Temper, Anger, and Godly Self-Control 5-20-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let God arise in my heart and life today. ... "One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city" (Proverbs 16:32). Words are said and left unsaid, things are done and left undone that can touch my temper because it touches my pain. In my sin and insensitivity, I, too often, do the same to others. But there is nothing wrong with being fully aware of our pain or fully alive to our emotions. It's what we do with them that matters. It's how we respond that makes the difference. To control them by denying them is just as wrong in our reaction and response as to allow them to freely flow unchecked and uncontrolled. To stifle, shut down, or detach from our real emotions is just another form of the sin of self-centered control rather than godly self-control. The wisdom of Your Word actually commands us to "be angry" -- "Be angry but do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). It doesn't say, as many assume, "do not be angry, because that is sin." To the contrary, it says, "Be angry but do not sin." We are to be fully alive to the true emotions and pain of the encounters and circumstances of life. But we are not to be controlled by those emotions and pain. We are to be controlled by Christ, through the deliberate surrender of our emotions and pain to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. The moneychangers in the temple touched Your temper and made You mad. No doubt You were angry when You made a "whip of cords" and "drove them out of the temple" as You "overturned their tables" (John 2:15). You were fully alive to Your emotions and pain, consumed with zeal, but not consumed by Your anger or Your temper (v. 2:17). You were angry but did not sin in Your anger. They touched Your temper, but You did not lose control of Your temper. You released it to the Father and You were led by the Holy Spirit to manage Your emotions and Your temper with godly self-control. Lord, teach me how to do that better. Empower me by Your grace to be fully alive to my emotions, not denying them, but also not letting them consume or control me. "Like a city breached, without wall, is one who lacks self-control" (Proverbs 25:28). I can't control the people and circumstances around me, but I can control my responses by the grace of God and leading of Your Spirit. Then these become opportunities for me to grow in spiritual and emotional maturity. Then my nature becomes more like Your nature, consumed by the zeal of Your Spirit rather than consumed by the zeal of my flesh. Godly "self-control" is a "fruit of the Spirit;" an uncontrolled temper is a fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:22-23). And I want my life to be filled with Your Spirit, so that I bear the fruit of Your Spirit. So even when You don't change my circumstances, I can trust You to change me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays If you're in the Austin, Texas area, please come to our Healing Conference, May 28-30 at Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin, TX that I'll be leading with Dan Van Nice. I'll be ministering on inner healing and Dan will be ministering on physical healing Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday. RSVP required (512) 673-2652 oremail Giana: servantsofthemosthighGod@gmail.com A flyer is attached. Please come and spread the word! Friends, please come join us for the Aldersgate'09 Conference on Spirit-filled Living this summer, July 1-5. I'm excited to be a Keynote Speaker this year in Greesboro, NC, preaching the Friday Night message on Healing and also teaching equipping sessions on prayer ministry: http://www.aldersgate09.org/conference-info/keynote-speakers.html Please register on-line now and spread the word! Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. --Matthew 11:28 Women of faith---You are invited to day retreats of spiritual refreshment! These are occurring every month this year and they are beautiful days of renewal and healing led by Laura Beach, Equipping Lydia, in association with Messiah Ministries. Upcoming retreats will be May 26 or 27 in Bryantsville, Kentucky with the focus on “Entering the Rest of Jesus.” Then, there will be a retreat on May 30th in Cartersville, Virginia with the focus on our spiritual “Thirst.” Contact Laura Beach at LauraBBeach@insightbb.com for more details and a list of all the spiritual refreshment dates for 2009. Please share this invitation with any women of faith who may need a day of spiritual renewal and restoration. 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 Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

The Word Made Fresh 5-19-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'll be silent now, as You speak. I'll follow now, as You lead. ... Lord I hear You call my name Lord I hear You are the same Lord I'm listening I'm not missing Any word You have to say Lord speak to me Lord reach out to me Lord I'm listening I'm not missing Any word You have to say ... "My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). Lord Jesus, I do know You; and You know me. I am one of Your sheep; and You are my Great Shepherd. By the mercy of Your grace, I do hear Your voice; I do follow You. And I want to hear Your voice more clearly, more specifically in all the ways You choose to speak to me. I want to be listening, never missing any word You have to say. Your words "are spirit and life" (John 6:63). And I want to hear them, obey them, and be changed by them. As I open the ears of my spirit to You, "only speak the word" and I will be changed (Matthew 8:8). You are "the Word made flesh" (John 1:14, KJV). And You are the Word made fresh every moment of every day, as You speak Your words of spirit and life into my spirit and my life. So what could be more important than growing in knowing You, hearing Your voice, and following You? It seems I hear You say, "My son, take hold of My hand with your heart. As you keep your heart open to Me, I fill your heart with My desires and lead your steps in My ways. It is a journey; it is a process. Your part is to keep your heart open to Me. My part is to keep changing your heart, a little more each day." Yes, Lord. "You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:5-10). As I open my heart and listen for Your voice, I take hold of Your hand. And You keep taking hold of me. "My sheep hear My voice. I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:27-28). Thank You, Lord, for Your word made fresh to me and in me today. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays If you're in the Austin, Texas area, please come to our Healing Conference, May 28-30 at Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin, TX that I'll be leading with Dan Van Nice. I'll be ministering on inner healing and Dan will be ministering on physical healing Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday. RSVP required (512) 673-2652 oremail Giana: servantsofthemosthighGod@gmail.com A flyer is attached. Please come and spread the word! Friends, please come join us for the Aldersgate'09 Conference on Spirit-filled Living this summer, July 1-5. I'm excited to be a Keynote Speaker this year in Greesboro, NC, preaching the Friday Night message on Healing and also teaching equipping sessions on prayer ministry: http://www.aldersgate09.org/conference-info/keynote-speakers.html Please register on-line now and spread the word! 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 Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Always, Everlasting God 5-18-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Everlasting God ... Everlasting God Never-ending love Unimaginable mercy Forever faithful and true You're always here You're always near You're always with me Wherever I go You never leave You're never weak You're always everlasting My always, everlasting God ... "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable " (Isaiah 40:28). Relationships and loyalties may waver and fail. Economies and securities may tremble and shake. Even nations and governments may tumble and fall. Yet You are faithful, steadfast, and sure. You are always everlasting, outlasting them all. I don't always understand Your timing and ways. But I am always growing in my gratitude for Your faithful and steadfast presence through all that I face. When I look around at the end of the day, You are still there. When I look up at the beginning of the next, You're still there. You are the God who "gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless" (v. 40:29). In the knowledge of the truth of Your persistent presence, I need not grow faint. In the abiding sense of Your strength, I am never powerless. For You are my strength and my power. You are my always, everlasting God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us for the Aldersgate'09 Conference on Spirit-filled Living this summer, July 1-5. I'm excited to be a Keynote Speaker this year in Greesboro, NC, preaching the Friday Night message on Healing and also teaching equipping sessions on prayer ministry and emtional healing: http://www.aldersgate09.org/conference-info/keynote-speakers.html Please register on-line now and spread the word! 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 or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

