word. Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night, 3/20, 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 upstairs Community Room of First Southern Nat'l Bank this month. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send Marilyn a note 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

Both Weeds and Wheat "Until the Harvest" 3-13-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart and go before me into my day. … "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well…. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, 'Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn' "(Matthew 13:24-30). We are nearing the very end of the age. And we should not be surprised that both the weeds and the wheat have grown into full maturity. What the Owner has sown and what the enemy has sown will begin to bear the fullness of the fruit determined by the source of its seed. Good and evil, righteousness and selfishness, blessings and curses, truth and deception, abundance and famine, faith and fear -- both the wheat and the weeds growing together into maturity "until the harvest." In explaining this parable, You said, "The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age" (v. 13:37-40). In our human wisdom, we want to say to the Owner of the field, "Why are You letting the evil continue to grow among the good? Why do You allow the thief to come kill, steal, and destroy when You want us to have life and have it abundantly? Why do You allow such injustice and suffering in a world You created as a paradise of peace? Don't You see? Don't You care? Won't You do something about it? Can You do something about it?" But as the master of the field said to his servants who discovered that bad seed was sown among the good, "An enemy has done this." When they wanted permission to go ahead gather up the weeds and uproot the bad fruit from the bad seed, the master replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them" (v. 13:27-29). The master had wisdom and ways that were different from the servants, though all desired the same goal of a good harvest of good seed from good soil. You are the Master of the field of our world. You are the Master of the field of our souls. You value Your children, Your good seed. And You value our maturity. And though it's hard for us to see and understand, there are things we must endure and overcome in order to grow up into full maturity. And though in our impatience and pride we think we know what's best for us, You are steadfast in Your mercy and Your purpose to work within each of us and within the generations of the earth all that You have always intended. On the day of harvest to come, we will be thankful that You did. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, The Fountain will be held in a different location this month due to a major weekend conference at our normal location. This month we will meet in the upstairs Community Room of First Southern National Bank at Harrodsburg Rd. and Corporate Dr. in Lexington on Friday Night, March 20. Please come and spread the word. 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 upstairs Community Room of First Southern Nat'l Bank this month. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to us at MessiahMin@aol.com Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted at Southland Evangelical Methodist Church 2601 Clays Mill Rd (corner of Clays Mill and Hill n' Dale). Contact Doris & Bob at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Friends, I'm excited to be the Keynote Speaker at the annual Lay Witness Mission retreat at St. Simon's Island, Georgia this weekend ( Lay Witness Mission ). I'll be preaching four times to encourage law witnesses from across the United Methodist Church and other denominations and traditions in their ministry of evangelism, and I would appreciate your prayers for us. I know I'll be inspired by their stories of God's glory, love, and power. And I pray they'll be inspired by mine. Find out more about having LWM teams come to your church through Aldersgate Renewal Ministries ( www.aldersgaterenewal.org ). God bless you! Do you know any women on the front lines of ministry who need the encouragement, renewal, or Sabbath rest? Consider inviting them to attend a day retreat of spiritual refreshment for women of faith led by Laura Beach, Equipping Lydia in association with Messiah Ministries. The testimonies that have come from past retreats have been rich with the Lord’s healing and restoration. The next open retreat dates are March 23 or 24 in Bryantsville, Kentucky, 30 minutes from Lexington. For more information, email laurabbeach@insightbb.com . 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 to our vision and calling to the Kingdom of God through Messiah Ministries On-line at http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

Wise and Ready 3-11-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Live in my heart and lead in my life. … "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five 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). Father God, You have poured out Your Holy Spirit to prepare a holy bride for Your coming Son. As the people of the church of Christ and the kingdom of heaven, we are to be that pure, spotless bride -- radiant and glorious, passionate and pure (Ephesians 5:27). At the same time, we a like the friends of the bridegroom, looking forward to the day of the coming of Christ and preparing the way of the Lord (John 3:29). And also, we are like the bridesmaids watching and waiting, longing for the day the "bride has made herself ready … clothed with fine linen, bright and pure" for "the marriage of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:7-8). But of the ten bridesmaids, only five were prepared to greet the bridegroom and enter in to celebrate the joy of the wedding feast (Matthew 25:10). All ten went out to meet the coming bridegroom. All ten were