The Song of the Lord 5-15-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You inspire me, You empower me, You give me strength to meet my day. ... You inspire me You empower me You give me strength to meet my day You lead me You never leave me You shine Your light to show the way You are my strength and my shield You are the power that I feel And I know I go through this day with You ... "Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also..." (2 Chronicles 29:27). Under the Old Covenant, the priests brought the offerings of their sacrifice to be burnt by fire on the altar of the temple. Under our New Covenant in Christ, we offer the sacrifice of our hearts to be consumed in the fire of the Holy Spirit, burning in the temple of our lives. "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1). "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? ... For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). As I come to You to lift up my eyes and open up my heart in my morning sacrifice and offering of prayer, You are already here. Yet at the same time, You send Your holy fire in a fresh way upon the altar of my heart and fan the embers into flame again through the intimacy of this intentional communion with You in prayer. When You do, the song of the Lord often begins to arise in my soul. No matter what I'm facing, no matter You already know I will endure, You remind me that I will face it and endure it with You. So songs of thanksgiving, praise, and trust begin to rise with the smoke of the burnt offering of my life. May this "offering made by fire" be "as a sweet aroma before (You) Lord" (Exodus 29:25, NKJV). My my life today be a song of the Lord to You. Thank You for giving me a new song to sing as I begin this new day with You in prayer. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night 5/15, on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our Messiah Ministries' gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Brooke and Shannon Barrett will be leading us in worship, while Laura Beach and I lead us in prayer. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary (www.CentenaryLex.com). All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Friends, please come join us for the Aldersgate'09 Conference on Spirit-filled Living this summer, July 1-5. I'm excited to be a Keynote Speaker this year in Greesboro, NC, preaching the Friday Night message on Healing and also teaching equipping sessions on prayer ministry: http://www.aldersgate09.org/conference-info/keynote-speakers.html Please register on-line now and spread the word! 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 Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Commanded Victories 5-13-09

Good Morning, Lord Jesus. You are my hope and my strength, my vision and my purpose. ... "You are my King and my God; You command victories for Jacob" (Psalm 44:4). Your word goes forth, and victories are won -- bodies and emotions are healed, relationships are restored, failures are redeemed, vision is fulfilled, lives are changed. As the centurion soldier admitted his unworthiness of Your blessings in his own righteousness, yet humbly asked for healing of his servant, He knew by faith the power of Your word and Your authority. He said to You, "Only speak the word, and my servant will be healed" (Matthew 8:8). Then You commanded the victory. You affirmed his faith and sent forth Your word; and his servant was healed (v. 8:10-13). As we choose to align ourselves under Your authority as King and God, by the mercy and power of Your grace, You "command victories." You cause circumstances to align in our favor. Like the centurion, You want us to understand the principle of "authority" (v. 8:9). This is a principle of alignment with the plans and purposes of God as King of the Kingdom of God, in trusting, obedient submission to the authority of Your word in our lives. And at the same time, we are directly affected by our choices and the choices of others -- by both human beings and spiritual beings -- in a broken, fallen world not yet fully redeemed on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-15). But You give us grace to choose to come into alignment with Your authority, to call on Your name, in faith believing You will send forth Your word and command the victory, in Your perfect timing and Your perfect way. "So My word that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that to which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11). My King and my God, help me come into alignment with Your authority and Your word. Increase my faith to believe in Your power for all that I need according to Your purpose. Command my circumstances -- within me and around me -- to align with Your will and your Kingdom. Command Your victory in the power of Your word. Give me wisdom to agree and faith to believe (Matthew 19:18-19). "Only speak the word" and it shall be done. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night 5/15, 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. Brooke and Shannon Barrett will be leading us in worship, while Laura Beach and I lead us in prayer. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary (www.CentenaryLex.com). 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 our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Events As Yet Unseen" 5-12-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my thoughts and the beginning of my day. ... "By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household" (Hebrews 11:7). The events of these coming days are as yet unseen to us. But You already see the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. You already see every challenge I'll endure, every battle I'll fight, every choice I'll make. These coming days will come as no surprise to You. "Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed" (Psalm 139:16). You are forming the substance of my faith and my character now for what I will endure then. In fact, You have been forming the substance of my faith and my character throughout my life for what I am enduring now. What was yet unseen in my past, is seen now seen in my present, and will be seen in my future. But it has always been seen to You. So I would be foolish not to put my faith and trust in the One who sees all things, the One who holds all time and space and substance of every dimension in Your mighty hands. "Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods" (Psalm 40:4). Give me ears to hear Your warning and wisdom to respect it. Give me eyes to see by faith what You show me to warn me of what is yet unseen so that I will be prepared, so that I will be of use to You in preparing others, in preparing the way of the Lord. Those who hear and heed the word and the warning of the Lord will be safe, secure in the ark of Your salvation through the events of the days to come. When there is an "increase of lawlessness" and "the love of many grow cold" as "many will fall away," I want to be ready to persevere and endure because You have made me ready (Matthew 24:11-13). I want to be among those who rejoice and are glad no matter what days may come, because "the bride has made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7). I don't want to fear man or fear events. I want to fear God alone with honor, respect, and trusting faith -- believing Your promises and believing that You are good and You are love and You will be with me through all that is yet to come. "The fear of others lays a snare, but one who trusts in the Lord is secure" (Proverbs29:25). Lord God Almighty, loving Savior, and trusted Friend, form the steadfast substance of Your faith in me now so that my faith will not waver in the days yet unseen. "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). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night 5/15, 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. Brooke and Shannon Barrett will be leading us in worship, while Laura Beach and I lead us in prayer. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary (www.CentenaryLex.com). 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 our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Up with a Shout" 5-11-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. You are one God, revealing Yourself to us in three Persons. I worship You and welcome You to reveal Your will for my day in the way You choose. ... "Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy. For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great King over all the earth.... God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm. God is King over the nations; God sits on His holy throne" (Psalm 47:1-8). I will clap and shout and sing loud songs of joy, for the Lord my God is awesome and worthy of all my praise. I will shout my praises to my King, the King of all the earth. Lord Jesus, You are the "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to (You)" (Matthew 28:18). You rule and reign over all. And I shout with all the angels and all the "great multitude, like the sound of many waters," praising, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns!" (Revelation 19:6). Though the kings of the nations of the earth may plot and conspire to build the kingdoms of this world and set themselves against Your authority, they "plot in vain" (Psalm 2:1). They may seem to be in control, setting up their order to have their way; but "He who sits in the heavens laughs....saying, "I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill" (Psalm 2:4-6). Though they think they are in power and assert the authority they have in the season You've allowed, they will one day bow their knees before the One who is eternally King, confessing the absolute truth that Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, that He is Lord of all (Philippians 2:9-11). Lord God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, You sit on Your holy throne. You are exalted and enthroned on the praises of Your people (Psalm 22:3). And as I praise You, shouting my praises to Your name, I shout down the kings of this world and "every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5). "Now, therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling kiss His feet, or He will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for His wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in Him" (Psalm 2:10-11). O Lord, my God, You are awesome. You are the everlasting God and eternal "King of all the earth" (Psalm 47:7). You go up with a shout of my praises to You. You are Lord of all my life; and I take refuge in Your rule and reign, my King. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we have a special guest from Israel coming to The Mountain this Monday Night, May 11, to speak on current issues and lead us in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and the people of the land of Israel. Please come join us. 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! Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night, 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 (www.CentenaryLex.com). 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 our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Moms Know 5-10-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You embrace me in Your arms, cleanse me by Your blood, and fill me with Your Spirit. I am Yours and You are mine. ... "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem" (Isaiah 66:13). O Lord my God, thank You for encouraging me and empowering me as a father blesses his sons and daughters. Thank You for comforting me and nurturing me with as a mother loves her children. On this Mother's Day, I thank You for all the ways You've encouraged me and loved me through her. Moms know When to smile and when to pray When to laugh and when to say Don't worry honey, it'll all be ok Moms know When to sing and when to cry When to look you in the eye We never have to wonder why Moms know When others can't seem to see your heart When they can't see how hurt you are They're always there and never part Moms know When you're really feeling down When you need their arms all wrapped around They know your needs before you make a sound Moms know When you never grow out of your need When you never want her to quit being The one who sees the best in you and never quits believing Thank You for mothers. Thank You for mine. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To all the mothers who join with me in this journey of prayer, Happy Mother's Day! God bless you and thank you for all the love you pour into us and all the prayers you pray for us. Great is your reward. We honor you this day in the name of Jesus. God bless you! Friends, we have a special guest from Israel coming to The Mountain this Monday Night, May 11, to speak on current issues and lead us in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and the people of the land of Israel. Please come join us. 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! 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 (www.CentenaryLex.com). 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 our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

The Place of Testing 5-9-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of heaven and earth, be Lord of my mind and heart. ... "After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you'.... On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place far away" (Genesis 22:1-4). You "test the minds and hearts" of all people (Psalm 7:9). You don't look merely to the outward appearances, but look beneath the surface of vain words, religious actions, and empty promises to see our true hearts. "For the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). We may say we will follow You wherever You lead; we may promise to obey You whatever You command; we may believe we have surrendered all of our hearts and souls to You, but the times of testing reveal the truth. You reveal it to us not to shame us or condemn us, but to remind us that apart from You we can do nothing (John 15:5). Your tests remind us that no matter how mature we think we are or how sanctified we think we have become, we have no righteousness apart from You; we are desperately dependant upon You and Your grace, every moment of every day. Abraham looked up and saw the place of his test from "far away." He could see it coming. And that's part of the test too. Will we keep going forward even when we know a time of testing lies ahead? Will we turn back or to the side? Will we make other plans? Will we say we cannot endure it or give in to the fear that we cannot survive it? Will we flee in the face of the problems, or stand firm in the power of Your grace and rely on the faithfulness of Your promises? "No testing will overtake you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). Though Abraham looked up and saw the place of his testing, even from far away, He pressed on. And You provided the way out with a sacrifice You provided by Your grace on his behalf, just as he knew in his heart You always would. "Abraham said, 'God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son' " (Genesis 22:8). Abraham was found faithful. He passed the test because he trusted You to always provide all we need. No matter what testing we may endure, no matter how clearly we begin to see the place where our testing will come, we can trust the One who provided the Lamb, the One who provided Your Son, Your only Son, so we will be able to endure it (John 3:16). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we have a special guest from Israel coming to The Mountain this Monday Night, May 11, to speak on current issues and lead us in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and the people of the land of Israel. Please come join us. 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! 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 (www.CentenaryLex.com). 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 our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

National Day of Prayer 5-7-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I arise in my body to step into my day, I arise in my spirit to step into prayer. ... "May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You" (Psalm 33:22, NIV). Today is our National Day of Prayer in America. No matter what our religion, as Americans we have the guaranteed constitutional right of freedom to express our faith and hope, whether in private or in public. I thank You for the founding principles of our nation that protect "the blessings of liberty," including the free expression of religion. And I thank You that our founding fathers and national leaders recognized the human need to humbly and faithfully acknowledge a Divine authority greater than ourselves and our government. Thank You that this undeniable truth is forever sealed in the written, historical documents of our national heritage: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America" (United States Constitution).

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" (Declaration of Independence).