looking forward to the coming day of celebration. All began on the journey together and all had a measure of oil in the lamps to burn through the long watches of the night, through the times of weariness and slumber, until the darkest time of the midnight hour (v. 25:4-7). But when the shout rang out, "Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!", only five were found to be "wise"; only five were found to be "ready" (v. 25:10). At the beginning of the journey and throughout the long wait for the bridegroom to come, outwardly they all appeared to be the same, outwardly they all appeared to be ready, both the wise and the foolish. "Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds" (Matthew 11:19). It was at the midnight hour, in the times of deepest darkness, heaviness of spirit, and weariness of soul that the bridegroom came. That's when it was revealed who was ready and who was not, who was wise and who was foolish, who had prepared the way of the Lord and who had just come along for the ride. They were wise who had taken the time to fill their vessels with oil (v. 25:4). "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:15-20). Lord, fill my vessel with the oil of Your Holy Spirit. Surround me with people who are hungry and thirsty for more of You, worshipping You in Spirit and truth, thankful for our blessings through the darkness and delays. Give me the wisdom to be ready for Your coming, "filled with the Spirit", having prepared the way of the Lord in the earth and in my heart (Ephesians 5:18). Some will think they have. Some will think they're ready. But many will be heartbroken to find they are empty of Your Spirit when they hear Your haunting words, "Truly I tell you, I do not know you" (Matthew 25:12). Some will think they have done enough good works of religion, even under Your name, to earn the right to live forever with You. But many will be convicted of their failure to have committed to a living and personal relationship with You when they hear Your horrible words, "I never knew you; go away from Me; you evildoers" (Matthew 7:23). By Your grace, I want to be ready to enter "into the wedding banquet" (v. 25:10). I want to be filled with Your Holy Spirit. And I want to be anointed and empowered by Your Spirit to help prepare the way of the Lord in as many hearts as are willing to hear Your call to fill our vessels with oil and be ready. I want to be wise and ready -- before it's too late. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be the Keynote Speaker at the annual Lay Witness Mission retreat at St. Simon's Island, Georgia this coming weekend ( Lay Witness Mission ). I'll be preaching four times to encourage law witnesses from across the United Methodist Church and other denominations and traditions in their ministry of evangelism, and I would appreciate your prayers for us. I know I'll be inspired by their stories of God's glory, love, and power. And I pray they'll be inspired by mine. Find out more about having LWM teams come to your church through Aldersgate Renewal Ministries ( www.aldersgaterenewal.org/events/lwm/index.html ). God bless you! Do you know any women on the front lines of ministry who need the encouragement, renewal, or Sabbath rest? Consider inviting them to attend a day retreat of spiritual refreshment for women of faith led by Laura Beach, Equipping Lydia in association with Messiah Ministries. The testimonies that have come from past retreats have been rich with the Lord’s healing and restoration. The next open retreat dates are March 23 or 24 in Bryantsville, Kentucky, 30 minutes from Lexington. For more information, email laurabbeach@insightbb.com . 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 to our vision and calling to the Kingdom of God through Messiah Ministries On-line at http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

"Good Morning, Lord Jesus" 3-10-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I speak out Your name and open upon up my heart, my spirit always seems to awaken and arise to enter in to our morning communion of prayer together. Thank You for always being here to hear and embrace my morning greeting of love and respect, honor and surrender. … "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:22, NKJV). As I look to You in worship and prayer, I honor You and submit to You; I bow down before You and lift up my heart to You. I acknowledge that You are God and there is no other. I worship You in every dimension of Your Being -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- with every dimension of my being -- spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). And I am saved -- forever safe and eternally secure by the grace of God that draws me and empowers me to continue to call on Your name, embrace Your love, and surrender to Your will. You always give me freedom to turn away, but I choose by Your grace to turn to You. You always give me freedom to look to myself as my own savior and lord, but I choose by Your grace to look to You. As I have come to know You more each day, I continue to find Your Word and Your ways to be faithful and true. It's only in Your embrace that I am truly free. It's only in Your power that I am truly strong. It's only in Your love that I am truly loved. I know I'm not yet and far from it; but I really do want to be more like You -- all by the grace of our Father and the power of Your Holy Spirit. So I try to begin each day looking to You, calling on Your name, welcoming You into my day, and opening my life to be filled with Your Spirit. That's what I mean by "Good morning, Lord Jesus." And according to Your Word, as I look to You, I become more like You: "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 to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). As I continually come to know You, worship You, and surrender myself to You, You are making me more like You each day, conforming my nature to Your nature, enmeshing