"...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth" (President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address). In that freedom, I declare my hope and my faith is in You, O Lord. You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God who created us and sustains us in Your unfailing love that always rests upon us, never leaving us nor forsaking; the God who humbled Yourself into the likeness of human flesh to walk among us and show us the nature of Your heart as Son of Man, yet Son of God; the God who is One, in three dimension of Your One Being as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. You are the God I freely honor today in the liberty I have. You are the God I will worship and praise today, as I gather with fellow Americans from various streams and traditions of the body of Christ, in the public freedom we have, to offer You our prayers and thanks for Your providence and provision. I'll gather with others at my church, but I also gather with others in our public, governmental institutions to openly and freely declare our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we will pray that the heart of our nation will turn to You in the freedom we have to honor You or not, to seek You or not, to depend upon You or not. We have not governmentally established religion as a nation, but there is a vibrant, faithful people of this nation who have our faith in You, Lord Jesus Christ, firmly established in us. Though some have said we are not a Christian nation, we are a nation filled with followers of the Lord Jesus Christ in every community across this nation, who have the inalienable right and the unyielding allegiance to bow on our knees and call on Your name. And with all who call on Your name from every tribe and tongue and nation around our world and throughout our generations, together as one in Jesus Christ our Lord, we are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that (we) may proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). Together as the followers of Jesus Christ, One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit, we are an eternal nation under God. It is this nation of believers and disciples from all nations, under God in Christ, that not even the antichrist or the new world order of a one world government will ever crush out of our spirits or completely destroy from the face of the earth. One day soon the seventh trumpet will sound and the voices of heaven will proclaim, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us for the National Day of Prayer at 6:30 pm Thursday Night May 7th for an ecumenical gathering I'll be helping lead at my home church, Centenary United Methodist, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY (http://www.centenarylex.com/). This will be jointly hosted with our neighbor churches, Immanuel Baptist Church and Tates Creek Christian Church. Please come and spread the word. There are also gatherings in the Rotunda of the State Capitol in Frankfort and in downtown Lexington at noon, as well as other places across our nation. Let's join together in prayer for the people and leaders of our nation to turn to God and depend upon Him alone as our Hope.

Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: http://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"

http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502

Presumption or Prayer 5-6-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name, listen for Your voice, and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name of was Tabitha.... She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her they laid her in a room upstairs.... Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs.... Peter knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, 'Tabitha, get up.' Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up" (Acts 9:36-40). Peter was not satisfied to come to Tabitha's house and honor her for a life of devotion to good works and acts of charity. He didn't settle for a ceremony around her casket, remembering with her friends and family that she was a faithful disciple of Christ. He did not passively assent to the finality of illness and death as if it were the sovereign will of God. Instead, "Peter knelt down and prayed." Some might say, "What was there to pray about? If it were God's will that she be well, she would not have been sick. If it were God's will that she be healed, she would not have remained ill. If it were God's will that she live, she would not have died. Nothing happens without passing through the hands of God. Everything that happens is God's will. Just abandon yourself to the will of God and just accept everything that happens because God is doing something in you that you should just accept. Don't be rebellious. Don't be prideful or full of your self. Just submit to your circumstances. There's a time to live and a time to die, so when it's time to die, just die." But that wasn't Peter's theology. Or his faith. Or his sense of obedience to the will of God. "Peter knelt down and prayed." What we may think is humility and submission to the sovereignty of God and His will is often just presumption. Humility and submission is to kneel down and pray. To say, "Lord, what is Your will? What does Your Word say? What is Your word to me for this moment?" It seems to me when Peter humbled himself to seek Your will and Your word for that moment, You may have shown him Your will by reminding him of Your words, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). You may have spoken to him by reminding him of what he saw You do when You were called to come to the bed of a little girl who became ill and died. You didn't accept her sickness and death as God's sovereign will; You didn't tell her parents to grow up in maturity through the experience and to be patient in their suffering because a lot of people would get saved at her funeral. Instead, You said, "Little girl, get up!" (Mark 5:41). That was Your theology about healing, death, and the sovereignty of God. That was Your sense of surrender and abandonment to the will of God -- the will of God to bring healing instead of sickness, life instead of death, victory instead of defeat. So Peter did what he would teach others to do, "You should follow in His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). You should pray and then obey. And when You move forward in obedience, by the gifts and graces of God, You should do so in faith, with the boldness that comes from a heart that seeks God's word first in prayer and then relies on His Spirit in power. "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and power forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:10-11). Your name was glorified when Peter, Your servant and Your son, prayed and obeyed. You were not glorified through Tabitha's sickness and death, You were glorified by her healing and life. Peter didn't honor You by abandoning himself to the circumstances; he honored You by submitting himself the One who is Lord of the circumstances. Only as he knelt down and prayed could he hear for himself that Your sovereign will was not to accept the circumstances, but to change the circumstances. Give me wisdom and grace to go and follow in his steps and in Yours. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us for the National Day of Prayer at 6:30 pm Thursday Night May 7th at my home church, Centenary United Methodist, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY (www.CentenaryLex.com). I will be helping lead our ecumenical gathering, jointly hosted with our neighbor churches, Immanuel Baptist Church and Tates Creek Christian Church. Please come and spread the word. (I mistakenly said 7pm in previous notes). Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: 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