Your life in mine (Romans 8:29). By the mystery of Your grace and the power of Your Spirit, all who look to You and submit their will to Your transforming power actually "become participants of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Together in You, we are growing up "to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). So thank You, Lord, for waking me and leading me to come seek Your face and embrace Your grace in these first moments of my morning and throughout my day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be the Keynote Speaker at the annual Lay Witness Mission retreat at St. Simon's Island, Georgia this coming weekend ( Lay Witness Mission ). I'll be preaching four times to encourage law witnesses from across the United Methodist Church and other denominations and traditions in their ministry of evangelism, and I would appreciate your prayers for us. I know I'll be inspired by their stories of God's glory, love, and power. And I pray they'll be inspired by mine. Find out more about having LWM teams come to your church through Aldersgate Renewal Ministries( www.aldersgaterenewal.org/events/lwm/index.html ). God bless you! 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 to our vision and calling to the Kingdom of God through Messiah Ministries On-line at http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

We The People Who Pray 3-9-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Keep coming into my heart, keep pouring Your Spirit into my spirit, keep living Your life through my life. … "I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here I am, Here I am,' to a nation that did not call on My name" (Isaiah 65:1). Our nation needs answers. We need wisdom beyond our capacity to know. We need power to overcome beyond our capacity to release. Questions of our security, provision, and peace are never far from mind. The search for answers and the frustration of failing to find them is ever at hand. We are a nation of increasing awareness of our own incapacity to work out our problems in our own wisdom and power apart from You. But at its heart, a nation is not its leaders or its form of government. A nation is its people. And as a people we do have the capacity to humble ourselves together in prayer, to call upon the name of the God who is ready to be found, and to seek the wisdom and power of the One who is the only answer and our only hope. Our hope is not in a man or a government. Our hope is in You alone. No matter what our leaders of our government may choose, we the people can choose You. All may not turn to You. Some may continue to spurn You and mock You and those who do. "I held out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; a people who provoke Me to My face continually…" (v. 65:2-3). But our actions need not be controlled by their actions. Their rebellion need not be our rebellion. You always set before us the choice of humbling ourselves in prayer, repentance, and faith for the healing of our land and the restoration of the blessings and favor of God (2 Chronicles 7:14). We the people who are willing to humble themselves to call on Your name together in prayer in gatherings of two or three across this land have the capacity to welcome the wisdom and power of the very presence of God in the midst of all our problems and questions. "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). Holy Spirit of the Living God, move among us. Bring us together in prayer. Out of our desperation, let there be intense intercession. Out of our isolation, let there be a hunger for community in faith. Out of our fears and anxieties, let there be a deeper surrender to the One who is our only hope. In that way, You will use even these times of tribulation to work together for good, reminding us of how firm our foundation has been all along. "Therefore thus says the Lord God, See I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: 'One who trusts will not panic' " (Isaiah 28:16). 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" http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling to the Kingdom of God through Messiah Ministries On-line at http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

You are Always There 3-6-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You were and You are and You always will be. You are the same yesterday and today and forever. You are holy, holy, holy. You are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are the Lord God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all there was and all there is and all there ever will be. You are I Am. And yet You are here with me, even while You are always enthroned in the highest heaven and always ever present even in my lowest valley. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, You are there, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me fast" (Psalm 139:7-10). You woke me up with shaking and trembling again early this morning. That led to intercession; and that led to spiritual warfare; and that led to triumphant proclamation of our victory in Christ; and that led conviction and repentance of sin in such an awareness of Your Presence; and that led to worship and praise in the Spirit; and that led to this song of Your faithfulness and nearness You're writing right now in my spirit: You are there when I rise in the morning You are there through my afternoon You are there when I lay down in the evening You're always there with me through and through You are there when I walk in Your righteousness You are there when I fall down in sin You are there when I'm too weary to walk at all You're always there with me no matter where I've been You are there when I worship and praise You You are there even when I'm self-absorbed in worshipping myself You are there when I pour out my heart in the service of love and life You're always there with me when I'm poured out with nothing left You are there when my heart is soaring You are there when my heart is breaking You are there when everything's victory and shouts of praise You're always there with me even when I feel forsaken You are I Am That I Am You are The One Who Ever Will Be You are the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all that there is Yet You're always there with me with Your heart always towards me Yes, Lord. That's who You are. You are the God who never leaves, never forsakes me, never lets go of me. You bridged the gap between my sin and Your Self, between my brokenness and Your healing, between my suffering and Your sacrifice long ago on the cross of Christ. From that moment on, You have been with me, even living within me by Your Spirit (Romans 8:9). I may never know how much that really cost You to take upon Yourself all my iniquities and infirmities, my insecurities and fears, my pain and shame, and all things that would keep me from being with You and keep You from being with me (Isaiah 53:4-6). But I thank You with all that I am for loving me and being for me all that You Are. "For He has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?' " (Hebrews 13:5-6). You are a good God. You are always there. You are I Am (Exodus 3:14). And I am Yours. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends I apologize if you are getting multiple emails of the same message. I'm working with my internet provider to identify and fix this problem. Many friends of mine sense a major spiritual assault that's been coming against us right, especially against relationships, finances, and health. But when the enemy comes in like a flood, sensing and fearing the move of God in His people, the Lord raises up the banner of the victory of the cross through the power of the blood of Jesus (Isaiah 59:19, NKJV). In Christ, we stand in prayer and faith with one another, knowing "The One who is in you is greater than the one in the world" (1 John 4:4). "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (Romans 16:20). God bless you and God be with you my friends and fellow prayer warriors! 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 to our vision and calling to the Kingdom of God through Messiah Ministries On-line at http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

Wally Thomas, Man of God and Man of Love 3-5-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You, and I want to be more like You. … "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13). Yesterday we honored the life and ministry of Rev. Wallace E. Thomas, as we entrusted his spirit into the arms of his Father. My pastor and friend of many years spoke tenderly and passionately of his father and mentor and friend. But of the words spoke in memory and honor of this man of God who touched so many lives, these are the words that continue to burn in my soul: "Cut Wally Thomas anywhere, and he bleeds love." Wally Thomas lived his life to be like You. As he grew in age, he grew in the nature of Christ. That's really the standard and the goal for each of us who are called by Your name -- "to press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ" (Philippians 3:14). It's a high call to bless those who curse you, to pray for those who persecute you, to love those who hate you, to bleed love for those who cut you. But we could not be more like You when we do. To love is to willingly lay down your life for the lives of others. This is the sacrifice of love, the willing submission and trusting surrender to the life of God living through us. "If we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit…. 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 4:12-17). As You are, so was Wally Thomas in this world, by Your grace. And by the blood of Christ poured out for the cuts of the sins of the world, Wally had great boldness on the day of his judgment, as a heavenly host of angels carried his spirit into the loving embrace of Your eternal presence. He was a man of God and a man of love. And his life and memory is in inspiration and example to us all of trying to simply live every day in the simple love of Christ. His big smile said it all, except maybe the smiles on the faces of all the lives he touched and loved. "… and the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join with me in keeping Kay Thomas, her daughter Debbie, son David, and all of their family in prayer through these sacred times of both celebration and sadness. I pray the same for you through these painful times of your life of releasing the ones you love from this earthly life. But through the love and grace of God in Christ, "we not grieve as others do who have no hope," for we will see them again; our hope and faith is in the eternal love of God (1 Thessalonians 4:13). 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 to our vision and calling to the Kingdom of God through Messiah Ministries On-line at http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

Saved for a Purpose, Blessed to be a Blessing 3-4-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, my heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit of the Living God living in me. … "God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth' " (Genesis 9:1). Noah spent some time away on a boat with his family. All the while, the world outside the ark of his salvation was soaked in turmoil and tribulation, panic and fear. But He trusted in Your words, waited on Your will, and rested in his relationship with You. And then there came a day when his boat returned to shore. It was time for his sea legs to stand firm again on the land of his destiny and in the power and purpose of God, forever changed. There You blessed him and his family. There You commissioned them to go forth into their next season of life and ministry, to see the world differently than before. There You anointed them with Your favor and grace to increase and abound, to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. You