Warfare Prayer 5-5-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29); and You are also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelations 5:5). You are the Lamb who was slain and opened not Your mouth at the injustice (Isaiah 53:7); and You are also the King of kings and Lord of Lord, returning from heaven on a white horse, with eyes like a flame of fire, a robe dipped in blood, who judges and makes war, treading the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God (Revelation 19:11-16). I want to know You and worship You in every dimension of Your Being with every dimension of my being. ... "He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.... I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back until they were consumed. I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. For You girded me with strength for the battle ..." (Psalm 18:34-39). I went to bed last night, peaceful and content. Yet I awoke early this morning, trembling with a fierceness of Spirit. You brought to my mind the young daughter of some friends with such a tender heart, full of love and faith for You, who's been tormented with pain in her head and body for weeks. And I felt You stirring in me to go to war in the heavenly realm at Your leading and command. I wrote out my prayer of warfare as I prayed it, until the burden lifted; then I sent it to her parents, my friends. As I come to You in prayer this morning, I sense I am to share this prayer with others who might desire to use it as a plan of war for those they love, in the Spirit of intercession and spiritual warfare, as You lead. To keep her privacy, I feel I should change the name of my friends' daughter in my prayer to "Tabitha", named after the woman of love and faith Your disciples raised from the dead by Your power in the Book of Acts (Acts 9:36-41). Here is my Warfare Prayer for Tabitha, which I believe You led me to pray by Your Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus to the glory of our Father. Lord, would You magnify this out, as far as Your grace will go, for all those who need Your answer and Your power in their time of need, as we agree together in prayer: Lord God Almighty, You are the perfect Father, and I feel such a righteous, violent anger and wrath against the spiritual forces of wickedness and evil trying to steal the peace and mind of this precious, anointed, and chosen child of God, Tabitha. And I stand against this evil and war against it in the name of Jesus. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:10-18). By the grace of God and in the name of Jesus, I stand firm against the wiles of the devil, every spiritual force of evil, and every satanic plan against Tabitha and her calling and destiny in Christ. The Lord my God has awakened me and I am alert, persevering in supplication for Tabitha, a saint of God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth who came in the flesh and who has defeated Satan and all the kingdom of darkness by the victory of His cross and glory of His resurrection. I do not come in my own righteousness but in the righteousness and the name of the One who is righteous and holy and victorious. And by God's grace and in submission to His perfect will and timing, I take up the weapons of my warfare, in agreement with all who are called by God to take this stand with me for Tabitha and her family, to bind every attack against Tabitha's mind, spirit, and body. I command in the name of Jesus that every grip around her brain and body be broken and every tormenting spirit be bound and broken from her in the name of Jesus, consumed in the fire of the Holy Spirit. "Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. We are ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete" (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). By these weapons of prayer and the name of Jesus and the Word of God and the blood of Jesus and prophetic intercession led by the Holy Spirit to pray the kingdom of God to come and the will of God to be done on earth and in Tabitha as it is in heaven, I destroy these strongholds in agreement with the divine power of God. I agree with God's punishment of every disobedient spirit and act of defiance against the will of God in Tabitha's life. God's will is that she be free from this torment, that she be at peace, that she be healed of every disease and freed from every satanic attack. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits -- who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed" (Psalm 103:2-6). I agree with the wrath of God, punishing this wickedness and evil, that seeks to harm this child of God. I agree with the fury being unleashed against it from heaven in the fire of the Holy Spirit, consuming every act of rebellion and torment against this child. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth" (Romans 1:18). I thank You, Lord God Almighty, that You have defeated the enemy's attacks and I stand in agreement with Your victory and power to crush this demonic strategy. Tabitha stands in You and You stand in her, over the enemy of her soul which You have crushed under her feet and mine in the name of Jesus. "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (Romans 16:20). Now, Lord God Almighty, come as a mighty warrior and unleash Your unrelenting wrath and fury against every spirit that dares to defy You and Your will of peace and healing and freedom for Tabitha. Your judgments are righteous and just and true. Consume Your enemy and break its power, as You heal Tabitha and set her free from this torment, healing her spirit, soul, and body through and through, restoring her and her gifts of wisdom, creativity, boldness, prophecy, evangelism, courageous writing, and faith. "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of perdition assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens, and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering around him, his canopy thick clouds dark with water. Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice. And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. He reached down from on high, he took me; he drew me out of mighty waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me" (Psalm 18:1-19). Yes, Lord God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, my Father and Tabitha's Father, (her parents') Father, this is what I have been feeling as I trembled and shook in prayer and intercession for Tabitha throughout this watch of the night. You are coming in power and might against this wicked and evil enemy of Your child. You are answering every prayer that been prayed for her healing and freedom. It is done in heaven and is being done on earth as it is already done in heaven. We will see Your victory and we thank You now for it. We thank You for the healing and peace that will come in the natural realm as it already has in the spiritual realm. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3). Thank You, Lord God Almighty, our Healer and Deliverer, our Lord and Savior, who hears us when we cry and answers all who call on the name of the Lord. Redeem all that has happened, turn it all around against the enemy, as You increase Your authority and Your blessing upon Your child. May You bring forth a hundredfold and more for Your kingdom and Your glory from everything the enemy has tried to steal and destroy from Tabitha and her family, to the glory of Your name. "Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30). Our God reigns! And I know You will be faithful to bring to completion all You have begun, in Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way. And by Your grace, I commit to stand in agreement with You and Your will, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, in persevering faith, until all that You have prayed through me comes to pass. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:26-28). With all those who are praying for Tabitha, I thank You now, my Lord and my God, for Your answers to our prayers. "Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 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 18:18-20). Thank You, Lord, for Your peace as I entrust Tabitha and her family into Your nail-scared hands. Thank You that I sense Your burden of intercession lifting for now, as I rest in the victory of the cross and power of the blood of Jesus. "This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand" (1 Samuel 17:46-47). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I believe there are many different facets to prayer, and spiritual warfare as led by the Holy Spirit is one. As the Lord would ever lead you to pray this prayer in whatever form or way the Holy Spirit may lead, I agree with you in Jesus' name. Please agree with me for breakthrough in the life of my friends' little girl; and I agree with you for breakthrough in the lives of those who are on your heart in prayer. God bless you! If you're in the Lexington area, please come join us for the National Day of Prayer at 6:30 pm Thursday Night May 7th at my home church, Centenary United Methodist, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY (http://www.centenarylex.com/). I will be helping lead our ecumenical gathering, jointly hosted with our neighbor churches, Immanuel Baptist Church and Tates Creek Christian Church. Please come and spread the word. (I mistakenly said 7pm in previous notes). Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/ 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

Together in Love, We Press On 5-4-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are a great God, a loving Father, and my Best Friend. Help me trust You more, honor You more, and welcome You more into my life every day. ... "But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who tremble at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). As we flooded the altar with our tears and on our knees at my home church yesterday, I knew You were near. Maybe more near than I've ever sensed Your presence in our hearts as one body before. As we confessed our sins of hurting one another and holding on to our offenses and failing to see the good of God in the motives of one another's hearts no matter the decisions that are made or how much we disagree, You drew near. You looked upon our humble and contrite spirits, trembling at Your word and welcoming You into our hurts and our hearts as a church family. By Your grace, we let go of the past so we could arise and go forth into the fullness of our purpose and destiny in You -- together in love. Truly, forgiveness breaks the power of the past and love covers a multitude of sins. Maybe nothing draws the manifest presence of Your glory more than when we humble ourselves before You and one another in forgiveness and love. "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). Thank You for reminding us and empowering us to love one another even when we disagree with one another. Right or wrong, we can choose to think the best of one another and go forward together. Like You, we can choose to look at the heart and not merely the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). And as we give it all to You as we go, what we choose rightly, You will confirm and prosper; and even what we choose wrongly, You will correct and redeem and use for our good and Your glory. But choosing to walk together in love through the journey, seeking You together, is a priority we cannot forget or neglect: "Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, server one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks, must do so as though speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:8-11). So in love, we let go of the past; and we "press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for praying for us at my home church yesterday. The Lord gave me the grace to share his Word and my heart in Spirit and truth and love. With testimonies, worship, and prayer that honored Him and His will for us, it was an awesome day! Please pray we will keep walking this out by God's grace. I pray the same for you and your home church and for all of the Lord's Church. God bless you! If you're in the Lexington area, please come join us for the National Day of Prayer at 6:30 pm Thursday Night May 7th at my home church, Centenary United Methodist, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY (http://www.centenarylex.com/). I will be helping lead our ecumenical gathering, jointly hosted with our neighbor churches, Immanuel Baptist Church and Tates Creek Christian Church. Please come and spread the word. Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/ 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