set before them all they would need to find and fulfill their destiny, along with the eyes to see it, the permission to receive it, and the wisdom to use it for their provision and Your purposes. "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything" (v. 9:3). As in the days of Adam, You entrusted dominion of the earth, along with both authority and responsibility, into the hands of Noah and his generations to follow (v. 9:2). "The heaven's are the Lord's heavens, but the earth He has given to human beings" (Psalm 115:16). His salvation was for a purpose. He was blessed to be a blessing, saved to share the hope and promise of salvation to others. He took the dominion and authority You gave him to till and cultivate the land You entrusted to him as an inheritance. He sowed seeds of life in fertile soil, even the very places that were once under the judgment of God, and produced a harvest of fruit (Genesis 9:20). Yet even then, You gave him the freedom to choose to love You and serve You, to honor You with the gifts You gave him -- or not. You gave him both the power to bless or to curse, to build up or to tear down. A true relationship of love always requires the freedom to choose to love or not, obey or not, live for ourselves or live for You. Noah, like Adam before him, would make choices in his freedom that would bring great blessings as well as great curses to the generations of the earth (v. 9:18-29). So from the very beginning, we have always had need of redemption and need of our Redeemer. We need the One who saves us from the destruction of our selfish choices. We need the One who causes all things to work together for good as we entrust all things into Your hands and Your will by the grace You give. "We wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:13-14). Lord, thank You for rest in times of turmoil and the peace that comes only through faith in the One who is in control. Give me strength to stand firm in the faith and wisdom to work the soil and produce the harvest You've entrusted to my care. Give me the favor of Your blessing and let me be a blessing to others. I am saved for a purpose and blessed to be a blessing. And when I stumble and fall and fail, give me the grace I'll never earn and the forgiveness I'll never deserve to entrust even that into Your redeeming hands. As You cause me and my generations to increase and abound in the power of Your grace, let it be Your good for Your glory that increases and abounds and fills the earth. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, 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 (see below). We believe this is the Lord's plan of provision for our ministry through these desert days. We are very encouraged that many have joined with us and prayerful that you will join us as well. 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." 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 http://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

"As it Was in the Days of Noah" 3-3-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You increase as I decrease; You speak as I listen. … "Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as He made His way to Jerusalem. Someone asked Him, 'Lord, will only a few be saved?' He said to them, 'Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able' " (Luke 13:22-24). According to Your warning, there will come a time when many will try to enter into the door of salvation and will not be able. They will sincerely try to enter it because they will sincerely desire it; yet You clearly say they will not be able. Lord, I want to be able. I want everyone that I know to able. In fact, I want everyone to be able. And it breaks my heart to think that many will try to enter and not be able. As I write these words, I think of those who must have sincerely desired to enter the ark with Noah on the day the rains fell and the floods rose. But they were not able (Genesis 7:21). Only those who entered in through the narrow door of the ark of Your salvation did not die. And though You have declared You will never again destroy the earth with a flood of water, You have also declared that there will again come a time like the days of Noah -- when all who will desire to enter Your salvation will not be able. "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them" (Luke 17:26-28). Lord, how can we be ready to enter the ark of Your salvation? It seems I hear You say, "Strive to enter through the narrow door. Enter now, before that day comes. Enter now and enter every moment of every day by opening Your heart for My Spirit to enter you. This is the ark of your salvation. This is the narrow door -- that you would abide in Me and allow Me to abide in you. I am the door. I am your salvation. And I freely give Myself to all who freely give themselves to Me." Yes, Lord. "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation" (Psalm 62:1). "Lead me in Your truth, and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all day long" (Psalm 25:5). "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; He has become my salvation" (Isaiah 12:2). As You have said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved" (John 10:9, NKJV). "This Jesus is 'the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:11-12). So by Your grace and through Your Spirit, I wait upon You alone; and I welcome You to enter me as You welcome me to enter You. And in this I know I will live forever in the fullness of Your salvation. Today and every day is the day of the Son of Man for me. And I know the same is true for all who call on Your name to welcome You into their hearts. "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, please send me a note if you have any concern about the certainty of your salvation. I would love to talk with you and pray with you. We can be sure through the grace of God when we choose to open our hearts to welcome Jesus in as Lord and Savior of our lives. This is God's will for you and for all (John 3:16). And I join each of you in praying this same prayer for all those who are on your heart, that we may all enter in through the narrow door into the ark of God's salvation through Jesus Christ. Our God is "not wanting any to perish, but all to come repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God bless you! 