Reconciliation and Healing of a Broken Family 5-2-09

Good Morning, Lord Jesus. You are full of mercy and grace, both merciful and just. Make me more like You each day. I seek Your face and need Your grace. … "Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming …. But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept" (Genesis 33:1-4). Jacob and Esau were two brothers in a dysfunctional family who didn't get along. One betrayed the other's trust; one hated the other's guts. One was always controlling, deceiving, manipulating; one was always despising and neglecting the blessings he had. One was the favorite son of the mother; one was the favorite son of the father. Neither favored the other. Neither trusted the other. Certainly, they didn't love one another as they should. Instead, they resented and judged one another. Finally they did with their feet what they had long since done in their hearts -- they walked away from relationship with one another. Actually, Jacob ran away as fast as he could because Esau was ready to kill him (Genesis 27:41-45). Yet even through all their sin and resentment, bitterness and hardness of heart, You never let go of them or changed Your plans for them. Even as Jacob ran away from his family as fast as he could, You spoke to him of his calling and destiny, Your plans for his future with hope (Genesis 28:13-14). You reminded him that You would always be with him, no matter how far away he ran; and You promised him that one day You would bring him home (v. 28:15). Yet You allowed him the freedom to make his choices and follow the journey of his heart, even as bitter and broken as it was. Through his journey, he would meet his wife (actually, his wives), who would bear him the children who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. One of them would be named Judah, which means the praise of God, out of whose lineage would come the birth of the Messiah. Truly You redeem all things, even our brokenness and sin and hardness of heart. But it was never in Your heart to allow these brothers to keep their hearts hardened toward one another. It was Your desire to restore and redeem their family. So You kept speaking to Jacob about returning to Esau and to the land of his family and destiny (Genesis 31:3). You used the hardships of Jacob's life away from home to turn his heart back towards home, and one day he was ready to return. Yet the closer he came to his reunion with Esau, the more afraid he became as he remembered his sins and his brother's resentment. "Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed" (v. 32:7). He didn't trust Esau's heart to be willing to forgive and let go of the offenses and hurts of the past. So Jacob humbled himself to call on Your name, seeking Your mercy and Your help for his heart and for Esau's heart to be changed and for his destiny to be fulfilled in the land of his family (v. 32:9-12). And that was the night he spent wrestling with God until he saw You "face to face" (v. 32:22-32). There You changed his name to Israel and blessed him with the Father's blessing he had so longed to receive (v. 32:28-29). Because he saw Your face, he was able to face his fears and face his brother. You empowered them both by Your grace to forgive and embrace one another again (v. 33:4). In Esau's heart of forgiveness and willing desire for reconciliation and healing of their hearts and their home, Jacob was able to see Esau in a way he never could before. Through the eyes of forgiveness, having released the past to God, seeing Esau was now "like seeing the face of God" (v. 33:10). Lord God, give me eyes to see those who have hurt me, betrayed me, resented me, failed to forgive me, with the eyes of Your heart. Give them eyes to see me that way too. In my marriage, my family, my church home, in all my relationships that are so vital to the fulfillment of my destiny and theirs', move mightily in our hearts to bring us to the place of forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. As You give us grace to humbly and fervently seek Your face in prayer, give us grace to see Your face in one another. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be preaching all three services at my home church in Lexington, Kentucky this Sunday, May 3rd, Centenary United Methodist Church at 2800 Tates Creek Rd, where we have our Messiah Ministries office as well ( http://www.centenarylex.com/ ). I pray it will be a time of healing and reconciliation for some deep hurts in our church family, as we choose by God's grace to let go of the past and press on into our destiny, personally and a church (Philippians 3:13-14). Please keep us in your prayers as we thank God for a mighty move in our hearts. If you're in the Lexington area, please come join us for the National Day of Prayer at 6:30 pm Thursday Night May 7th in our main sanctuary at my home church, Centenary United Methodist, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY (http://www.centenarylex.com/). I will be helping lead our ecumenical gathering, jointly hosted with our neighbor churches, Immanuel Baptist Church and Tates Creek Christian Church. Please come and spread the word. Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/ 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