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 our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Avant-garde of God, Fellowship on a Cruise Ship 3-2-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. We've been away from home for a week of both ministry and family vacation. But it's good to be home and to slip into my old chair in my morning place of prayer to greet my day with You. … "I am not asking You to take them out of the world…. As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world" (John 17:15-18). You were really stretching the wineskin of my ministry last week. I was invited to be the inspirational speaker for our group onboard a Caribbean cruise ship. It was my first cruise and my first time of ministry so much in the midst of the world. They arranged for us to meet in a place between the casino and the espresso bar, across from a bandstand just through the glass walls of our meeting room. When I say "meeting room," I mean the bar that we transformed into our travelling tabernacle and "tent of meeting" for few hours together each day (Exodus 33:7-11). Our little lounge was called "Avant-garde," which appropriately speaks of "pushing the boundaries" and "living life on the edge." But there in our worship and prayer and ministry to one another, the glory of Your manifest presence descended like "the pillar of cloud." And, like Moses in his tent of meeting in the wilderness, You were there in the midst of the world to meet with us "face to face" (v. 33:11). Yet with all the irony of our eclectic journey onboard our city at sea, we had so much fun and we fully expressed our faith. I loved the night the reggae band slipped back in on our break to gather their drums and guitars to move to the bandstand outside our hall. The drummer sheepishly smiled and bowed his head as if to acknowledge the shift in the atmosphere in our common domain. And it was wonderful to have an elderly woman join us for our time of worship and allow us to join with her in prayer for Jesus to fill her heart and heal her body of bone cancer. She gave us a big hug and a smile as she slipped back out our glass doors into the world that filtered by our glass walls to see our hearts and hear our songs. Truly we followed in Your steps, not of the world, but not ashamed to live and love the world in their world. "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds" (Matthew 11:19). For us, our fun ship cruise ship was filled with worship, fellowship, and discipleship. I just read a note from Pastor Linda who came with a couple from her congregation, saying she had such a "glorious time" she hopes we'll do this every year! Truly You have pushed our boundaries. You've stretched our wineskins, lengthened our stakes, expanded our territory as witnesses and partakers of Your extravagant love and ever-abiding presence. We have experienced the Avant-garde of God. By Your grace, let us not shrink back, but keep pressing out until the light of the glory of God living in us as Your light in the world covers the earth "as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Please send me a note if you think you might like to join us in a ministry experience like this next year. Friends, thank you for your prayers for this exciting ministry experience last week and your prayers for my healing from sickness the week before. We've had our share of spiritual warfare and victory these past few weeks. Sorry that I've been so much out of touch with my prayer devotional, but thank you for joining with me in the journey. God bless you and I looking forward to continuing to pray with you! 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 our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Canopy of God's Protection 2-20-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My strength and my shield, my rock and my refuge. I entrust myself and my day to You. … "Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its places of assembly a cloud by day and smoke and shining of a flaming fire by night. Indeed over all the glory there will be a canopy. It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain" (Isaiah 4:5-6). For a couple of days, I've been "under the weather." And the weather seems to be blowing through our house, bringing aches and congestion to my boys and me. It's as if an ill wind is trying to wither our spirits and steal away the blessing of our time away together next week. But no wind can blow away our hope in You and no weather can steal away our place of rest under the canopy of Your protection. The glory cloud of Your presence will utterly consume all that may try to consume us, and the flaming fire of Your light will utterly displace every darkness that may try to envelope us. The storm and rain of sickness will only shatter and fall powerless to the ground as it encounters the refuge and shelter of Your mighty hand covering our home and our health. 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 Friends, thank you for your prayers for me and my family. The Lord is our healer (Exodus 15:26; 1 Peter 2:24). Please be in agreement in prayer with us, and I stand in agreement in prayer for you. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! Tonight, Friday, 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. Brooke and Shannon Barrett will lead in worship and Doris and Bob McCray will lead in prayer. 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 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

"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