Prophetic Message of The Swine Flu: "What is Unclean Will Make You Sick" 5-1-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart to see You as You are, to see myself as I am, and to see how much I need You and Your mercy every moment of every day. … "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. They became unclean by their acts, and prostituted themselves in their doings" (Psalm 106:37-39). The eyes of all the earth are on the immergence of what is said to be an immanent, global pandemic of swine flu -- some kind of infectious, contagious mixture of swine flu, bird flu, and human flu. Swine was unclean under the commandments of the Old Covenant (Deuteronomy 14:8). And as You brought the prophetic image of a sick pig to mind this morning, I sensed Your Holy Spirit say to my heart, "What is unclean will make you sick." Under the New Covenant in Christ, what we eat or drink does not make us unclean (Colossian 2:20-23; Romans 14:14). Through the sacrifice of the blood of Christ, we are no longer to call an animal or anything else profane that You have called clean (Acts 10:9-16). "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). "(Jesus) said to them, 'Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?' (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He said, 'It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person' "(Mark 7:18-23). Sometimes sin makes us sick. Just because we are sick, does not necessarily mean we have sinned; but we must also acknowledge that it is a biblical, spiritual principle that sin can make us sick. "Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to gates of death" (Psalm 107:17-18). But even in our sickness and sin, Your heart is always that we would cry out to You in repentance and faith for forgiveness and healing. "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress; He sent out His word and He healed them, and delivered them from destruction" (Psalm 107:19-20). Our heart is not be hardened against You that there are consequences for our actions and that sometimes our sin opens the door for sickness. Instead our heart is to be full of thanksgiving and praise for Your mercy and power to forgive us and cleanse us and heal us in Your steadfast love for us (Psalm 107:21-22). One way I believe You desire to redeem this plague of disease attempting to now cover the earth in sickness, is to move us to search our hearts as You open our eyes to see any ways we have opened the door to sickness through sin, personally or as a people of our nations. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). There is no sin You will not forgive, if we will admit it and repent of it, allowing You to cleanse it in the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. But we have to be willing to humble ourselves from our pride, our wisdom, our will, our ways, and submit ourselves to Yours. Then You forgive us and cleanse us of all our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Under the principles of Your kingdom, healing and restoration often flow from the forgiveness of sin (Luke 5:20-26). "Jesus answered, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance' " (Luke 5:31-32). But "if we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us" (1 John 1:10). Sin is not always the reason for sickness, but we need to be willing to humble ourselves and ask when it is -- whether as a people or as a nation or as the nations of the earth. You moved on the heart of Daniel to intercede and pray on behalf of his nation and his ancestral generations in confession and repentance of the sins that opened the door to devastation and destruction, blocking Your forgiveness and redemption of his people and their land (Daniel 9:1-19). And in response to his intercession for himself and on behalf of his nation and their generations, You sent Your word with Your angel to bring encouragement, forgiveness, healing, and restoration (Daniel 9:20-23). You did the same in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra (Nehemiah 1:1-11 and 9:2). You do the same today to forgive us of our sins and the sins of our generations and nations that open the door to destruction when we plead and apply the blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:18-19). Lord, if what is unclean will make us sick, what is unclean in my heart and the hearts of my people? As I pray for my sins and the sins of my nation and the nations of the earth in the face of this plague seeking to consume our land, it seems You are leading me to this passage of Your Word from Psalm 106 about sacrificing to idols the innocent blood of our sons and daughters (Psalm 106:37-39). Though I know many in the leadership of our government and among the people of our nation and the nations of the earth disagree, I believe abortion is wrong. It is the shedding of the innocent blood of our sons and daughters. It is bowing down to idols of culture or convenience or even what may seem to be good and wise by the standards of human reasoning rather than submission to the wisdom and authority of the Word of God. And the sons and daughters we don't destroy through the sin of abortion, we dishonor through the sin of disobedience, setting before them a devastating example of the sin of "licentiousness" -- living our lives as if we have a license to do whatever we want to do for whatever reason we think is best for us, with no recognition of our God or His Word. And I believe "the anger of the Lord is kindled" against our sin (Psalm 106:40). I believe the heart of the Lord is broken over this loss of life and the destructive sense of shame and regret it brings deep down inside for those involved, whether they acknowledge it as sin or not. Yet there is no sin You do not desire to forgive, no sickness or disease You do not desire to heal, no bondage You do not desire to break, and no crushing burden You do not desire to lift (Psalm 103:1-5). "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will He keep His anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far He removes our transgressions from us. 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 103:8-14). So while Your heart burns and breaks over our sin and sickness, Your Father heart of God also yearns for our forgiveness and healing that comes through repentance. Despite the blood on their hands and the idols in their hearts, You were moved to compassion by the suffering of Your people and the consequences of their sin. "They were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity. Nevertheless, (You) regarded their distress when (You) heard their cry. For their sake, (You) remembered (Your) covenant, and showed compassion according to the abundance of (Your) steadfast love" (Psalm 106:43-45). By the blood of our New Covenant in Your blood, cleanse the blood of our hearts, the blood of our children, and the blood that defiles our land and all the earth (Matthew 26:28). Move our nation and the nations of the earth to repentance that draws Your compassion and mercy. "Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise" (Psalm 106:47). In Your mercy and steadfast love that never ceases, remove all that is unclean from our hearts and from our land. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I join with you in prayer for protection from sickness an end to this plague in our nations and in the earth. I will be helping lead our ecumenical gathering on the National Day of Prayer at my home church, Centenary United Methodist at 6:30 pm Thursday Night May 7th in our sanctuary, jointly hosted with Immanuel Baptist and Tates Creek Christian Churches, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY (http://www.centenarylex.com/). I'm excited to be preaching all three services at my home church in Lexington this Sunday, May 3rd, Centenary United Methodist Church at 2800 Tates Creek Rd, where we have our Messiah Ministries office as well ( http://www.centenarylex.com/ ). I pray it will be a time of healing and reconciliation for some deep hurts in our church family, as we choose by God's grace to let go of the pits of the past and move forward into our destiny, personally and a church. Please keep us in your prayers. Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/ 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

Pits of Our Souls, Purposes of God 4-30-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord and my God, my Rock and my Refuge, my Father and my Friend, You are my All in All. … "So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, 'Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured of him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams' " (Genesis 37:17-20). Did Joseph's brothers hate him or hate his dreams? Did they hate who he was or who he might become? Or did they just hate their own sense of insecurity and lack of significance, purpose, and destiny in their own lives that they were driven by jealousy, envy, and spite into self-righteous judgment and wrath. They throw Joseph into a pit because they were already stuck in their own -- the dark abyss of self-pity. Perhaps Joseph was not as wise and mature as he should have been in how he handled his dreams. Maybe he was a little too eager to share his hopes and plans and his sense of purpose, calling, gifting, and destiny. He may have been guilty of casting his pearls before swine, sharing the treasures of his heart with those who weren't ready to hear it and didn't know how to handle it. The penalty for dreaming your destiny should not be rejection and abandonment, but often it is in our broken, fallen world in such need of Your redemption and power to change our hearts and nature. As You teach in Your wisdom, "Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you" (Matthew 7:6). Enraged by jealousy they didn't even know they had, driven by deep insecurities they were blinded from seeing, they trampled Joseph's dreams and turned on a brother of their own family. Then they tried to hide their sin and bury their shame in a pit in the ground and a pit deep down in their souls. But You had others plans. You are the God "who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:3-5). You are the God who even works through the sinful choices of human beings made in free will, influenced by spirits of wickedness seeking to destroy and devour. There would come a day of healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation, when tears of grief would be turned to tears of joy (Genesis 45:1-15). Joseph's dreams and destiny came true, and he was even able to see Your hand through all his hardships, causing great good to come out of such evil. With a heart of mercy and a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation that only You can give, Joseph chose by Your grace to come into agreement with the Spirit of his Redeemer instead of the spirit of the accuser: "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good" (Genesis 50:20). Lord, give me courage to dare to dream the destiny You have for me. Give me Your wisdom and let me grow in maturity of how to share it when I should, how I should, and to whom I should. Give me mercy for those who hurt me, misunderstand me, reject me or abandon me along the way. Give me faith to believe You will redeem me out of every pit of discouragement, disappointment, and despair to cause all things to work together for my good and Your glory in Your time and in Your way. And give me eyes to see the self-pity, insecurities, jealousies, and pride down in the deep pits of my own soul, so I can release them to You and let You fill them with the peace and love of Your Spirit. That's how You turn our tears of grief into tears of joy. That's how You redeem our lives from the pit and crown us with steadfast love and mercy to satisfy us with good as long as we live. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be preaching all three services at my home church in Lexington this Sunday, May 3rd, Centenary United Methodist Church at 2800 Tates Creek Rd, where we have our Messiah Ministries office as well ( www.CentenaryLex.com ). I pray it will be a time of healing and reconciliation for some deep hurts in our church family, as we choose by God's grace to let go of the pits of the past and move forward into our destiny, personally and a church. Please keep us in your prayers. Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: 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

Endure Through the End 4-29-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. More of You, less of me. More of Your Spirit, less of my flesh; more of Your ways and Your will, less of mine. … "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36). Wars, famines, and earthquakes, increasing in severity and intensity, are "but the beginning of the birth pangs" (Matthew 24:7-8). Persecution for faith in Christ and a unification of "all nations" who hate the followers of Jesus Christ will even cause many to "fall away," while "false prophets will arise and lead many astray" (v. 24:9-11). Disrespect for the rule of law and dishonor of the Word of God will increase and "the love of many will grow cold" (v. 24:12). Yet, You give grace to all who will receive it, to all who humble themselves to call upon Your name and entrust themselves to You alone to be our strength and shield in the midst of whatever tribulation may come. And in the security and power of Your love and the measure of grace we need to endure each day of each season as it comes, "the one who endures to the end will be saved" (v. 24:13). In spite of all that comes -- and probably because of all that comes -- "this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to the nations; and then the end will come" (v. 24:14). Some think the followers of Christ will be raptured out of this earth before tribulation begins in order to "escape all these things." Others think we will endure much more of the tribulation times than we could ever imagine we could, all by the grace of God enabling and empowering us to stand firm in the faith as light in the midst of the darkness and as witnesses of the grace of God who will use even the judgments of tribulation to draw every last soul He can into eternity with Him. We will "escape these things" because we will endure these things, standing in Christ as Christ stands in us. As I understand Your timetable and teaching of the end times, rather than my wishful thinking, it's "after the suffering of those days" that "the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will 'see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:29-31). If Your words and Your warnings are true, then we need to spend more time getting prepared to endure than getting prepared to escape. Build within us the kind of persevering faith You gave the three young men who had the courage to endure the fiery furnace they faced in their day. "If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let Him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods …" (Daniel 3:17-18). As we hold firmly to You with the measure of faith You freely supply, whatever tribulations of fire we must endure, it will have no power over us and we will not even smell of the smoke (v. 3:27). "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22, NKJV). So by the power of Your grace, we will be on guard, we will be prepared, will endure, and we will stand, boldly and triumphantly, before the Son of Man. "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, 'For Your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be preaching all three services at my home church in Lexington this Sunday, May 3rd, Centenary United Methodist Church at 2800 Tates Creek Rd, where we have our Messiah Ministries office as well ( www.CentenaryLex.com ). Please come join us if you're in the area or looking for a home church. Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: 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

Our Goshen, the Place of Protection 4-28-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father and Son, abide in me by Your Holy Spirit as I abide in You by my spirit. ... "The hail struck down everything that was in the open field throughout all the land of Egypt, both human and animal; the hail also struck down all the plants of the field, and shattered every tree in the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were, there was no hail" (Exodus 9:25-26). There is a place of protection, where destruction doesn't come. Though plagues and pestilence, darkness and destruction may sweep across the land, there is place of protection under the blood of the Lamb, in the place God has already prepared. Whatever we endure, with persevering faith, we can endure it in You. "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed by not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). For the Israelites in their generation, it was a physical place in the land of Goshen, with the physical blood of an earthly lamb over the door of their homes (Exodus 12:7). For us in our generation, it is a spiritual place in Christ, with the spiritual blood of the Lamb of God over the door of our hearts, opened wide to You and the abiding presence of Your Spirit (Hebrews 9:13-14). Though we may endure "the suffering" of many things through the unfolding of these end times, we will endure them from the place of protection You've prepared in our hearts, as we await the day of Your coming in glory to redeem all things (Matthew 24:29-31). And though You will come in glory in the clouds one day soon, You want to come in glory in our hearts every day now by Your Holy Spirit, who already abides within us in the place of protection (Romans 8:11). "You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust'…. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent" (Psalm 91:1-10). You are our Goshen. You are our dwelling place of shelter and our city of refuge. In You alone is our place of protection. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My good friends at Kentucky Christian Foundation ( www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org ) asked me to pass along this invitation to our Lexington area friends for breakfast May 8th to hear Howard Dayton, co-founder of Crown Financial Ministries speak on financial peace in troubled times through Christ. Information is attached. Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: 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

Faith Overcomes Fear 4-27-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me begin this day grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. … "When Jesus entered Peter's house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve Him. That evening they brought to Him many who were possessed with demons; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, 'He took our infirmities and bore our diseases' " (Matthew 8:14-17). Reports of sickness and even death from a contagious swine flu continue to spread from Mexico and throughout North America. Fear of the potential of a world-wide pandemic of the disease seems to be spreading even faster. So these are days of preparation -- not only preparation with physical precautions and proper hygiene, but also spiritual preparation and precaution, aligning our hearts and minds with Your Word and Your Spirit. Sickness and disease, infirmities and infection are part of the consequences and experiences of life in a broken, fallen world, "subjected to futility" and "bondage to decay," but longing "in hope" for the "redemption" of all creation (Romans 8:18-25). And we can put our hope and our faith in the truth of Your redemption, because You've made perfect provision for our "fallenness" and our brokenness through the suffering of Your cross and the sacrifice of Your love (1 John 4:10). There, You "took our infirmities and bore our diseases," fulfilling Your Word through the prophet Isaiah. There, You were "wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities," taking upon Yourself "the punishment that made us whole" so that "by (Your) bruises we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-6). Your Word expresses Your will and Your nature in all these matters: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits -- who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:2-5). So let us come into agreement with Your Word, revealing Your will, by the power of Your Spirit. Let us not passively accept infirmity and disease, but actively remember and believe that You have already taken them all and borne them for us. We must possess by persevering faith the promises You've provided for us. So let faith overcome fear and truth overcome confusion. No matter what we may encounter or endure through the long process of redemption, You always give us all the grace we need to go through it in Spirit and in truth. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for praying for our Celebration Dinner last Friday night. The Lord our God was glorified in every testimony, word, song, and prayer in spirit and in truth. Thank you for joining with us in prayer and ministry "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God," to see His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. How Great is Our God! God bless you! Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: 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